Compact FPV Pan-Tilt Camera Mount for Tight Vehicle Spaces
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Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional FPV camera pan and tilt modules are bulky, limiting their installation in small spaces, causing stress on electronic components and rotational drift, which affects user experience with vibrations and directional errors.
Innovation Solution
A compact FPV pan and tilt camera mount with multiple vertically connected servos and shock-absorbing foam pads, allowing smooth and stable rotation within a reduced footprint, featuring a column shape with integrated wire management and a plastic clip holder for the video transmitter.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Volume of moving object
If a conventional FPV camera pan and tilt module is used, then the camera can rotate horizontally and vertically, but the module occupies a large space and cannot be easily installed in limited vehicle spaces
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies nesting by placing the tilt servo inside the pan servo structure, creating a compact nested arrangement where the vertical rotation mechanism is housed within the horizontal rotation mechanism. This nested configuration significantly reduces the overall volume of the camera module while maintaining full pan and tilt functionality, enabling installation in limited vehicle spaces
Solution Approach 2:
The patent rearranges the servo mechanisms from a conventional side-by-side horizontal layout to a vertical stacked configuration. By utilizing the vertical dimension for stacking the pan and tilt servos, the module achieves a smaller horizontal footprint while maintaining rotation capabilities in both axes, thus adapting to limited installation spaces
2Volume of moving object
If the camera module is installed in limited space, then the vehicle can maintain compact dimensions, but the travel of pan and tilt mount is greatly limited inducing stress on electronic components
Solution Approach 1:
The patent implements dynamic travel limits through software control, allowing the pan and tilt servos to rotate through their full mechanical range of motion without physical constraints. The dynamic adjustment of rotation boundaries eliminates stress on electronic components while maintaining compact vehicle dimensions, as the system adapts its operational parameters rather than relying on fixed mechanical stops
3Ease of operation
If conventional pan and tilt mount is used, then the camera can rotate, but it experiences significant rotational drift affecting user experience
Solution Approach 1:
The patent incorporates feedback through an accelerometer that continuously monitors the camera module's orientation and sends data to the microcontroller. The microcontroller processes this feedback information and adjusts the servo positions to compensate for rotational drift, maintaining accurate directional control and improving measurement precision while preserving full rotation capability
4Ease of manufacture
If loose tolerances between servos and linkages are present, then the assembly is easier to manufacture, but vibrations occur in the captured image
Solution Approach 1:
The patent extracts and eliminates the mechanical linkage system from the design, replacing it with a direct digital control architecture where the microcontroller communicates directly with the servos. This removal of intermediate mechanical linkages eliminates the source of vibrations while allowing for easier manufacturing with looser tolerances, as precision is achieved through digital control rather than mechanical fit
Data Source
AI summary
A compact first-person-view (FPV) pan and tilt camera mount is installed in a remote-controlled vehicle, and the vehicle is configured to accommodate a video processing module/air unit, a camera module, and a horizontal and vertical rotatable (pan and tilt) camera mount module. A realistic scale remote-controlled scale vehicle typically comes with interior cabin or cockpit space to accommodate driver/pilot that can be utilized to install the pan & tilt camera module. The video processing module is configured to process images shot by the camera module. The camera is mounted on the pan and tilt module. The pan and tilt module includes a first servo, a base, a movable seat, a rotation module, a clamp portion, and an accommodation portion. The first servo has a first shaft, the movable seat has a fitting seat, and the fitting seat has a connection orifice. The rotation module has a first semi-circular gear and a second semi-circular gear meshing. The accommodation portion is formed on the movable seat and is configured to receive a second servo, and the second servo has a second shaft.