Sony FCB camera block
At the recently concluded 2025 Low Altitude Economy and Unmanned Systems Expo and the 10th Shenzhen International Unmanned Aerial Vehicle Exhibition, the Sony ILX-LR1 full-frame camera specially designed for unmanned aerial vehicles became the focus of the event, attracting extensive attention and inquiries from many professional visitors.
The Sony ILX-LR1 has achieved breakthrough applications in the field of unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) bridge inspection with its high-precision imaging, rapid processing capabilities and highly integrated system design with UAVs.
I. Application Background: A traffic inspection company in Chongqing
A certain traffic inspection company in Chongqing has constructed an intelligent bridge inspection solution through the unmanned aerial vehicle system equipped with Sony ILX-LR1, solving the pain points in traditional inspections such as road blocking and occupation, high risks of high-altitude operations, and low efficiency. This system has been successfully applied in mountainous areas such as Yunnan, Guizhou and Sichuan, covering complex scenarios with a large number and wide distribution of Bridges.
Ii. Core Technical Advantages of Sony ILX-LR1
Ultra-high precision imaging
The Sony ILX-LR1 adopts a 61-megapixel full-frame back-illuminated sensor. High-quality, low-noise and wide dynamic range image quality, capable of identifying fine cracks and minor diseases such as concrete spalling and steel bar corrosion.
2. Efficient data collection and processing
The information volume per shot of Sony ILX-LR1 is increased by 3 times: Compared with traditional cameras, the number of shots is significantly reduced. Combined with the new BIONZ XR image processor, the processing performance is improved by approximately 8 times, the processing delay is reduced, and the processing capabilities of videos and still images are enhanced simultaneously, achieving excellent image quality and the fast response of the camera.
3. Remote control and DC power supply
The Sony ILX-LR1 enables users to remotely control the camera’s menu and other functions through their own software applications. It supports real-time adjustment of power, exposure, focus and shutter parameters by the drone remote control, achieving full-process automation.
Dc power supply: Supports long-term continuous operation (no battery replacement required), and remote flexible configuration.
4. Lightweight and high integration
Lightweight and compact design: The Sony ILX-LR1 weighs only 243 grams, significantly reducing the load of the drone and enhancing flight stability and endurance.
Highly integrated with unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) : The Sony ILX-LR1 is designed with power and control ports, a USB Type-c interface, an HDMI Micro interface, and screw holes on six sides, making it more convenient to install and connect with UAVs and other devices.
5. Multi-lens adaptation
The Sony ILX-LR1 is compatible with over 70 Sony E-mount lenses and supports close-up crack shooting and overall structure scanning.
Iii. Practical Application Effects
1. Safe and efficient, it breaks through the bottleneck of traditional detection
The traditional bridge inspection methods often require road closure and occupation, and are confronted with problems such as high risks and low efficiency of high-altitude operations. However, the unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) bridge intelligent inspection system developed by a certain traffic inspection company in Chongqing can effectively overcome the risks of safe and efficient flight in no-signal and weak signal environments, significantly enhancing the safety and efficiency of operations.
This system gives full play to the spatial maneuverability advantage of unmanned aerial vehicles and the high-definition camera performance of Sony ILX-LR1, achieving all-round and blind-spot-free fine inspection and shooting of bridge structures. Through the obtained high-definition image data and integrating the front-end AI intelligent analysis technology, it can simultaneously complete the 3D modeling of Bridges and the real-time identification and precise calibration of diseases (such as cracks, spillage, etc.). It provides strong data support for the scientific maintenance and precise decision-making of Bridges.
2. Intelligent and precise, driving a leap in professional testing efficiency
The core of this unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) bridge inspection system lies in the installation of the Sony ILX-LR1 camera. This high-performance camera injects strong power into the system.
The Sony ILX-LR1 is a full-frame camera with 61 million pixels, ensuring that the captured images have high resolution and rich details, providing an accurate data basis for AI algorithms. The ILX-LR1 is compact in size. Its design without a screen or battery enables it to better meet the carrying requirements of unmanned aerial vehicles, reduce the overall weight and volume of the system, and improve the stability of flight.
The integrability of Sony ILX-LR1 is also one of its major advantages. The ILX-LR1 can accept DC power supply for long-term operation without the need to replace the battery. Through its 6-pin interface, the drone remote control can remotely control the camera’s power supply, exposure, focusing, shutter parameters, etc., providing great convenience for system integration. The screw hole design on the six surfaces of the body makes installation simpler and faster. In addition, the lens interface of the E mount also offers a rich selection of lenses for shooting, providing comprehensive support for applications in different scenarios.
At present, the unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) bridge intelligent inspection system developed by a certain traffic inspection company in Chongqing has been put into use in Guizhou, Chongqing, Yunnan and other places. Facing the challenges of large terrain undulations, wide distribution of Bridges and high difficulty of traditional detection, there is a large demand and high operational difficulty for professional detection work. The introduction of the unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) intelligent bridge inspection system not only enhances the inspection efficiency and reduces safety risks, but also cuts down on the human and material costs required for manual inspection. This innovative solution has received wide acclaim and recognition from the industry.
Fourth, broad prospects and expanded application fields
The successful application of this system will bring more efficient, secure and intelligent engineering inspection solutions to the industry, and promote the industry to move towards a more intelligent and digital direction. As one of the key technical supports, Sony ILX-LR1 will play an increasingly important role in the future development and will be rapidly and effectively applied in the professional inspection of the appearance of concrete structures such as highways, railways, urban roads and Bridges, and water conservancy.
(Part of the content is excerpted from Sony China’s official website)