Patent ID: 8453987

Claim:
A pan and tilt system comprising: a pan hobby servo motor having an output shaft that rotates about an axis of rotation; a pan hobby servo motor drive mechanism that is attached to the pan hobby servo motor output shaft and that rotates about the output shaft axis of rotation; a pan auxiliary drive mechanism that is rotatably coupled to the pan hobby servo motor drive mechanism, the pan auxiliary drive mechanism having an axis of rotation that is approximately parallel to the output shaft axis of rotation, the pan auxiliary drive mechanism having a diameter that is larger than a diameter of the pan hobby servo motor drive mechanism; an external potentiometer; an auxiliary rotatable shaft that extends between and functionally connects the pan auxiliary drive mechanism to the external potentiometer, the auxiliary rotatable shaft being approximately parallel to the output shaft axis of rotation; a circuit that controls an angular position of the pan hobby servo motor output shaft based at least in part on an output signal from the external potentiometer, the output signal from the external potentiometer corresponding to rotation of the auxiliary rotatable shaft; a tilt system that is functionally engaged to the pan auxiliary drive mechanism such that rotation of the pan auxiliary drive mechanism is translated to the tilt system; a pan housing frame that provides mechanical support for the pan hobby servo motor and for the external potentiometer, wherein the pan housing frame includes a top panel that separates the pan hobby servo motor and the external potentiometer from the pan auxiliary drive mechanism and the pan hobby servo motor drive mechanism; and a plurality of bearing assemblies that fit within apertures of the pan housing frame and that support rotation of the auxiliary rotatable shaft.