Projection System with Offset Camera Axis for Moving Object Alignment
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing projection systems fail to accurately maintain image alignment with moving objects, leading to deviations between the projected image and the object, especially when the object's position changes relative to the optical axes of the projector and camera.
Innovation Solution
A projection system comprising a visible light projector, a camera with a non-coincident optical axis, and an image processor that includes a corrector to calculate and correct deviations in the projection region, ensuring accurate image alignment by generating image data for projection onto the object's moving surface.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Measurement precision
If the optical axis of the camera coincides with the optical axis of the projector, then the alignment is simple, but the system cannot capture the object's position accurately when it moves
Solution Approach 1:
The patent deliberately positions the camera and projector with non-coincident optical axes, creating an asymmetric configuration. The camera optical axis and projector optical axis are offset from each other, allowing the camera to capture the object's actual position while the projector projects images based on corrected coordinates, thereby solving the measurement accuracy problem when objects move.
2Reliability
If the projector projects images based on camera coordinates without correction, then the system operation is simple, but deviation occurs when the object moves
Solution Approach 1:
The system establishes a feedback loop where the camera continuously captures the object's position, the control unit calculates the deviation between the captured position and the projection position, and then corrects the projection coordinates accordingly. This closed-loop feedback mechanism ensures accurate image alignment even when objects move, resolving the reliability issue.
Solution Approach 2:
The control unit performs preliminary calculation of the projection region coordinates based on the captured image coordinates and the known geometric relationship between camera and projector. By pre-calculating and storing the coordinate transformation parameters and projection region information, the system prepares the corrected data before projection, ensuring accuracy without adding operational complexity.
3Reliability
If the system uses coordinate correction for moving objects, then image alignment is maintained, but the processing time increases
Solution Approach 1:
The control unit pre-calculates and stores the projection region coordinates and transformation parameters based on the captured image and the geometric relationship between camera and projector. By preparing the corrected projection data in advance and storing it in memory, the system minimizes real-time processing delays while maintaining accurate alignment, effectively resolving the time loss issue.
Data Source
AI summary
A projection system includes a visible light projector, a camera and an image processor. The visible light projector projects an image with visible light onto the object. The camera captures an image of the object and has an optical axis not coinciding with an optical axis of the visible light projector. The image processor generates an image to be projected with visible light onto the object based on the image captured by the camera. The image processor includes a corrector and an image generator. The corrector corrects a deviation between a projection image and the object. The corrector is configured to calculate a projection region on the object onto which an image is projected by the visible light projector. The image generator is configured to generate image data to project the image to be projected onto the object onto the projection region.