Motorized Rotating Camera for 360-Degree Visual Capture
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Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional camera systems require physical movement or multiple lenses to achieve a 360-degree view, which increases costs and complexity, and lack mobile interfaces for controlling and editing captured data.
Innovation Solution
A stand-alone connected camera system with a multi-directional camera device that can be wirelessly controlled via a mobile device or cloud infrastructure, featuring a rotating motor and OLED display, allowing seamless editing and streaming of visual data across devices.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Area of moving object
If multiple lenses are used to achieve 360-degree view, then the field of view is improved, but the device complexity and cost increase
Solution Approach 1:
The patent implements a motorized rotating mechanism that allows the camera to dynamically change its viewing direction. Instead of using multiple fixed lenses, a single camera lens rotates to capture different fields of view, achieving 360-degree coverage through motion rather than static multiplicity.
Solution Approach 2:
The single camera lens serves multiple functions by rotating to different positions. The same lens captures various directions and fields of view that would otherwise require multiple dedicated lenses, making one component perform the work of several.
2Area of moving object
If multiple lenses are used to achieve 360-degree view, then the field of view is improved, but the manufacturing cost increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent extracts the rotation capability from the lens assembly itself, allowing a single lens to be reused across multiple viewing positions. This eliminates the need to manufacture and assemble multiple lens units, reducing production costs while maintaining comprehensive field of view coverage.
Solution Approach 2:
Instead of creating multiple physical lens copies, the system uses one lens that physically copies its viewing function across different angular positions through rotation. The same optical element captures multiple directions sequentially, avoiding the cost of manufacturing multiple identical lens assemblies.
3Adaptability or versatility
If the camera is physically moved to change field of view, then the viewing direction is improved, but the device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The system employs a motorized rotation mechanism that dynamically adjusts the camera's viewing direction. This controlled dynamic movement provides versatile viewing capabilities while maintaining a fixed mounting position, avoiding the complexity of multiple physical relocation systems.
Solution Approach 2:
The motorized rotation mechanism acts as an intermediary between the fixed mounting system and the camera lens. This mediator enables direction changes without requiring physical movement of the entire camera assembly, simplifying the overall system architecture.
4Area of moving object
If images from multiple lenses are stitched together, then the 360-degree view is achieved, but the software complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The system captures images sequentially as the lens rotates to different positions, then uses software to assemble these time-ordered images into a composite 360-degree view. This dynamic capture approach simplifies software requirements compared to simultaneously processing and stitching multiple fixed lens feeds.
Data Source
AI summary
A connected camera system and computer-implemented method for processing visual data. The camera system and method provides control data to a mobile application of a mobile device. The camera system and method transmits the control data from the mobile device (via a cloud service) to a camera device. The camera device configured with a camera housing comprising a camera sensor that captures visual data (e.g., image or video data) in view of a lens. The camera device further configured with a processor coupled to a motor for rotating a shaft. The camera system and method receive the control data, and based on the control data, the processor controls the motor to rotate the shaft. The rotating of the shaft, in turn, rotates the camera housing, such that the camera sensor captures the visual data in view of the lens through a 360-degree plane of rotation. In some embodiments, the camera system and method further displays the visual data on a display coupled to the processor, such that the processor presents the captured visual data on the display through the 360-degree plane of rotation. In other embodiments, the camera system and method streams the captured visual data, via the cloud service, to the mobile device for viewing and editing.