Vertical XY Camera RigP14542

https://edge.rit.edu/edge/P14542/public/Home

ProblemThe Metropolitan needs to create high resolution prints of Croome Court pictured below. These prints cant be taken in one photo so a series of small pictures are taken and stitched together to create one high resolution photo. They currently have no way of moving a camera and lighting throughout the 25 foot wide and 18 foot tall room.

Objective The objective of this project is to create a system capable of positioning a camera smoothly and accurately to capture a series of images . The system needs to be capable of doing this with a horizontal traverse capability of at least 25 feet and vertical traverse of at least 18 feet. This design would also be very simple to use, require minimal maintenance, and work consistently with little job to job configuration.

BackgroundCurrently the Metropolitan Museum of Art (MET) is in possession of a stationary over head rig which is utilized to photograph larger mobile artwork. This system is mounted to the ceiling and using a system of rails in which the camera is mounted to a dynamic mount. This mount is then operated using a garage door mechanism by manually pulling on the chains to move the camera to the proper position. The camera takes very small pictures within nine square foot range which are then later stitched together using a stitching algorithm, to make it in the end look like it was all captured in one image. This system also has mounting for the lighting used in photography which allow the same lighting throughout every small picture taken to assist with the stitching at the end. This system however, is only useful for smaller, mobile artwork which can be brought to the overhead mounted unit. There is a need for the museum to capture much larger stationary artwork.

Customer: Metropolitan Museum of Art (MET)

Guide: Susan Farnand

Team Members: Dan Kearney (EE), Sam Brown (ME), Brandon Strangman (IE), Matt Misiaszek (ME), Dan Jang (EE), Kyle Bradstreet (ME), Zach Sostack (ME)

Customer Needs

•Absolutely cannot damage the artwork

•Support the weight of camera and lights

•Must be mobile and able to fit through

doorways

•Aesthetically appealing

•Have capability of manual control•Maintain the same distance from artwork during vertical and horizontal travel

Mechanical SystemsHorizontal Traverse

•Frame with a v-groove wheel drive system•Motor driven•Caster jack trailer wheels for travel off the rails

Rail System•6 ft, 3ft, and 1ft sections of v-groove track•29 ft of track built•Two end pieces with dock bumpers to prevent over traveling•Adjustable foot blocks for leveling

Vertical Traverse•Motor driven material lift•Capable of traveling 22 ft tall•Mechanical traverse limit to prevent over traveling

Camera/Light Mounting•Motor driven active pan and tilt camera mount•Vertical and horizontal framing for light mounting

Electrical Systems•Two DC motors •Two Arduino microcontrollers, one at the base, one which travels with the mast• Limit switched located around rig to cut power to system if activated

•Encoders for position measurement•Remote control to the pan and tilt system through microcontroller•Graphical user interface

Croome Court Current System

Selected ConceptIn order to meet the customer requirements a motorized system was created based around a winch driven material lift. The rig rides along a rail system for horizontal traverse and a telescoping mast provides the vertical lift capability. There is a pan and tilt mount for a camera along with framing to mount lighting. The system is capable of running automatically or manually depending on the users need.

V-Groove Wheels

6 ft Track Piece

Material Lift

Microcontroller Gear Motor

ResultsProject success is marked by the testing of the system to make sure it meets the engineering specifications generated from the customer needs listed above. Testing has been created for the electrical systems to confirm that the current drawn from the system is less than the outlet specifications in the MET which the system comes in at .8 Amps well under the 15 Amp limit. In terms of size the total rig height comes in at 6’8” which is within the specifications limits of the doorways installed in the MET in which the rig must travel. This was tested through the transporting of the rig throughout the engineering building including elevator travel which will need to be don’t at the MET. Both the horizontal and vertical traverse limits were tested to make sure the rig is not capable of traveling outside the specified room limits to reduce the chance of damaging the artwork. The rail system was tested by putting the tracking together and placing the system on the rails, where it was able to travel with no limitations. Both drive motors were tested with the smaller horizontal motor giving the 48 RPM necessary and the larger horizontal motor testing in at 118 RPM both sufficient for the needs of the system.