Automated calibration increases the cost-effectiveness of camera systems

• Motec has automated the production of optical sensors to enhance image capture quality and cost-effectiveness for smart farming applications.

• Assistance systems for mobile machinery, such as 360-degree vision systems and reversing cameras, improve operational safety by reducing blind spots.

• Motec uses an active alignment test and production system to ensure precise optical alignment and high-quality camera systems.

• The ProCam system from TRIOPTICS GmbH is employed to achieve micrometer precision in aligning sensors to lenses, ensuring optimal performance.

• Motec's modular system includes robust digital FullHD cameras and smart cameras, designed for heavy-duty use and meeting industry-specific standards.

• The flexible and configurable video systems allow OEMs to tailor detection and display systems to specific machine and application requirements.

Automated, high-precision processes are only as good as the sensors that capture the signals. In smart farming applications, for example, digital cameras record the area to be processed and thus form the data basis for the appropriate processing of individual plants. The image processing specialists at Motec have automated their production of optical sensors to ensure the best possible image capture quality and maximum cost-effectiveness at all times, even when producing large quantities.

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Assistance systems for mobile machinery ensure safe and productive operation - either in interaction with other road users and site personnel or in conjunction with other machinery. If the camera signals on which these systems are based are imprecise or inaccurate, dangerous situations can quickly arise, especially when it comes to machines with large blid spots. 360-degree bird’s eye vision systems, reversing cameras or other monitoring systems for construction machinery, agricultural machinery, municipal vehicles or industrial trucks make a significant contribution to operational safety. 

Lutz Boettger, Division Vice President Marketing and Sales at AMETEK Instrumentation, Controls and Vision Systems (ICVS), summarizes the challenge for camera manufacturers: “In view of the global shortage of skilled workers, manufacturers of mobile machinery must provide machine operators with assistance systems that enable safe, economical and user-friendly operation. This requires high-performance camera technologies at an attractive price point.” Camera manufacturers such as Motec GmbH, part of AMETEK ICVS, must therefore ensure that their products offer consistently high image quality for reliable object recognition and at the same time design the production process for highest possible economic efficiency.

Active Alignment for maximum safety

Traditionally, camera systems are assembled manually, but this is not only costly but also prone to inaccuracy and lack of reproducibility. This is particularly problematic in view of the ever-increasing sensor resolutions. The greater the pixel density, the more important the precise optical alignment becomes. To eliminate this potential for error, Motec relies on an active alignment test and production system. Dr. Stefan Wirtz, Director Research & Development at Motec, explains the advantages: “To ensure the best possible quality of the camera system, the alignment between the optics and the sensor is of paramount importance. The system takes over the automated adjustment of the lens and the “marriage” of the lens with the carrier assembly. First, the lens and carrier are inserted into the Active Alignment System. The system then checks the compatibility of the assemblies using the stored characteristics, parameters and geometries. In this way, the system always ensures production of the highest quality.”

In this process, the alignment of the optics relative to the camera sensor is particularly important. The components are focused, centered, tilted and rotated in a single step. Several images are projected through the lens onto the sensor while the sensor captures the images. Software is used to check that the alignment is correct, and the camera system is then automatically bonded.

This allows the sensor to be aligned and fixed to the desired image plane of the lens with micrometer precision. This is made possible by the ProCam system from TRIOPTICS GmbH. “We opted for this solution because it ensures optimum alignment from lens to camera. If there are minimal deviations from the optimum line, this can lead to a loss of information in the process, which can have catastrophic consequences in safety-related applications. The ProCam system prevents this, and we can therefore be sure that we are supplying our customers with cameras that meet the highest standards,” says Dr. Stefan Wirtz with confidence.

Optimized for demanding applications

Active alignment processes were originally used primarily for ADAS (Advanced Driver Assistance) systems in the automotive sector. The process is therefore designed for high-volume production, which cannot be achieved economically or with the prerequisite reproducible quality using manual camera assembly. Dr. Stefan Wirtz explains why this automated production is more relevant than ever for mobile machinery: “Time pressure and productivity constraints make it necessary to use the best possible camera technologies, especially in the construction and agricultural industries. Infrastructure projects are precisely timed, and delays in the process become very expensive. Camera-based assistance systems help to keep to the schedule. There is also a high risk of accidents, particularly on urban construction sites, which can be minimized by using optical monitoring systems. In agriculture, on the other hand, it is important to achieve the maximum possible harvest - with the greatest possible sustainability at the same time - especially in the face of the challenges of climate change. Camera systems help, for example, to implement automated individual plant treatment.”

For these demanding applications, Motec develops robust solutions that also benefit from the advantages of active alignment. Motec offers a modular system of digital cameras and freely configurable video control units that can be individually adapted to the requirements of the respective application. The range includes digital FullHD cameras that act purely as video sensors, as well as smart cameras with integrated intelligence that can be used as a stand-alone system for assisted object tracking. Powerful video controllers for calculating complex assistance and safety functions round off the modular system.

Despite the automated and precision manufacturing, the cameras are characterized by maximum robustness for heavy-duty use. Motec guarantees protection classes up to IP69K in a robust aluminum housing. Depending on the version, the image capture modules are shock-resistant up to 100 g and vibration-resistant up to 10 g. Industry-specific EN and ISO standards for construction, agricultural and forestry machinery as well as industrial trucks are of course met.

Maximum flexibility for the OEM

With this portfolio, manufacturers of mobile machinery have maximum flexibility in the design of their detection and display system. The freely configurable video resolution, compression and refresh rate of the cameras also contribute to this. All components can be individually combined and configured to meet the requirements of the respective machine and application. The modular Motec system can be used to implement any camera-based monitoring application, from simply displaying an area that is not visible to the machine operator to highly automated functions such as person and object detection. OEMs can use the software provided by Motec as well as their own software applications. If required, the video system specialists from Hadamar are also available as a development partner for corresponding software modules.