Automatic follow-up lighting system

• US 5,023,709 A
• Filed: 11/06/1989
• Issued: 06/11/1991
• Est. Priority Date: 11/06/1989
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: AOI Studio Kabushiki Kaisha, Kabushiki Kaisha Ouyo Keisoku Kenkyusho
• Original Assignee: AOI Studio Kabushiki Kaisha, Kabushiki Kaisha Ouyo Keisoku Kenkyusho
• Inventors: Seki, Chikashi, Kita, Kunio, Suzuki, Takahito, Kuwashima, Shigesumi
• Primary Examiner(s): Kostak, Victor R.
• Application Number:
  US07/431,847
• Time in Patent Office: 582 Days
• Field of Search: 358/125, 358/126, 358/108, 358/229, 358/105, 358/185
• US Class Current: 348/172
• CPC Class Codes: F21V 33/0052 Audio or video equipment, e.g. televisions, telephones, cameras or computers; Remote control devices therefor
• CPC Class Codes: F21W 2131/406 for theatres, stages or film studios
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 17/66 Tracking systems using electromagnetic waves other than radio waves
• CPC Class Codes: H05B 47/155 Coordinated control of two or more light sources

Abstract

A mark (something like a reflecting tape which reflects light in the coaxial direction when the light is applied, or an infrared radiant) attached on an object is caught with the coaxial light (visible radiation, infrared light) by a TV camera or infrared TV camera, and video signals from the camera are processed in binary in an image processing apparatus. Consequently, a high luminous mark appears on a binary image, and the primary moment center values (so called "centroid") on the high luminous binary image are calculated on real time, for instance, every 1/60 second, and fed back to an electrically-powered driving part of a lighting unit, so that the lighting is always applied to the position. An electrically-powered turn table automatically operates the control of the lighting directions by the signals feed backed. By carrying out a series of controls precisely as mentioned above, the lighting can be applied by the lighting unit tracking automatically the position of the moving mark. The operability of a lighting unit regarded as a serious problem for an operator usually operating many lighting units can be improved to allow an effective lighting operation.

Claims

1. An automatic follow-up lighting system for automatically following an object having a mark thereon, said system comprising:

a turntable pivotable arbitrarily in a vertical and a horizontal direction;

a lighting unit fixed to said turntable and having directivity;

an imaging means having a field of view covering at least a part of a lighting range provided by said lighting unit, said imaging means producing output signals corresponding to said field of view thereof;

a calculating controller means for processing said output signals obtained from said imaging means to determine a position of the mark on the object and to drive said turntable so as to track the mark on the object.

2. An automatic follow-up lighting system according to claim 1, wherein said imaging means is a TV camera.

3. An automatic follow-up lighting system according to claim 1, wherein said imaging means is fixed to said turntable.

4. An automatic follow-up lighting system according to claim 2, wherein said calculating controller means includes a binarizing circuit by which video signals from said TV camera are processing in binary form, a timing generating means separating said video signals into horizontal signals and vertical signals to output timing signals, an accumulating circuit for receiving binary signals from said binarizing circuit and said timing signals to obtain accumulated values Σ

X for X direction and Σ

Y for Y direction, an area counting circuit for receiving said binary signals and said timing signals to output an area S, a first calculating means for receiving said accumulated values Σ

X, Σ

Y, and the area S to obtain the center position of balance (X, Y) of said mark, and a second calculating means for obtaining a difference between said center position (X, Y) and a predetermined desired target position (X_O, Y_O) offset from said center position of said mark.

5. An automatic follow-up lighting system according to claim 4, wherein said timing generating means includes a synchronous separating circuit for separating said horizontal synchronous signals and vertical synchronous signals from said video signals, a clock generating circuit for outputting clock signals of a fixed frequency, and a timing signal generating circuit for receiving said horizontal synchronous signals, vertical synchronous signals, and clock signals and for outputting said timing signals.

6. An automatic follow-up lighting system according to claim 4, wherein said accumulating circuit includes an adder and an AND circuit for outputting enable signals of said adder.

7. An automatic follow-up lighting system according to claim 4, wherein said area counting circuit includes an AND circuit and a counting circuit counting the output of said AND circuit for with said clock signals.

8. An automatic follow-up lighting system according to claim 2, wherein an automatic tracking of said TV camera keeping a fixed offset away from said mark is carried out.

9. An automatic follow-up lighting system according to claim 1, wherein said imaging means is a solid-state imaging element.

10. An automatic follow-up lighting system for automatically following an object having a mark thereon, said system comprising:

a turntable pivotable arbitrarily in a vertical and a horizontal direction;

a lighting unit fixed to said turntable and having directivity;

an infrared irradiation apparatus fixed to said turntable;

an infrared imaging means fixed to said turntable and having a field of view covering at least a part of the lighting range and irradiating range respectively provided by said lighting apparatus and infrared irradiation apparatus, said imaging means producing output signals corresponding to said field of view thereof;

a calculating controller means for processing said signals obtained from said imaging means to determine a position of the mark on the object and to drive said turntable so as to track the mark on the object.

11. An automatic follow-up lighting system according to claim 10, wherein said lighting unit is an image projection apparatus.

12. An automatic follow-up lighting system according to claim 10, wherein said imaging means is a TV camera.