Aerial support platform mechanism with five axes of motion

• US 5,568,189 A
• Filed: 06/21/1994
• Issued: 10/22/1996
• Est. Priority Date: 06/21/1994
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Paul J. Kneller
• Original Assignee: Paul J. Kneller
• Inventors: Kneller, Paul J.
• Primary Examiner(s): Greening, Wendy
• Assistant Examiner(s): CHRISTENSEN, ANDREW BRUCE
• Application Number:
  US08/264,081
• Time in Patent Office: 854 Days
• Field of Search: 348/143, 348/373, 348/376, 348/157, 348/142, 348/144, 901/16, 901/21
• US Class Current: 348/144
• CPC Class Codes: B66C 21/00 Cable cranes, i.e. comprising hoisting devices running on aerial cable-ways rope or cable drives for trolleys, combinations of such drives with hoisting gear B66C11/16; railway systems B61B; rope or cable winding mechanisms B66D1/00
• CPC Class Codes: F16M 11/105 the horizontal axis being the roll axis, e.g. for creating a landscape-portrait rotation
• CPC Class Codes: F16M 11/18 with mechanism for moving the apparatus relatively to the stand
• CPC Class Codes: F16M 11/2014 around a vertical axis F16M11/2035 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: F16M 11/2085 comprising means allowing sideward adjustment, i.e. left-right translation of the head relatively to the undercarriage
• CPC Class Codes: F16M 11/2092 comprising means allowing depth adjustment, i.e. forward-backward translation of the head relatively to the undercarriage
• CPC Class Codes: F16M 11/24 changeable in height or length of legs, also for transport only, e.g. by means of tubes screwed into each otherF16M11/42 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: F16M 11/425 along guiding means
• CPC Class Codes: F16M 13/027 Ceiling supports
• CPC Class Codes: F16M 2200/04 Balancing means
• 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

An aerial support platform is supported to extend below, and intermediate of, a pair of parallel cables mounted along respective opposite walls of a studio. A carriage rides on each of the parallel cables, and another pair of cables extends to connect the pair of carriages. A third carriage sits on the other pair of cables, and a series of further cables extend vertically from that carriage to the platform. The pair of carriages positioned on the opposite walls of the studio are controlled to move in tandem, and the third carriage has controlled movement between those carriages. The platform may be raised or lowered relative to the third carriage, and thus has three linear axes of motion. The platform has two additional axes of motion, both rotational. One is around a vertical axis and another is around an axis normal to the vertical axis. Cinematographic equipment may be fixed to the platform, which can then be oriented using a computer at a remote location.

Claims

1. An aerial support mechanism for providing five independently addressable degrees of axial freedom for a camera, said mechanism comprising:

a pair of spaced parallel first cables in support at both ends and supporting a pair of first carriages therefrom, first movement means for movement of each of said first carriages along said respective first cables;

a pair of transverse second cables extending between and affixed to said pair of first carriages for providing laterally-directed tension to said first pair of cables by way of said first carriages, said second cables terminating at one of said first carriages and tensionable terminating at the other first carriage;

a second carriage, said second carriage depending from said second cables and having second movement means for movement along said second cables;

a platform member, said platform member depending from a set of third cables fixed to and extending from said second carriage and terminating in third movement means disposed on said platform member, said third movement means for effecting movement of said platform member vertically with respect to said second carriage;

said platform member further comprising a rotatably mounted jointed means with a platform depending therefrom for supporting a camera, said jointed means rotatable about a horizontal axis by means of respective fourth movement means, and said jointed means including a fifth movement means to effect rotation of said platform about a vertical axis; and

control means for remotely and independently controlling the movement of each of the respective first, second, third, fourth and fifth movement means.

3. A mechanism as in claim 1, wherein said second carriage has wheel means riding on a respective cable of said pair of second cables, and wherein said second movement means comprises a second cable loop disposed generally parallel to said second cables and extending between, a first driven pulley depending from a respective first carriage and a second pulley depending from the other first carriage, the second cable loop starting from said second carriage and ending thereat.

4. A mechanism as in claim 1, wherein said set of third cables is a plurality of independent cables depending from said second carriage at one end and extensibly affixed to respective movement means at the other end, and wherein said respective movement means are mounted on said platform member and are reversible motors.

5. A mechanism as in claim 1, wherein said second platform is rotatably connected to said first platform by a support element for rotation around a vertical first axis, and wherein said support element is adapted to provide rotation about an axis generally normal to said first axis.

2. A mechanism as in claim 14, wherein each first carriage has wheel means riding on a respective first cable and wherein said respective first movement means comprises a first cable loop disposed generally parallel to said first cables and extending between a first driven pulley and a second pulley, said first pulley and said second pulley located at opposite ends of said first cables, the first cable loop starting from said first carriage and ending thereat.

6. An aerial support mechanism for providing five independently addressable degrees of axial freedom to multiple cameras, said mechanism comprising:

a plurality of vertically spaced pairs of parallel first cables in support at both ends and supporting a respective pair of first carriages therefrom, said respective pair of first carriages having respective first movement means for movement along said respective first cables;

a plurality of pairs of transverse second cables extending between and affixed to respective pairs of said first carriages, for providing laterally-directed tension to said respective first pairs of cables by way of a respective one of said first carriages, each pair of said second cables terminating at a respective one of said first carriages and adjustably terminating at the respective other first carriage;

a plurality of second carriages, one each of said second carriages depending from a respective pair of said second cables and each of said second carriages having independent second movement means for movement along a respective pair of said second cables;

a plurality of platform members, each one of said platform members depending from a set of third cables fixed to and depending from a respective second carriage and terminating in third movement means disposed on said platform member for effecting movement of each of said platform members vertically with respect to said respective second carriage;

each of said platform members further comprising rotatably mounted jointed means with a platform depending therefrom for supporting a respective cameras said articulating means rotatable about a horizontal axis by means of respective fourth movement means, and said articulating means including a fifth movement means to effect rotation of said platform about a vertical axis; and

control means for remotely and independently controlling individually the movement of each of the respective first, second, third, fourth and fifth movement means.

7. An aerial support mechanism for providing five independently addressable degrees of axial freedom to multiple cameras, said mechanism comprising:

a pair of spaced parallel first cables in support at both ends and supporting a plurality of respective pairs of first carriages therefrom, said respective pairs of first carriages having respective first movement means for movement along said first cables;

said pairs of first carriages further providing a pair of respective transverse second cables extending between and terminating at respective one of first carriages and tensionably terminating at the other respective first carriage for providing laterally-directed tension to said first pair of cables;

a plurality of second carriages one each of said second carriages depending from a respective pair of said second cables, and having respective second movement means for movement along a respective second cable;

a plurality of platform members, each one of said platform members depending from a set of third cables fixed to and depending from a respective second carriage and terminating in third movement means disposed on said platform member for effecting movement of each of said platform members vertically with respect to said respective second carriage; and

control means for remotely and independently controlling individually the movement of each of the respective first, second, third, fourth and fifth movement means.

8. An aerial support platform mechanism comprising:

a first pair of support cables each affixed at each end to support means;

a pair of first carriages each moving along a respective one of said first pair of support cables;

a drive cable reciprocating each carriage of said first pair along its respective support cable, each said drive cable connected at one end to its respective carriage, passing around a resiliently mounted pulley adjacent one end of the support cable, around a reversible drive means for reciprocating said drive cable adjacent an opposite end of the support cable and connected at an opposite end to said respective carriage;

a second pair of support cables each terminating at one end to one of said pair of first carriages and adjustably terminating at the other end to the other one of said pair of first carriages, said second pair of support cables acting through said pair of first carriages to tension said first pair of support cables;

a drive cable reciprocating a second carriage along said second support cables, said drive cable connected at one end to said second carriage, passing around a pulley disposed on one of said first pair of carriages, around a reversible drive means for reciprocating said drive cable disposed on the other one of said pair of first carriages and connected at an opposite end to said second carriage;

a set of third support cables depending from said second carriage, each one of said third set of cables attached at one end to said second carriage and attached at the other end to a respective reversible drive means, said respective drive means mounted on a platform;

a support arm rotatably depending from said platform and adapted to be rotated about a vertical first axis by a first rotatable drive means, said support arm adapted to provide rotation to a second platform depending therefrom about an axis generally normal to said first axis by a second rotatable drive means; and

control means for remotely and independently controlling the movement of each of said reversible drive means and said first and second rotatable drive means.