Omnidirectional Camera System with Integrated Thermal Housing
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing imaging devices in materials handling facilities require individual mounts and connections, and their elevated mounting necessitates complex field-of-view alignment and temperature management to ensure optimal operation.
Innovation Solution
The implementation of omnidirectional camera systems featuring pairs of cameras or camera modules mounted within housings, with axes of orientation and fields of view aligned both inwardly and outwardly relative to yaw axes, facilitating efficient coverage and temperature management.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Area of stationary object
If imaging devices are mounted in elevated configurations on ceilings or walls, then the fields of view include accessible floor spaces and storage units, but individual mounts and power/network connections are required for each device increasing complexity
Solution Approach 1:
Multiple imaging devices are combined into a single integrated omnidirectional camera system with a shared housing, mounting structure, and power/network connections. The system includes multiple camera modules (e.g., four camera modules) mounted within a common housing that provides a single mounting interface to the ceiling, eliminating the need for separate mounts and connections for each camera module.
2Area of stationary object
If imaging devices are mounted in elevated configurations, then coverage of floor spaces is improved, but temperature management becomes more difficult to ensure optimal operation
Solution Approach 1:
Multiple camera modules are integrated within a single shared housing that provides unified thermal management. The housing includes integrated cooling mechanisms (such as heat sinks, fans, or liquid cooling channels) that can dissipate heat from all camera modules simultaneously, rather than requiring separate cooling solutions for each individually mounted device.
3Measurement precision
If fields of view are centered about axes of orientation with defined focal lengths, then imaging precision is maintained, but location selection becomes complex to ensure appropriate coverage of specific areas
Solution Approach 1:
The omnidirectional camera system uses curved or spherical imaging surfaces and omnidirectional lenses that capture images from all directions simultaneously. This spherical geometry allows the system to provide 360-degree coverage from a single location without requiring complex calculations of focal lengths and field-of-view angles for different mounting positions, as the curved imaging surface naturally captures light from all directions.
4Adaptability or versatility
If multiple individual imaging devices are used to cover materials handling facilities, then comprehensive monitoring is achieved, but the number of mounts and connections increases
Solution Approach 1:
Multiple imaging devices are merged into a single omnidirectional camera system that provides comprehensive monitoring coverage. The system includes multiple camera modules (e.g., four or more) arranged within a common housing, all sharing a single mounting structure and power/network connection interface, thereby reducing the total number of mounts and connections while maintaining comprehensive facility monitoring.
Data Source
AI summary
A camera system includes a housing and camera modules (e.g., digital cameras) that are aligned with fields of view that extend below the housing. The camera modules are provided about a perimeter of the housing and mounted to a bench within the housing. Two camera modules have axes of orientation extending below and away from a centroid of the camera system. Two camera modules have axes of orientation extending below and toward the centroid of the camera system. The housing includes inlets and outlets that enable air to flow past the camera modules and other components within the housing. Images captured by the camera modules of the camera system may be utilized for any purpose.