AUTOMATICALLY ADJUSTING MOUNTING MEANS FOR STUDIO PICKUP DEVICES

• US 3,634,008 A
• Filed: 05/17/1968
• Issued: 01/11/1972
• Est. Priority Date: 05/18/1967
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Dexter Robert Plummer, John Denzil Barr
• Original Assignee: Dexter Robert Plummer, John Denzil Barr
• Inventors: Barr, John Denzil, Plummer, Dexter Robert
• Primary Examiner(s): Richardson, Robert L.
• Assistant Examiner(s): Stout, Donald E.
• Application Number:
  US04/729,953
• Time in Patent Office: 1,334 Days
• Field of Search: 178/DIG.30,DIG.29,7.2E,6R,1R,DIG.21 352/139,140 355/52,56 179/1R 250/23CT
• US Class Current: 355/56
• CPC Class Codes: G03B 17/561 Support related camera accessories
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 23/68 for stable pick-up of the scene, e.g. compensating for camera body vibrations
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 23/6812 based on additional sensors, e.g. acceleration sensors
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 23/6815 by distinguishing pan or tilt from motion

Abstract

A pickup device such as a camera or a microphone is adjustably mounted on a movable support. Signal-generating means on the support provide signals representing the movement of the support with respect to a subject of the pickup device and these signals are combined to provide a vector displacement signal. A control system mounted on the support receives the vector displacement signal and uses it to adjust the pickup device so that a predetermined relationship between the pickup device and the subject is maintained irrespective of movement of the support or the subject.

Claims

1. Mounting means for studio pickup devices such as cameras and microphones, said mounting means comprising:

a movable support, a mounting assembly mounted on said support, adjustment means on said support for adjusting the position of said mounting assembly relative to said support, a pickup device on said mounting assembly, first transducer means mounted on said support and responsive to movement of the support to generate a first signal representing a measurement of linear displacement of said support, second transducer means for generating further signals representing displacement of the mounting assembly, signal-generating means for deriving, from said first signal and said further signals, signals representative of the vector displacement of said movable support in any direction relative to a subject, and a control system responsive to said signal-generating means for maintaining a predetermined relationship between said pickup device and said subject irrespective of movement of the support.

2. Mounting means according to claim 1, wherein said second transducer means are operative to generate said further signals from two independent angular measurements.

3. Mounting means according to claim 1, wherein said second transducer means are operative to generate said further signals from a linear displacement measurement and an angular measurement.

4. Mounting means according to claim 1, wherein the pickup device is a camera and measurements of camera distance from the subject are derived from measurements of the adjustments made in order to refocus the camera as said distance varies.

5. Mounting means according to claim 1, wherein said signal-generating means comprises a computing arrangement operative to modify and process said first signal and said further signals to provide said signals representative of said vector displacement.

6. The mounting means of claim 5, wherein the computing arrangement is adapted to receive and process analogue signals.

7. The mounting means of claim 6 wherein said signals are electrical signals.

8. The mounting means of claim 1, wherein said mounting assembly is movable angularly relative to said movable support whereby said pickup device can be pointed at any point on the subject, and including an actuator on said mounting assembly said actuator being controlled by said control system whereby said pickup device is maintained pointed at a predetermined point on said subject irrespective of movement of said support.

9. The mounting means of claim 1 wherein said pickup device is a camera, And including an adjustable focus objective lens for said camera, an actuator controlled by said control system, and means interconnecting said actuator and said objective lens, said interconnecting means transmitting movement of said actuator and thereby adjusting said adjustable focus objective lens in response to movement of said actuator whereby the focus of said objective lens is maintained to produce a focused image of said subject irrespective of movement of said support.

10. The mounting means of claim 1 wherein said pickup device is a camera, and including an objective lens unit of variable focal length on said camera, an actuator controlled by said control system, and means interconnecting said actuator and said objective lens unit, said interconnecting means transmitting movement of said actuator to said variable focal length objective lens unit and thereby adjusting said variable focal length objective lens in response to movement of said actuator whereby said focal length of said lens unit is adjusted to maintain constant the size of an image in said camera irrespective of movement of said support.

11. The mounting means of claim 1, wherein the signals representative of the vector displacement of said movable support indicating velocity are measurements of velocity of the movable support.