Camera Positioner With Inertial Stabilization and Weight Balancing
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Solution Overview
Problem
Current camera positioning systems lack field adjustability, weight balancing, and stability, particularly when supporting different camera types and operating in complex motion environments, such as confined spaces, where they struggle to maintain a stable platform beyond the user's reach.
Innovation Solution
An operator-supported camera positioning system with a camera platform assembly and modular components, including pivotally mounted arms and a pan-tilt mechanism, stabilized by inertial transducers and a pivotal reference post, allowing for adjustable weight balancing and precise control of camera orientation, supported by hand grips or body vests, and utilizing lightweight yet stiff materials for reduced operator fatigue and improved image stability.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Length of moving object
If the camera platform assembly is extended beyond the user's reach to provide vertical camera functionality outside normal height, then the camera positioning range is improved, but the operator fatigue increases due to the extended lever arm and reduced structural stiffness
Solution Approach 1:
The patent employs composite materials with high stiffness-to-weight ratios in the camera platform assembly and support structure. This allows the system to extend the camera positioning range beyond the user's reach while minimizing the weight and structural deflection that would otherwise increase operator fatigue. The composite materials provide the necessary structural rigidity to maintain stability over the extended lever arm without proportionally increasing the overall system weight.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent implements active stabilization using inertial transducers and rotation drives that dynamically adjust camera mount orientation. This dynamic compensation system counteracts the instability introduced by extending the platform beyond the user's reach, allowing the camera to maintain a stable platform and inertially fixed orientation despite the increased leverage and operator movement, thereby reducing the effective fatigue impact.
2Stability of the object's composition
If the system uses heavier stabilization mechanisms to maintain a stable platform, then the image stability is improved, but the operator fatigue increases due to the additional weight
Solution Approach 1:
The patent replaces passive mechanical stabilization mechanisms with active electronic stabilization using inertial transducers and rotation drives. Instead of using heavier mechanical gyroscopes or counterweights, the system uses sensors to detect platform motion and electronically controls rotation drives to counteract the motion and maintain a stable camera platform. This substitution dramatically reduces the system weight while achieving superior image stability.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent changes the stabilization approach from mechanical parameter (mass, moment of inertia) to electronic control parameters (sensor feedback gain, actuator response). By using inertial transducers to sense motion and rotation drives to respond, the system achieves stabilization through controlled parameter adjustment rather than fixed heavy mechanical components, reducing overall system weight while maintaining image stability.
3Adaptability or versatility
If the system is designed to accommodate different camera types on a generic platform, then the adaptability is improved, but the device complexity increases due to the need for universal mounting mechanisms and weight balancing
Solution Approach 1:
The patent designs a universal camera mount with standardized mounting interfaces and adjustable weight balancing mechanisms that can accommodate different camera types on a generic platform. The mount includes features such as adjustable counterweights, modular mounting brackets, and configurable balance adjustment mechanisms that work with various camera payloads without requiring custom design for each camera type, thereby managing complexity through standardized universal components.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent segments the mounting system into modular components including separate counterweight mechanisms, adjustable brackets, and interchangeable mounting interfaces. This segmentation allows the universal mount to adapt to different camera types by configuring individual modules rather than requiring a completely custom integrated design for each camera, reducing overall system complexity through modular assembly.
4Stability of the object's composition
If the system uses active stabilization with inertial transducers and rotation drives, then the image stability is improved, but the device complexity increases due to the additional sensors and control mechanisms
Solution Approach 1:
The patent implements a self-stabilizing system where the inertial transducer automatically senses platform motion and the rotation drive automatically counteracts the motion without requiring external intervention. The system uses feedback control where the transducer output directly controls the rotation drive to maintain a stable camera platform, making the stabilization process autonomous and reducing the need for complex external control systems or manual adjustment mechanisms.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent employs feedback control where the inertial transducer continuously monitors platform motion and feeds this information to the rotation drive control system. The rotation drive then adjusts the camera mount orientation based on this feedback to counteract detected motion and maintain a stable platform. This closed-loop feedback mechanism achieves effective stabilization through a relatively simple control architecture compared to open-loop or mechanically complex alternative systems.
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
The system provides enhanced maneuverability and image stability across a wide range of complex shots, allowing for automatic foreground tracking and reduced operator fatigue through adjustable weight balancing and high stiffness-to-weight structures, effectively addressing the limitations of existing systems.
Implementation Method 1
An inertial transducer is mounted on the system for sensing rotational motion of the transducer about one of the axes of rotation
Implementation Method 2
The transducer generates a control signal responsive to the rotational motion, which controls a rotation drive connected to the camera platform assembly for controlling rotation of the camera mount about one of the axes
Implementation Method 3
Another approach to camera mount stabilization can include the use of a pivotal reference post that is coupled to the camera mount to maintain a coordinated orientation. The reference post can be pivotally mounted to the operator interface and weighted to maintain a vertical orientation under gravity
Data Source
AI summary
Various operator supported camera positioning systems are disclosed. The camera positioning systems can allow translational and rotational movement of different camera types on a camera mount. An operator interface, such as a handle bar or elongated beam, can operatively support the camera mount through a series of rotational linkages, allowing for relative rotation of the camera mount about one, two or three axes. The rotation about some or all of these axes can be controlled by drives, and control signals for these drives can be generated by one or more inertial transducers to stabilize the surface mount and associated camera orientation and pointing by reducing deviations from the inertially fixed orientation of the camera mount in response to rotational movements of the system about the one or more controlled axes of rotation.