Motorized Geared Tripod Head Helps Better Safeguard Homes & Businesses
ZHAOWEI has designed and developed a geared tripod head system with a built-in three-axis mechanical pan/tilt, enabling a stable, flexible, and incredible panoramic shooting. It also helps to better safeguard homes and businesses. Modern electronic cameras are paving the way for new graphic possibilities, for both photo-capturing, and video processing. By combining the high resolution and fast shooting frequency that can be achieved with the "rotating turntable", so-called “panorama” shots can be easily compiled. Crime rates have recently been increasing at a fast pace. Take the latest crime statistics for August from NYPD for example; robberies increased by 4%, and burglaries increased by 22%, fueling public concern across the city.
The use of CCTV cameras has become an important aspect of security inspections. A tripod head with a micro drive motor is an ideal match for spy and surveillance cameras. With the continuous development of video surveillance technology from information to intelligence, Visual Information Technology (CVIT) has been widely used in various monitoring sites (e.g., traffic command centers, cargo terminals, exhibition halls). In this process, the pan-tilt security camera plays an important role. Increasing, stringent requirements for image stability and 360° panoramic capturing have prompted the constant development of the tripod industry. The extensive equipment that was once necessary are now reduced to better lenses, digital zoom technology, and compact image storage, but despite this, the camera must still be positioned so that it doesn't shake. In addition, the camera tripod has an automatic rotation function, which can achieve HD image quality, and intelligent detection, for better AI+ security.
ZHAOWEI, headquartered in Shenzhen, China, provides an ideal drive system for fulfilling these types of shot sequences. With the gear drive of the motorized tripod head, cameras can be equipped with a "panoramic view" quickly and cost-effectively. It has also made capturing rotating objects while keeping the camera in a fixed position possible. The micro auxiliary device uses the ZHAOWEI micro, which serves as the drive mechanism, and are compact, have high precision, and low-noise. Tripod heads have different load-bearing capacities, and are suitable for different cameras and protective covers. In order to achieve a compact size and high torque of the geared tripod head, ZHAOWEI reasonably distributes the modified coefficients of the motorized camera tripod gear structure, optimizes the calculation of the meshing angle, and checks the slip ratio and overlap ratio. This improves the efficiency, service life and precision of the motorized pan-tilt head gearbox.
In recent years, most PTZ cameras have adopted commonly used DC motors, which have low operating noise and are relatively balanced, but DC motors are costly, have complicated controlling systems, and short service lives. ZHAOWEI uses stepper motors with built-in high-resolution subdivisions, which have low manufacturing costs, accurate positioning control, and long service life. This special structure, together with the geared tripod head box, helps reduce image jitter at low speed and high magnification. In addition, the 2-stage, 3-stage, and 4-stage transmission are help alter the gear ratio and input speed & torque. This allows the tripod head to rotate horizontally and vertically for “panoramic” shooting to better capture targets in a wider range. In this process, the precision and smooth motor rotation can achieve a higher resolution than the manual panoramic heads. The fast rotation speed, combined with the high single-shot shooting frequency also solves the problem of "ghost" images that occur with moving objects, such as people or clouds. It is no longer difficult to achieve the responsive positioning and tracking of fast-moving targets without blind spots. This simultaneously increases the resolution of the encoder on the output shaft of the reducer. Various problems that occur when no one is assisting during the shooting can be actively judged, and promptly warned in the security system.
The comprehensive package provided by ZHAOWEI includes a motor, a planetary gearhead, and an encoder. Taking into account the characteristics required in the security field, stepper motors with diameter-compliant gearheads, and encoder attachments have become the preferred drive. A fitted planetary gearhead reduces the motor's rotational speed when needed, increases the output torque, and simultaneously improves the resolution of the encoder fitted to the motor shaft on the output side of the gearhead. This set is low maintenance, and can be operated between a temperature range of -20℃-80℃. In this way, even in harsh environments, it is still possible to better safeguard homes & businesses. Cameras used in the security industry must attach great importance to precise, yet practicable drive mechanisms, and the ideal motorized tripod gearbox must provide high performance while occupying as little space as possible. ZHAOWEI has opened up such possibilities for motorized tripod heads, safeguarding homes and businesses at a higher level. “We strive to combine panorama precision with compact drive technology. Users can get wider views with the cameras, and easily make full use of them to monitor their homes and businesses intelligently. What users expect is what we have been helping camera manufacturers to design, develop and manufacture,” the Product Director of ZHAOWEI explained.
