Gimbal Pole Mount and Counterweight for Mobile 3D Scanner Stability
Find Innovative SolutionsGenerate Solutions
Solution Overview
Problem
Existing 3D scanners lack portability and stability during movement, leading to inaccurate data capture, increased operator fatigue, and inefficiencies in generating 3D representations of environments.
Innovation Solution
A mobile 3D scanning system with a support apparatus featuring a gimbal at its center of gravity, a counterweight, and a body-mounted vest to stabilize the scanner, allowing continuous data capture and distributed processing to enhance data accuracy and reduce operator fatigue.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of operation
If a 3D scanner is made portable and mobile, then ease of operation and adaptability improve, but measurement precision and data capture accuracy deteriorate due to movement instability
Solution Approach 1:
A counterweight is attached to the pole mount system to balance the weight of the 3D scanner, creating a center of gravity that stabilizes the device during movement. This allows the operator to carry and move the scanner more easily while maintaining measurement precision through gravitational balance.
Solution Approach 2:
A pole mount with gimbal mechanism serves as an intermediary between the operator and the 3D scanner. The gimbal provides rotational freedom while maintaining stability, acting as a mediator that decouples the movement instability from the measurement process, thereby preserving data capture accuracy during mobile operation.
2Measurement precision
If a 3D scanner is mounted on a traditional tripod, then measurement precision improves, but ease of operation and adaptability worsen due to limited mobility
Solution Approach 1:
The system transitions from a static tripod mount to a dynamic pole mount with gimbal that can be easily repositioned and adjusted during operation. The gimbal allows continuous rotational adjustment while maintaining stability, enabling the scanner to adapt to different measurement positions and angles without requiring complete resetup, thus improving both mobility and operational flexibility while preserving measurement precision.
3Ease of operation
If the 3D scanner is made lighter for portability, then ease of operation improves, but reliability and stability during measurement deteriorate
Solution Approach 1:
The counterweight compensates for the reduced mass of a lighter 3D scanner system, restoring gravitational stability during measurement. This allows the use of lighter, more portable scanner components while maintaining the stability required for reliable data capture through balanced center of gravity positioning.
Solution Approach 2:
The gimbal mechanism creates a stable mounting platform that maintains constant potential for the scanner regardless of operator movement or position changes. This equipotential mounting ensures that the scanner remains stable and reliable during measurement even when the overall system is lightweight and highly portable.
4Device complexity
If manual positioning and stabilization methods are used, then device complexity remains low, but productivity and measurement efficiency deteriorate due to time-consuming setup and operator fatigue
Solution Approach 1:
The counterweight is pre-attached to the pole mount to establish gravitational balance before operation begins. This preliminary configuration eliminates the need for time-consuming adjustments during setup, allowing the operator to quickly deploy and begin measurements, thereby improving productivity without significantly increasing device complexity.
Solution Approach 2:
The gimbal-mounted scanner system automatically maintains stability through its self-balancing design, reducing the need for continuous operator intervention and adjustment. The system serves itself by using gravitational forces and mechanical design to maintain measurement stability, freeing the operator to focus on data collection and improving overall measurement efficiency.
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 system provides stable, efficient, and agile 3D scanning with improved data capture and reduced operator fatigue, enabling faster generation of accurate 3D maps with real-time feedback.
Implementation Method 1
a counterweight at the bottom of the pole mount, the counterweight matches a weight of the 3D measuring device
Implementation Method 2
a gimbal at the top of the pole mount, wherein the 3D measuring device is attached to the gimbal
Data Source
AI summary
A mobile three-dimensional (3D) measuring system includes a 3D measuring device, and a support apparatus. The 3D measuring device is coupled to the support apparatus. The support apparatus includes a pole mount that includes a gimbal at the top of the pole mount, wherein the 3D measuring device is attached to the gimbal. The support apparatus further includes a counterweight at the bottom of the pole mount, the counterweight matches a weight of the 3D measuring device.