Remote controlled tracking system for tracking a remote control unit and positioning and operating a camera

A remote-controlled tracking system comprising a movable remote control unit, a base station, said base station further including control circuit means for automatically determining the relative position and movement of said remote control unit with respect to said base station and providing control output signals in response to said control circuit means, said base station including means for tracking said remote control unit, said means for tracking moving said base station in response to said control output signals, said remote control unit including a signal transmitter, said signal transmitter being a radio frequency signal transmitter, said control circuit means including a radio frequency space diversity receiver means located and maintained in a known relationship to said base station said diversity receiver means including a pair of spaced apart antennas for minimizing the possibility of a loss of continuous reception of said remote unit signal by said diversity receiver means.

A remote-controlled tracking system comprising a movable remote control unit, a base station, said base station including control circuit means for automatically determining the relative position and movement of said remote control unit with respect to said base station and providing control output signals in response thereto, said base station including means for tracking said remote control unit, said means for tracking including movable means responsive to said control circuit means for moving said base station in response to said control output signals, said remote control unit including means to provide a remote control unit signal and an audio microphone means for providing an audio signal in said remote control unit signal, said base station including circuit means for detecting said audio signal in said remote unit signal and providing an audio output signal in response to detected said audio signal.

A remote-controlled automatic tracking system comprising a movable remote control unit, a base station, said base station including automatic control means for continuous automatic tracking of said remote control unit and for automatically determining the relative position and movement of said remote control unit and providing control output signals in response thereto, said automatic control means including means for receiving command signals and integrating said command signals with automatic tracking capability of said automatic control means for selectively enabling and disabling said automatic tracking capability, said base station including movable means responsive to said control output signals for moving said base station, said base station including position feedback means for providing a reference position signal and a position feedback signal to said automatic control means indicative of a position of said base station with respect to a reference position, said remote control unit including command circuit means for selectively providing an OVERRIDE command signal for disabling said automatic tracking capability to cease automatic tracking of said remote control unit without disabling said movable means.

A remote controlled tracking system comprising a movable remote control unit, a base station, said base station including control circuit means for automatically determining and remembering the relative position and movement of said remote control unit with respect to said base station and providing control output signals in response thereto, said base station including means for automatic tracking said remote control unit, said means for tracking including movable means responsive to said control circuit means for moving said base station in response to said control output signals, command circuit means for selectively providing a STEALTH command signal to said control circuit means, said control circuit means being responsive to said STEALTH command signal to move said movable means at substantially the same rate and direction of movement at which said remote control unit was moving at the time said stealth command signal was provided to said control circuit means when said tracking mode is inoperative.

A system for positioning and operating a camera mounted on a tracking unit comprising a movable remote control unit, a command-driven controller having memory circuit means, a tracking unit movable by said controller for automatically tracking said movable remote control unit for recording pictures by the camera, said signal generating means located at said remote control unit for providing remote unit signals to said controller, signal receiving means at said controller for receiving said remote unit signals provided from said signal generating means, said controller being responsive to reception of said remote unit signals for moving said tracking unit, said remote unit signals including a data signal containing information indicative of the position and movement of said remote control unit and a STEALTH command signal for operating said controller, said memory circuit means storing said information indicative of the position and movement of said remote control unit, said controller moving said movable means in response to said STEALTH command signal having been received by said signal receiving means to move said movable means at substantially the same rate and direction of movement at which said remote control unit was moving at the time said STEALTH command signal was received by said signal receiving means.