Surveillance Camera Housing with Pivoting Spherical Cleaning Window
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Solution Overview
Problem
Military vehicle camera systems face challenges in harsh environmental conditions, including gunfire shock, vibration, extreme temperatures, and varying light conditions, which affect image quality and reliability, and require a solution that combines multiple sensor technologies to maintain visibility and safety.
Innovation Solution
A surveillance apparatus with a housing that includes a spherical ring element with a protective window and nozzles for cleaning, allowing pivotal movement and fluid guidance for air or liquid cleaning, combining LWIR and VIS channels to generate a wide field of view image data, and utilizing a control system to manage fluid flow and image stitching for enhanced visibility.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Area of stationary object
If a camera system is mounted to a motorized gimbal to generate a wide field-of-view by capturing images at different directions, then the field-of-view coverage is improved, but the system complexity and mechanical reliability are worsened due to moving parts and mechanical arrangements
Solution Approach 1:
The camera system is divided into multiple fixed cameras (first camera and second camera) positioned at different locations within the housing, each capturing a specific portion of the overall field of view. This segmentation eliminates the need for a single camera to mechanically rotate, thereby reducing mechanical complexity while maintaining wide field-of-view coverage through image stitching of the segmented views
Solution Approach 2:
The system uses image stitching technology to dynamically combine static images from multiple fixed cameras into a composite wide-field image. This dynamic image processing approach replaces the need for mechanical dynamic adjustment, allowing the system to achieve wide field-of-view coverage without moving mechanical parts
2Area of stationary object
If multiple camera devices are arranged to provide combined image data for wide field-of-view, then the field-of-view is improved, but the device complexity and alignment precision requirements are worsened
Solution Approach 1:
The system incorporates image stitching technology that processes and aligns images from multiple cameras through computational algorithms. This feedback-based image processing automatically compensates for minor misalignments between cameras, reducing the stringency of mechanical alignment requirements while achieving seamless wide-field coverage
Solution Approach 2:
The system allows for adjustable parameters in the image stitching process, including transformation matrices and alignment corrections. By changing these computational parameters, the system can adapt to different camera positions and orientations, thereby reducing the need for extremely precise mechanical manufacturing and installation
3Reliability
If a protective window is added to protect the camera device, then the protection capability is improved, but the optical quality is worsened due to potential distortion and fisheye effects
Solution Approach 1:
The protective window is pre-assembled with the camera housing in a fixed configuration, ensuring that its optical properties are accounted for in the overall system design. By establishing the protective window's position and orientation during manufacturing, the system can pre-correct for its optical effects through calibration and image processing, thereby maintaining both protection and optical quality
4Reliability
If cleaning nozzles are added to clean the protective window, then the reliability in harsh environments is improved, but the device complexity is worsened
Solution Approach 1:
The fluid delivery system serves multiple functions: it provides cleaning fluid to the protective window, removes contaminants, and can potentially serve other maintenance functions. By designing a multi-functional fluid management system, the patent reduces the need for separate dedicated systems for each function, thereby managing complexity while enhancing reliability in harsh environments
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
The solution provides reliable and accurate surveillance across demanding conditions, ensuring vehicle safety by maintaining image quality and reducing latency, with improved Detection Recognition Identification range and low light sensitivity, while minimizing optical distortion and fisheye effects.
Implementation Method 1
a plurality of nozzles operationally connected to the circular groove and directed circumferentially towards an outer surface of the protective window (6) for cleaning the protective window with liquid fluid or for cleaning or drying the protective window with air fluid
Data Source
Figure 1a~1b
Figure 2a~2b
Figure 3a~3b
AI summary
A surveillance apparatus comprising a housing with a front surface, wherein a camera device is arranged to operate through an opening of the front surface; a spherical ring element comprising a protecting window; an inner ring element arranged at an inner side of the housing; an outer ring element arranged at an outer side of the housing, wherein the spherical ring element is arranged between the inner ring element and the outer ring element, and the inner and outer ring element are configured to allow pivotal movement of the spherical ring element; the outer ring element comprising a circular groove arranged on inner circumference of the outer ring element and a plurality of nozzles operationally connected to the circular groove; and an outlet arranged on the front surface of the housing to guide a fluid to the circular groove of the outer ring element.