Multifunctional gimbal stabilizer and its control method

Abstract

This invention relates to a multi-functional gimbal stabilizer and its control method, designed to address the technical problems of existing similar products having relatively simple structure and function, large size, inconvenient control methods, and poor automatic mode switching and capture effect. The gimbal stabilizer includes a wireless remote control. It is a single-axis stabilizer, with a motor mount and motor at the bottom of its base. The key feature is that the motor shaft has screw holes at its bottom, protruding from the motor mount, and the motor mount and motor are integrally rotated. A handle holder is located at one end of the handle frame, with one bottom center of the handle holder connected to the handle frame, and a handle screw at the top center of the other end of the handle holder. The stabilizer operates when the gyroscope detects that the PCB board is within a 45-degree horizontal angle range or when the button is switched to follow-up gimbal mode; or when the gyroscope detects that the PCB board is outside a 45-degree horizontal angle range or when the button is switched to stabilizer mode.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] This invention relates to the gimbal of a handheld stabilizer, specifically a multi-functional gimbal stabilizer and its control method. Background Technology

[0002] Currently, handheld gimbal stabilizers are stabilizers with a handle and an internal stabilizing motor. These handheld stabilizers are devices where the handle is connected to the gimbal via a connecting arm, allowing the gimbal to maintain the shooting angle as it rotates in all directions. Another type of live-streaming gimbal stabilizer is a gimbal mounted on a tripod. It captures a human figure or face with a camera while maintaining the shooting angle through a motor at the bottom. Such handheld gimbal stabilizers include, for example, Chinese patent application publication number CN113007545A, publication date June 22, 2021, invention title "Gimbal Stabilizer and Storage Box for Stabilizer Body"; and live streaming gimbal stabilizers include, for example, Chinese patent application publication number CN211959365U, authorization announcement date November 17, 2020, utility model title "A Gimbal Structure, Remote Video Lens and Live Streaming Gimbal"; however, there are few existing multi-functional gimbal stabilizers that combine the above-mentioned handheld gimbal stabilizers and live streaming gimbal stabilizers, making it difficult to use them as both handheld and live streaming gimbal stabilizers. Furthermore, the storage of such products is inconvenient, and the products are relatively bulky. Summary of the Invention

[0003] To overcome the above shortcomings, the purpose of this invention is to provide a multi-functional gimbal stabilizer and its control method suitable for handheld or live streaming operation, thereby solving the technical problems of existing similar products, such as limited structural functionality, large size, inconvenient support storage, poor stability, inconvenient control methods, and unsatisfactory automatic mode switching and capture effects. This objective is achieved through the following technical solution.

[0004] A multi-functional gimbal stabilizer includes a wireless remote controller. The base of the stabilizer has a motor mount at its bottom, housing a motor. The motor is one of a brushed motor, a stepper motor, or a three-phase brushless motor. The three-phase brushless motor is the optimal choice due to its low standby power consumption and fast response. A folding and unfolding bracket is located on one side of the top of the base. One end of the bracket is connected to one side of the base, and the other end is connected to one side of the base frame. Clamps are symmetrically located on both sides of the base frame. A camera is located on one side of the base below the bracket. A PCB board inside the base houses a wireless module, an LED light, a battery, a switch, and a charging port. The wireless module includes a Bluetooth module. The camera, switch, and LED light on the PCB board are exposed on the base. The key structural design features a screw hole at the bottom of the motor shaft, protruding from the motor mount. The motor mount and motor are integrated and rotate together. The handle has a handle seat at one end of the handle bracket, with the bottom center of the handle seat connected to the handle bracket. A handle screw is located at the top center of the handle seat, and the handle screw is integrated with the handle seat to form an adapter. The handle screw connects to the screw hole on the motor shaft, or the screw hole on the motor shaft connects to the gimbal screw on the top of the tripod. This gimbal stabilizer is a single-axis stabilizer. The three LEDs on the base indicate the operating status, including mode, battery level, and wireless connection. A long press on the side switch turns the device on and off, while a short press switches between different modes. The handle assembly consists of the handle, handle seat, handle bracket, and handle screw. After the bracket is fully extended from the base, the gimbal stabilizer can be placed on a tripod for live streaming and follow-up shooting. When the handle assembly is inserted and the bracket is fully retracted into the base, the gimbal stabilizer can be used as a handheld gimbal stabilizer.

[0005] The base's bottom cover, which is fastened to the base box, has a support groove at its top center. One end of the outer support is hinged to a hinge seat protruding from the groove on one side. An inner support is located on the inner side of the other end of the outer support. One end of the inner support is hinged to the other end of the outer support, and the other end of the inner support is fixed to a post connected to the center hole of the base frame. This structure facilitates the storage and fixation of the support after storage. It is an embodiment of a two-section support connection structure, but existing similar supports or linkage structures can also be used.

[0006] One end of the handle bracket has a toothed ring protruding upwards at the handle seat, and the toothed ring fits into the bottom hole of the base. The other end of the handle bracket has a handle groove protruding downwards on its inner side. This structure facilitates further fixation of the handle assembly to the base and prevents it from sliding.

[0007] The motor mount has at least two symmetrically arranged notches at its base opening, with a mechanical lock for the motor located on one side of the base corresponding to one of the notches. Thus, the four notches of the motor mount, in conjunction with the mechanical lock of the motor's internal toggle switch structure, directly lock the motor in all four positions, ensuring that the motor will not move erratically when the device is not powered on. Examples include: 1. Locking the motor when storing (brushless motors do not have a power-off self-locking function); 2. In some scenarios, the entire product needs to be used as a fixed phone clip without motor rotation; in this case, the motor needs to be locked, allowing the entire device to be used as a selfie stick without stabilization.

[0008] The switch provides normal power to the power management system. The three-axis gyroscope and accelerometer detect the three-dimensional angle of the motherboard. When the gyroscope detects that the PCB board is within a 45-degree horizontal angle range, or when the button is switched to the pan-tilt mode, the motor shaft screw holes connect to the pan-tilt screws on the top of the tripod. The CPU activates the image processing MCU, and the lights illuminate to provide corresponding indications. The camera continuously detects whether a human figure / face is detected. If the camera detects a human figure, it sends feedback to the image processing MCU, which in turn sends it to the control MCU. The motor then begins to execute the data values ​​fed back by the image processing MCU for real-time human / face tracking. If no human figure / face is detected, the camera will not track the human figure / face. When the shape / face stops moving, the motor stops rotating. When the gyroscope detects that the PCB board is outside the horizontal angle range of 45 degrees or when the button is switched to stabilizer mode, the screw hole of the motor shaft connects to the handle screw of the handle base, the CPU shuts down the image processing MCU, and the corresponding light indicator lights up. The gyroscope and accelerometer detect the movement value of the handheld bracket in real time and feed it back to the MCU. The MCU calculates the compensation value and feeds it back to the motor. The motor rotates according to the obtained compensation value, so that the gimbal always maintains a fixed spatial attitude relative to the ground, or performs specific relative movements according to control commands.

[0009] The camera detects human figures / faces in real time, including gestures. When the camera detects a gesture, it parses the gesture and sends a control command to the control MCU. The motor then begins to execute image processing. The MCU provides real-time control feedback based on the data values ​​and combines them with the corresponding gesture command to execute relevant actions. When a stop gesture is detected, the motor stops filming; when a resume gesture is detected, the motor resumes filming. Similar gesture commands include: controlling Selfie, starting recording, and pausing recording. These commands are sent to a mobile phone via a wireless module to control the phone to perform corresponding actions, allowing for remote user operation.

[0010] The camera detects human figures / faces or gestures in real time. If the image MCU recognizes a face or human figure feature above a certain threshold, the image is considered valid. At this time, the offset of the weight center of the face or human figure part of the image relative to the center of the entire camera image is automatically calculated and sent to the control MCU. The control MCU makes a control strategy based on this offset and the current state of the motor, and adjusts the motor to rotate quickly and stably to ensure that the face or human figure part is always in the center of the entire image.

[0011] This invention features a reasonable structural design, simple and convenient operation, good stability, small size, and easy portability; it is suitable for use as a multi-functional gimbal stabilizer combining a handheld gimbal stabilizer and a live streaming gimbal stabilizer, as well as structural improvements to similar products. Attached Figure Description

[0012] Figure 1 This is a schematic diagram of the state structure of the live streaming gimbal stabilizer of the present invention.

[0013] Figure 2 This is a schematic diagram of the handheld gimbal stabilizer of the present invention, with the handle omitted.

[0014] Figure 3 yes Figure 2 A schematic diagram of the explosion structure.

[0015] Figure 4 yes Figure 2 A schematic diagram of the usage state structure.

[0016] Figure 5 yes Figure 2 A cross-sectional structural diagram.

[0017] Figure 6 yes Figure 4 A schematic diagram of the exploded structure between the mechanical lock of the motor and the motor base inside the base.

[0018] Figure 7 This is a block flowchart illustrating the working principle of the present invention.

[0019] Figure 8 This is a schematic diagram of the circuit working principle structure of the present invention.

[0020] Attached figures and their names: 1. Base, 101. Bottom cover, 102. Base box, 2. Outer bracket, 3. Base frame, 4. Clip, 5. Camera, 6. Motor mount, 7. Handle mount, 8. Handle holder, 9. Inner bracket, 10. PCB board, 11. Motor, 12. Handle screw, 13. Motor mechanical lock. Detailed Implementation

[0021] The structure of the present invention will now be further described with reference to the accompanying drawings. For example... Figures 1-6As shown, the gimbal stabilizer includes a wireless remote control. The base 1 of the gimbal stabilizer has a motor mount 6 at its bottom, housing a motor 11. The motor can be a brushed motor, a stepper motor, or a three-phase brushless motor. A folding and unfolding bracket is located on one side of the top of the base. One end of the bracket is connected to one side of the base, and the other end is connected to one side of the base frame 3. Clamps are symmetrically located on both sides of the base frame. A camera is located on one side of the base below the bracket. A PCB board 10 inside the base houses a wireless module, LED lights, a battery, a switch, and a charging port. The wireless module includes a Bluetooth module. The camera, switch, and LED lights on the PCB board protrude from the base. The motor shaft has screw holes at its bottom, protruding from the motor mount 6. The motor mount and motor are integrated and rotate. A handle bracket 8 has a handle seat 7 at one end. The bottom center of the handle seat is connected to the handle bracket, and the top center of the handle seat has a handle screw 12. The handle screw and handle seat are integrated to form an adapter. The handle screw connects to the screw hole on the motor shaft, or the screw hole on the motor shaft connects to the gimbal screw on the top of the tripod.

[0022] The base cover 101 and the base box 102 are fastened together. The top center of the base cover has a support groove. One end of the outer support 2 is hinged to a hinge seat protruding from the groove on one side of the support groove. The other end of the outer support has an inner support 9. One end of the inner support is hinged to the other end of the outer support. The other end of the inner support is fixed to a post connected to the center hole of the base. One end of the handle bracket has a toothed ring protruding upward at the handle seat. The toothed ring of the handle bracket fits into the bottom hole of the base. The other end of the handle bracket has a handle groove protruding downward on its inner side. The motor base has at least two symmetrically arranged notches at the seat opening. One of the notches corresponds to a motor mechanical lock 13 on one side of the base.

[0023] like Figure 7As shown, when the motor is powered on, the three-axis gyroscope and three-axis accelerometer work and calculate the attitude, adjusting the spatial attitude angle of the camera body. When the horizontal angle is within 45 degrees, it is determined that the screw hole of the motor shaft is connected to the gimbal screw on the top of the tripod, the power of the vision recognition module is turned on, and the camera collects data. The camera recognition MCU runs an algorithm to analyze the image data, detects whether there is a human figure / face / gesture, and sends a command to the control MCU. The control MCU parses the command, executes relevant control logic and PID calculations, and drives the motor. While the motor is running, it tracks the visual target and continuously returns to the camera data acquisition unit to perform the above-mentioned human figure / face / gesture detection and motor operation to maintain the human body shooting angle. When the horizontal angle exceeds 45 degrees, it is determined that the screw hole of the motor shaft is connected to the handle screw of the handle base, the power of the vision recognition module is turned off to reduce power consumption, and the vision MCU control command and the wireless module control command are read. The control MCU uses the attitude to calculate the angle and angular velocity data, executes relevant control logic and PID calculations, drives the motor, and the motor runs, rotating to a specific spatial attitude or maintaining a horizontal position to maintain a horizontal shooting angle. The aforementioned camera detects human figures / faces in real time, including gestures. When the camera detects a gesture, it parses the gesture and sends a control command to the control MCU. The motor then begins to execute the image processing. The data value fed back by the MCU is used for real-time control feedback, and the motor performs the relevant actions in combination with the corresponding gesture command. When no human figure or face is detected, the motor stops rotating.

[0024] like Figure 8 As shown, the hardware of this gimbal stabilizer includes a wireless communication section, a power supply section, an image recognition section, and a motor control section. The Bluetooth module of the wireless communication section transmits commands to the mobile phone connected to the wireless communication section, and the wireless remote control of the wireless communication section also transmits commands to the Bluetooth module. The battery and charging port of the power supply section power the power management system. Simultaneously, the power management system provides power to the Bluetooth module of the wireless communication section, and also to the image recognition MCU of the image recognition section and the control MCU of the motor control section. Human / face images are captured by a camera and input into the image recognition MCU of the image recognition section. Therefore, the MCU, through its internal neural network AI unit, performs calculations and analyses, ultimately outputting the relative offset position of the face and human figure weight center. The control MCU in the motor control section integrates the data from the three-axis gyroscope, three-axis accelerometer, and motor angle detection module, and outputs control logic after complex calculations. The control MCU controls the three-phase motor drive IC, which in turn controls the three-phase brushless motor. The control MCU activates different indicator lights according to different control modes and states. The aforementioned control MCU, three-phase motor drive IC, three-phase brushless motor, three-axis gyroscope, three-axis accelerometer, motor angle detection module, and indicator lights are all located in the motor control section.

[0025] When in use, the screw hole of the motor shaft is connected to the gimbal screw on the top of the tripod, and the gimbal stabilizer can be used as a live streaming gimbal to capture and film the human body in real time during the live broadcast; the screw hole of the motor shaft is connected to the handle screw 12 of the handle base, and when the handle is held, the gimbal stabilizer can be used as a handheld gimbal stabilizer to correct the horizontal angle of the shot in real time during the shooting process.

Claims

1. A control method for a multi-functional gimbal stabilizer, the gimbal stabilizer including a wireless remote controller, the base (1) of the gimbal stabilizer having a motor mount (6) at the bottom, the motor mount having a motor (11) inside, the motor including a brushed motor, a stepper motor or a three-phase brushless motor, the top side of the base having a folding and unfolding bracket, one end of the bracket being connected to one side of the base, the other end of the bracket being connected to one side of the base frame (3), the base frame having symmetrically arranged clips (4), a camera being arranged on one side of the base below the bracket, and a PCB board (10) inside the base having a wireless module, an LED light, a battery, The switch and charging port, the wireless module is equipped with a Bluetooth module, the camera, switch and LED light on the PCB board are exposed on the base; the motor shaft of the motor (11) is provided with screw holes at the bottom, the screw holes are exposed on the motor seat (6), the motor seat and the motor are connected to each other and rotate, the handle frame (8) of the handle is provided with a handle seat (7) at one end, the bottom center of the handle seat is connected to the handle frame, the top center of the handle seat is provided with a handle screw (12), the handle screw and the handle seat are connected to each other to form an adapter, the handle screw is connected to the screw hole of the motor shaft, or the screw hole of the motor shaft is connected to the gimbal screw on the top of the tripod; characterized in that The switch provides normal power to the power management system. A three-axis gyroscope and a three-axis accelerometer detect the three-dimensional angle of the motherboard. When the gyroscope detects that the PCB board is within a 45-degree horizontal angle range, the motor shaft screw holes connect to the gimbal screws on the top of the tripod. The CPU activates the image processing MCU, and simultaneously, the lights illuminate to provide corresponding indications. The camera continuously monitors for human figures / faces. If a human figure is detected, the camera sends feedback to the image processing MCU, which in turn sends it to the control MCU. The motor then begins to execute the data values ​​fed back by the image processing MCU for real-time human / face tracking. If no human figure / face is detected, the tracking stops. When the movement stops, the motor stops rotating. When the gyroscope detects that the position of the PCB board is outside the horizontal angle and beyond the range of 45 degrees, the screw hole of the motor shaft is connected to the handle screw (12) of the handle base (7). The CPU shuts down the image processing MCU, and the corresponding light indicator lights up. The movement value of the handheld bracket is detected in real time by the gyroscope and accelerometer and fed back to the MCU. The MCU calculates the compensation value and feeds it back to the motor. The motor rotates according to the obtained compensation value, so that the gimbal always maintains a fixed spatial attitude relative to the ground, or performs a specific relative movement according to the control command.

2. The control method for the multi-functional gimbal stabilizer according to claim 1, characterized in that... When the motor is powered on, the three-axis gyroscope and three-axis accelerometer work and calculate the attitude, adjusting the spatial attitude angle of the camera body. When the horizontal angle is within 45 degrees, it is determined that the screw hole of the motor shaft is connected to the gimbal screw on the top of the tripod, the power of the vision recognition module is turned on, and the camera collects data. The camera recognition MCU runs an algorithm to analyze the image data, detects whether there is a human figure / face / gesture, and sends a command to the control MCU. The control MCU parses the command, executes relevant control logic and PID calculations, and drives the motor. While the motor is running, it tracks the visual target and continuously returns to the camera data acquisition unit to perform the above-mentioned human figure / face / gesture detection and motor operation to maintain the human body shooting angle. When the horizontal angle exceeds 45 degrees, it is determined that the screw hole of the motor shaft is connected to the handle screw of the handle base, the power of the vision recognition module is turned off to reduce power consumption, and the vision MCU control command and the wireless module control command are read. The control MCU uses the attitude to calculate the angle and angular velocity data, executes relevant control logic and PID calculations, drives the motor, and the motor runs, rotating to a specific spatial attitude or maintaining a horizontal position to maintain a horizontal shooting angle.

3. The control method for the multi-functional gimbal stabilizer according to claim 1, characterized in that... The camera detects human figures / faces in real time, including gestures. When the camera detects a gesture, it parses the gesture and sends a control command to the control MCU. The motor then starts to execute the image processing. The data value fed back by the MCU is used for real-time control feedback, and the corresponding gesture command is combined to execute the relevant action. When a stop gesture is detected, the motor stops tracking the camera. When a recovery gesture is detected, the motor resumes tracking. Similar gesture commands include: controlling selfies, starting recording, and pausing recording. These commands are sent to the mobile phone via a wireless module to control the phone to perform the corresponding actions, allowing users to operate remotely.

4. The control method for the multi-functional gimbal stabilizer according to claim 3, characterized in that... The camera detects human figures / faces or gestures in real time. If the image MCU recognizes a face or human figure feature above a certain threshold, the image is considered valid. At this time, the offset of the weight center of the face or human figure part of the image relative to the center of the entire camera image is automatically calculated and sent to the control MCU. The control MCU makes a control strategy based on this offset and the current state of the motor, and adjusts the motor to rotate quickly and stably to ensure that the face or human figure part is always in the center of the entire image.

5. The control method for the multi-functional gimbal stabilizer according to claim 1, characterized in that... The hardware of this gimbal stabilizer includes a wireless communication section, a power supply section, an image recognition section, and a motor control section. The Bluetooth module of the wireless communication section transmits commands to the mobile phone connected to the wireless communication section, and the wireless remote control of the wireless communication section also transmits commands to the Bluetooth module. The battery and charging port of the power supply section power the power management system. Simultaneously, the power management system provides power to the Bluetooth module of the wireless communication section and to the image recognition MCU of the image recognition section and the control MCU of the motor control section. Human / face images are captured by a camera and input into the image recognition MCU. The MCU then processes and analyzes the images through its internal neural network AI unit, ultimately outputting the relative offset position of the face / human figure weight center. The control MCU of the motor control section integrates data from the three-axis gyroscope, three-axis accelerometer, and motor angle detection module, and outputs control logic after processing. The control MCU controls the three-phase motor drive IC, which in turn controls the three-phase brushless motor. The control MCU activates different indicator lights according to different control modes and states. The aforementioned control MCU, three-phase motor drive IC, three-phase brushless motor, three-axis gyroscope, three-axis accelerometer, motor angle detection module, and indicator lights are all located within the motor control section.

6. The control method for the multi-functional gimbal stabilizer according to claim 1, characterized in that... The bottom cover (101) of the base (1) is fastened to the bottom box (102). The top center of the bottom cover is provided with a support groove. One end of the outer support (2) of the support is hinged to the hinge seat protruding from the groove on one side of the support groove. The inner support (9) is provided on the inner side of the other end of the outer support. One end of the inner support is hinged to the other end of the outer support. The other end of the inner support is fixed to the center hole of the base frame (3).

7. The control method for the multi-functional gimbal stabilizer according to claim 1, characterized in that... One end of the handle bracket (8) has a toothed ring protruding upward at the handle seat (7), the toothed ring of the handle bracket fits into the bottom hole of the base (1), and the other end of the handle bracket has a handle groove protruding downward on the inner side.

8. The control method for the multi-functional gimbal stabilizer according to claim 1, characterized in that... The motor mount (6) has at least two symmetrically arranged notches at the base opening, and a motor mechanical lock (13) is provided on one side of the base (1) corresponding to one of the notches.

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