Remotely controlled and monitored followspot

• US 10,302,286 B2
• Filed: 05/01/2017
• Issued: 05/28/2019
• Est. Priority Date: 07/08/2015
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Production Resource Group LLC
• Original Assignee: Production Resource Group LLC
• Inventors: Conti, Christopher D, Clarke, Ian, Polansky, Dale, Miller, Diane
• Primary Examiner(s): Mai, Anh T
• Assistant Examiner(s): Zimmerman, Glenn D
• Application Number:
  US15/582,952
• Publication Number:
  US 20170234516A1
• Time in Patent Office: 757 Days
• CPC Class Codes: F21V 21/15 specially adapted for power operation, e.g. by remote control
• CPC Class Codes: F21V 9/00 Elements for modifying spectral properties, polarisation or intensity of the light emitted, e.g. filters coloured shades F21V1/00; elements characterised by cooling arrangements F21V29/502
• CPC Class Codes: F21V 9/08 for producing coloured light, e.g. monochromatic; for reducing intensity of light with provision for controlling the colour F21V9/40
• CPC Class Codes: F21V 9/40 with provision for controlling spectral properties, e.g. colour, or intensity
• CPC Class Codes: F21W 2131/406 for theatres, stages or film studios
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/14 Digital output to display device ; Cooperation and interconnection of the display device with other functional units
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 23/45 for generating image signals from two or more image sensors being of different type or operating in different modes, e.g. with a CMOS sensor for moving images in combination with a charge-coupled device [CCD] for still images
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 23/63 by using electronic viewfinders
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 23/66 Remote control of cameras or camera parts, e.g. by remote control devices
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 23/661 Transmitting camera control signals through networks, e.g. control via the Internet
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 23/69 Control of means for changing angle of the field of view, e.g. optical zoom objectives or electronic zooming
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 23/695 Control of camera direction for changing a field of view, e.g. pan, tilt or based on tracking of objects
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 23/71 Circuitry for evaluating the brightness variation
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 23/73 by influencing the exposure time
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 23/90 Arrangement of cameras or camera modules, e.g. multiple cameras in TV studios or sports stadiums
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 5/77 between a recording apparatus and a television camera
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 7/181 for receiving images from a plurality of remote sources
• CPC Class Codes: H05B 47/155 Coordinated control of two or more light sources
• CPC Class Codes: H05B 47/175 by remote control
• CPC Class Codes: H05B 47/18 via data-bus transmission

Abstract

A remote follow spot system includes a remote controller that has separately movable parts that are movable in two orthogonal directions, and a display attached to one of said two separately movable parts. The display receives a video feed from a controlled light, that is controlled to move in the same directions as remote controller. The display hence shows the field of view where the light is pointing. In this way, an operator of the follow spot can control the light without physically being near the light.

Claims

1. A device for controlling a remotely located luminaire that is movable in pan and tilt directions, comprising:

a controller for a remotely located movable luminaire, said controller having a first hinging part which enables moving in a horizontal direction, and has a first movement encoding device that creates an horizontal movement signal indicative of the horizontal movement, and said controller having a second hinging part that is separate from said first hinging part and is movable in a vertical direction, and has a second movement encoding device that creates a vertical movement signal indicative of the vertical movement, first and second spaced apart handles, which are held by a user to enable moving the controller in the first and second movement directions, said first and second handles both attached to said controller, and

a display screen, also attached to said controller, and displaying a real time image of a field of view of the remotely located movable luminaire as controlled by movement of said controller.

2. The device as in claim 1, wherein the first and second handles each extend in orthogonal directions to one another.

3. The device as in claim 1, wherein the controller is a yoke-shaped body that is movable in up and down directions to tilt and side to side directions to pan.

4. The device as in claim 1, further comprising electrical connections to said device, and a video connection to said device providing real-time movement information over the video connection.

5. The device as in claim 1,

further comprising a hinge, and wherein the display screen is hinged relative to said controller to enable viewing the display screen at multiple positions of movement of said controller.

6. The device as in claim 1, further comprising controls for the remotely located luminaire, located on said controller.

7. The device as in claim 6, wherein said controls include controls which control parameters of a camera adjacent to the luminaire which provides the real-time image, said controls being located on said controller.

8. The device as in claim 6, wherein the controls for the remotely located luminaire includes a brightness control for the luminaire, and increasing the brightness control on the luminaire causes a change of the brightness of the image on the display.

9. The device as in claim 6, wherein the controls select which of a plurality of different remotely controlled luminaires will be controlled by the controller.

10. The device as in claim 6, wherein the controls select plural different located controlled luminaires to be controlled by the controller.

11. The device as in claim 7, wherein the controls include an exposure control for the camera.

12. The device as in claim 7, wherein the controls include a zoom control for the camera, which control an amount of zoom of the control for the camera which causes an image displayed on the display to correspondingly zoom.

13. The device as in claim 10, wherein the controls cause all of the plural lights to point parallel.

14. The device as in claim 10, wherein the controls cause all of the plural lights to point at a common pointing location.

15. A method for controlling a remotely located luminaire that is movable in pan and tilt directions, comprising:

hinging an elongated controller along two different orthogonal axes,

including a first axis for panning the controller,

and a second axis for tilting the controller,

enabling movement of the controller in pan and tilt directions, by using first and second spaced apart handles, which are held by a user to enable moving the controller in the pan and tilt directions, said first and second handles both attached to said controller;

encoding the movement of the controller into electrical signals;

sending the electrical signals as control signals to a remote luminaire of a type that is moved in pan and tilt directions by electrical signals;

receiving a field of view image from a camera near the remote luminaire; and

displaying the field of view image on a display screen that is attached to said controller,

the display screen displaying a real time image of a field of view of the remote luminaire as controlled by movement of said controller.

16. The method as in claim 15, further comprising using the electrical signals to control the remote luminaire to move in pan and tilt directions in the same way that the elongated controller is moved in the pan and tilt directions.

17. The method as in claim 15, wherein the first and second handles each extend in orthogonal directions to one another.

18. The method as in claim 15,

further comprising hinging the display screen relative to said controller to enable viewing the display screen at multiple positions of movement of said controller.

19. The method as in claim 15, further comprising using controls that are located on said controller to control parameters of the remote luminaire.

20. The method as in claim 15, further comprising using controls that are located on said controller to control parameters of a camera adjacent to the luminaire which provides the real-time image.

21. The method as in claim 15, further comprising using controls on the controller to select which of a plurality of different remotely controlled luminaires will be controlled by the controller.

22. The method as in claim 15, further comprising using controls on the controller a plurality of different remotely controlled luminaires will be controlled by the controller using the same controls and movements of the controller.

23. The method as in claim 19, wherein said using controls comprises changing a brightness of the luminaire using the control on the controller, and wherein increasing the brightness control on the luminaire causes a change of the brightness of the image on the display.

24. The method as in claim 22, wherein the controls cause all of the plural lights to point parallel.

25. The method as in claim 22, wherein the controls cause all of the plural lights to point at a common pointing location.