Reciprocating 3D Camera for Dirty Environments
Find Innovative SolutionsGenerate Solutions
Solution Overview
Problem
Existing 3D camera systems are susceptible to contamination, making them less suitable for use in dirty environments, such as milking boxes, where accurate determination of animal positions is necessary, like the teat position of a cow, due to reduced image quality.
Innovation Solution
A 3D camera system with a 2D receiver and an illuminating unit that employs a reciprocating movement during image capture to improve image quality, reducing noise and contamination effects on the outer surfaces, using a twin camera setup for stereoscopic calculations and structured light patterns to enhance accuracy.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Productivity
If a 3D camera system is used in dirty environments like milking boxes, then real-time 3D imaging capability is achieved, but image quality deteriorates due to contamination on outer surfaces
Solution Approach 1:
The camera device is made dynamically movable through a mover mechanism that enables reciprocating movement during image capture. This dynamic capability allows the system to overcome contamination on lens surfaces by capturing multiple images from slightly different positions, thereby maintaining measurement precision while operating in dirty environments.
Solution Approach 2:
The mover mechanism implements periodic reciprocating movement of the camera device during the image capture process. This periodic action enables the system to systematically capture multiple images at different positions and combine them, effectively reducing the impact of contamination while maintaining real-time imaging capability.
2Adaptability or versatility
If the outer surface of the camera is contaminated, then the camera can still operate in dirty environments, but noise in the output image increases
Solution Approach 1:
By making the camera device dynamically movable rather than static, the system can capture images from multiple positions. This dynamic approach allows the camera to adapt to contaminated conditions by acquiring multiple slightly different images that can be processed to reduce noise, thereby maintaining measurement precision while operating in dirty environments.
Solution Approach 2:
The system creates multiple copies of the image capture process by taking multiple images from slightly different positions through the mover mechanism. These multiple image copies are then processed together to reduce noise and improve quality, allowing the camera to maintain precision even when the outer surface is contaminated.
3Measurement precision
If a reciprocating movement is implemented to improve image quality, then noise is reduced, but device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The system introduces dynamic movement capability through a relatively simple mover mechanism that enables reciprocating motion. This dynamic component, while adding some complexity, is designed to be compact and integrated, providing significant image quality improvement through noise reduction while keeping the overall device complexity manageable.
Solution Approach 2:
The mover mechanism creates controlled mechanical vibration or reciprocating movement of the camera device during image capture. This mechanical motion is designed to be simple yet effective, producing the necessary position variations for noise reduction without requiring complex mechanical structures, thereby achieving improved image quality with acceptable device complexity.
Applied Scientific Principles
This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.
Function Achieved in This Case
The system achieves improved image quality and accuracy in determining animal positions, even in contaminated conditions, by compensating for movement data during processing, allowing for reliable real-time 3D imaging of animals, such as cows, for tasks like automatic teat cup connection.
Implementation Method 1
an illuminating unit configured to project light on the object
Implementation Method 2
a 2D receiver... in which the individual receivers provide distance information
Implementation Method 3
a reciprocating movement of the camera device, or a component thereof, with respect to the object of which a 3D image is desired, may substantially improve the image quality
Data Source
Figure 1~2
Figure 3
Figure 4
AI summary
There is provided a camera system, an animal related system therewith and a method for creating a 3D image of an object, the camera device comprising a 3D camera device to capture images of the object, and a processing device to determine a 3D image from the captured images, and a mover device to move at least a part of the 3D camera device with a reciprocating movement. By thus providing a movement to the camera device, it has been found to provide a less noisy and more accurate 3D image of the object, in particular in case of a soiled camera device.