External Sensor Adjustment Mechanism for Sealed Housings
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Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional outdoor sensor systems, such as those used in smart city infrastructure, face challenges in adjusting the bore sight of cameras or directional sensors within enclosed housings, especially when these systems are mounted high off the ground, as accessing and adjusting the sensors requires opening sealed windows, which is impractical and time-consuming.
Innovation Solution
A system and method for externally adjusting the bore sight of directional sensors, such as cameras, using elevation and azimuth adjustment screws accessible from outside the housing, which allows for independent adjustment of the sensor's orientation without opening the housing, utilizing a mechanism that maintains contact through springs to prevent backlash and allows for compact window design.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of operation
If the housing is sealed with a closed window, then the housing maintains its compact design and environmental protection, but the sensor cannot be adjusted from outside the housing
Solution Approach 1:
The adjustment mechanism is segmented into independent components: the camera bracket, the first adjustment screw for azimuth adjustment, and the second adjustment screw for elevation adjustment. This allows each component to be adjusted separately while the housing remains sealed, resolving the contradiction between maintaining a closed housing structure and enabling external sensor adjustment.
Solution Approach 2:
The camera bracket acts as an intermediary between the sealed housing and the external adjustment screws. The brackets transmit the mechanical adjustment forces from the externally accessible screws to the camera, enabling adjustment without opening the housing window.
2Productivity
If the sensor is adjusted by opening the housing window, then the sensor orientation can be changed, but the adjustment process becomes time-consuming and complex
Solution Approach 1:
The adjustment mechanism allows operators to perform sensor alignment independently without requiring housing opening or specialized access. The externally accessible screws enable any operator to adjust the sensor orientation directly, significantly reducing commissioning time and eliminating the need to open the sealed housing.
3Ease of operation
If the window is made larger to allow manual manipulation, then the sensor can be adjusted from outside, but the housing design becomes less compact and more complex
Solution Approach 1:
The direct mechanical manipulation of the camera through the window is replaced by a mechanical transmission system consisting of adjustment screws and brackets. This substitution allows the window to remain small and sealed while still enabling external adjustment through the transmitted mechanical forces from the screws to the camera bracket.
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
Enables rapid commissioning and maintenance of outdoor sensor systems, reducing time and costs by allowing external adjustment of camera orientations, maintaining compact housing designs, and ensuring the sensors can be aligned effectively without manual manipulation of brackets.
Implementation Method 1
utilizing a mechanism that maintains contact through springs to prevent backlash
Data Source
AI summary
A sensor adjustment system includes an exterior housing configured to hold a directional sensor inside the housing. The directional sensor is configured to obtain data outside of the housing along a boresight of the directional sensor. The system also includes one or more fasteners configured to be operably coupled with the directional sensor inside the housing. The one or more fasteners are configured to be actuated in order to change an orientation of the boresight of the directional sensor. The one or more fasteners are configured to be actuated from outside of the housing while changing the orientation of the boresight of the directional sensor inside the housing.