FAQ - Sorama CAM iV64

On this page, you can find frequently asked questions about the Sorama CAM iV64. To navigate over the page, you can click on the topic, related to your question:

Mechanical related questions
Acoustical related questions
On-device related questions
Sorama Portal related questions
Other questions

Mechanical related questions

1. WHAT IS THE FIELD OF VIEW OF THE CAMERA?

The field of view (FOV) of the Sorama CAM iV64 is given as an angle for the horizontal and vertical components of the FOV. The FOV depends on how many features are opened (Spectrum, Spectrogram and dB SPL meter). In case no features are opened, the FOV of the Sorama CAM iV64 consists of a horizontal FOV of 23.8° and vertical FOV of 41°. When opening more features on the Sorama CAM iV64 screen, the horizontal FOV will increase and the vertical FOV will reduce slightly. When opening the maximum amount of features on the screen (Spectrum+Spectrogram+dB SPL meter) the horizontal FOV will be equal to 53° and the vertical FOV will be equal to 38.2°

2. CAN THE SORAMA CAM IV64 BE MOUNTED ON A TRIPOD?

Yes, the Sorama CAM iV64 has a 1/4 inch female insert and can be mounted on a tripod or similar. The insert can be found on the bottom of the Sorama CAM iV64.

Acoustic related questions

1. IS IT POSSIBLE TO OPERATE THE SORAMA CAM IV64 IN NOISY AREAS (GENERATOR ROOMS, STEAM TURBINE ENCLOSURE, ETC.)?

The Sorama CAM iV64 filters based on the frequency selection that is made by the user and localizes the most dominant sound sources in the Field of View (FOV).

2. WHAT IS THE LOWEST MEASURABLE FREQUENCY RANGE?

The lowest measurable frequency in the spectrum and spectrogram of the Sorama CAM iV64 is set to 29 Hz. The optimal Beamforming (Far-field) frequency range is from 500 Hz to 27 kHz (followed by experience of consultants).

3. WHAT IS ACOUSTIC BEAMFORMING?

Acoustic beamforming is a signal processing technique used to identify the location of sound by using an array of microphones. The localization of sound is determined by the difference in time at which sound reaches the microphones in the array.

The Sorama CAM iV64 is a stand-alone and portable instrument that contains an array, signal processing, touch display, and camera which allows calculating beamforming levels and overlaying on real-time video. It is the most powerful acoustic camera on the current market.

4. HOW DOES THE SORAMA CAM IV64 COMPARE TO A CLASS 1 SOUND LEVEL METER (SLM)?

The accuracy of the measured sound pressure levels [dB] is within the Class 1 norms (NEN-EN-IEC 61672) . You will measure a similar dB value compared to a Class 1 SLM.

5. WHICH FREQUENCY AND TIME WEIGHTINGS DOES THE SORAMA CAM IV64 HAVE?

The Sorama CAM iV64 has an option of applying different frequency and time weightings:

The frequency weightings that can be applied are Z, A, B and C.
The time weightings that can be applied are Impulse, Fast and Slow.

6. CAN THE SORAMA CAM IV64 PERFORM NEAR-FIELD ACOUSTIC HOLOGRAPHY?

No, the Sorama CAM iV64’s robust design and the closed array do not allow for the application of Holography (Near-field). With Sorama CAM iV64, you cannot perform Near-field Acoustic Holography. Sorama, the manufacturer of the Sorama CAM iV64, has other products designed (CAM64 and CAM1K) to perform Near-field Acoustic Holography measurements.

7. WHICH MEASUREMENT DISTANCE FROM THE SOURCE IS SUGGESTED WHEN MEASURING A LARGE OBJECT OR MACHINE?

We would advise starting the measurement with the Sorama CAM iV64 further away from the machine, leading to having as many components of the machine in the field of view as possible. Subsequently, you should open the Spectrum module. After the Spectrum module is opened, you can identify the most dominant noises in the frequency spectrum, select a frequency range that covers the most dominant noises and inspect the sound image. In this phase of the measurement process, the Sorama CAM iV64 will indicate (for the selected frequency range) the area which is the most dominant. Once this is established, you can move the iV64 closer to the machine to the area which was identified by the iV64 as most dominant. Next, you can repeat the measurement process as described above. Closer to the source (but still in the Far-field) the CAM iV64 can show the most dominant sources in more detail, due to the increased overview of individual components of the machine.

8. DOES THE MEASURED FREQUENCY SPECTRUM DEPEND ON THE DISTANCE BETWEEN THE SORAMA CAM IV64 AND THE SOUND SOURCE?

Yes, in general when the noise spectrum of the source is mainly active in the lower frequencies, those frequencies will remain visible at larger distances than in case the noise spectrum of the source is mainly active in higher frequencies. This is the case since higher frequencies die out sooner when increasing the distance towards the source. This topic is also related to the signal strength of the source. If the signal strength is higher it will always be visible at larger distances than when the signal strength is lower.

9. DOES THE FAR-FIELD IMAGE DEPEND ON THE DISTANCE BETWEEN THE CAM IV64 AND THE SOUND SOURCE?

Firstly, the Far-field image depends on the field of view of the webcam of the Sorama CAM iV64. Assume you have a very large product. Then the distance towards the product should be larger (to entirely capture it in your field of view) than when you only have a small product.

Furthermore, the Far-field image depends on the signal-to-noise ratio. When you are further away from the sound source, the measured signal of the sound source will decrease. At a certain distance it is not distinguishable anymore from the background noise. You can, for example, see a sound source frequency peak decreasing when you move further away from the source.
Also, the Far-field image depends on the frequency selection you make in the frequency spectrum, which is integrated on the display of the Sorama CAM iV64. When performing measurements with the Sorama CAM iV64 you should be positioned in the Far-field of the sound source you are measuring. The Far-field exists further away than two wavelengths of the sound radiated by the sound source. This means that the minimum distance towards the sound source depends on the frequency selection you make in the Spectrum module. The lower the frequency, the further away you should be positioned from the source to be in the Far-field. Example: At a frequency of 500 Hz, the Far-field starts at a distance of 1.4 m away from the source.
Finally, the Far-field image depends on the configuration of the distance to the sound source. Especially at distances close to the source it is important that the distance is configured correctly to get an accurate Far-field image.

10. CAN SORAMA CAM IV64 BE USED BOTH IN FREE FIELD (OUTDOOR) AND REVERBERANT FIELD (INDOOR) MEASUREMENTS?

Yes, the Sorama CAM iV64 can be used in the free field- and reverberant field conditions, provided that the room is not very highly reverberant, because this could lead to a less clear Far-field images.

On-device related questions

1. DO I MANUALLY NEED TO ADJUST THE DISTANCE TO THE SOURCE?

No, not necessarily. Besides manually inputting a distance, the Sorama CAM iV64 has automated distance estimation to the source. Which means that it will always show a sound image on the location of the sound source. This distance estimation is most accurate until a distance of approximately 3 meters. When the distance between the Sorama CAM iV64 and the sound source becomes larger than 3 meters, the CAM iV64 can no longer reliably estimate the distance. In a situation like that, it will mention that the sound source is located further away than 3 meters. When exporting stored measurements to the Sorama Portal, there exists an option to manually edit the distance to the actual distance.

2. HOW TO EXPORT MEASUREMENT DATA?

Measurement data is stored in the Sorama CAM iV64’s internal memory in a Sorama data format (.SOR). It can also be stored on an external memory drive that can be connected via a USB-C port.

You can either export data from the external drive to a computer or connect the supplied USB-C cable from the device to your PC to download the data.

3. HOW TO SAVE THE DATA AND WHAT IS THE FORMAT TYPE?

The Sorama CAM iV64 streams audio and video data continuously by default. A short press of the trigger button at the top of the Handgrip will start and save a measurement in a .SOR format with a length of up to 30 seconds.

4. CAN THE SORAMA CAM IV64 BE USED FOR CONTINUOUS MONITORING APPLICATIONS?

The Sorama CAM iV64 is not meant to use for continuous monitoring applications, but Sorama has a product called the L642 (Acoustic Camera CAM64). The Sorama L642 is the evolution in acoustic monitoring solutions that allows for 24/7 monitoring. It combines the powerful use of acoustic imaging, detection of sound levels, accurate localization, and interpretation. Advanced sound interpretation is generally split up into specific (deep-learned) classification as well as anomaly detection. The Sorama L642 supports AI edge computing as well as server-based solutions, all powered and connected with one single network cable.

5. DOES THE SORAMA CAM IV64 HAVE WIFI AND BLUETOOTH FUNCTIONALITIES?

Currently, there is no WIFI and Bluetooth functionality available on the device, but these features will be offered as a possible software upgrade in the future.

Sorama Portal related questions

1. DOES THE SORAMA CAM IV64 SUPPLY A TOOL TO GENERATE DIGITAL REPORTS?

The Sorama CAM iV64 does not provide an on-device tool to generate digital reports. Alternatively, you can upload performed measurement data in the Sorama portal.

In this way, you can access all analysis modules which also exist when performing measurements with the Sorama CAM64 and the Sorama CAM1K. The analysis modules include Time-, Spectrum-, Spectrogram-, Far-field-, Directional- and Time selection analysis features.
The uploaded measurement values can also be exported as .CSV files, .PNG, .JPEG, .MP4, .WebM video.
It is also possible to generate presentations out of the Sorama Portal along with notes and comments. Those can easily be shared with stakeholders.
In the future, it is planned to add a report generating tool in the Sorama Portal.

2. IS IT POSSIBLE TO PERFORM AN ANALYSIS ON MY PERFORMED MEASUREMENTS WITH THE SORAMA CAM IV64?

Your measurements can be uploaded to the Sorama Portal by connecting your CAM iV64 to your computer via a USB-C cable. Thereafter, you can open the Sorama Portal and open the uploading area by clicking on the ‘Import External Files’ button, which can be found in the ‘Manage’ workflow. The measurement (.SOR files) can be copied to or dropped into the uploading area. When the uploading process is completed, you can go the the ‘Analyze’ workflow and your uploaded measurements will appear, ready for analysis. You can find a video, explaining the steps here.

3. CAN I REVIEW MY RECORDED MEASUREMENT VIDEOS (.SOR FILE) IN A MEDIA PLAYER?

Yes, the most commonly used media player that can play this file format is the VLC media player.