Remote control unit for an objective and for a camera

• US 9,083,876 B2
• Filed: 09/04/2013
• Issued: 07/14/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 09/06/2012
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Arnold & Richter Cine Technik GmbH & Co., Betriebs KG (Stahl Beteiligungs- GmbH)
• Original Assignee: Arnold & Richter Cine Technik GmbH & Co., Betriebs KG (Stahl Beteiligungs- GmbH)
• Inventors: Voss, Hendrik, Preymann, Leonard
• Primary Examiner(s): Haskins, Twyler
• Assistant Examiner(s): Trehan, Akshay
• Application Number:
  US14/017,682
• Publication Number:
  US 20140063278A1
• Time in Patent Office: 678 Days
• Field of Search: 348/211.2, 348/211.99, 348/211.7, 348/211.8, 348/14.02, 345/156, 396 56- 59
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G03B 13/34 Power focusing
• CPC Class Codes: G03B 17/18 Signals indicating condition of a camera member or suitability of light indicating depth of field G03B13/30
• CPC Class Codes: G03B 3/12 adapted for remote control
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 23/663 for controlling interchangeable camera parts based on electronic image sensor signals

Abstract

A remote control unit for an objective and a camera comprises a base part, an operating element movable relative to the base part, an evaluation and control unit for generating a control signal in accordance with the position of the operating element and an output device for outputting the control signal to an associated camera. The evaluation and control device is adapted to control a feedback device of the control unit in dependence on the position of the operating element to generate at least one feedback signal perceivable by a user.

Claims

1. A remote control unit (10) for an objective and for a camera, comprising a base part (12), an operating element (18) movable relative to the base part (12), an evaluation and control device (50) for generating a control signal in accordance with the position of the operating element (18), an output device (54) for outputting the control signal to an associated camera, and a user indication through a feedback device in the remote control unit, wherein the evaluation and control device (50) is adapted to control the feedback device to generate at least one feedback signal only if the position of the operating element (18) reaches a preset position or one of a plurality of preset positions,

wherein the feedback signal is perceivable by a user of the control unit, and

wherein the feedback signal comprises at least one of

a haptic signal and

an illumination signal generated by an illumination device (22) adapted to illuminate a part of the remote control unit (10) in accordance with a base illumination characteristic, the illumination signal having an illumination characteristic differing from the base illumination characteristic.

2. A remote control unit (10) in accordance with claim 1,

wherein the operating element (18) is rotatable about an axis of rotation (D) relative to the base part (12) and said position of the operating element (18) is a rotary position of the operating element (18);

or

wherein the operating element (18) is displaceable along a path relative to the base part (12) and said position of the operating element (18) is a slide position of the operating element (18).

3. A remote control unit (10) in accordance with claim 1,

wherein the evaluation and control device (50) is adapted to control the feedback device in dependence on the position of the operating element (18) to generate different feedback signals.

4. A remote control unit (10) in accordance with claim 3,

wherein the evaluation and control device (50) is adapted to control the feedback device to generate a first feedback signal on a reaching of a predefined first position of the operating element (18) and to control the feedback device to generate a second feedback signal which differs from the first feedback signal on a reaching at least one of a predefined second position of the operating element (18) and a predefined positional difference of the operating element (18) relative to the predefined first position.

5. A remote control unit (10) in accordance with claim 1,

wherein the evaluation and control device (50) is adapted to control the feedback device over at least a range of different positions of the operating element (18) relative to the base part (12) to generate the at least one feedback signal.

6. A remote control unit (10) in accordance with claim 1,

wherein the feedback device comprises a vibration device (42) adapted to generate at least one vibration signal feelable by the user of the remote control unit.

7. A remote control unit (10) in accordance with claim 6,

wherein the vibration device (42) is arranged at an outer side of the base part (12) or at an outer side of the operating element (18).

8. A remote control unit (10) in accordance with claim 1,

wherein the feedback device comprises an illumination device (22) adapted to generate at least one illumination signal visible to a user of the remote control unit.

9. A remote control unit (10) in accordance with claim 8,

wherein the illumination device (22) is adapted to illuminate a part of the remote control unit (10) in accordance with a base illumination characteristic;

and wherein the at least one illumination signal has an illumination characteristic differing from the base illumination characteristic, in particular a different color or brightness.

10. A remote control unit (10) in accordance with claim 8,

wherein the remote control unit (10) has a display device (16) for displaying at least one symbol (24, 26, 28) whose position or value corresponds to the position of the operating element (18) or to a desired position of the operating element (18), with the illumination device (22) being adapted to illuminate the display device (16) partly or completely.

11. A remote control unit (10) in accordance with claim 10,

wherein the illumination device (22) is adapted to generate background lighting for the display device (16).

12. A remote control unit (10) in accordance with claim 10,

wherein the remote control unit (10) has a masking device (48) which has at least one transparent or partly transparent section and one light-impermeable section in order to transmit or to screen the illumination of the display device (16) generated by the illumination device (22) for different emission directions of the illumination or for different regions of the display device (16).

13. A remote control unit (10) in accordance with claim 12,

wherein the masking device (48) has a continuous progression of a change in the degree of transparency between the transparent or partly transparent section and the light-impermeable section.

14. A remote control unit (10) in accordance with claim 1,

wherein the feedback device is adapted to generate the feedback signal without counteracting a movement of the operating element (18) relative to the base part (12).

15. A remote control unit (10) in accordance with claim 1,

wherein the feedback device comprises a latch lock generation device (56) adapted to selectively generate at least one latch lock of the operating element (18) with the base part (12) feelable by a user of the remote control unit.

16. A remote control unit (10) in accordance with claim 1,

wherein the remote control unit (10) has an electronic display device (16) for the electronic representation of at least one symbol (24, 26, 28), with the evaluation and control device (50) being adapted to vary the position or the value of the represented symbol (24, 26, 28) in dependence on a change in the position of the operating element (18), and with the evaluation and control device (50) furthermore being adapted to control the feedback device (42) to generate the feedback signal when the position of the operating element (18) corresponds to a predefined position or a predefined value of the represented symbol (24, 26, 28).

17. A remote control unit (10) in accordance with claim 16,

wherein the position or the value of the symbol (24) represented at the electronic display device (16) defines a setting value;

and wherein the control signal for the camera includes the setting value.

18. A remote control unit (10) in accordance with claim 17,

wherein an index (32) associated with the electronic display device (16) is provided at the base part (12) or the electronic display device (16) is adapted to represent an index, with the relative position of the represented symbol (24, 26, 28) with respect to the index (32) defining the setting value and/or corresponding to a criterion for generating the feedback signal.