Electricity: motive power systems – With particular motor-driven load device
Patent
1993-07-20
1996-02-20
Martin, David S.
Electricity: motive power systems
With particular motor-driven load device
318 8, 318632, 446330, H02K 714
Patent
active
054931851
DESCRIPTION:
BRIEF SUMMARY
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
1. Field of the Invention
The invention concerns a method for motor-animating puppets and the like and apparatus with which to carry out the method.
2. Description of Related Art
The above puppets and the like include mime-puppets, animal puppets, toys and amusement figures, animated plants, puppet or doll objects and the like, all or part of their figure-surfaces as well as limbs being moved in such a way that the jerky puppet motions of the entire or partial figure-surfaces as well as limbs are eliminated, as a result of which the continuous impulse-free motions can be implemented in a way unlike that of puppets and hence closer to the ways of people.
The expression herein of "animation" covers the vital facial expressions which are characteristic of the particular species, and also behavior which is specific to the particular species. By means of mechanical, electromechanical and electronic systems and their effects, the invention thoroughly exploits the imparted, artistic figure facial expression and behavior characteristic of the particular species. The method of the invention is intended to make possible the storage, processing and optimization as well as reproduction of the acoustic, optic, mechanic, electrotechnical and electronic effects in the life-like animation of artificially moved figures such as puppets.
There have been attempts and solutions in puppetry to additionally actuate individual elements such as the eyes or the mouth of a performing puppet in order to endow the puppet with greater expressiveness. Nevertheless, even puppets with a plurality of functions, including the ability to move the mouth, close the eyes or more, still fell short of having a "facial expression".
Illustratively, such a development approach is known from German patent document 23.036,614, which relates to apparatus for forcing lip motion in a toy doll, in particular a doll head with a motor-driven gear for eccentrically driving an actuation lever connected to an elastic strip. Each lip is moved by a bar cooperating with a corresponding cylinder projection mounted eccentrically on the gear. However, the "life-like" lip motion transmitted to the doll is far from actually being life-like.
We also refer to the disclosed European patent application 0,150,690 wherein the motion of the doll eyes is achieved by a particular gear mounted on a vertical shaft inside the head and operationally connected with the eyeballs.
Moreover, European patent application 0,212,871 discloses a method and apparatus for recording and reproducing signals controlling animation. This method and apparatus provide signal-processing by discrete logic and, as a result, signal-processing is possible only in a restricted way.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,825,136 discloses apparatus for controlling a doll based upon storage and reproduction of analog and digital recorded signals. Again, this apparatus is unsuited to effectively process the control signals.
Neither the above solution, nor any of the above designs combined with it, render the dolls or puppets life-like or permits such facial expression, on stage or in films, as is required by and acceptable to contemporary audiences.
Current media, namely movies, video, TV, achieve a new quality of observation. The onlooker not only watches the puppet from the best-possible viewer position, but also sees the entire figure, directly in front of him, with even its face enlarged to screen size.
Even though the "classical puppet" with its "classical features", i.e., frozen facial mien, shape as well as possible behaviors, may be displayed in these media by techniques already in use, some of them for centuries, the current media nevertheless make is possible to exploit "closeups" with additional artistic expression and dimensions by means of newly won and controlled facial expression techniques.
The following elements are part of a system, primarily for hand puppets, and created for figures having sizes matching those of conventional glove puppetry, in which, illustratively, one puppeteer c
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Mohr Ilona
Mohr Martin
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