Patent Abstract:
One or more embodiments of the invention enable the movement of an object through multiple environments such as liquid and gas for example using rope or cable. Various objects can be moved using one or more embodiments of the invention such as a human or camera for example. Displacing a camera vertically between environments while moving the camera horizontally allows for highly stable motion pictures to be taken using one or more embodiments of the invention. To enable this type of movement, embodiments of the invention are configured to move an object by relocating one or more lines that are coupled to a plurality of sides of the object. The lines can be any type of flexible connective material such as rope, cable, string, cord, wire or any other similar material.

Full Description:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION  
       [0001]     1. Field of the Invention  
         [0002]     Embodiments of the invention described herein pertain to the field of cable rail systems. More particularly, the embodiments described herein enable the movement of objects such as a camera using cable or rope through multiple environments such as liquid and gas.  
         [0003]     2. Description of the Related Art  
         [0004]     There are no known systems that can move objects along a path through multiple environments such as liquid and gas. Known systems are capable of moving an object through air or through water, but not both. Systems that can move objects through air allow support an object from above using cable for example. Systems that move objects through the water using cables either suspend an object from the surface of the water (i.e., from above) or suspend a buoyant object by restraining the object from below. There are no known systems that are capable of stable movement a suspended object when the object leaves one environment and enters another. For example, if an object is moved at a given rate of speed horizontally through the air and the object enters the water, then the speed of the object is reduced and the movement of the object is limited based on the buoyancy of the particular object. Many other problems exist when attempting to provide stable speeds regardless of the environment. This limits the usefulness of cameras tracking certain objects through the air and water for example. For at least the limitations described above there is a need for system that can move objects through multiple environments.  
       BRIEF SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION  
       [0005]     One or more embodiments of the invention enable the movement of an object through multiple environments such as liquid and gas for example using rope or cable. Various objects can be moved using one or more embodiments of the invention such as a human or camera for example. Displacing a camera vertically between environments while moving the camera horizontally allows for highly stable motion pictures to be taken using one or more embodiments of the invention.  
         [0006]     To enable this type of movement, embodiments of the invention are configured to move an object by relocating one or more lines that are coupled to a plurality of sides of the object. The lines can be any type of flexible connective material such as rope, cable, string, cord, wire or any other similar material.  
         [0007]     The exact reeving or arrangement of the lines is dependent upon the embodiment of the invention. In each embodiment at least two opposing sides of an object are coupled in the vertical axis to allow for upward and downward forces to constraint the vertical displacement of the object. This also provides stability for the dynamic entry and exit from one environment to another. Bull wheels are generally used to displace line from one side of the system to the other. This may include horizontal axis displacement (X-axis) and vertical displacement (Z-axis). In other embodiments utilizing three-dimensional positioning capabilities, a Y-axis displacement is also enabled.  
         [0008]     For example, although the embodiments shown in the attached figures describe a reeving that allows for independent movement of X and Z axes, other reevings can also provide such capabilities that any combination of the reevings enabled in the following applications may be utilized in the upper or lower portion of the system to achieve two or three dimensional movement capabilities. For example, a reeving found in U.S. patent application Ser. No. 10/368,137 may be used to couple with the top portion of a platform while the lower portion of the platform may utilize embodiments described in the detailed description below. Alternatively, the lower portion of a platform may be coupled with the reeving found in any of the following applications while the upper portion may utilize the reevings described herein. U.S. patent application Ser. No. 10/368,137 now U.S. Pat. No. 6,886,471 is hereby incorporated herein by reference. U.S. patent application Ser. No. 10/604,525 now U.S. Pat. No. 6,809,495 is hereby incorporated herein by reference. U.S. patent application Ser. No. 10/604,667, filed Aug. 8, 2003 is hereby incorporated herein by reference. U.S. patent application Ser. No. 10/605,778, filed Oct. 25, 2003 is hereby incorporated herein by reference. U.S. patent application Ser. No. 10/708,158, filed Feb. 12, 2004 is hereby incorporated herein by reference. U.S. patent application Ser. No. 10/709,918, filed Jun. 4, 2004 is hereby incorporated herein by reference. U.S. patent application Ser. No. 10/709,994, filed Jun. 8, 2004 is hereby incorporated herein by reference. U.S. patent application Ser. No. 10/906,621, filed Feb. 27, 2005 is hereby incorporated herein by reference.  
     
    
     BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS  
       [0009]      FIG. 1  illustrates a side view of the reeving of a two-dimensional embodiment of the invention utilizing a hydrodynamic truss configured to travel horizontally across the written page with an object traveling vertically up and down the written page.  
         [0010]      FIG. 2  illustrates a side view of the reeving of a two-dimensional embodiment of the invention that moves a hydrodynamic object without the use of a hydrodynamic truss.  
         [0011]      FIG. 3  illustrates an isometric view of the truss and dolly employing externally reeved lines.  
         [0012]      FIG. 4  illustrates an isometric view of the truss and dolly employing internally reeved lines.  
         [0013]      FIG. 5  illustrates an isometric view of the hydrodynamic object shown in  FIG. 2 .  
     
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION  
       [0014]     A multi-environment object movement system and method will now be described. In the following exemplary description numerous specific details are set forth in order to provide a more thorough understanding of embodiments of the invention. It will be apparent, however, to an artisan of ordinary skill that the present invention may be practiced without incorporating all aspects of the specific details described herein. In other instances, specific features, quantities, or measurements well known to those of ordinary skill in the art have not been described in detail so as not to obscure the invention. Readers should note that although examples of the invention are set forth herein, the claims, and the full scope of any equivalents, are what define the metes and bounds of the invention.  
         [0015]      FIG. 1  shows an embodiment of the invention having two environments G and L, wherein G stands for gaseous and L stands for liquid environments respectively. Platform  151  in the center of the figure is the object or is coupled to the object to be moved using this embodiment of the invention.  
         [0016]     Platform  151  may move vertically up and down the written page when Z movement line  102  is moved from one side of platform  151  to the other. For instance when Z movement motor  130  rotates counterclockwise line  102  flows down from sheave  140  from sheave  173  and from sheave  190  (coupled with the upper side of platform  151 ). While line  102  is moving in this direction, line  102  is also moving into sheave  141  into sheave  183  and into sheave  191  (coupled with the lower side of platform  151 ). In this manner, platform  151  ascends vertically. By rotating Z movement motor  130  in the clockwise direction, platform  151  descends vertically. By rotating Z movement motor  130 , the X axis displacement of platform  151  does not change. This means that the Z axis movement is independent of the X axis movement. Moving the platform vertically allows for multiple environments such as liquid and gaseous environments to be traversed.  
         [0017]     Platform  151  may move horizontally (left and right) along the written page when X movement lines  103  and  104  are moved from one side of platform  151  to the other. For instance when X movement motor  110  rotates counterclockwise line  103  flows down from sheave  120  from sheave  124  which pulls skate  170  (coupled with the right side of platform  151 ) to the right. The bull wheel driving X movement line  103  moves line  103  up into sheave  121  which allows skate  170  to travel to the right. While the X movement motor is rotating in the counterclockwise direction, line  104 , coupled with a second bull wheel driven by X movement motor  110  moves line  104  from sheave  122  from sheave  125  which pulls skate  180  (coupled with the right side of platform  151  via the Z movement line  102 ) to the right. While line  104  exits the bull wheel coupled to X movement motor  110  it enters sheave  123  which allows skate  180  to travel to the right. In this manner, platform  151  is pulled to the right in the figure. By rotating X movement motor  110  in the clockwise direction, platform  151  moves to the left in the figure. By rotating X movement motor  110 , sheaves  173 ,  190 ,  174  and  183 ,  191 ,  184  to travel freely allowing the Z axis displacement of platform  151  to remain constant. This means that the X axis movement is independent of the Z axis movement.  
         [0018]     During X axis movement, tracks  100  and  101  allow for rollers or sheaves  171 ,  172 ,  181  and  182  to roll or travel along tracks  100  and  101 . The tracks may be rigid or highlines under tension depending upon the particular requirements of the implementation.  
         [0019]     Z movement line  102  may be doubled-up so that both sides of the platform, namely the side nearest the reader and the side beneath the written page are acted upon. In addition, embodiments of the truss  150  allow for at least one groove to allow for internal reeving of line  102  so that the line is housing within truss  150 . Truss  150  may be hydrodynamically shaped allowing for ease of X axis traversal while platform  151  may also be hydrodynamically shaped.  
         [0020]      FIG. 2  shows another embodiment of the invention that does not use a truss. In this embodiment of the invention, platform  200  is coupled with sheaves  190  and  191  and moves vertically and horizontally in the same manner as described with respect to  FIG. 1 . In other words, X axis and Z axis movement is accomplished by moving X axis and Z axis motors in the same direction to affect the same direction of movement in this embodiment as well. Although high speed X axis movement may yield cavitation effects, since sheaves  190  and  191  provide a Z axis displacement above and below platform  151 , a camera for example would not view the low pressure bubbles unless panned into a vertical orientation.  
         [0021]     Skate  180  may comprise a hydrodynamically shaped enclosure in one or more embodiments of the invention. Sheaves  190  and  191  may comprise generating elements that allow for power to be derived within platform  200  (or  151  in  FIG. 1 ). A video camera housed in any platform embodiment may comprise a pre-programmed shot sequence or may comprise an input that allows for complete control of all camera operations and may comprise the video signal from the camera output as well.  
         [0022]      FIG. 3  shows an embodiment of the truss and platform of  FIG. 1 . Truss  150  in this embodiment is hydrodynamically shaped so that movement through a liquid environment requires less power, achieves greater speeds for a given X movement motor and allows for smaller X movement motors to be deployed for a desired application requiring a specified speed. In this embodiment, forward and rear pointing enclosures  160  are shown on opposing sides of the platform. Z movement line  102  is shown descending vertically to sheave  190  and ascending vertically to sheave  191  from below. As the sheaves are mounted on the outside of platform  151  in this example any mechanism for providing low friction traversal of platform  151  up and down truss  150  is in keeping with the spirit of the invention. For instance, rollers or bearings between the inside of platform  151  and the outside of truss  150  may be used in various embodiments of the invention to provide smoother vertical travel depending upon the application requirements. Forward and rear pointing enclosures  160  may be utilized in housing sensors such as a camera for example.  
         [0023]      FIG. 4  shows an embodiment of the invention comprising a groove in truss  150  on the nearest face of truss  150 . This allows for sheaves  190  and  191  to be internally mounted which therein allows Z movement line  102  to travel unimpeded through space without interacting with the environment(s) that that platform is currently in. Many different variations of the internal mounting are in keeping with the spirit of the invention. For example, Z movement line  102  may be doubled-up by allowing for two grooves, one on each opposing face of truss  150  that would allow for a more even pull-up or pull-down of platform  151 . In this configuration, a connector between the furthest points in the truss substantially parallel to the faces of the truss would allow for two grooves. Although platform  151  is shown with a flat top and bottom, any other shape that provides for smooth flow through a liquid and gas may be utilized. For example, an elliptical platform  151  with a vertical slot matching the contour of truss  150  is in keeping with the spirit of the invention. Any other shape may be used with more hydrodynamically shaped embodiments of the platform allowing for higher speed or smaller motor implementations.  
         [0024]      FIG. 5  shows an embodiment of the invention not using a truss. Platform  200  in this embodiment is an ellipsoid such as an oblate spheroid, sphere or elongated ellipsoid aligned with the planes formed by sheaves  190  and  191 . In this embodiment there is no truss to provide hydrodynamic shielding of the upper or lower side of Z movement line  102 . Sheaves  190  and  191  provide fins to stabilize platform  200  in this embodiment. Camera  500  is shown panned in the direction of travel to the right and slightly upward in the figure. Platform  200  in this embodiment is shown as a transparent enclosure. Electronic processing of images taken in any shape of platform  200  allows for aberration correction of the images and may account for the refraction indices of the enclosure, the liquid environment and the optical properties of the camera lenses themselves.  
         [0025]      FIG. 6  shows an embodiment of the invention utilizing the reeving of U.S. patent application Ser. No. 10/368,137 now U.S. Pat. No. 6,886,471 in the upper environment area. The upper reeving  600  is described in the &#39;471 patent which is hereby incorporated herein by reference. The lower reeving  601  is the lower reeving of  FIG. 1 . Moving the X movement line with X movement motor  110  and utilizing the X movement motor of the &#39;471 patent in an equal amount yields X movement that is independent of Y axis and Z axis position of platform  200 . In this embodiment Y axis movement is also possible (left to right on the written page). When moving in the Y axis, Z movement line from the lower reeving may inserted towards platform  200  to keep platform  200  at a given height as the platform traverses in the Y axis.  
         [0026]      FIG. 7  shows an embodiment of the invention utilizing the reeving of U.S. patent application Ser. No. 10/604,667, filed Aug. 8, 2003 which is hereby incorporated herein by reference. The upper reeving  700  is described in the &#39;667 application. The lower reeving is the lower reeving of  FIG. 1 . Moving the X movement line with the X movement motor  110  and utilizing the X movement motor of the &#39;667 application in an equal amount yields X movement that is independent of the Y axis and Z axis position of platform  200 . In this embodiment Y axis movement is also possible (left to right on the written page although the axis names are arbitrary in the horizontal plane). When moving in the Y axis, Z movement line from the lower reeving may inserted towards platform  200  to keep platform  200  at a given height as the platform traverses in the Y axis.  
         [0027]      FIG. 8  shows an embodiment of the invention utilizing the reeving of U.S. patent application Ser. No. 10/709,994, filed Jun. 8, 2004 which is hereby incorporated herein by reference. The upper reeving  800  is described in the &#39;994 application. The lower reeving is the lower reeving of  FIG. 1 . Moving the X movement line with the X movement motor  110  and utilizing the X movement motor of the &#39;994 application in an equal amount yields X movement that is independent of the Y axis position of platform  200 . In this embodiment Y axis movement is also possible (left to right on the written page although the axis names are arbitrary in the horizontal plane). When moving in the Y axis, Z movement line from the lower reeving may inserted towards platform  200  to keep platform  200  at a given height as the platform traverses in the Y axis. In addition, as the path of platform  200  is ellipsoidal using the top reeving  800 , Z movement line using the lower reeving may be injected or retracted to or from platform  200  to account for the ellipsoidal path of upper reeving  800  when moving platform  200 . Likewise the upper reeving can account for the ellipsoidal path by utilizing the Z movement motor described in the &#39;994 patent application.  
         [0028]      FIG. 9  shows the reeving in U.S. patent application Ser. No. 10/906,621, filed Feb. 27, 2005 as lower reeving  900 . Upper reeving  901  is shown in the upper portion of  FIG. 1  of this application. This embodiment shows that truss  150  may also be used in any of the embodiments including this one. The &#39;621 patent application is hereby incorporated herein by reference.  
         [0029]     Although there is no requirement to align upper and lower reevings along an axis as shown in  FIGS. 6, 7 ,  8  or  9 , doing so allows for independent axial movement as described above. For situations where the axes are skewed between the upper and lower reevings, Z movement line may be introduced or removed to and from platform  200  in order to keep the platform moving in a straight path, or at a given X, Y or Z position. Although platform  200  has been shown in  FIGS. 6, 7 ,  8  for ease of illustration, a truss may be inserted between upper and lower reevings in any of the embodiments shown in order to created a hydrodynamic traversal guide for a platform as demonstrated in  FIG. 9 .  
         [0030]     Although each of the lower reevings shown in  FIGS. 6, 7  and  8  are of the embodiments described herein, the entire system may be flipped upside down in each of these figures in order to position the reeving described herein in the top location as has been demonstrated in  FIG. 9 . Alternatively, any of the reevings described in  FIGS. 6, 7  and  8  and the reeving herein may be mixed and matched as needed for the application so long as tension is maintained on opposing sides of platform  200  in order to stabilize platform  200  when for example moving between environments. Independence of X and Z axes may be automatic and not require computer control of the upper or lower reeving, or may utilize computer control of one or both reevings in order to provide independence of the axes depending on the reevings utilized in both the upper and lower portions of the implementation.  
         [0031]     While the invention herein disclosed has been described by means of specific embodiments and applications thereof, numerous modifications and variations could be made thereto by those skilled in the art without departing from the scope of the invention set forth in the claims.

Technology Classification (CPC): 5