AR Projection Camera System with Base-Mounted Motors
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Solution Overview
Problem
Current augmented reality projection systems are often bulky, obtrusive, and generate heat, which can detract from the user experience by being loud or cumbersome, and have a larger form factor due to separate optical paths for projectors and cameras.
Innovation Solution
The design incorporates a projection and camera system where the projector and camera share a common optical path, such as in a table lamp configuration, with motors for pan, tilt, and roll actions located in the base to minimize noise and heat in the head, allowing for a more compact and user-friendly form factor.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Adaptability or versatility
If the projector and camera use separate optical paths, then the system can perform projection and image capture functions, but the form factor becomes larger and the system becomes more bulky
Solution Approach 1:
The patent combines the projection and image capture functions into a single device housing, with both the projector and camera integrated into the same structure. This merging of functions into one unified device reduces the overall form factor compared to using separate projectors and cameras, while maintaining both projection and capture capabilities simultaneously.
Solution Approach 2:
The device is designed as a multi-functional unit that can simultaneously perform projection, image capture, and augmented reality operations. By making the device universal and capable of multiple functions, the patent eliminates the need for separate dedicated devices, thereby reducing the overall system volume and form factor.
2Ease of operation
If motors for pan, tilt, and roll actions are located in the head, then the projection and camera system can be controlled remotely, but noise and heat generation near the user's head increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent segments the device into two functional parts: the head containing the projector and camera, and the base containing the motors for pan, tilt, and roll control. By separating the motor components from the head, the design allows remote control capability while relocating the noise and heat generation to the base, away from the user's head.
Solution Approach 2:
The motors that generate noise and heat are extracted from the head and placed in the base. This extraction of harmful components from the user-proximity area eliminates noise and heat interference near the user's head while preserving the remote control functionality through the separated motor placement.
3Volume of moving object
If the projection and camera system is integrated into a compact form, then the device becomes less obtrusive and more user-friendly, but the integration of noisy components becomes more challenging
Solution Approach 1:
The compact device is segmented into distinct functional modules: the head housing containing optical components, the base containing motor components, and connecting mechanical linkages. This segmentation allows each module to be optimized independently for its function while maintaining overall compactness, making the integration of noisy components more manageable.
Solution Approach 2:
The noisy motor components are extracted and placed in the base, separated from the sensitive optical components in the head. This extraction strategy enables compact integration by isolating incompatible components (noisy motors near quiet optical elements) into different spatial zones within the compact form factor.
Data Source
AI summary
A device includes a projection and camera system to create an augmented reality environment in which images are projected onto a scene and user movement within the scene is captured. The projection and camera system have a camera to image scattered IR light from the scene and compute time of flight values used in depth mapping of objects in the room. The system also has a projector to project the images onto the scene. The system controls the camera and projector mounted in a moveable head of a lamp with a motor mounted elsewhere in the lamp. In one implementation, the motor is mounted in the base of a table lamp.