Patent Application
20210066681
Camera cranes are used to position and maneuver motion picture cameras, such as motion picture film or digital cameras, HD cameras, and 2D and 3D cameras. Camera cranes typically have a crane arm mounted onto a mobile base or vehicle. Many camera cranes are self-propelled via an on-board motor. In addition, a camera crane may be placed onto a transport vehicle, such as described in U.S. Pat. No. 9,260,045 B2. So-called camera cars are custom modified vehicles, typically large pickup or utility trucks, equipped with a camera crane, pedestal, slider, or similar camera holding and moving apparatus. Camera crane tractors have also been developed for use on sand, mud, snow or other difficult terrain, such as described in U.S. Pat. No. 9,915,395 B2.
Operation of camera cranes, support vehicles, camera accessories and related equipment often requires significant electrical power. For example, many camera cranes have hydraulic systems which require recharging by an electrically powered pump. Support vehicles may be driven by electric motors. As a result, they are typically provided with an on board gasoline or diesel powered generator. While these designs have performed well in the past, disadvantages remain. Initially, even the quietest generators may create noise which interferes with filming. Gasoline or diesel engines require significant maintenance. They also of course consume fossil fuels and release exhaust emissions. Accordingly, improvements are needed.
In a first aspect, a vehicle for carrying a camera crane or other camera equipment includes a plurality of wheels or treads rotatably attached to a chassis. A battery pack assembly is provided on the chassis instead of a generator. The battery pack assembly includes an AC to DC converter and plurality of batteries wired to a battery charger within a housing. The batteries collectively have an output voltage of 30 to 36 VDC when fully charged. At least one input connector on the housing is wired to the AC to DC converter for charging the batteries. Each battery may have a 30 ampere hour capacity. The battery pack assembly provides electric power for camera equipment on or used with the vehicle.
In another aspect, a camera crane has a plurality of wheels rotatably attached to the chassis. A column is pivotally supported on the chassis and a crane arm is pivotally supported on the column. A battery pack assembly includes an AC to DC converter and plurality of batteries wired to a battery charger within a housing. The batteries have an output voltage of 30 to 36 VDC when fully charged. At least one an input connector on the housing is wired to the AC to DC converter for charging the batteries. The camera crane has no camera-equipment-generator, with all electrical power used by the camera crane provided at least indirectly from the battery pack assembly.
Other features and advantages will be apparent from the following detailed description, which is provided by way of example and is not intended as an explanation of the limits of the invention.
In the drawings, the same reference number indicates the same element in each of the views.
As shown in
In one aspect of the invention, the camera-equipment generator 14 is replaced by the battery pack assembly 20 shown in
The battery pack assembly 20 may be light enough so that it can be lifted and carried by one or two film crew members, for example having a weight of 40-80 kg. For this purpose, handles may be provided on the sides of the housing 22. In some circumstances, wall current (typically 120 or 240 VAC) is available via a cable connected to facility electric power, or a remotely located but portable generator. In this case, it can be helpful to use the available wall current to operate the camera equipment. The wall current must be converted to the 24 or 32 VDC that most camera equipment operate on. It is also helpful to be able to charge batteries using wall current when available. As far as is known, no known battery equipment provides this capability while providing a 32 VDC output, and with a single conversion (from 120 or 240 VAC to 32 VDC), i.e., without the need for any intermediate conversions causing loss of efficiency. As used here, wall current means electric power provided from a fixed facility such as a building or other infrastructure, or the equivalent provided from a portable generator or battery facility.
As shown in
Referring to
A master power toggle switch 32 switches power on/off for the entire battery pack assembly 20. A push button master emergency shut-off switch 30 shuts off all power of the battery pack assembly 20 when activated. A voltmeter 28 displays the voltage at the output connectors. As shown in
In use, the batteries 56 in the battery pack assembly 20 are initially charged by connecting the battery pack assembly 20 typically to 110 VAC or 240 VAC wall current. A vent cover on a side of the housing may be removed to set a switch to either a 110 VAC position or a 240 VDC position, depending on the wall current available. With the batteries charged, the battery pack assembly 20 is then provided on or with the camera crane 10 or the transport vehicle 12. In most uses, the battery pack assembly 20 can provide enough power for the application. If additional power is needed for long duration uses or applications having intensive power consumption, the battery pack assembly 20 can be swapped out for a fresh fully charged battery pack assembly 20. Alternatively, the battery pack assembly 20 may be charged on site or in place, if wall current or equivalent power is available.
As described here, a vehicle having no camera-equipment-generator means having no gasoline or diesel powered generator for providing electrical power to camera equipment and accessories (such as a remote camera head; lighting; monitors and controls; internal electric motors, etc.). The typically belt-driven alternator provided as original equipment with the diesel or gasoline engine of a vehicle is not a camera-equipment generator. Consequently, a vehicle having no camera-equipment-generator may have, and most often will have, at least one alternator in the electrical system of the original equipment manufacture (OEM) vehicle.
Thus, novel camera equipment and a novel battery pack assembly have been shown and described. Various modifications and substitutions may of course be made, without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention. The invention, therefore, should not be limited, except by the following claims and their equivalents.
