Mobile Acoustic Camera With External Real-Time Signal Processing
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Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional acoustic camera systems require high computing power for real-time data processing, limiting their use on mobile devices due to the lack of processing capabilities in conventional portable devices.
Innovation Solution
An acoustic camera system comprising a microphone unit with a microphone array and an evaluation unit, connected to a mobile device via a data interface, where the evaluation unit is housed separately to reduce computational load on the mobile device, and powered by the mobile device's power supply, allowing for real-time data evaluation and integration with the mobile device's display and camera.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of operation
If acoustic signal data is processed using a mobile device, then portability and ease of use are improved, but real-time processing capability deteriorates due to insufficient computing power
Solution Approach 1:
The system divides the acoustic camera into two separate components: a microphone unit with array and evaluation unit for signal processing, and a mobile device for display and user interaction. This segmentation allows the processing-intensive functions to be separated from the portable platform, resolving the contradiction between portability and processing capability.
Solution Approach 2:
An evaluation unit acts as an intermediary between the microphone array and the mobile device. This intermediary performs the computationally intensive real-time processing of acoustic signals, enabling the mobile device to display results without being burdened by the processing load, thus maintaining both portability and real-time capability.
2Device complexity
If an evaluation unit is integrated into the mobile device, then system complexity is reduced, but computational load on the mobile device increases excessively
Solution Approach 1:
The evaluation unit is segmented from the mobile device into a separate component housed in the microphone unit. This physical and functional separation reduces the computational load on the mobile device while maintaining system integration through wireless or wired communication connections.
3Use of energy by moving object
If a separate evaluation unit is used in the microphone unit, then computational load on the mobile device is reduced, but device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The mobile device serves multiple functions: it acts as the display platform, provides the user interface, and communicates with the evaluation unit. This multi-functionality justifies the increased system complexity by consolidating multiple roles into a single device, making the overall system more efficient despite the additional components.
Data Source
AI summary
An acoustic camera system has a microphone unit and a mobile device, in particular a tablet or smartphone, wherein the mobile device has a camera, a data interface and a display. The microphone unit has a data interface which is or can be coupled to the data interface of the mobile device via a connection. The microphone unit has a microphone array with a plurality of microphones and an evaluation unit which receives data from the microphones.