WO2008031859A1

WO2008031859A1 - System for controlling a camera

Info

Publication number: WO2008031859A1
Application number: PCT/EP2007/059605
Authority: WO
Inventors: Michael Stahlschmidt
Original assignee: Michael Stahlschmidt
Priority date: 2006-09-15
Filing date: 2007-09-12
Publication date: 2008-03-20
Also published as: EP2115342A1; DE202006014388U1

Abstract

The invention relates to a system for controlling a camera. A carrier element which extends between two points guides a self-driving dolly which comprises its own drive and to which a camera, which can pivot at least about one axis, is connected.

Description

System for controlling a camera

The present invention relates to a system for controlling a self-propelled camera on a steel cable (Fig. 1).

There are always difficulties when camera shots are to be created on uneven terrain. Most of the time, only the very time-consuming solution of tracking shots on rails or working with a hover tripod remains. But even these solutions can not solve a problem: With camera rails or with a tripod you can overcome no major obstacles (fallen trees, canyons, water, fire walls, etc ..) Without the recorded images completely blurry or damage the camera ,

The protection specified in claim 1 invention is based on the problem of developing an easily manageable, economical system in which a camera that can overcome almost all conceivable obstacles on only one rope and is controlled for example by radio, wobble-free and thus high quality Images generated. This opens up completely new areas of application.

An example from the film industry: A man jumps out of a car and runs through a dense forest. He skips some obstacles, such as a fallen tree trunk or rocky rock. He stumbles, jumps up and runs to a ravine where he falls. The cable system has the ability to follow the running man quickly and stably - the image the camera takes is similar to a subjective flight through the forest. Similar images could previously only be animated and designed in the computer for a great deal of money. This cable system takes real pictures and thus does not require subsequent animation in the computer.

But it is also possible, this system for monitoring purposes z. B. to use at border crossings. The automated monitoring of large company premises, deposits or port areas has also been considered.

The system consists of the following components: ROPE: A fast-to-use wire or steel cable between two points (trees, masonry, cars, metal posts, cranes, or the like) using a winch or other tensioning device (Figures 1.2 and 1.3). To reduce the risk of vibration, a smooth steel cord or the like is used.

DRIVE VEHICLE: A drive carriage (Figure 2.1) consisting of an elongated box (Figure 2.1) driven by an electric motor (Figure 14.2) which transmits the camera (Figure 2.6) along the cable by radio or the like at different speeds can control. The power transmission of the motor mounted on the outside of the carriage (Figure 14.2) is accomplished by a toothed belt (Figure 12.5) or the like (eg V-belts, gears, chains) on one or more drive wheels (Figure 2.2) in the form of pulleys are mounted outside of the housing. These pulleys have a recess (Fig 5.2), which are additionally coated at its lowest point with soft PVC (Figure 5.3). So the grip is guaranteed on the smooth rope.

The axles of the pulleys are ball-bearing. Power is supplied by means of rechargeable batteries (Fig. 12.1), which is particularly advantageous for fast mobile applications. If the system is stationary, that is to say required for a longer period of time at a fixed location, a power supply can optionally also be provided via a second cable to be installed above the carrying cable. Each rope would then occupy a pole (- and +). Via a current scanner, the current would be fed into the car. This is possible, e.g. in permanently installed monitoring systems where the system is in continuous operation by an automated procedure. On the outside of the car there are connection possibilities for chargers (Fig. 13.2), so that the rechargeable batteries can be recharged during work breaks.

The video transmission of the camera image to a control monitor takes place via radio. The video transmitter (Fig. 12.6) is installed in the drive carriage. The image output of the camera is connected to the transmitter input with a BNC cable. Power is supplied via the main battery (Fig. 12.1) in the drive carriage.

Brake to stop the drive module: The system can reach a speed of 50 to 70 km / h on the rope due to the high engine power depending on the ratio of the drive shafts. To slow down the system is on the drive car between The pulleys are fitted with a braking mechanism (Fig. 14.10). The operation of the brake (Figures 8, 9, 10) is simple: Above and below the support cable (Figure 8.3) are brake pads (Figure 8.1) mounted on a common metal plate (Figure 8.2). By traction (Figure 12.2), the position of the metal plate, at the ends of which the pads are mounted, is axially changed so that the pads engage the cable and the system is decelerated (Figures 9 and 10).

Control device in the drive carriage: There are two ways to control the system: The fully automatic control is a completely pre-programmed control of the system. All movements, such as direction of travel, speed, braking behavior and all swivel movements of the camera are programmed in the control unit (Fig. 12.3) before driving. By pressing a button on the drive carriage, this process is set in motion. When the automatic operating program has expired, the system stops and switches to standby mode. Manual control of the system is by radio remote control (controls by similar methods such as infrared or the like are also feasible). In this way, all functions, such as direction of travel, speed, braking behavior and all pivoting movements of the camera can be operated. In addition, there are various safety precautions in this operating mode: If the radio link is disconnected during operation, the system switches off automatically and triggers emergency braking. When the radio connection is restored, the microprocessors in the control unit return all functions to the zero position (standby). Emergency braking is also triggered as the system approaches the end of the tensioned rope. An infrared light barrier receiver (Fig. 13.4) is installed in the drive module. If this receives a pulse from the IR transmitter (Fig. 1.5), which sends a beam transverse to the direction of travel in the last sector of the rope, the microprocessors switch off the engine and initiate an automatic braking process.

Additionally usable power sources are attached to the drive carriage. These connections (FIG. 13.1) serve primarily for example an external power supply of the camera or a headlight for operation in the dark. These current sources are additionally protected against short circuit and overload by fuses (Fig. 13.3). A headlamp or other required accessory may be mounted on the end faces of the drive car. Especially for this there is an M 12 screw-on option (Fig. 14.11). The roll-off safety device (Fig. 14.10) is mounted at rope height between the pulleys on the outside of the drive carriage. Should the drive carriage jump out of the rope for any reason, this device will catch the entire system. It is a bolted metal device in a U-shape, which is bolted at its ends to the housing after the drive carriage is hung in the rope.

Two transport handles (Figures 15 and 16) are mounted on the end faces of the drive carriage. This facilitates the transport and the mounting of the drive carriage in the rope. The handles are screwed onto an M12 screw protruding from the housing. When removed, other accessories can be attached in their place.

CAMERA RAIL AND CAMERA MOUNTING: The camera rail (Fig. 4.3 and Fig. 7), mounted horizontally 90 degrees in the direction of travel under the drive carriage, serves primarily to mount the camera suspension (Fig. 3.7). In addition, depending on the weight of the camera, it serves to bring the entire system in a horizontal position. The heavier the camera, the closer the camera suspension is bolted to the rail in the direction of the drive carriage (Figures 4.1 and 4.2). The camera rail thus ensures the right balance of the entire system.

In addition, in addition to the camera rail, the drive motor for the horizontal

Pivoting movements (right - left) of the camera attached (Fig. 14.1). This controls the connection axis (Fig. 14.5 and 6.2) of the camera suspension, which is double-sided (Fig. 6.4) via a gear (Fig. 6.5) (however, this connection can also by other means, such as chains, V-belts, timing belt , Hydraulics or the like.). The entire camera suspension (Figure 14.6) can rotate 360 degrees on both sides in this way.

Following the same principle, the drive motor works for the vertical

Camera movements (up and down). The drive motor (Fig. 14.7) for this is mounted parallel to the pitch axis (Fig. 14.8). In this way, the camera can rotate 360 degrees around its own axis. The camera is mounted on the camera plate (Fig. 3.10).

SCAFFOLDING: A scaffold (Fig. 11) can take over this function if there is no attachment option for a rope end. It is a four-legged construct (Figure 11.1), in which the end pieces converge as in a tent construction. A deflection roller (Fig. 11.2) in the center of the framework serves as a support for the rope (Fig. 11.3). After being deflected there, it must be held at its end by weights (Fig. 11.4).

Integration of a Slip Ring 201: In order to prevent the camera 14 from becoming entangled when rotating about its own axis 25 in the connection cables (video signal, power supply), a slip ring 201 has been integrated between the camera suspension 37 and the camera rail 43 (FIG. 17.1). The slip ring 201 has 12 ways, namely motor control of camera tilt, 12V power connector for stabilizers and / or camera, 24V power connector for movie cameras, video signal transmission, and two spare lines (e.g., for driving stepper motors for later automatic control via computer). It is a commercial slip ring used in the prior art.

Camera suspension optimization 37: The camera suspension 37, also called the camera arm (Figure 18) (ie its static construction and the power of the control motors) is designed to hold all professional cameras 14 for video and film up to a weight of 35kg can transport. The center of mass of the camera 14 is located on the vertical axis of rotation 25, which is also the axis of rotation of the slip ring 201. The camera 14 is shifted and positioned in the horizontal until this is achieved.

Image stabilizers against residual vibrations at longer focal lengths: In order to obtain an absolutely jitter-free image even with longer focal lengths (zooming), two image stabilizers (gyros) 204, 205 were mounted below the camera displacement plate (FIGS. 19, 20). The two stabilizers 204, 205 are offset from each other by 90 degrees, so that all occurring vibrations, both horizontally and vertically, are damped. Commercially available gyro-stabilizers 204, 205 according to the prior art are used.

Automatic stop with emergency braking: So that the box 11 or camera carriage (Fig. 1, 21) does not accidentally ride against the end of the rope 12, a terminal 15 is detachably attached to the cable 12, for example in the form of an IR transmitter, a small Metal plate, a permanent magnet, etc. These end marks 15 are associated with detecting means 203, the non-contact or with contact and working on Both front sides (Fig. 21.2) of the camera dolly 11 are arranged, they are designed for example as an IR receiver, as magnetic contacts, as a proximity switch or as a reed switch. If the camera carriage 11 now passes over a certain point (end point, contact) on the rope 12, a) the main drive is deactivated and b) an automatic full braking is triggered. The end mark 15 can be fixed in the longitudinal direction of the rope 12 in any position. You can also hang loose in the rope 12 at the appropriate position.

Safety roller (3rd pulley) 220: In the event of failure of the support rope 12, a fall of the system in depth is prevented by an additional safety rope 220 (FIG. 22). This second cable 220 (safety rope) is used in particular when driving over audience or performer and meets the safety regulations according to BGVCL and has a 10-fold safety of the acting tensile forces. For this purpose, an additional device 222 (FIG. 22) was attached to the camera carriage 11, at the upper end of which a further pulley 224 (freewheeling) with roll-off protection is installed. This further pulley 224 is held on both sides so that, just as with the roll-off safety device 152 (FIG. 14), the safety cable 220 can not be released.

Radio control of the camera 14 (zoom, iris and sharpness): To control the cameras 14 (film and video) (zoom, focus and iris control), a control signal is transmitted via a serial interface (RS 422, RS 485 or RS 232) Transmit radio.

Counterweight 202 on the Camera Rail 43: At the outer end of the camera rail 43, a counterweight 202 (Fig. 18) is mounted. It is relative to the box 11 slidably and fixed at different intervals. This allows the system to be balanced without the camera 14 and camera suspension 37, that is, before the camera suspension 37 is mounted. At equilibrium, the axis of rotation 25 of the slip ring 201 is vertical. The camera suspension 37 is then in "zero point" (ie mounted exactly at the cable level) .Thus, the balance of the entire system in the zero point (Fig.18) Instead of only passive counterweight 202 can also be advantageously a back-up battery (battery) are mounted a reserve battery of the required weight is used.

LIST OF REFERENCE NUMBERS

Fig.1: reference number

1 box (from camera carriage) 11 2 rope 12

3 fixed point 13

4 camera 14

5 IR transmitters 15

Figure 2:

1 box (from camera carriage) 11

2 drive wheel 22

3 rope 12

4 bearings (for vertical axis) 63

5 vertical axis 25

6 camera 14

7 tilt axis camera 148

Figure 3:

1 rope 12

2 box (from camera carriage) 11

3 drive wheel 22

4 axis (from drive wheel) 34

5 camera rail 43

6 vertical axis 25

7 Camera suspension 37

8 ball bearings (for tilt camera) 38

9 tilt axis camera 148

10 plate (for camera) 103

Figure 4:

1 bearing (the camera suspension) 141

2 bearings (the camera suspension) 141

3 camera rail 43

4 box (from camera carriage) 11

5 drive wheel 22

6 rope 12

Figure 5:

1 drive wheel 22

2 well 52

3 coating 53

Figure 6:

1 camera rail 43

2 vertical axis 25

3 bearings 63

4 bearings 64

5 gear 65

Figure 7:

1 camera rail 43

2 level 72

3 slot 73 8, 9 and 10:

1 brake pad 81

2 metal plate 82

3 rope 12

Fig.l l

1 quadruplet 111

2 pulley 112

3 rope 12

4 weight 114

Figure 12:

1 main battery 121

2 tensile means 122

3 control unit 123

4 disc 124

5 toothed belt 125

6 video channels 126

Figure 13:

1 additional connection 131

2 connection means 132

3 fuse 133

4 light barrier receiver 134

Figure 14:

1 motor (vertical axis) 141

2 motor (drive) 142

3 disc 124

4 drive wheel 22

5 vertical axis 25

6 Camera suspension 37

7 engine (camera tilt) 147

8 axis (camera tilt) 148

9 Braking device 149

10 roll-off protection 152

11 screw thread 153

Fig.15 and 16:

16.1 Transport handle 151

Fig. 17 to 22nd

Slip ring 201

Counterweight 202

Detection means 203

Stabilizer 204

Stabilizer 205

Security means 220

Device 222

Security role 224

Claims

Claims:

A system for controlling a camera, characterized in that a carrier element extending between two points carries a self-propelled car which comprises its own drive and to which a camera which is pivotable at least over an axis is connected.

2. System for controlling a camera according to claim 1, characterized in that the carrier element consists of a steel or wire rope.

3. System for controlling a camera according to claim 1 and 2, characterized in that the self-propelled trolley has at least two, at most four, preferably two pulleys, of which at least one, a maximum of four, preferably one is drivable.

4. System for controlling a camera according to claim 1 to 3, characterized in that the self-propelled carriage is driven by an electric motor.

5. System for controlling a camera according to claim 1 to 4, characterized in that a camera mounting rail below the car 90 degrees horizontally to the direction of travel and the attached camera acts as a balance weight for hanging in the rope car and thus the entire system - by change of the camera attachment point on the rail - can be leveled horizontally.

6. System for controlling a camera (14) according to claim 1 to 5, characterized in that in the box (11) is a receiving system for controlling the box (11) and / or camera movements.

7. A system for controlling a camera (14) according to claim 1 to 6, characterized in that a slip ring (201) is provided, between the box (11) and the camera (14), in particular between camera suspension (37) and camera rail (43).

8. A system for controlling a camera (14) according to claim 1 to 7, characterized in that an end mark (15) is provided, which is releasably attached to the rope (12), and in that this end mark (15) comprises a detection means (203). is assigned, which is arranged on an end face of the box (11) of the car.

9. A system for controlling a camera (14) according to claim 1 to 8, characterized in that an additional safety cable (220) is provided, and in that on the box (11) an additional device (222) is attached, which is another pulley and has a roll-off.

10. A system for controlling a camera (14) according to claim 1 to 9, characterized in that a counterweight (202) is provided, that the counterweight (202) relative to the box (11) is displaceable and fixable at different distances, and that Preferably, the counterweight (202) is formed by a battery or an accumulator.