At next month’s Bauma, Liebherr will be displaying LiXplore, its new range of digital camera-monitor system. Depending on their needs, users can choose between different versions and intelligent additional functions. The components including the digital smart camera MDC3 and display controller DC5 – DC5 ensure the robustness and quality of the entire system.
The permanent and precise monitoring of work processes and routes is a challenge for the operators of mobile machines. Whether construction equipment, agricultural machinery or forklifts, blind spots due to the size of the machine, as well as obstacles in the field of vision impair the view from the cab. Demanding environmental conditions, such as vibration, strong temperature fluctuations and humidity add to the difficulty.
Camera-monitor systems are an ideal solution, when it comes to monitoring work processes at several operating sites simultaneously. They can display multiple views on one single monitor, for example the rear and boom of a harvesting machine. The advantage of digital camera technology over the analogue one is image quality and sharpness. High-resolution cameras by Liebherr provide detailed images and result in more efficiency and comfort for the operator.
“For more than ten years, we have been producing digital Ethernet cameras and displays for mobile machinery. We are now merging our experience and expertise into the LiXplore product line,” says Alexander Bertsch, head of the sensor product line at Liebherr-Elektronik GmbH in Lindau, Germany. Liebherr’s camera-monitor systems offer a high degree of flexibility. From the number of digital cameras, the field of view angles to the size of the display – users can put together their system according to their requirements.
360° variant as an intelligent assistance system
The 360° variant LiXplore Bird’s Eye variant offers operators a complete surround view of their machine’s working environment. The system seamlessly merges the images from four mounted cameras into one single bird’s-eye view. Compared to conventional, mostly analogue, surround view solutions that require an additional electronic control unit (ECU), the system is thus simple in design and economically wired.
In addition to the the classical bird’s eye view, the system allows users to define detailed views and overlays according to their requirements and to assign the corresponding function keys to the display. Operators can switch between views quickly and intuitively at the touch of a button.
Simple and time-saving calibration
Prior to operation, users first have to adjust or calibrate their surround view system – a time-consuming task that should not be underestimated, especially with a large fleet of machines. When developing Bird’s Eye, Liebherr’s Components product segment, therefore, attached great importance to a simple system that can be calibrated within a few minutes. The calibration mats do not have to be precisely placed, nor do the distances to other objects have to be measured. Bird’s Eye is thus ideal for anyone, who wants to save time and money with a streamlined commissioning process.
MDC3 digital smart camera: the heart of the system
For the LiXplore product series, Liebherr relies on the high-performance MDC3 camera. The HDR functionality continuously ensures high-contrast images without overexposure or underexposure, even in very dark working environments and in volatile light conditions from bright to dark. The highly robust cameras are based on years of experience derived from operation in challenging industries, such as construction or agricultural machinery.
