Camera Mounting Assembly for Fast Production Line Inspection Setup
Find Innovative SolutionsGenerate Solutions
Solution Overview
Problem
Current visual inspection solutions for production lines are highly customized, expensive, time-consuming to set up, and require expert integration and maintenance, limiting their deployment and flexibility, leading to increased costs and reduced productivity due to reliance on system suppliers for installation and repurposing.
Innovation Solution
An automated visual inspection appliance with a customizable mounting assembly, combined camera/lighting assembly, and machine learning/computer vision algorithms for dynamic adaptation to the inspection environment, allowing for easy and quick installation by untrained users without the need for extensive planning or integration, and enabling repurposing across different inspection situations.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Measurement precision
If current visual inspection solutions are highly customized to particular products and tasks, then inspection quality and precision are improved, but device complexity and installation time increase significantly
Solution Approach 1:
The patent creates a universal inspection appliance that can be adapted to multiple products and inspection tasks through software configuration rather than hardware customization. The system uses a standardized hardware platform with adjustable parameters and algorithms that can be tailored to different inspection requirements, eliminating the need for custom-built systems for each application.
Solution Approach 2:
The inspection system is divided into modular components including separate camera units, lighting assemblies, and processing modules that can be independently configured and combined. This segmentation allows the system to maintain standardized interfaces while adapting to different inspection needs through software rather than requiring complete system redesign.
2Measurement precision
If expert selection and integration of hardware, cameras, lighting and software components is performed, then inspection accuracy is improved, but installation time and cost increase
Solution Approach 1:
The inspection appliance incorporates self-calibration and automatic configuration capabilities that eliminate the need for expert intervention during installation. The system automatically adjusts parameters, calibrates components, and configures inspection algorithms based on the specific application, allowing untrained users to deploy the system quickly without sacrificing inspection accuracy.
Solution Approach 2:
The system comes pre-configured with optimized hardware arrangements, calibrated components, and pre-loaded inspection algorithms. The camera, lighting, and mechanical components are pre-positioned and pre-calibrated during manufacturing, so that upon installation, the system requires minimal setup and can immediately perform accurate inspections.
3Area of stationary object
If meticulous planning and positioning of the inspection camera is performed, then field of view coverage is improved, but installation time increases
Solution Approach 1:
The camera positioning system incorporates adjustable and reconfigurable mounting mechanisms that allow rapid repositioning of the camera to achieve optimal field of view coverage. The system can dynamically adjust camera angles, positions, and focal lengths through motorized mounts and software control, eliminating the need for time-consuming manual positioning and planning.
4Illumination intensity
If meticulous planning and positioning of the light source is performed, then illumination quality is improved, but installation time and complexity increase
Solution Approach 1:
The lighting system is integrated with the camera assembly into a unified inspection module. The light sources are pre-positioned relative to the camera and can be collectively adjusted as a single unit, maintaining optimal illumination geometry without requiring separate positioning of lighting components. This merging reduces setup time while preserving lighting quality.
5Stability of the object's composition
If tightly fixed mounting systems are used, then system stability is improved, but adaptability and repurposing capability decrease
Solution Approach 1:
The mounting systems use adjustable and reconfigurable fixtures that provide stable positioning during operation but can be easily reconfigured for different applications. The system incorporates movable mounts, adjustable arms, and repositionable components that maintain stability when locked in position but allow rapid repositioning and repurposing when needed.
6Reliability
If separate fixed surface mounting is used to avoid vibrations, then image capture stability is improved, but installation flexibility and ease of deployment decrease
Solution Approach 1:
The system incorporates vibration isolation elements and damping mechanisms as intermediaries between the mounting surface and the camera assembly. These elements decouple the camera from production line vibrations while maintaining ease of installation through standardized mounting interfaces that can be attached to various surfaces without requiring separate vibration-free mounting structures.
Data Source
AI summary
A mounting assembly for a camera on an inspection line, the assembly including a mount having a first and second end, the first end to fix the mount to an inspection line mounting surface, the first end configured to allow flexibility of positioning of the mount on the mounting surface, prior to fixing the mount to the mounting surface, and the second end configured to attach to a camera.