MXPA01001308A - A three-dimensional moving camera assembly with an informational cover housing - Google Patents

Abstract

A three-dimensional moving camera assembly (10) having a cover housing (12), including at least three elongated flexible members (22), at least three motor driven reels for expanding and retracting the flexible members (22), at least three equipment support members attached to the flexible members (22), a movable camera mount (16), a camera (14), control electronics (18) connected to a remote control system, which control and power the camera (14), and a cover housing (12), placed around the control electronics and conveying information to spectators at a sporting event. The cover housing (12) may be in the form of a polygon or a mold. The information conveyed may be in the form of game scores, statistics, or advertising.

Description

CAMERA ASSEMBLY THAT CAN BE MOVED IN THREE DIMENSIONS, WITH AN ACCOMMODATION OF INFORMATION COVER BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION Field of the Invention The present invention relates generally to an informative camera type apparatus and, more particularly, to a camera that can be moved in three dimensions with an informative cover housing.

Description of the background In general, the information in a sporting event is provided to the spectators present, by means of scoreboards or scoreboards and billboards or billboards mounted to the infrastructure of the stadium in which the events are presented. Due to the needs of the design of the stadium, the space available to place markers and billboards is limited, and the markers and billboards are often Ref. No.: 127158 installed at the expense of the areas used to sit .

Spectators who are not physically present at a sporting event may, however, receive information about the event by receiving a broadcast signal that transmits what happens in the stadium, when such event is transmitted through a series of cameras that, like the markers and billboards are placed inside the stadium. With the help of mobile cameras suspended above the event, there has been an improved overview of the information available to viewers who are not physically present at the event. However, the best views of suspended or stationary cameras can be obstructed by markers or billboards, and on the contrary, the best placement of a marker or billboard to see the marker or billboard may not be available due to the placement of a camera in that site.

Therefore, there is therefore a need for a mobile camera that offers power or broadcasting supply while simultaneously providing a location to provide information to the viewers.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION The present invention relates to an apparatus for providing information to spectators who are not physically present at a sporting event, as well as to viewers who are physically present at such a sporting event. More particularly, the present invention relates to a camera assembly, movable in three dimensions, having an informative cover housing.

In one embodiment of the present invention, the mobile camera assembly with informative cover housing includes at least three elongated flexible members in at least three motor-driven reels for expanding and retracting the flexible members in at least three members. of equipment support, together with the flexible members, a mount for the camera, including this one a mobile camera for the broadcasting of information from a sporting event towards the spectators that are not physically present, an electronic means of control connected to a system of remote control, which controls and energizes the mobile camera, and a cover housing, placed around the electronic control means and which conveys the information to the spectators who are in such sporting event. The cover housing can be in the form of a polygon or a mold. The information transported may be in the form of "many" or notes of the game, statistics or advertising.

In another embodiment of the present invention, the movement of the camera assembly with the information cover housing is controlled by a programming system (software) that activates the motor-driven reels. The programming system or set can also control the information displayed on the cover housing.

The present invention solves the problems experienced with the prior art because it combines a suspended camera with an information service, thus saving the space used within a stadium, providing the best view of the event to the viewers who watch the broadcasting, while the best information view is offered to the spectators who are inside the stadium. Those and other advantages and benefits of the present invention will become obvious from the description of the preferred embodiments hereinafter.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE VARIOUS VIEWS OF THE DRAWINGS In order that the present invention can be understood in a clearer manner and can be rapidly implemented, the present invention will be described in conjunction with the following figures, in which: Figure 1 is a schematic view illustrating the camera assembly moving in three dimensions with an informative cover housing; Figure 2 is a diagram illustrating the camera, the camera frame, and the electronic control means within the cover housing; Figure 3 is a diagram illustrating the camera assembly, wherein the electronic control means are housed in a cover housing having six sides; Y Figure 4 is a diagram illustrating an alternative embodiment, wherein the control means are housed within a molding or mold.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION It should be understood that the figures and descriptions of the present invention have been simplified in order to illustrate the elements that are relevant to a clear understanding of the present invention, while eliminating, for purposes of clarity, many other elements that are find in a typical camera or information system. Those of ordinary skill in the art will recognize that other elements are desirable and / or required to implement the present invention.

However, because such elements are well known in the art, and because they do not facilitate a better understanding of the present invention, a discussion of such elements is not provided here.

Figure 1 is a schematic view of the mobile camera assembly in three dimensions 10, with an information cover housing 12.

The camera assembly 10 includes a camera 14, a mobile mount 16 to which the camera 14 is attached, electronic control means 18 that control the camera 14 and are attached to the mount 16, the equipment holders 20 that are joined together to the frame 16, and the flexible and elongate members 22, these joined to the equipment supports 20, on which the elongated flexible members 22, the camera 14, the mount 16 and the electronic control means 18 are suspended. of chamber 10 is moved by a set of motorized reels 24, which are connected to the elongate flexible members 22 and expand and retract the elongate flexible members 22. Activation of the motorized reels 24 can be controlled in various ways, with a synchronizer or programming algorithm to mention two examples. The programming algorithm used in the present invention calculates the distance that the camera assembly 10 will move, the number of rotations of the reels 24 and the locations or reel locations needed to move at such a distance, and then communicates such information to the motors which in turn activate the motorized impulse reels 24. The programming algorithm used in the present invention is incorporated into a set of control programs.

When the motorized reels expand or retract the elongate flexible members 22, the camera assembly moves at a distance corresponding to the amount that the elongate flexible members 22 are expanded or retracted by the reels 24. The operations by which the assembly of chamber 10 can be moved by the expansion and retraction of the motorized reels 24 ', as well as the interconnection of the motorized reels 24, the equipment support members 20, the camera 14, the mobile mount 16, the electronic control means 18, and elongate flexible members 22 are all described in the US document Patent No. 4, 710, 819, published by Brown, which is incorporated herein for reference purposes.

The information cover housing 12 is connected to the camera mount 16 and surrounds or wraps the electronic control means 18. The cover housing 12 can be rigidly connected by means of methods known in the art, but not limited to glue , screws, nuts or nails; or it can be connected in a rotary manner by means of methods known in the art, but not limited to a bearing, a rack and pinion arrangement, a spring, a cylinder or a rotating arm. The cover housing 12 is discussed in more detail below and with respect to Figure 3.

Figure 2 is a schematic illustrating the camera 14, the mobile camera frame '16, and electronic control means 18 within the cover housing 12. The camera 14, the mount 16, and the electronic control means 18 are of a type and construction discussed in Brown's document 4,710,819. The electronic control means 18 is used to control the focus, position, and energy of the camera 14; and in this way they are electrically connected to the chamber 14 through the mount 16.

Figure 3 is a diagram illustrating the camera assembly 10, wherein the electronic control means 18 are housed in an information cover housing 12. The cover housing 12 shown has six sides, although the cover housing 12 of this The modality may be a polygon of any number of sides, and may have a closed upper part or an open upper part on the electronic control means 18.

The cover housing 12 is a space in which the information is provided to the viewers. Thus, the cover housing provides a means for signals and space for the markers. The information provided to the viewers may be in the form of a constant screen, or the screen may change. A constant screen can be of various types, including but not limited to, a marker screen, a series of bulbs that light up to form letters or numbers, or a panel screen of the LCD type. A changing screen can be one of several types, including but not limited to, a roll screen that displays information through the cover housing 12 by illuminating a series of bulbs in a sequence, a billboard screen produced from a series of multi-sided tiles, such tiles are turned in unison at given time intervals, thus changing the information displayed on the billboard, or a tube of images used to broadcast different images. The type of information displayed on the cover accommodation 12 may include, but is not limited to, a game annotation or notations, statistics or advertising. The information displayed on the cover housing 12 can be controlled by sets of controller programs.

The cover housing 12 provides protection to the electronic control means from the elements. A cover housing, with its open top, multi-sided, provides protection from wind and airborne debris, which could cause malfunction of the electronic control means 18. A cover housing 12, with its top part closed , multi-sided provides additional protection from rain or snow, and provides, in addition, protection of birds or animals that could otherwise disrupt the operation of electronic control means 18.

The housing cover can provide, in an alternative embodiment, additional stability and balance for camera mounting. The roof housing has the purpose of being maintained so that it can be placed all the time, in such a way that its part more in the background is parallel with the ground or land. This maintenance can be detected and adjusted using the electronic control means 18, or the cover housing can be loaded with weight to constantly maintain a parallel position. Where the position of the cover housing is detected by the electronic control means 18; the electronic control means 18, connected to both the cover housing and the camera frame 16, can also detect the perpendicularity of the frame of the camera 16 with respect to the ground or ground, detecting the parallel position of the cover housing.

In the mode in which the electronic control means 18 detect the perpendicularity of the camera mount 16, at the connection points of the camera mount 14, a series of adjusters is provided, for example extendable weights or lever arms that can be moved by means of motors. These adjusters change or move the cover housing around their mount, and above the electronic control means 18 in accordance with commands or instructions from the electronic control means 18, providing a rocker loaded with weight, which can be Use to adjust the position, balance, or stability of the camera mount 16, by changing the weight on the top of the camera mount 16. These adjusters can be controlled by electronic means of control based on instructions received from the set of driver programs.

Figure 4 is a schematic illustrating an alternative embodiment, wherein the electronic control means 18 is housed within a cover housing that has the shape of a mold 40. In the illustrated embodiment of the present invention, the mold 40 acquires the shape of a large baseball cap that has, for example, a symbol of the signature Nike® placed on it. The mold 40 can acquire other forms related to the sporting event that is being played, that is, taking place; for example an American football helmet (football), or this one can be related to the propaganda of some article, for example some sports shoe or a bottle. The mold 40 can acquire another form unrelated to the sporting event or some advertising article, for example it can make appear for the spectators a spaceship or airplane that is flying around the stadium when the camera assembly 10 is moved. Alternatively the mold 40 can be used as a game marker. The mold 40 can be symmetrical or asymmetrical. The mold 40 may be of sufficient size or size to cover only the electronic control means 18, or it may have larger dimensions, thus extending below the chamber mount 16 to enclose the chamber 14 therein. The mold 40 is connected to the camera mount 16, in the same manner as in the embodiments of the cover housing exposed above.

In an alternative embodiment, the mold 40 can be retracted, for example as a mold that can be inflated; the retraction or expansion of the mold 40 are then controlled by the set of control programs. Multiple templates can be alternatively retracted or expanded at different times, thus offering multiple sets of information to be transmitted to viewers without any additional spatial cost.

Those of ordinary skill in the art will recognize that many variations and modifications to the present invention can be implemented. For example, the cover housing can be rotated to offer multiple viewing angles to stationary viewers. Additionally, sound properties can be added to the present invention, these in the form of a microphone that receives sound from the broadcast of the event, or in the form of a loudspeaker that generates sound to the spectators that are in the event. The foregoing description and the following claims are intended to cover all such modifications and variations. It is noted that in relation to this date, the best method known to the applicant to carry out the aforementioned invention, is that which is clear from the manufacture of the objects to which it refers.

Claims (13)

1. A camera assembly that moves in three dimensions and has a housing housing, characterized in that it comprises: at least three elongate flexible members, each having a first end and a second end; at least three motor-driven reels, wherein a motor-driven reel corresponds to a flexible elongate member, and wherein the first end of said flexible elongate member is extensively and retractably connected to said motorized pulse reel; at least three equipment support members, wherein one equipment support member corresponds to an elongate flexible member, and wherein the second end of said flexible elongate member is attached to said equipment support member; a camera; a camera mount having said camera mounted on it, to which said equipment support member is connected; electronic control means connected to a remote control system, whose electronic control means control the movement and focus of said chamber and provide power to said chamber, and whose electronic control means are connected to said chamber mount and are electrically connected to said camera; and a cover housing, positioned around said electronic control means and transmitting information to viewers in a field of view of said cover housing.
2. The mobile camera assembly in three dimensions, having a cover housing of claim 1, characterized in that it also comprises a control device implemented by computer, whose control device controls the information transmitted to the spectators.
3. The mobile camera assembly in three dimensions, having a cover housing of claim 1, characterized in that it also comprises a control device implemented by computer, whose control device controls the movement of the mobile camera assembly in three dimensions.
4. The mobile camera assembly in three dimensions, having a cover housing of claim 1, characterized in that said cover housing is maintained in a substantially perpendicular orientation, with respect to the ground or ground, regardless of the angular position of said chamber with respect to the terrain.
5. The mobile camera assembly in three dimensions, having a cover housing of claim 1, characterized in that the information transmitted by said cover housing is a bit or annotation of a game.
6. The mobile camera assembly in three dimensions, having a cover housing of claim 1, characterized in that the information transmitted by said cover housing are statistics related to the game.
7. The mobile camera assembly in three dimensions, having a cover housing of claim 1, characterized in that the information transmitted by said cover housing is advertising.
8. The mobile camera assembly in three dimensions, having a cover housing of claim 1, characterized in that said cover housing takes the form of a mold.
9. The mobile camera assembly in three dimensions, having a cover housing of claim 1, characterized in that said cover housing takes the form of a polygon.
10. 10. The mobile camera assembly in three dimensions, having a cover housing of claim 1, characterized in that said cover housing surrounds said electronic control means.
11. 11. The mobile camera assembly in three dimensions, having a cover housing of claim 1, characterized in that said cover housing encloses said electronic control means and said camera mount.
12. 12. The mobile camera assembly in three dimensions, having a cover housing of claim 1, characterized in that said cover housing includes a liquid crystal display to transmit the information.
13. 13. The mobile camera assembly in three dimensions, having a cover housing of claim 1, characterized in that said cover housing includes a plurality of light bulbs for transmitting the information. The mobile camera assembly in three dimensions, having a cover housing of claim 1, characterized in that said cover housing includes a plurality of image tubes for transmitting the information.