Automated Image Capturing System with Rotary Actuators
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Solution Overview
Problem
Current methods for generating image datasets for machine learning, particularly in image recognition, are time-consuming and require significant human effort, especially in capturing images under varying lighting conditions and orientations, and often result in low-quality fake images generated by Generative Adversarial Networks (GANs, which are still evolving.
Innovation Solution
An automated image capturing system that includes a microcontroller, guiding apparatus, an image capturing device, and electric rotary actuators to control camera position, object orientation, and lighting, allowing for the capture of multiple images across various combinations of angles, positions, and lighting conditions without human intervention.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Productivity
If manual methods are used to capture images in different orientations, backgrounds, and lighting conditions, then image quality and diversity can be controlled, but the process is time-consuming and requires significant human effort
Solution Approach 1:
The system employs dynamic positioning mechanisms including a robotic arm with multiple degrees of freedom to adjust camera position and orientation, a rotary platform to rotate objects, and controllable lighting systems. These dynamic components enable automated capture of images from multiple angles, orientations, and lighting conditions without manual intervention, significantly increasing data collection productivity while reducing time investment.
2Ease of operation
If Generative Adversarial Networks are used to generate images, then image generation can be automated, but the generated images are often of low quality and do not cover all scenarios
Solution Approach 1:
The system enables self-service automated image capture by integrating a microcontroller that autonomously controls the robotic arm positioning, rotary platform rotation, lighting adjustments, and camera triggering. The microcontroller coordinates these components to automatically capture images across diverse scenarios without requiring external manual operation or reliance on AI-generated fake images, ensuring high-quality real image collection while maintaining full automation.
3Extent of automation
If multiple components are added to automate camera position, object orientation, and lighting control, then automation and data diversity improve, but device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The microcontroller serves as a universal control unit that manages multiple functions including robotic arm positioning, rotary platform rotation, lighting control, and camera triggering through a single integrated device. This multi-functionality approach enables high-level automation of the entire image capture process while avoiding the need for separate complex control systems for each component, thereby reducing overall system complexity despite the presence of multiple automated elements.
Data Source
AI summary
A system and apparatus for automated image capturing, comprising a microcontroller, an image capturing device operatively coupled to the pair of guiding apparatus using a first electric rotary actuator, a rotary plate operatively mounted on a second electric rotary actuator. The pair of guiding apparatus and the first electric rotary actuator is actuated to cause change in position of the image capturing device relative to an object positioned on the rotary plate and second electric rotary actuator is actuated causing change in angle of orientation of the object positioned on the rotary plate. By varying lighting conditions and for different background images, plurality of images of object are captured using the image capturing device by actuating electro-mechanical components of the apparatus.