Outdoor Camera Housing With Airflow Lens Clearing and Moisture Protection
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Solution Overview
Problem
Outdoor cameras, particularly those used at sports facilities for tracking moving objects, face challenges with moisture resistance, impact durability, and maintaining a clear view due to moisture and insects, necessitating a sturdy and reliable design for prolonged use.
Innovation Solution
A camera device with a housing that forms an enclosed space with a moisture-proof design, using a combination of enclosures and air circulation to keep the camera and circuitry dry and cooled, featuring a path for cooling air that interacts with the transparent component to evaporate moisture and deter insects, with cable routing to prevent water ingress.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of operation
If the camera is mounted outdoors without protection, then the device complexity is reduced and ease of operation is improved, but moisture and insects will disturb the view and reliability deteriorates
Solution Approach 1:
The patent employs a transparent protective cover (shell) that encloses the camera lens and electronics, creating a moisture barrier while maintaining optical clarity. This shell structure protects the internal components from moisture and insects without requiring complex sealing mechanisms, thus improving reliability while keeping the device relatively simple to install outdoors.
2Reliability
If a protective cover is added to protect from moisture, then reliability is improved, but the device complexity increases and cooling becomes more difficult
Solution Approach 1:
The patent extracts the cooling function from the enclosed protective cover by providing separate cooling channels that run through the housing structure. This allows the protective cover to focus solely on moisture protection while the cooling system independently manages thermal management, avoiding the need for complex integrated designs and reducing overall device complexity.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent introduces cooling channels as intermediary structures that facilitate heat transfer between the internal components and the external environment. These channels act as mediators that enable effective cooling without compromising the integrity of the protective enclosure, thus maintaining both moisture resistance and thermal management capabilities.
3Temperature
If cooling channels are added to the housing, then temperature control is improved, but the housing structure becomes more complex and manufacturing difficulty increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent merges the cooling channels with the housing structure itself, integrating the thermal management function into the existing housing fabrication. This combination allows the cooling channels to be formed as part of the housing manufacturing process (e.g., through injection molding or extrusion), thereby improving cooling efficiency without significantly increasing manufacturing complexity or requiring separate fabrication steps.
4Strength
If the camera is made sturdy to withstand impacts, then strength is improved, but the device complexity increases and weight increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent incorporates a protective cover that acts as a cushioning barrier before impacts reach the internal components. This outer protective layer absorbs and distributes impact forces from sports balls or debris, protecting the camera electronics and lens without requiring the entire camera housing to be excessively heavy or complex. The protective cover serves as a sacrificial element that prevents damage while maintaining overall device lightness.
Applied Scientific Principles
This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.
Function Achieved in This Case
Ensures reliable operation under harsh outdoor conditions by keeping the camera and circuitry dry and protected from impacts, maintaining image quality and functionality over extended periods.
Implementation Method 1
a path for cooling air from the air inlet to the camera and then to the guiding surface
Implementation Method 2
an optically transparent component coupled with the housing to form an enclosed space into which water is unable to flow under an influence of gravity when the camera device is in a mounted orientation
Implementation Method 3
the guiding surface being configured and arranged to direct air flowing out of the air outlet toward or across the optically transparent component
Data Source
AI summary
A camera device (100), comprising: a housing, defining an air inlet (160, 162) and an air outlet (164); an optically transparent component (103) coupled with the housing to form a first enclosure (110) into which water is unable to flow under an influence of gravity when the camera device (100) is in a mounted orientation for operational use; a guiding surface (166) associated with, or being part of, the air outlet (164), the guiding surface (166) being configured and arranged to direct air flowing out of the air 2024/056564 outlet (164) toward or across the optically transparent component (103); and a camera (102), located inside the first enclosure (110) and arranged to receive light passing through the optically transparent component (103), wherein the housing defines a path (P) for the air from the air inlet (160, 162) to the camera (102) and then to the guiding surface (166).