Environmental Sensing

Sensors that help Service Robots Interpret their Environment

The Nidec group offers a wide variety of camera modules specialized in environmental sensing.

Sensing is a key function that allows robots to perceive and interpret their environment and their own condition. The Nidec group produces a variety of sensors including cameras—the eyes of robots.

Security robots, telepresence robots and social robots all require high-performance cameras. At the Nidec group, we possess the capabilities necessary for designing and manufacturing the core parts of these cameras, such as plastic lenses, in-house, allowing us to build a lineup of cameras optimal for robots including miniature camera modules as well as cameras with features
such as high resolution, wide angle, low distortion
and vibration suppression.

In particular, the wide-angle camera module manufactured by NIDEC PRECISION manages to achieve high resolution, low distortion and low ghosting while still being miniature in size. This plastic lens enjoys a proven track record in applications such as digital cameras, mobile phones and automobiles, and boasts not only high functionality but also high reliability.

Another example of our visual sensors is the TiltAC camera module, capable of suppressing +-6 degrees of inclination through the use of a gimbal mechanism (two-axis suspension) and an actuator, manufactured by NIDEC INSTRUMENTS. This camera module can withstand shocks of up to 10G and is also compatible with vibrations in the range of 80Hz to 150Hz. As its vibration suppression is purely mechanical there is no negative effect on the image quality, making this product particularly suited for logistics robots and high-powered drones that are prone to sympathetic resonance.