Adjustable Stadium Camera System for Unobstructed Spectator Views
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Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional cameras placed in seating areas of stadiums and arenas to capture events from a spectator's perspective often obstruct the views of nearby seats, leading to a significant number of 'killed' seats due to their elevated height needed to see over standing spectators, which compromises the viewing experience for seated audience members.
Innovation Solution
A single seat-kill camera system that includes a camera, a supporting structure, and an elevator mechanism allowing the camera to adjust its height between a seated and standing position, using obstruction detectors like distance sensors and pressure-sensitive mats to automatically shift the camera's position and maintain an unobstructed view for spectators, ensuring minimal disruption to the audience's line of sight.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If the camera is elevated to see over standing spectators, then the camera can capture an unobstructed view of the event, but the camera and support structure will partially obstruct lines of sight of spectators seated behind the camera
Solution Approach 1:
The camera support structure is made dynamically adjustable in height, allowing it to transition between a raised position (when spectators are standing) and a lowered position (when spectators are seated). This dynamic adaptation resolves the contradiction by changing the camera's height based on real-time spectator behavior, ensuring unobstructed views without permanently blocking seats.
Solution Approach 2:
The height parameter of the camera support structure is changed based on detection of spectator standing behavior. When motion detectors or pressure sensors detect that spectators are standing, the support structure raises the camera to an elevated height. When spectators are seated, the camera is lowered to minimize seat obstruction. This parameter change resolves the technical contradiction.
2Object-affected harmful factors
If the camera is placed at seated spectator height, then fewer seats are obstructed, but the camera cannot see over standing spectators
Solution Approach 1:
The camera support structure transitions from a static height to a dynamically adjustable height system. The structure can lower the camera to seated spectator height to minimize seat obstruction, and raise it when needed to see over standing spectators. This dynamic capability allows the system to adapt to different spectator configurations without permanently sacrificing either view reliability or seat availability.
Solution Approach 2:
The system performs preliminary detection of spectator standing behavior using motion detectors or pressure sensors before the standing spectators obstruct the camera view. Based on this preliminary detection, the camera is proactively raised to an elevated position in advance, ensuring continuous unobstructed views while minimizing the duration and extent of seat obstruction.
3Adaptability or versatility
If a remotely operated camera occupies a single seat location, then the fan's perspective is realistic, but the camera obstructs views when spectators in front stand
Solution Approach 1:
The camera support structure incorporates dynamic height adjustment capability, allowing the camera to maintain its seat-occupying position while vertically adapting its viewing height. When spectators stand, the camera is elevated to see over them; when spectators are seated, the camera is lowered to minimize obstruction. This preserves the realistic fan perspective while ensuring continuous view reliability.
Solution Approach 2:
The system uses motion detectors or pressure sensors to detect spectator standing behavior and provides feedback to the camera control system. Based on this feedback, the camera automatically adjusts its height to maintain an unobstructed view. This closed-loop feedback mechanism ensures the camera adapts to changing spectator configurations while preserving both the realistic perspective and view reliability.
Data Source
AI summary
There is disclosed a single seat-kill camera system and method. The single seat-kill camera may include a camera head, a support structure, and an elevator configured to move the camera head relative to the support structure to position the camera head in one of a down position and an up position. An obstruction detector mounted to the support structure may determine whether or not a field of view of the camera head is obstructed, at least in part, when the camera head is in the down position. A controller coupled to the elevator and the obstruction detector may automatically cause the elevator to position the camera head in the up position when the obstruction detector determines that the field of view of the camera head in the down position is obstructed.