MULTIPLE MEANS OF FRAMING A SUBJECT

• US 20150109457A1
• Filed: 01/05/2015
• Published: 04/23/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 10/04/2012
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Jigabot, LLC
• Original Assignee: Jigabot, LLC
• Inventors: Stout, Richard F., Johnson, Kyle K., Shelley, Kevin J., Root, Donna M.
• Application Number:
  US14/589,427
• Publication Number:
  US 20150109457A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 348/169
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 3/00 Direction-finders for determining the direction from which infrasonic, sonic, ultrasonic, or electromagnetic waves, or particle emission, not having a directional significance, are being received position-fixing by co-ordinating a plurality of determinations of direction or position lines G01S5/00
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 23/66 Remote control of cameras or camera parts, e.g. by remote control devices
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 5/222 Studio circuitry; Studio devices; Studio equipment cameras or camera modules comprising electronic image sensors, or control thereof H04N23/00

Abstract

A system for tracking a cinematography target can comprise an emitter configured to attach to a target and to emit a tracking signal. A tracker can be configured to receive the tracking signal from the emitter and to track the emitter based upon the received tracking signal. The tracker can comprise a control module configured to identify a location of the target and to position an audiovisual device to align with a target. Additionally, the tracker can comprise a script execution processor configured to execute a user selected script. The user selected script may be selected from a set of respectively unique scripts. The user selected script can determine one or more control module movements specific to tracking the emitter.

Claims

1. A system for tracking a cinematography target, the system using multiple components to identify and track the target, the system comprising:

an emitter configured to attach to a target and to emit a tracking signal, the emitter comprising;

an output module configured to emit the tracking signal, wherein the tracking signal comprises one or more identifiable signals;

a tracker configured to receive the tracking signal from the emitter and to track the emitter based upon the received tracking signal, the tracker comprising;

a receiver module configured to receive the tracking signal and to identify the one or more identifiable signals,

a control module configured to identify a location of the target and to position an audiovisual device to align with a target, and

a script execution processor configured to execute a user selected script, wherein the user selected script is selected from a set of respectively unique scripts and the user selected script determines one or more control module movements specific to tracking the emitter; and

a user interface device configured to receive commands from a user and communicate the commands to the tracker.

2. The system as recited in claim 1, wherein the user-selected script comprises a start condition, an action, a configuration setting, and an end condition.

3. The system as recited in claim 1, wherein the user-selected script comprises a command to introduce a specific bias to the framing of the emitter within a camera viewfinder.

4. The system as recited in claim 1, wherein the tracker comprises an integrated camera that is capable of both capturing images and providing tracking information to the control module.

5. The system as recited in claim 1, wherein the receiver module is configured to determined whether the received tracking signal modulates on and off at specific times and for pre-determined respective durations.

6. The system as recited in claim 1, wherein the receiver module is configured to identify one or more colors or shapes that are associated with an emitter and to store the identified information.

7. The system as recited in claim 1, further comprising a first emitter and a second emitter, wherein the first emitter and the second emitter are spaced a known, first distance apart from each other.

8. The system as recited in claim 7, wherein the control module is configured to interpolate the location of a face associated with target based a detected location of the first emitter and the second emitter.

9. The system as recited in claim 1, wherein the tracker is configured to automatically tilt and swivel to aim at the target, while at the same time rotating along a third axis in order to keep a tracker frame parallel to the ground.

10. The system as recited in claim 1, wherein the tracker is configured to automatically tilt and swivel to aim at the target, while at the same time rotating along a third axis in order to keep a tracker frame at a desired dutch angle relative to the ground.

11. A computer-implemented method at a tracking device for tracking a cinematography target that has been associated with an emitter, the method comprising:

receiving at the tracking device an indication to track a particular identifier, wherein the particular identifier is associated with the cinematography target;

identifying, using at least one tracker component, at least a direction associated with an origination point of an occurrence of the particular identifier;

executing a user selected script, wherein;

the user selected script is selected from a set of respectively unique scripts, and

the user selected script determines one or more tracking movement attributes specific to tracking the emitter

calculating, based upon the user selected script and the indication of at least a direction associated with an origination point of an occurrence of the particular tracking signal, a motor actuation sequence necessary to actuate a control component to track the object of interest in accordance with the user selected script; and

actuating at least one motor to track the object of interest in accordance with the calculated motor actuation sequence.

12. The computer-implemented method as recited in claim 11, further comprising:

identifying, using a camera associated with the tracking device, one or more shapes or colors associated with cinematography target; and

storing the identified one or more shapes or colors within memory.

13. The computer-implemented method as recited in claim 12, further comprising:

failing to receive the particular identifier associated with the cinematography target;

accessing, from memory, the one or more shapes or colors associated with the cinematography target;

detecting, with the camera, a direction associated an occurrence of the one or more shapes or colors associated with the cinematography target; and

calculating, based upon the user selected script and the detected direction associated with the occurrence of the one or more shapes or colors associated with the cinematography target, a motor actuation sequence necessary to actuate a control component to track the object of interest in accordance with the user selected script.

14. The computer-implemented method as recited in claim 11, further comprising sharing a script from a first tracking device to a second tracking device.

15. The computer-implemented method as recited in claim 14, wherein sharing a script comprises creating the script, storing the script in memory, transferring the script between memory modules, parsing of data from the script, processing the parsed script data, and actuating a different tracking device based upon the parsed script data.

16. The computer-implemented method as recited in claim 11, wherein the user selected script determines under what conditions to record and track the cinematography target.

17. The computer-implemented method as recited in claim 11, wherein the articular identifier is selected from a list of identifier, wherein each identifier within the list of identifiers is associated with a different emitter.

18. The computer-implemented method as recited in claim 11, further comprising:

identifying, using the at least one tracker component, a first direction associated with an origination point of an occurrence of a first particular identifier, which is associated with a first emitter;

identifying, using the at least one tracker component, a second direction associated with an origination point of an occurrence of a second particular identifier, which is associated with a second emitter;

accessing from memory an indication of a known distance between the first emitter and the second emitter; and

based upon the first direction, the second direction, and the known distance, calculating an expected face location for a human associated with both the first emitter and the second emitter.

19. The computer-implemented method as recited in claim 18, further comprising:

calculating, based upon the user selected script and the expected face location for the human associated with both the first emitter and the second emitter, a motor actuation sequence necessary to actuate a control component to track the expected face location; and

actuating at least one motor to track the expected face location.

20. A computer program product for use at a computer system, the computer program product comprising one or more computer storage media having stored thereon computer-executable instructions that, when executed at a processor, cause the computer system to perform a method for tracking a cinematography target that has been associated with an emitter, the method comprising:

receiving at the tracking device an indication to track a particular identifier, wherein the particular identifier is associated with the cinematography target;

identifying, using at least one tracker component, at least a direction associated with an origination point of an occurrence of the particular identifier;

executing a user selected script, wherein;

the user selected script is selected from a set of respectively unique scripts, and

the user selected script determines one or more tracking movement attributes specific to tracking the emitter

calculating, based upon the user selected script and the indication of at least a direction associated with an origination point of an occurrence of the particular tracking signal, a motor actuation sequence necessary to actuate a control component to track the object of interest in accordance with the user selected script; and

actuating at least one motor to track the object of interest in accordance with the calculated motor actuation sequence.