Camera crane mobile base
AssigneeChapman/Leonard Studio Equipment, Inc.
InventorLeonard T. Chapman
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
A camera crane has a telescoping arm on a mobile base. The mobile base has a drive motor assembly at each corner of a chassis. The drive motor assemblies may have an electric motor linked to an axle via gearing, and two or more wheels attached to the axle. The wheels can be set to free wheel, so that the mobile base may be pushed or towed, without back driving the electric motor. The wheels may also be linked to the axle, so that the electric motor can provide torque to each of the wheels. The electric motors may be separately controlled to propel and steer the mobile base.
Claims8
A camera crane comprising:
- a mobile base;
- a column pivotally attached to the mobile base pivotable in lateral and/or longitudinal directions relative to the mobile base;
- a crane arm pivotally supported on the column and movable to change an elevation angle of the arm;
- a camera platform pivotally attached onto a front end of the crane arm;
- a camera platform leveling system on the crane arm adapted to keep the camera platform in a level position regardless of the elevation angle of the arm;
- a sensor for sensing the elevation angle of the crane arm relative to the column;
- and
- a compensator linked to the sensor, to compensate for a non-vertical position of the column.
A camera crane comprising:
- a mobile base having wheels;
- a column pivotally attached to the mobile base pivotable in lateral and/or longitudinal directions relative to the mobile base;
- two or more actuators attached to the column;
- a crane arm on top of the column with the crane arm pivotable relative to the column to change an elevation angle of the arm;
- a camera platform pivotally attached onto a front end of the crane arm;
- a camera platform leveling system on the crane arm including at least one electric motor adapted to keep the camera platform in a level position regardless of the elevation angle of the arm;
- a sensor for sensing the elevation angle of the crane arm relative to the column, with the sensor electrically linked to the electric motor;
- and
- a compensator electrically linked to the sensor, with the compensator compensating for a non-vertical position of the column.
A method of operating a camera crane comprising:
- sensing an elevation angle of a crane arm relative to a column on which the crane arm is mounted;
- providing an electrical output signal to a camera platform leveling system on the crane arm, with the electrical output signal corresponding to a sensed elevation angle of the crane arm relative to the column, and with the camera platform leveling system using the electrical output signal to maintain a camera platform on the crane arm in a level position, regardless of the elevation angle of the crane arm;
- measuring a tilt angle of the column;
- and
- changing the electrical output signal based on the measured tilt angle of the column.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.