Supports – With condition responsive control means
Reexamination Certificate
2001-09-04
2003-09-30
Chan, Korie (Department: 3632)
Supports
With condition responsive control means
C248S180100, C248S183200, C248S187100
Reexamination Certificate
active
06626412
ABSTRACT:
This invention relates to mountings for optical apparatus and in particular to camera mountings for TV, video or cinematograph cameras which provide freedom of movement for the camera in at least one axis (e.g. tilt, pan or roll).
U.S. Pat. No. 5,465,924 discloses an inertial stabilizing system for a platform supported on a carrier, which is moved in a dynamically high-frequency and low-frequency manner, in which a base is arranged between the carrier and the platform which is mounted on the carrier so that it is vibration-insulated in a high-frequency manner via a damping device. On this base the platform is disposed in an adjustably movable manner by at least one control circuit which has an inertial sensor sensing the actual movements of the platform, a controller which forms an adjusting signal from the actual-desired value difference of the platform, and an adjusting device which is controlled by the adjusting signal and acts between the base and the platform. The control circuit has a further sensor which senses the low-frequency motion components of the damping device between the carrier and the base, and a control circuit element connected behind the sensor. For forming the control deviation, the control circuit element reduces the actual desired position difference in accordance with the sensor output signal, thereby considerably improving the interference and guiding behaviour of the control circuit for abrupt changes of the desired value.
This invention provides a mounting for an optical apparatus having an optical axis, the mounting having non-moving and moving components including a base and a support for the optical apparatus which provides movement for the apparatus in a plurality of axes, and damping means between the moving and non-moving components in said axes; wherein first means are provided for measuring the movement between the moving and non-moving parts in said axes to indicate the intended movement of the support, second means are provided for measuring the actual movement of the support in each axis, and further means responsive to the first and second means are provided for determining the differences between the actual and intended camera movements in said axes in which the optical apparatus is movable and applying a correction determined from said differences to the support/optical apparatus.
This invention provides a mounting for an optical apparatus having an optical axis, the mounting having non-moving and moving components including a base and a support for the optical apparatus which provide movement about one or more orthogonal axes and having damping means between the moving and non-moving components for each axis, wherein means are provided for determining the difference between actual and intended movements of the apparatus and applying a correction to the apparatus determined thereby.
More specifically the first means comprise means to determine movement of the damping means at each moving component as a measure of intended movement of the optical apparatus, and the second means comprise means to determine actual movement of the optical apparatus/mounting.
By way of example the means for determining damper movement may comprise displacement transducer means. Thus the displacement transducer means may comprise a potentiometer, an optical encoder or a resolver.
The second means for determining said actual movement may comprise means for determining movement of the support for the optical apparatus in each of said orthogonal axes.
For example the second means for determining actual movement of the support of the mounting may. comprise a movement transducer. The movement transducer may comprise a gyroscope, a velocity transducer or an accelerometer.
Said further means to apply a corrective movement may comprise means to move the optical apparatus support with respect to the rest of the mounting.
Thus the means to move the support with respect to the rest of the mounting may comprise one or more reactors for moving the support in the required axis or axes to adjust the optical apparatus by the requisite amount.
In any of the above arrangements the means to detect any difference between the intended and actual movements and to control application of a corrective movement to the apparatus may comprise a micro-processor.
In a further arrangement according to the invention said means to determine the difference between the actual and intended movements of the apparatus may comprise means to determine the difference from the image as seen by the apparatus.
In the latter arrangement the means to correct the apparatus comprises means for connecting the image as seen by the apparatus.
REFERENCES:
patent: 3703999 (1972-11-01), Forys et al.
patent: 4546960 (1985-10-01), Abrams et al.
patent: 5170197 (1992-12-01), Schmidt et al.
patent: 5465924 (1995-11-01), Schneider
patent: 5835193 (1998-11-01), Romanoff et al.
patent: 0 541 579 (1995-09-01), None
patent: 2640206 (1990-06-01), None
patent: 2 189 042 (1987-10-01), None
patent: 92/02756 (1992-02-01), None
PCT Search Report for PCT/GB99/04441, filed Apr. 13, 2000.
Chan Korie
Moser, Patterson & Sheridan L.L.P.
The Vitec Group plc
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