Vehicle Inspection Booth With Indirect Lighting for Glare-Free Imaging
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing vehicle inspection and imaging systems face challenges in providing high-quality, reflection-free images from multiple angles and perspectives, especially in high-throughput environments, and require labor-intensive manual processes to capture and collate vehicle images, which are critical for identifying surface imperfections and defects.
Innovation Solution
An enclosable booth structure with angled walls and indirect lighting, utilizing a lighting source positioned on a suspended platform to reflect light off the walls, providing controlled reflections and enabling high-quality vehicle inspections and photography without glare, combined with automated imaging and RFID tracking for rapid image capture.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of manufacture
If traditional direct lighting is used for vehicle photography, then the lighting setup is simple, but unwanted glare and light reflections appear on the vehicle body
Solution Approach 1:
The patent introduces indirect lighting through ceiling-mounted fixtures that illuminate the vehicle via reflected light from the ceiling surface, rather than direct lighting. This intermediary approach (ceiling reflection) eliminates direct glare and unwanted reflections on the vehicle body while maintaining adequate illumination for photography and inspection.
2Device complexity
If manual inspection and photography processes are used, then equipment complexity is low, but inspection time and labor requirements increase
Solution Approach 1:
The booth is designed to serve multiple functions within a single structure: it provides controlled indirect lighting for photography, enables visual inspection through the same lighting conditions, and supports both manual and automated imaging processes. This multi-functionality increases productivity without requiring separate dedicated spaces or complex additional equipment.
Solution Approach 2:
The booth structure itself provides the lighting function through its ceiling-mounted fixtures and reflective ceiling design, eliminating the need for external lighting equipment or complex setup procedures. The environment is self-configuring for optimal inspection and photography conditions.
3Measurement precision
If high-quality reflection-free images are captured, then defect detection capability improves, but imaging time and processing complexity increase
Solution Approach 1:
The patent changes the lighting parameter from direct to indirect illumination by mounting fixtures on the ceiling and utilizing the ceiling surface as a reflective diffuser. This parameter change produces uniform, glare-free lighting that captures surface defects effectively while maintaining efficient imaging speeds suitable for high-throughput environments.
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 capture of high-quality, reflection-free vehicle images from multiple angles, reducing inspection time to under 90 seconds and enhancing defect detection, while allowing for automated image processing and vehicle identification.
Implementation Method 1
A lighting source is positioned on the platform. The lighting source is configured to direct light toward the second portion of each of the walls
Data Source
AI summary
A photographic booth may comprise one or more walls and a lighting source. The one or more walls can bound a planar stage. The lighting source may be configured to direct light toward at least a portion of the one or more walls. The lighting source may be configured to increase an intensity of the light behind a photographer while decreasing an intensity of the light in front of the photographer and behind a vehicle.