Method and system for correcting camera pointing angle in an actively stabilized system to compensate for translational movements

A non-transitory computer-readable medium storing program instructions for causing a processor to perform a method for correcting a pointing direction of a camera, actively stabilized by an active stabilization system in accordance with a commanded pointing angle, to compensate for translational movements of the camera, the method comprising:

• determining a distance from the camera to a filming target;
• deriving one or more translational measurements associated with a translational movement of the camera;
• calculating a correction update as a function of at least the distance and the one or more translational measurements;
• and
• adjusting the commanded pointing angle of the camera based on the correction update to retain the filming target within a field of view of the camera.

An active stabilization system for correcting a pointing direction of a camera to compensate for a translational movement of the camera, the system comprising:

• an inertial measurement unit configured to derive one or more translational measurements associated with a translation movement of the camera;
• a distance detector configured to determine a distance between the camera and a filming target;
• an active stabilization controller configured to actively stabilize the pointing angle of the camera in accordance with a commanded pointing angle,
• a translation compensator configured to:
• calculate a correction update as a function of at least the distance and the one or more translational measurements;
• and
• adjust the commanded pointing angle of the camera based on the correction update to retain the filming target within a field of view of the camera.