Automatic tracking motion control system for a stage set

• US 8,054,179 B2
• Filed: 07/26/2007
• Issued: 11/08/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 07/26/2006
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Production Resource Group LLC
• Original Assignee: Production Resource Group LLC
• Inventors: Mayhew, Rusty
• Primary Examiner(s): Swarthout; Brent
• Application Number:
  US11/828,722
• Publication Number:
  US 20080048864A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,566 Days
• Field of Search: 340/539.13, 340/540, 340/686.1, 340/332, 340/815.4, 340/572.1, 340/825.49, 340/641, 362/231, 362/459, 700/19, 700 57- 59, 315292-295, 315/312, 359/298, 359/239
• US Class Current: 340/539.13
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 7/181 for receiving images from a plurality of remote sources

Abstract

Movable items on a stage have their position detected in three dimensions, and multiple different lights can be shined at the moving items even after they are moved. Shadowing can be detected and compensated.

Claims

1. A method, comprising:

receiving information from a device that automatically senses its location and wirelessly reports its location, said device being a movable item reporting information indicative of a first location when located at a first location, and wirelessly reporting information indicative of a second location different than said first location, when located at said second location;

storing positions of plural different lights in a computer, where said plural different lights are in different locations and can be moved in directions to illuminate different areas; and

based on said wireless report and said positions of said plural different lights, using the computer for calculating first and second directions for at least multiple of said lights in different locations which will each point in different directions, to illuminate certain locations to point at said device; and

sending a command from said computer to said plural different lights to point in said different directions, respectively,

wherein said calculating examines multiple lights, and which of said multiple lights would produce a minimum shadowing effect on an item with said device, and selecting only some, but not all lights, including lights which would create the minimum shadowing effect to shine on said item.

2. A method as in claim 1, wherein said devices are on props on a stage.

3. A method as in claim 2, wherein said devices are on items which are movable by a winch in a direction that is vertical relative to the stage.

4. A method as in claim 2, wherein said devices are on items which are moved by a pulley in a direction that is horizontal relative to the stage.

5. A method as in claim 1, wherein said lights can be moved in pan and tilt directions to allow each of the lights to be moved in plural different positions.

6. A method as in claim 1, wherein said automatically senses its position comprises triangulating between a number of different position detecting elements.

7. A method as in claim 1, wherein said calculating a direction comprises first comparing a received position with a previously received position, and carrying out said calculating a direction only when the received position is different than the previously received position.

8. A method as in claim 1, wherein said calculating comprises calculating pointing directions for a plurality of different lights, where each of said pointing directions for each of said different lights are different.

9. A method as in claim 1, wherein said movable items are items driven by winches and pulleys.

10. A method as in claim 1, wherein said movable item is a performer.

11. A method, comprising:

receiving a signal from a device that automatically senses a location of said device and wirelessly reports its location, said signal being representative of information indicative of a first location when located at a first location, and representative of a second location different than said first location, when located at said second location;

receiving the wireless report of location in a computer;

storing positions of plural different lights, which can be moved in directions to illuminate different areas in said computer; and

based on said wireless report and said positions, using said computer for calculating a direction for at least one of said lights to point at said device including calculating which lights would form a shadow, and selecting only some of said lights that illuminate the item based on minimizing the shadow.

12. An apparatus, comprising:

a lighting controller, storing a plurality of information points indicative of a plurality of positions of remotely-located lights, and also receiving at least one signal indicative of a position of a movable item, said lighting controller being a wireless controller calculating pointing positions for at least two of said remotely located lights based on said position of said movable item, such that said at least two lights will each point at said movable item, where said at least two remotely located lights are in separate positions, and said at least two pointing positions are separate pointing positions, and producing a signal which causes said at least two lights to point in said at least two separate pointing positions, wherein said lighting controller calculates an amount of shadow that will be caused by illuminating by different lights, and selects only some of said lights based on said calculating.

13. A method, comprising:

receiving a signal from a movable item, which signal is indicative of a current position of the movable item;

storing a plurality of positions of lights in a computer, wherein at least two of the positions of lights are nonparallel to one another;

based on said signal indicative of the current position, and said light positions, using the computer for calculating an amount of shadowing that will be caused by different groups of different lights illuminating the movable item; and

using the computer for selecting one of said different groups which includes only some but not all of said lights to illuminate the movable item, and positions for those lights to illuminate the movable item, based on said calculating and controlling said lights to illuminate the movable items by moving to said positions.