Automatic Camera Head With Encoder Feedback for Quiet Precise Motion
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing automatic camera systems struggle with precise control of camera movements and adjustments, leading to unnecessary movements, slow reaction times, and audible mechanical noise, which affect their performance in dynamically changing scenes.
Innovation Solution
A robotic camera system with a brushless DC motor for precise pan and tilt movements, high-resolution encoders for angle measurement, and a controller for accurate actuator control, combined with automatic calibration to map actuator settings to field of view, and a modular rigging platform for easy lens attachment.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Extent of automation
If conventional automatic cameras use robotic actuators to control pan, tilt, and lens settings, then automation capability is improved, but movement precision deteriorates
Solution Approach 1:
The system employs high-resolution encoders (16-bit or higher) that provide continuous feedback on the actual position of pan/tilt axes and lens actuators. The controller compares encoder feedback with commanded positions and adjusts actuator commands to compensate for mechanical imperfections, achieving precision better than conventional systems despite using standard robotic actuators.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent replaces traditional mechanical precision mechanisms (such as precision gears, belts, and manual focus rings) with an electronic control system that uses brushless DC motors, high-resolution encoders, and digital signal processing. This substitution allows achieving high precision through electronic correction rather than mechanical perfection.
2Device complexity
If conventional automatic cameras use standard motors for pan and tilt control, then device complexity is reduced, but movement smoothness deteriorates
Solution Approach 1:
The patent replaces traditional brushed DC motors with brushless DC motors (BLDC), which eliminate mechanical contact between brushes and commutator. This substitution reduces mechanical noise, eliminates brush wear, and provides smoother, more reliable motion control while maintaining comparable device complexity through integrated electronic controllers.
3Speed
If conventional automatic cameras use high-speed actuators for quick scene response, then reaction speed is improved, but audible mechanical noise increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent replaces traditional brushed motors and timing belts with brushless DC motors that drive pan and tilt axes directly or through minimal reduction gearing. This eliminates belt slapping, gear meshing noise, and brush commutation sounds, achieving fast reaction speeds without audible mechanical noise that would be picked up by camera microphones.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent removes intermediate mechanical transmission components (timing belts, pulleys, gearboxes) from the actuation chain, creating a direct-drive system. This extraction of noisy mechanical intermediaries eliminates the primary sources of audible noise while maintaining or improving response speed through direct motor-to-platform coupling.
4Adaptability or versatility
If conventional automatic cameras use separate actuators for each camera parameter, then adaptability is improved, but control precision deteriorates
Solution Approach 1:
The patent integrates control of multiple camera parameters (pan, tilt, roll, focus, iris, zoom) under a single unified controller that coordinates all actuators. This merging of control functions allows the system to manage the complexity of multiple actuators while maintaining high precision through centralized coordination and calibration, preventing the precision degradation that would result from independent control of each actuator.
Applied Scientific Principles
This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.
Function Achieved in This Case
Enables precise and quiet camera movements, fast reaction times, and adaptive control of focal length, zoom, and iris settings, improving performance in dynamic scenes.
Implementation Method 1
The motor is a brushless DC motor that drives directly the pan platform
Implementation Method 2
The rotation angle is precisely captured and read by an encoder
Data Source
Figure 1
Figure 2a~2b
Figure 3
AI summary
An automatic camera head for panning and tilting a video camera, comprising at least one ring actuator arranged to act on a ring control of an objective of the camera, wherein said ring control is one of: zoom, iris, and focus; and said ring actuator includes a torque measurement unit delivering a signal indicative of the torque applied to the ring control.