Automated Panoramic Camera Indexing Mechanism
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Solution Overview
Problem
Current panoramic camera systems for video surveillance are cumbersome and power-intensive, limiting their ability to provide real-time video due to the need for manual camera movement and high-power, cryogenically cooled sensors, which are expensive and impractical for many applications.
Innovation Solution
An automated panoramic camera platform using a low-power indexing mechanism that allows multiple cameras or sensors to be indexed through a series of stops, accommodating various camera and sensor configurations, and continuously downloads images for real-time analysis, utilizing uncooled thermal sensors and adjustable 'dwell time' and number of stops per revolution.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Speed
If cryogenically cooled thermal sensors are used to capture thermal panoramic images in real-time, then image capture speed and real-time video capability are improved, but power consumption and cost increase significantly
Solution Approach 1:
The patent replaces expensive, power-intensive cryogenically cooled sensors with inexpensive uncooled thermal sensors. Although uncooled sensors require longer exposure times, the system compensates through multiple sequential stops during rotation, ultimately achieving the same real-time video capability without the high power consumption and cost of cryogenic cooling
2Measurement precision
If manual camera movement through controlled stops is used to create panoramic images, then image quality is improved, but time consumption and operational complexity increase
Solution Approach 1:
The system implements automated periodic rotation with multiple controlled stops, where the camera rotates through a defined arc, stops at predetermined positions to capture images, then continues rotating. This periodic cycle of rotation-stop-capture repeats automatically, maintaining high image quality through precise positioning while eliminating manual intervention and reducing overall time consumption
Solution Approach 2:
The system uses an automated control mechanism that independently manages the rotation, stopping, and image capture sequence without requiring manual operation. The camera system self-regulates its movement and capture timing, allowing high-quality panoramic imaging to occur automatically and continuously
3Speed
If high speed cameras are used to capture thermal images, then real-time video capability is improved, but lighting requirements and operational limitations increase
Solution Approach 1:
The patent replaces high-speed visible light cameras with uncooled thermal sensors that detect infrared radiation. Thermal sensors are not dependent on visible light illumination, allowing real-time video capture to occur in complete darkness, at night, or in low-light conditions where high-speed optical cameras would fail
4Device complexity
If a single camera with wide angle lens or fish eye lens is used to create panoramic images, then device simplicity is improved, but image detail and surveillance utility decrease
Solution Approach 1:
Instead of using a single wide-angle or fisheye lens that stretches and distorts the image, the system divides the panoramic field of view into multiple discrete segments or zones. The camera rotates to different stops, with each stop capturing a specific angular segment. These multiple undistorted segments are then stitched together computationally to form the complete panorama, preserving detail and avoiding the distortion inherent in single-lens wide-angle approaches
Data Source
AI summary
An indexing mechanism may include a drive table, an indexing table, a control ring between the tables, and a cam follower. The cam includes lobes on an inner surface. A drive arm of the cam follower is coupled to the drive table and an end of an indexing arm of the cam follower rides over the lobes during use. A spring may be coupled between the drive table and the indexing table. As the drive table rotates continuously, the components serve to move the indexing table in a non-continuous movement, by which it stops for a period and then moves to the next stop, etc. A camera may take a still image at each stop position, and the images may be stitched together (e.g., through use of an onboard computer) to produce a panoramic image. A power supply may also be provided, so that the entire system may be self-contained.