Joint Supervision Using Camera Movement Verification
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Solution Overview
Problem
Multibody systems with moving sections, such as robots and vehicles, often operate without continuous human supervision, making it challenging to detect malfunctions and predict maintenance needs, especially in harsh environments like agricultural settings.
Innovation Solution
A method and system that utilize a camera movable between two positions to detect reference objects, determine their reference values, and assess the successfulness of movements by matching current object values with reference values, thereby monitoring the functionality of multibody systems and indicating when maintenance is required.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Productivity
If a multibody system operates autonomously without continuous human supervision, then productivity is improved, but reliability deteriorates due to undetected malfunctions
Solution Approach 1:
The system continuously monitors joint functionality by comparing actual movement parameters with expected parameters, creating a closed-loop feedback mechanism that detects malfunctions autonomously without requiring continuous human supervision
Solution Approach 2:
The multibody system performs self-diagnosis by automatically detecting and reporting joint malfunctions, enabling it to monitor its own health status without external intervention while maintaining autonomous operation
2Reliability
If the system continuously monitors joint functionality, then reliability is improved, but energy consumption increases
Solution Approach 1:
The system performs monitoring at periodic intervals rather than continuously, checking joint functionality at defined moments during operation to reduce energy consumption while maintaining adequate surveillance of system health
Solution Approach 2:
The monitoring system utilizes existing operational data and sensors already present in the multibody system, avoiding the need for additional dedicated monitoring hardware and reducing overall energy consumption
3Reliability
If the system detects malfunctions in real-time, then reliability is improved, but device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The monitoring system uses the existing camera and sensor infrastructure for multiple purposes - both for primary operational functions and for joint functionality monitoring - thereby avoiding additional dedicated monitoring hardware and reducing overall system complexity
Solution Approach 2:
The system employs algorithmic processing of existing sensor data to detect malfunctions, using feedback loops that analyze movement parameters rather than requiring complex additional sensing hardware
Data Source
AI summary
A method for use with a multibody system includes two body sections assembled via a joint, one of the body sections including a camera which is moveable between a first position and a second position, includes detecting a reference object with the camera situated in the first position, determining a reference value of the reference object, requesting movement of the camera from the first position into the second position, initiating movement of the camera from the first position towards the second position, while iteratively sampling image of the reference object, determining a current object value of the reference object, based on the sampled image, matching the reference value with the current object value, and determining successfulness of the camera movement, based on the matching.