Mono-Cam Mount
NOV 2022 - DEC 2022
On the mechanical engineering team of Duke Robotics. I was asked to create a downward facing mount that could hold a mono-camera.
The mono-cam itself is waterproof, and thus didn't need to be sealed from the water. It was also required that the mount not be bolted into the frame of the AUV, which added a constraint to the design.
Also, the camera has no threaded holes to connect directly to a mount, so I decided upon using set screws to hold the camera in place within the cavity. A circular cover that could be screwed to the main body of the mount was designed to enable the use of set screws.
Each part was created in SolidWorks and added to an assembly to communicate the design to peers for feedback. The mono-camera .step file was retrieved from an online repository provided by the manufacturer, and this was used to ensure the camera would fit the mount before any 3D prints were created.
Because the mount cannot be drilled directly into the AUV's frame, a friction fit is utilized to ensure the mount cannot slide along the frame. This is accomplished by screwing in a cover at the top of the mount to lock the assembly to the bar shown.
An underwater test with the AUV confirmed that the mount achieved its design goals.