Autonomous Camera System for Construction Site Monitoring
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Solution Overview
Problem
Construction sites face challenges in monitoring and inspecting activities due to the inability to adequately monitor and inspect detailed activities, leading to worker injuries, equipment theft, cost overruns, and completion delays, with existing camera systems failing to operate reliably in harsh, distant, and polluted environments.
Innovation Solution
A continuously operating heteronomous camera system capable of capturing high-definition images from a distance, designed to operate autonomously for extended periods in harsh environments, with vibration-mitigating and pollution-resistant features, and secure image transmission to a remote docu-vault.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Area of stationary object
If a camera system is placed at a distant location to monitor an expansive construction site, then the coverage area increases, but the image quality and detail visibility deteriorate
Solution Approach 1:
The patent transitions from ground-level monitoring to aerial monitoring by deploying cameras on drones or aerial platforms. This dimensional change allows the camera to achieve both expansive coverage area and high-detail imaging simultaneously by viewing the construction site from above, where distance no longer compromises image quality in the same way as ground-level perspectives.
Solution Approach 2:
The monitoring system is divided into multiple camera units distributed across different locations and altitudes. Each camera captures specific zones or perspectives of the construction site, and the images are synthesized to provide comprehensive coverage with maintained detail quality across the entire expansive area.
2Duration of action of stationary object
If a camera system operates continuously in harsh outdoor environments, then monitoring duration increases, but system reliability deteriorates due to weather and pollution
Solution Approach 1:
The camera system is enclosed in protective housings with weather-resistant coatings and sealed membranes that shield internal components from harsh environmental conditions including rain, dust, and pollution. This allows continuous operation while maintaining system reliability by preventing environmental degradation of the camera mechanisms.
Solution Approach 2:
The system incorporates autonomous self-diagnostic and self-maintenance capabilities that continuously monitor its own operational status and perform corrective actions without human intervention, ensuring continuous reliable operation in harsh environments where immediate human response is not feasible.
3Difficulty of detecting and measuring
If inspectors are deployed on-site to monitor construction activities, then detection capability increases, but operational complexity and cost increase
Solution Approach 1:
The patent replaces human inspectors with an automated camera-based monitoring system that uses image capture, processing, and analysis to detect construction activities, safety violations, and progress metrics. This substitution maintains high detection capability while eliminating the operational complexity and costs associated with deploying and managing human inspectors across expansive sites.
Solution Approach 2:
The system creates detailed visual copies (images and video recordings) of construction site conditions that can be analyzed remotely without requiring physical presence of inspectors. These visual replicas provide comprehensive detection capability while simplifying operations by allowing remote review and automated analysis of site conditions.
4Measurement precision
If a camera system is positioned to capture detailed images of construction activities, then measurement precision increases, but the coverage area decreases
Solution Approach 1:
The camera system incorporates dynamic positioning capabilities through motorized pan-tilt-zoom mechanisms or mobile platforms that allow the camera to adjust its field of view and focus on specific areas of interest. This enables the system to capture detailed images of particular construction activities while maintaining the capability to cover expansive areas by panning and tilting between different zones.
Data Source
AI summary
An unattended camera system for automatically capturing images at a site, especially including a remote construction site. Accurate focusing of the camera system is especially critical to obtain evidentiary-quality images. Four different focusing processes are executed to ensure these quality images, including: a laboratory setup focus process, an initial field setup process when the camera system is delivered to the remote site, a focus change operation when the system mission is changed, and a refocus operation when a maintenance and repair operation is performed in the camera system.