Ceiling-Mounted Camera Arm for Consistent Multi-Angle Product Imaging
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Solution Overview
Problem
Taking consistent photographs of objects, especially for online sales, is challenging due to factors like lighting, operator skill, and camera orientation, often requiring significant setup time and resources.
Innovation Solution
An apparatus comprising a housing connected to a ceiling, an arm with a motor, and a camera mount that can rotate around an object to capture consistent images from multiple perspectives, allowing for automatic image capture along a predefined path without user intervention.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Manufacturing precision
If manual photography methods are used with skilled operators, then image quality can be improved, but time consumption and operational complexity increase significantly
Solution Approach 1:
The system enables self-service operation through automated camera movement along predefined paths and automatic triggering based on object detection. The camera system independently navigates, captures images at optimal positions, and processes data without requiring skilled operators to manually position or trigger shots, thus eliminating the trade-off between quality and time.
Solution Approach 2:
Photography paths and capture parameters are pre-planned and programmed before the actual photography session. The system pre-defines the camera's movement trajectory, stopping positions, and trigger conditions based on the object's characteristics, allowing the camera to automatically execute the predetermined sequence without real-time operator intervention, thereby ensuring consistent quality while reducing setup time.
2Ease of operation
If automated camera movement is implemented, then operational complexity is reduced, but control precision over camera positioning may worsen
Solution Approach 1:
The system incorporates feedback mechanisms where the camera's actual position and the captured images are continuously monitored. The controller adjusts the camera's movement and positioning based on feedback from position sensors and image analysis, ensuring that the automated system maintains precise positioning accuracy while operating autonomously along predefined paths.
3Loss of information
If multiple images are captured from various angles, then object representation quality improves, but data processing complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The system pre-plans the photography path to capture all necessary object details from optimal angles before processing. By predetermined the sequence and positions of image capture based on the object's geometry and features, the system ensures complete object representation while organizing data in a structured manner that simplifies subsequent processing and 3D reconstruction.
Data Source
AI summary
An apparatus having a housing, an arm, a motor, and a camera mount. The housing may be connected to a ceiling of a room. The arm may have (i) a pivot portion connected to the housing and (ii) a portion extending from the pivot portion in a first direction. The motor may be connected to the pivot portion of the arm to move the arm in response to a control signal. The camera mount may be connected to an end of the portion of the arm.