Help with a project

[falcuk 0]

I have been tasked with a project to build a camera to the following criterias

 

1) Must be standalone in nature (battery powered, no mains)

2) Must be able to capture an image on a timed basis and save it locally for retrieval (Harddisk / SD Card)

3) Must be fully waterproof

4) Must have a relativly small footprint in design (will be used in fairly small areas)

5) Must have a camera on atleast 0.5 meters of Flexible cable, to allow positioning to read the dial of a meter.

6) Must be able to remain active for around 500 hrs without recharging.

7) Must be able to take a picture in the dark.

 

Basically, my boss has asked me if its possible to make a camera, that will wake up on a timed interval (say 5 mins) take a snapshot of a dial then go back on standbye.

 

It needs to be small enough to fit into a hydrant pit or meter pit, wall mountable is a bonus but not allways viable, a flexible length of cable with a camera on the end would be ideal, so the camera can be positioned above the dial of meters to take an snapshot.

 

Ideally i would like the images saved to an interal HD or SD card so i can retrieve the information at the end. Also would like a decent battery life on it so i can leave it unattended for like 2 weeks at a time, oh and the camera needs to be able to take pictures clearly in the dark, so come kinda infra red would be needed.

 

It sounds simple but im having no luck finding anything to suit these needs, making the thing waterproof is the least of my worries it seems.

 

any help anyone can give would be greatly appreciated, if i can manage to make something i'll take pictures of it and link them here for your comments

 

thanks in advance

[VST_Man 1]

why a camera? sounds like your collecting "data".........install a electronic meter and then have that "data" sent via 900Mhz trancievers.

 

Check with Maxstream http://www.maxstream.net/

 

They offer this type of radio equipment that can interface with electronic devices for data collection.

 

The camera can be built but the method you are trying to do it is old school. Convert that mechanical to electronic and then collect.

[falcuk 0]

The problem is, alot of the sites the camera is intended to be used on are remote, extremely remote, also under heavy iron covers making data transmission not the greatest, and prone to filling with water.

 

This was an alternative we allready looked at, given the nature of our business we allready use GSM devices to transmit data back, these arent allways the most reliable.

 

A simple picture capture on a timed basis (say every 5mins) while archaic is pretty foolproof for us and our needs

 

edited to add, also alot of the meters we look at are not our property as we are a consultancy, so simple effect data collection via this method would be the easiest.

 

Where the comanys already have electronic meters installed, this is a non issue

[CollinR 0]

You might be able to hack one of those game cameras to do this.

[phred 0]

try googling 'integrated automated remote digital image collection'

 

also Harbortronics may have what you are after