WO2014049380A1

WO2014049380A1 - Manual video camera stabiliser with improved adjustment characteristics

Info

Publication number: WO2014049380A1
Application number: PCT/HU2013/000088
Authority: WO
Inventors: István FORIZS
Original assignee: Forizs Istvan
Priority date: 2012-09-27
Filing date: 2013-09-09
Publication date: 2014-04-03
Also published as: HUP1200561A2

Abstract

The invention relates to a manual video camera stabiliser with improved adjustment characteristics for damping forces displacing the video camera, which comprises a holding member (3) that can be attached to the video camera (1), a centre of mass setting unit (10) connected to the holding member (3), a turn regulator unit (30) connected to the centre of mass setting unit (10), and a supporting piece (40) connected to the turn regulator unit (30), where the centre of mass setting unit (10) has a base (11), and the centre of mass setting unit (10) has a counterweight carrier unit (20), where the counterweight carrier unit (20) has a bent connecting arm (21), a fixing piece (22) situated at one end (21a) of the connecting arm (21) and a weight-position setting part-unit (23) situated at the other end (21b) of the connecting arm (21), the turn regulator unit (30) has a first axis of rotation (31), a second axis of rotation (33) and a connecting element (32) situated between the two, and a first intermediate body (34) connected to the first axis of rotation (31) and a second intermediate body (35) connected to the second axis of rotation (33), the first intermediate body (34) is connected to the centre of mass setting unit (10), and the second intermediate body (35) is connected to the supporting piece (40). The characteristic feature of the invention is that one or more damping members (36) are inserted between the first intermediate body (34) of the turn regulator unit (30) and the first axis of rotation (31) connected to the first intermediate body (34), and between the second intermediate body (35) of the turn regulator unit (30) and the second axis of rotation (32) connected to the second intermediate body (35).

Description

Manual video camera stabiliser with improved adjustment characteristics

The invention relates to a manual video camera stabiliser with improved adjustment characteristics, for damping forces displacing the video camera, which comprises a holding member that can be attached to the video camera, a centre of mass setting unit connected to the holding member, a turn regulator unit connected to the centre of mass setting unit, and a supporting piece connected to the turn regulator unit, where the centre of mass setting unit has a base, a lower slide connected to the base with the help of guide pieces in a way allowing sliding and an upper slide connected to the lower slide also with the help of guide pieces in a way allowing sliding, a first moving part-unit controlling the movement of the base and the lower slide with respect to each other and a second part-unit controlling the movement of the lower slide and the upper slide with respect to each other, where the holding member is connected to the upper slide in a way allowing movement, and the centre of mass setting unit has a counterweight carrier unit, where the counterweight carrier unit has a bent connecting arm, a fixing piece situated at one end of the connecting arm and a weight-position setting part-unit situated at the other end of the connecting arm, the turn regulator unit has a first axis of rotation, a second axis of rotation and connecting element situated between the two, and a first intermediate body connected to the first axis of rotation and a second intermediate body connected to the second axis of rotation, the first intermediate body is connected to the centre of mass setting unit, and the second intermediate body is connected to the supporting piece.

During image recording, i.e. making video and film recordings, in order to reach the best possible image quality, an increasing number of supplementary tools are used. Different video camera tripods and manual video camera stabilisers are among these supplementary tools. The main idea behind these tools is that they have a holding element, with the help of which the image recording equipment can be attached to the stabiliser in a fixed position, and they also have a supporting part, which can be a leg touching the foundation, or a grip that the operators can hold in their hands, and between the holding element and the supporting part they also have structural elements that are suitable for damping or suppressing undesired movements, external forces in order to avoid such undesired movements appearing on the recorded images.

For example publication document no US 2011/211 164 describes a manual video camera stabiliser, which is constructed in such a way as to enable the elimination of effects deriving from external vibrations and undesired movements without needing to use a shoulder support. However, its disadvantage is that it does not damp the movements of the camera operator's body sufficiently, so it is not suitable for reaching the expected effect completely.

Utility model specification no CN 201897684 describes a video camera stabiliser for recording images near the ground, in the case of which the aim was to make it easier to handle the counterweight holding structure suitable for counterbalancing oscillations. However, the disadvantage of this solution is that it does not provide sufficient protection for eliminating disturbing movements deriving from other external force effects.

Utility model specification no CN 201413446 relates to a structure unit, with the help of which it is easier to position the centre of mass of the image-recording device with respect to the supporting unit, in order to reduce the oscillation of the video camera as much as possible in the case of images recorded in motion. However, the deficiency of this solution is that it is difficult to reach and maintain precise settings, which makes the use of the structure uncomfortable and increases the setting time. in patent specification no TWI 320836 a video camera stabiliser is described, which has a holding element, two legs attached to it, and a grip, which can be set at different angles with respect to each other, and as a result of this the image-recording equipment can be positioned in a staWe position tree from displacement, e.g. at the video camera operator's shoulder. However, the deficiency of the construction is that precise setting is difficult, and even a stabiliser with appropriate settings is not suitable for extinguishing external force effects appropriately and protecting the image-recording device from undesired vibrations.

Furthermore, it can be stated in general that especially in the case of video cameras having a small size and a low weight, the more efficiently the manual video camera stabiliser stabilises displacements deriving from the undesired movement of the user's hands and body, the more it deflects and oscillates during accelerations and decelerations occurring when the camera operator starts moving or stops or turns, which is just as undesirable as camera movements deriving from unintended movement or from the trembling of the hands. However, so far no efficient solution has been elaborated on the market of low-capacity video camera stabilisers for elimination this problem.

Our aim with the solution according to the invention was to eliminate the deficiencies of know manual video camera stabilisers and to create a version, which can be favourably used with low-weight manual camcorders, such as for example H-DSLR cameras, has small dimensions and a low weight, is easy to install, enables precise setting, which makes it suitable for use by professionals too.

The solution according to the invention is based on the recognition that if infinitely variable damping - depending on and adjusted to loading - is allocated separately to all three axes of rotation in such a way that video camera operators can realise setting themselves suiting the given loading and rotation position, and video camera operators can also control free turning around the axis of the grip in such a way that the order of the three axes of rotation - i.e. the axes regulating the forwards-backwards tilting of the image-recording equipment, its lateral deflection and its rotation around the vertical axis of the image-recording equipment - between the grip of the holding member connected to the image-recording equipment is determined appropriately, then the desired effect can be reached.

In accordance with the above recognition, the idea behind the invention was based on that if in the case of the individual preferred axes, unlike the ordinary course of things, novel regulating structural elements are inserted between the axis of rotation and the driving structural elements connected to the given axis of rotation, which novel regulating structural elements can change the extent of friction of the driving structural elements with respect to each other within a wide range, and, unlike the known solutions, enable the fine and infinite adjustment of the counter-moment based on frictional force, braking the torque generated on the given axis, then a damping effect can be reached, which is independent from the own weight of the video camera stabiliser and can be varied within a wide range, and with the help of which undesired displacements deriving from force effects depending on the position of use can be eliminated completely, as a result of which the desired stabiliser characteristics can be achieved, and so that task can be solved.

In accordance with the set aim, the manual video camera stabiliser with improved adjustment characteristics according to the invention, for damping forces displacing the video camera, - which comprises a holding member that can be attached to the video camera, a centre of mass setting unit connected to the holding member, a turn regulator unit connected to the centre of mass setting unit, and a supporting piece connected to the turn regulator unit, where the centre of mass setting unit has a base, a lower slide connected to the base with the help of guide pieces in a way allowing sliding and an upper slide connected to the lower slide also with the help of guide pieces in a way allowing sliding, a first moving part-unit controlling the movement of the base and the lower slide with respect to each other and a second part-unit controlling the movement of the lower slide and the upper slide with respect to each other, where the holding member is connected to the upper slide in a way allowing movement, and the centre of mass setting unit has a counterweight carrier unit, where the counterweight carrier unit has a bent connecting arm, a fixing piece situated at one end of the connecting arm and a weight-position setting part-unit situated at the other end of the connecting arm, the turn regulator unit has a first axis , of rotation, a second axis of rotation and connecting element situated between the two, and a first intermediate body connected to the first axis of rotation and a second intermediate body connected to the second axis of rotation, the first intermediate body is connected to the centre of mass setting unit, and the second intermediate body is connected to the supporting piece, - is constructed in such a way that one or more damping members are inserted between the first intermediate body of the tur regulator unit and the first axis of rotation connected to the first intermediate body, and between the second intermediate body of the turn regulator unit and the second axis of rotation connected to the second intermediate body, and/or a swerve- regulating part-unit for regulating the turning of the turn regulator unit around the main axis of the supporting piece is inserted between the second intermediate body of the turn regulator unit positioned further away from the centre of mass setting unit and the supporting piece, the swerve-regulating part-unit has an axis of rotation and an embedding element co-acting with the axis of rotation, where either the axis of rotation or the embedding element is attached to the supporting piece, while the other one is attached to the second intermediate body of the turn regulator unit in a fixed position, the embedding element is paired with a rotation-regulating disc, and one or more damping members are inserted between the rotation-regulating disc and the second intermediate body of the turn regulator unit, and/or the guide pieces between the base and the lower slide of the centre of mass setting unit are formed by an ensemble of guide axes attached to the lower slide and sleeves passing through the base and suitable for accommodating the guide axes, while the guide pieces between the lower slide and the upper slide of the centre of mass setting unit are formed by an ensemble of guide axes attached to the upper slide and sleeves passing through the lower slide and suitable for accommodating the guide axes, the sleeves are provided with notches, adhesion enhancing pieces made of a flexible material and having an opening, e.g. rubber rings, are placed in the notches, and the guide axes of the guide pieces are taken through the openings of the adhesion enhancing pieces inserted in the notches of the sleeves and then guided through the sleeves, and/or the counterweight position setting part-unit of the counterweight carrier unit contains a collecting rod with ribs and a counterweight suspending structure co-acting with the collecting rod, where the counterweight suspending structure has a house suitable for connecting counterweights, a restoring element placed in the house and a fixing piece having a central opening, where the central opening of the fixing piece has toothing suiting the shape and size of the ribs of the collecting rod, the restoring element is inserted between the house and the fixing piece, and in this way in the neutral position of the counterweight position setting part- unit the toothing of the fixing piece is pressed against the ribs of the collecting rod.

A further criterion of the video camera stabiliser according to the invention may be that damping member is paired with a regulating mechanism, where the regulating mechanism has an energy-storing member and a pre-stressing piece connected to the energy-storing member, and the damping member is connected to the energy-storing member.

In another version of the video camera stabiliser the energy-storing member is a coiled spring, while the pre-stressing piece contains a threaded shank and a threaded disc co-acting with the threaded shank. In the case of a further different embodiment of the invention, the damping member is a friction insert, or the damping member is formed by a friction-enhancing film layer.

In the case of an even further form of execution of the video camera stabiliser, the supporting piece is supplemented with a finger rest, while the second intermediate body of the turn regulator unit is supplemented with a stopping member, and the stopping member is attached to the second intermediate body of the turn regulator unit near the finger rest of the supporting piece, in a fixed position.

In the case of a favourable realisation of the invention, the counterweight carrier unit is attached to the base of the centre of mass setting unit with the help of the fixing piece placed at one end of the connecting arm.

In the case of an even further different version of the video camera stabiliser the collecting rod of the counterweight position setting part-unit of the counterweight carrier unit is covered with a casing having a slot, the casing is taken through the house and through the central opening of the fixing piece placed in the house, while the toothing of the fixing piece goes through the slot of the casing and is connected to the ribs of the collecting rod. The ribs of the collecting rod are formed by a thread.

In the case of a further realisation of the invention the house has a first connecting piece, while the individual counterweights have a passage, and they are supplemented with a first connecting piece at one end of the passage and with a second connecting piece at the other end of the passage, and the individual counterweights are connected to each other and to the house of the counterweight suspending structure with the help of the first connecting pieces and second connecting pieces. The first connecting piece of the house is constructed as a threaded sleeve, and the second connecting piece of the counterweights is also constructed as a threaded sleeve, while the first connecting piece of the counterweights is constructed as a threaded pin. In the case of another different form of execution of the video camera stabiliser the surface size of the opening of the adhesion enhancing pieces is smaller than the cross- section of the guide axes.

The video camera stabiliser according to the invention has numerous favourable characteristics. The most important one of these is that due to the specific turn-damping or turn-exclusion of a novel construction placed on the separate axes at points other than usual, even in the case of video camera stabilisers with a small weight the centre of mass can be set efficiently, easily and quickly, and additional oscillations can be eliminated to an appropriate extent, as a result of which the recorded images can be free from disturbing movements, vibrations and oscillations, which could not be solved so far with the help of the known constructions in the case of video cameras with a small weight.

A further advantage deriving from the novel movement damping of the moving parts involved in the settings is that basically the video camera counterweight can be adjusted without any play impairing the precision of the adjustment, in a quick and simple way, and the centre of rotation - centre of mass distance of the stabiliser - video camera ensemble can also be set in quickly and precisely.

Another advantage is that due to the unusual construction, i.e. the infinitely variable damping or exclusion of rotations, the precise setting of the centre of mass cab be realised much faster than in the case of the known solution, and even the setting values are kept, no accidental re-setting can occur during use.

It is also an advantage that the novel solutions according to the invention creating the possibility of the infinite damping of movements improve usability at an extraordinary extent, and due to the simple structure and the fact that the parts are produced from ordinary materials using ordinary technology, the video camera stabiliser can be manufactured at a favourable cost.

A further advantage deriving from the simple structural construction is that the use of the video camera stabiliser according to the invention does not require special professional skills or knowledge, it is easy to handle, the structure is not likely to fail, and its maintenance demand is minimal.

Another advantage resulting from the above favourable characteristics is that due to the excellent value for money a video camera stabiliser satisfying professional demands can be achieved at the price level of tools for amateurs, which may result in the extension of the group of users.

Below the video camera stabiliser is described in detail in connection with a form of execution on the basis of drawings. In the drawings figure 1 is the view of a possible form of execution of the video camera stabiliser according to the invention,

figure 2 is the view of possible version of the turn regulator unit belonging to the video camera stabiliser according to the invention, partly in section, figure 3 is the view of possible version of the centre of mass setting unit belonging to the video camera stabiliser according to the invention, partly in section, figure 4 is the longitudinal section of a possible version of the counterweight carrier unit belonging to the video camera stabiliser according to the invention.

In figure 1 a possible version of the video camera stabiliser 2 according to the invention can be seen. It can be seen that the holding member 3 of the video camera stabiliser 2 accommodates the video camera 1. The holding member 3 is placed on the upper slide 14 of the centre of mass setting unit 10 of the video camera 1 , and it can be attached to there in a fixed position. Below the upper slide 14 of the centre of mass setting unit 10 there is the lower slide 12, which sits on the base 11. The lower slide 12 can be slid with respect to the base 11 with the help of the first moving part-unit 13, while the upper slide 14 can be slid with the use of the second moving part-unit 15 with respect to the lower slide 12. In a way known in itself, the sliding direction of the lower slide 12 and the sliding direction of the upper slide 14 are at right angles to each other, and presuming that the holding member 3 is positioned parallel to the ground level, the sliding direction of the lower slide 12 and the sliding direction of the upper slide 14 can be identified with the X-Y axis directions.

The base 1 1 of the centre of mass setting unit 10 is connected to one end 21a of the connecting arm 21 of the counterweight carrier unit 20 with the help of a fixing piece 22. The base 1 1 and the fixing piece 22 are attached to each other in a fixed position. The other end 21b of the connecting arm 21 of the counterweight carrier unit 20 is connected to the counterweight position setting part-unit 23. This counterweight position setting part-unit 23 has a counterweight suspending structure 25, to which the working counterweights 50 can be connected, and they can be pulled up or let down along the casing 26 of the counterweight suspending structure 25 as necessary. The direction of movement of the counterweights 50 is the same as the direction of the Z axis.

The task of the centre of mass setting unit 10 having the counterweight carrier unit 20 is to make it possible to position the joint centre of mass of the video camera 1 and the video camera stabiliser 2 as desired, with respect to turn regulator unit 30 placed below the base 1 1 of the centre of mass setting unit 10. This adjustment of the joint centre of mass is supported by the possibility of movement along the X-Y-Z axes.

The task of the turn regulator unit 30 is to damp or prevent the turning or tilting of the video camera 1 attached to the holding member around the theoretical X-Y-Z axis, or, in a given case, to enable such turning or tilting in a controlled way. The turn regulator unit 30 contains a first axis of rotation 31 and a second axis of rotation 33, which are connected via a connecting element 32. Furthermore, there is a first intermediate body 34 connected to the first axis of rotation 31 in a way allowing rotation, and a second intermediate body 35 connected to the second axis of rotation 33 also in a way allowing rotation. The first intermediate body 34 enables or inhibits the forwards-backwards tilting of the video camera 1 around the horizontal X axis, while the second intermediate body 35 controls the lateral oscillation of the video camera 1 around the horizontal Y axis.

The turn regulator unit 30 rests on the supporting piece 40, and with the help of the swerve-regulating part-unit 37 shown in figure 2 it is connected to the supporting piece 40 in a way allowing rotation. The swerve-regulating part-unit 37 makes it possible for the video camera 1 to turn around the main axis 41 of the supporting piece 40, that is around the vertical Z axis, depending on the user's decision.

In figure 2 the structural construction of the turn regulator unit 30 can be seen. It can be observed that the turn regulator unit 30 contains the first axis of rotation 31 and second axis of rotation 33 connection to the connecting element 32, the first intermediate body 34 situated on the first axis of rotation 31 and the second intermediate body 35 connected to the second axis of rotation 33, and also the swerve-regulating part- unit 37. In the case of this form of execution the swerve-regulating part-unit 37 contains the axis of rotation 37a, the embedding elements 37b, the rotation-regulating disc 37c, and it is also supplemented with a stopping member 39.

It can be seen that here the first axis of rotation 31, the connecting element 32, the second axis of rotation 33, the first intermediate body 34 and the second intermediate body 35 basically form a joint-fork connection. However, it must be pointed out here that not only this arrangement is suitable for reaching the desired effect. Other mechanisms are also possible, which separate the displacement forces exerted from the direction of the supporting piece 40 towards the base 11 into the desired components of rotation around the X-Y axes, so that in the following the extent of these moments can be reduced or extinguished with the help of the damping inserts 36 placed in the turn regulator unit 30 in such a way as to ensure that only the desired moment arrives on the base 11, which is zero according to the general expectations.

The embedding elements 37b of the swerve-regulating part-unit 37, which are bearings in our case, are attached to the supporting piece 40 of the video camera stabiliser 2, and the axis of rotation 37a is taken through these embedding elements 37b and then it is connected to the second intermediate body 35 of the turn-regulating part- unit 30. This second intermediate body 35 - as it is shown in figure 2 - is situated further away from the base 11. The axis of rotation 37a and the main axis 41 of the supporting piece 40 are coaxial. Besides the embedding elements 37b of the swerve- regulating part-unit 37 the rotation-regulating disc 37c is also attached to the supporting piece 40, while the stopping member 39 is attached to the second intermediate body 35 in a fixed position.

In order to weaken the displacement forces forwarded from the supporting piece 40 towards the base 1 1, damping inserts 36 are inserted between the axis of rotation 37a and the rotation-regulating disc 37c, the first axis of rotation 31 and the first intermediate body 34, and the second axis of rotation 33 and the second intermediate body 35. In this case some of the damping inserts 36 are friction inserts 36a, which are wear-resistant plastic panels having appropriate surface roughness. But the damping insert 36 can also be a friction-enhancing film-layer 36b, which, depending on its viscosity, is able to weaken the moments generated at the individual nodal points. Such a friction-enhancing film-layer 36b can be applied for example on the rotation- regulating disc 37c too. The regulating mechanism 38 is responsible for the infinite variability of the extent of damping. There is such a regulating mechanism 38 both in the first intermediate body 34 and in the second intermediate body 35. The energy-storing member 38a, a coiled spring in our case, and the pre-stressing piece 38b, which consists of a threaded shank 38c and a threaded disc 38d here, form parts of the regulating mechanism 38.

The energy-storing member 38a and threaded shank 38c of the regulating mechanism 38 belonging to the first intermediate body 34 is situated in a nest 34a created in the first intermediate body 34, so that the pre-stressing piece 38b touches the bottom of the nest 34a while its threaded shank 38c is near the opening of the nest 34a, and it presses the friction insert 36a used here as damping insert 36 against the surface of the first axis of rotation 31 attached to the connecting element 32. The damping effect that can be reached with the friction insert 36a can be regulated with the force with which the friction insert 36a presses against the first axis of rotation 31. This force is supposed to be set by the threaded disc 38d of the pre-stressing piece 38b, which fits into the opening 34b of the first intermediate body 34 in a way allowing free turning. The threaded shank 38c is taken through the threaded disc 38d, and due to this arrangement, when the threaded disc 38d is turned, the threaded shank 38c either moves further inside the nest 34a of the first intermediate body, or moves further out from it. In accordance with this it presses the friction insert 36a against the surface of the first axis of rotation 31 either with a greater or a smaller force.

In the second intermediate body 35 - similarly to the first intermediate body 34 - there are two regulating mechanisms 38. The task of the first regulating mechanism 38 is to set damping between the second intermediate body 35 and the second axis of rotation 33, while the other regulating mechanism 38 is basically responsible for regulating the possibility of turning between the turn regulator unit 30 and the supporting piece 40. In accordance with the above, the second intermediate body 35 has a nest 35a facing the second axis of rotation 33 and an opening 35b created in its environment. In the nest 35a there is an energy-storing member 38a and a threaded shank 38c, which threaded shanlc 38c presses the friction insert 36a against the surface of the second axis of rotation 33. In the opening 35b there is a threaded disc 38d, and in this case too a threaded shank 38c is taken through it. Next to the former one, in the second intermediate body 35 there is also another nest 35a facing the supporting piece 40, and next to this nest 35a there is another opening 35b. In this nest 35a there is the energy- storing member 38a and threaded shank 38c of the second regulating mechanism 38, and in the opening 35b there is the threaded disc 38d. This threaded shank 38c presses the friction insert 36a connected to it against the rotation-regulating disc 37c fixed in the supporting piece 40, regulating by this the rate of rotation of the second intermediate body 35 around the main axis 41 of the supporting piece 40.

Figure 2 also shows that the end of the supporting piece 40 near the turn regulator unit 30 is constructed in such a way that the supporting piece 40 suits the shape and size of the stopping member 39 attached to the second intermediate body 35 of the turn regulator unit 30. The task of the stopping member 39 is to exclude relative displacement between the second intermediate body 35 and the supporting piece immediately, depending on the intention of the person holding the supporting piece 40. It is realised in such a way that the person holding the supporting piece 40 places one finger on the video camera stabiliser 2 so that it rests on the edge of the upper end of the supporting piece 40 and on the stopping member 39 at the same time, locking the two structural elements by this.

In figure 3 the details of the centre of mass setting unit 10 of the video camera stabiliser 2 can be seen. It can be observed that the base 11 of the centre of mass setting unit 10 is attached to the first intermediate body 34 of the turn regulator unit 30. Above this base 1 1 there is the lower slide 12, which is connected to the base 1 1 with the help of guide pieces 16. The guide piece 16 enables the lower slide 12 to slide horizontally above the base 1 1 , precisely and practically without play. The guide pieces 16 consist of guide axes 16a and sleeves 16b. Two parallel guide axes 16a are arranged between the base 11 and the lower slide 12 in such a way that the two ends of the guide axes 16a are fixed into the lower slide 12 in a fixed position, while the central part of the guide axes 16a is taken through the sleeves 16b created in the base 11.

The sleeves 16b have notches 16c, and in these notches 16c there are adhesion- enhancing pieces 17. In the case of this form of execution the adhesion-enhancing pieces 17 are O-rings, which are dimensioned so that the surface size of the opening 17a of the adhesion-enhancing piece 17 is smaller than the cross-section of the guide axis 16a of the guide piece 16. In this case the adhesion-enhancing piece 17 presses against the guide axis 16a taken through the opening 17a of the adhesion-enhancing piece 17, which is fitted into the notch 16c of the sleeve 16b in a fixed position. In this way, when the guide axis 16a slides, it is basically continuously slowed down and kept in the given position by the adhesion-enhancing piece 17 forced to flexible deformation, while the guide axis 16a is moving, as a result of which the lower slide 12 attached to the guide axes 16a can run in the sleeves 16b of the base 11 without play.

There is a similar arrangement aiid connection in the case of the upper slide 14 and lower slide 12. Here the guide pieces 16 arranged between the lower slide 12 and the upper slide 14 connect the lower slide 12 with the upper slide 14 in such a way that the two ends of the two parallel guide axes 16a are attached to the upper slide 14 in a fixed position, while the sleeves 16b are created in the lower slide 12. There are notches 16c in the sleeves 16b of the lower slide 12 too, and the adhesion-enhancing pieces 17 having an opening 17a, O-rings in our case, are fitted into the notches 16c. Obviously, the plane determined by the symmetry axes of the guide axes 16a fixed in the lower slide 12 and the plane symmetry axes of the guide axes 16a fixed in the upper slide 14 are parallel with respect to each other, and the guide axes 16a of the lower slide 12 and the guide axes 16a of the upper slide must be crossed-oriented axes the directions of which are at right angles to each other. In this way it can be achieved that the video camera 1 that can be attached to the holding member 3 situated on the upper slide 14 of the centre of mass setting unit 10 can be slid along the X-Y axis, that is in one plane with respect to the base 11 of the centre of mass setting unit 10, which is fixed to the first intermediate body 34 of the turn regulator unit 30.

It must be pointed out here that figure 3 also shows the first intermediate body 34 connected to the connecting element 32 of the turn regulator unit 30 via the first axis of rotation 31 and the second intermediate body 35 connected via the second axis of rotation, as well as the threaded disc 38d protruding from the first intermediate body 34 and the two threaded discs 38d protruding from the second intermediate body. The stopping member 39 can also be seen, as well as the rotation-regulating disc 37c situated in the internal space bordered by the stopping member 39 and the supporting piece 40.

In figure 4 the counterweight position setting part-unit can be seen in detail. It can be observed how the collecting rod 24 of the counterweight position setting part-unit 23 is connected to the other end 21b of the collecting arm 21. The ribs 24a are cut into the external surface of the collecting rod, and here the ribs 24a are formed by a metric fine thread. At the same time the ribs 24a of the collecting rod 24 are covered with a casing 26, which has a longitudinal slot 26a.

Figure 4 shows how the house 25a of the counterweight suspending structure 25, which carries the counterweights 50, is situated on the collecting rod 24. In the house 25a there is the fixing piece 25c, which has a central opening 25d, and in the surface of the central opening 25d facing the collecting rod 24 there is a toothing 25e. The collecting rod 24 goes through the central opening 25d of the fixing piece 25c, and the toothing 25 e extending into the central opening 25d is temporarily engaged with the ribs 24a of the collecting rod 24. In the initial position of the house 25a, the toothing 25e of the fixing piece 25c, and obviously the fixing piece 25c too, is pressed against the ribs 24a of the collecting rod 24 with a restoring element 25f, which is a coiled spring in our case. The slot 26a in the casing 26 is made in such a way that its width must suit the toothing 25e protruding from the central opening 25d of the fixing piece 25c and extending into the central opening 25d. The house 25a is positioned around the casing 26 surrounding the collecting rod 24 in such a way that the toothing 25e of the fixing piece 25c passes through the slot 26a of the casing 26 and then it reaches the ribs 24a of the collecting rod 24 situated inside the casing 26. Due to this construction of -the house 25a and the fixing piece 25c situated inside it, the house 25a can move only along the length of the casing 26 during weight balancing.

The house 25 a also has a connecting piece 25b suitable for establishing connection with the counterweights 50, which, in this case, is a threaded sleeve 25g situated at the end of the house 25a further away from the connecting arm 21, i.e. in the position shown in figure 4, at the bottom of the house 25a. This connecting piece 25b co-acts with the first connecting piece 52 situated at one end 51a of the passage 51 of the counterweight 50 placed directly below the house 25a, which connecting piece 52 is obviously a threaded pin 52a here co-acting with the threaded sleeve 25g.

All of the counterweights 50 that can be connected to the house 25a of the counterweight suspending structure 25 have a passage 51 suiting the cross-section of the casing 26 covering the collecting rod, and at one end 51a of the passage 51 a threaded pin 52a is created as the first connecting piece 52, while at the other end 51b a threaded sleeve 53a is created as the second connecting piece 53. Obviously, the counterweights 50 are identical in respect of their function, but they can be different in weight. The individual counterweights 50 can be linked together in such a way that the f rst connecting piece 52 belonging to the one counterweight 50 and the second connecting piece 53 belonging to the other counterweight 50 must be connected to each other, which in the case of the present form of execution means that the threaded pin 52a of the one counterweight 50 must be screwed into the threaded sleeve 53a of the other counterweight 50.

In this way the individual counterweights 50 can be connected wither with the house 25a or even with any further counterweight 50. Therefore, in each case a suitable balancing mass - even made up of several counterweights 50 linked together - can be created and placed on the house 25a of the counterweight suspending structure 25 of the counterweight position setting part-unit 23.

The use of the video camera stabiliser 2 according to the invention is described below. First the user attaches the video camera 1 to the holding member 3, and then attaches the holding member 3 to the upper slide 14. Then the common centre of mass of the part-units of the video camera 1 and the video camera stabiliser 2 that are able to oscillate, such as the centre of mass setting unit 10, the counterweight carrier unit 20 and the turn regulator unit 30, can be adjusted. The common centre of mass is adjusted by moving the upper slide 14 and the lower slide 12 in the plane that can be regarded horizontal, while the counterweight suspending structure 25 situated on the counterweight position setting part-unit of the counterweight carrier unit 20 is moved up and down along the line that can be regarded vertical.

When the second moving part-unit 15 is turned, the upper slide 14 - together with the holding member 3 - slides with respect to the lower slide 12 with the help of the guide pieces 16 placed between the lower slide 12 and the upper slide 14. The guide axes 16a attached to the upper slide 14 move in the sleeves 16b created in the lower slide 12 in such a way that in every case the material of the adhesion-enhancing pieces 17 - situated in the notches 16c of the sleeve 16b - situated in the environment of their opening 17a and pressing against the guide axis 16a exerts opposite friction force with respect to the movement of the guide axes 16a, i.e. damping. In this way no "play" can occur between the guide pieces 16 during the setting of the upper slide 14. As a result of this the positioning of the upper slide 14 and the lower slide 12 with respect to each other can be realised accurately.

In the following the lower slide 12 and the base 11 can be adjusted with respect to each other. In order to do this, the first moving part-unit situated in the base must be turned. When the first moving part-unit 13 is turned, the lower slide 12 slides along the base 1 1. Obviously, practically the sliding direction of the lower slide 12 with respect to the base 1 1 should be at right angles to the sliding direction of the upper slide 14 with respect to the lower slide 12. Basically the precise setting of the lower slide 12 is realised in the same way and on the basis of the same mechanism as in the case of adjusting the upper slide 14 and the lower slide 12 with respect to each other, so here it is not described in detail. After the common centre of mass has been set in the direction of the X-Y axis, the common centre of mass in the direction of the Z axis can be set.

In order to do this, the fixing piece 25c situated in the house 25a on the counterweight position setting part-unit 23 at the other end 21b of the connecting arm 21 of the counterweight carrier unit 20 must be pressed against the restoring element 25f, in the direction of the collecting rod 24. As a result of this pressure the toothing 25e of the fixing piece 25c moves away from the ribs 24a of the collecting rod 24, and so the house 25a can be let down or lifted up in the desired position along the casing 26. The house 25a must be moved along the casing 26 in such a way that the mass formed by the ensemble of counterweights 50 connected to the house 25a should counterbalance the oscillating mass so that the common centre of mass should be practically in the theoretical point of intersection of the first axis of rotation 31 and second axis of rotation 33 connected to the connecting element 32 of the turn regulator unit 30.

For the accurate adjustment of the house 25a in the direction of the Z axis, first the fixing piece 25c must be released. At this point the toothing 25e meets the ribs 24a of the collecting rod again, and in the given quick-adjustment position it catches the house 25a and the counterweights 50 together with it. Following quick adjustment, the collecting rod 24 is turned with a suitable tool, the thread forming the ribs 24a also starting turning, and like a threaded lifting-lowering spindle, it either finely pulls the fixing piece 25c connected to the collecting rod 24 via the toothing 25e, and together with the house 25a connected with the counterweights 50, along the casing 26 of the counterweight setting part-unit 23 in the direction of the supporting piece 40, or lowers it in the direction opposite the supporting piece 40.

After the common centre of mass has been set along the X-Y-Z axis in the direction of axis, the remaining step is the rotation damping adjustment of the tilting of the video camera 1 - video camera stabiliser 2 oscillating system around the X, Y and Z axes with the help of the turn regulator unit 30. For this the necessary pre-stressing of the damping inserts 36 situated in the first intermediate body 34 and in the second intermediate body 35 must be realised.

In order to regulate tilting around the second axis of rotation 33 of the turn regulator unit 30, the threaded disc 38d of the pre-stressing piece 38b of the given regulating mechanism 38 placed on the second intermediate body 35 must be turned. When the threaded disc 38d is turned, the threaded shank 38c connected to the threaded disc 38d via a thread either moves away from the second axis of rotation 33, or moves closer to it. While it moves, the threaded shank 38c either presses the coiled spring forming the energy-storing member 38a against the damping insert 36, i.e. against the friction insert 36a, which, as a result of the increasing compressing force, transfers greater friction force onto the second axis of rotation 32 while the second intermediate body 35 tilts around the second axis of rotation 33, or it reduces the pressure exerted onto the energy- storing member 38a, transferring by this a smaller compressing force onto the friction insert 36a, and indirectly onto the second axis of rotation 32, during the tilting of the second intermediate body 35.

A similar procedure is needed, when the damping of the tilting of the first intermediate body 34 around the first axis of rotation 31 needs to be adjusted. The only difference is that in this case the threaded shank 38c can be pressed with a greater or smaller force against the energy-storing member 38a by turning the threaded disc 38d of the pre-stressing piece 38b belonging to the regulating mechanism 38 placed in the first intermediate body 34, in order to increase or reduce the extent of the braking moment passed onto the first axis of rotation 31 by the friction insert 36a inserted between the energy-storing member 38a and the first axis of rotation 31 as a damping insert 36.

The swerving of the video camera 1 around the main axis 41 of the supporting piece 40 can be controlled in two ways. In order to set the extent of damping, the second regulating mechanism placed n the second intermediate body 35 needs to be used. The damping insert 36 connected to this regulating mechanism 38 is situated at the end of the second intermediate body 35 opposite the connecting element 32 in the vicinity of the supporting piece 40. Here again, during setting the threaded disc 38d of the regulating mechanism 38 must be turned, as a result of which the threaded shank 38c of the pre-stressing piece 38b of the energy-storing member 38a moves either downwards, towards the supporting piece 40, or upwards, towards the video camera 1. The force passed onto the energy-storing member 38a by the threaded shank 38c presses the friction insert 36a used here as damping insert 36 against the rotation-regulating disc 37c of the swerve-regulating part-unit 37 attached to the supporting piece 40, on which rotation-regulating disc 37c a friction-enhancing film-layer may be applied to supplement the damping insert 36. Depending on the extent of turning the threaded disc 38d and on the moving direction of the threaded shank 38c, smaller or larger friction force occurs between the friction insert 36a and the rotation-regulating disc 37c, which friction force has an influence on the angular velocity of the rotation of the video camera 1 around the main axis 41 of its supporting piece 40.

If the user does not want the second intermediate body 35 of the turn regulator unit 30, i.e. the video camera 1, to move at all with respect to the main axis 41 of the supporting piece 40, then the user must press one finger against the end of the supporting piece 40 near the turn regulator unit 30 in such a way that besides the supporting piece 40 the finger should also reach the stopping member 39 attached to the second intermediate body 35 of the turn-rotating unit 30. At this point the finger "locks together" the supporting piece 40 and the stopping member 39, and blocks their movement with respect to each other.

By setting the three regulating mechanisms 38, the extent and rate of the tilting, oscillation and turning of the video camera 1 around the X-Y-Z axes can be adjusted at a high precision, and by this it can be achieved that when the supporting piece 40 of the video camera stabiliser 2 is held in the hands, the generating forces deriving from the movement, turning or trembling of the hands of the user are not passed onto the video camera 1 attached to the holding member 3 of the video camera stabiliser2, or they are passed on only at the desired extent.

The video camera stabiliser according to the invention can be favourably used in cases, when equipment that can be set simply and precisely, has a favourable price and provides professional services is needed for recording good quality images. List of references

video camera video camera stabiliser holding member 0 centre of mass setting unit 11 base

12 lower slide

13 first moving part-unit

14 upper slide

15 second moving part-unit

16 guide piece

16a guide axis

16b sleeve

16c notch

17 adhesion-enhancing piece 17a opening

20 counterweight carrier unit 21 connecting arm

21a one end

21b other end

22 fixing piece

23 counterweight position setting part-unit

24 collecting rod

24a ribs

25 counterweight suspending structure

25a house

25b connecting piece

25c fixing piece

25d central opening

25e toothing

25f restoring element

25g threaded sleeve

26 casing

26a slot turn regulator unit 31 first axis of rotation

32 connecting element

33 second axis of rotation

34 first intermediate body

35 second intermediate body

36 damping insert

36a friction insert

36b friction-enhancing film layer

37 swerve-regulating part-unit 37a axis of rotati on

37b embedding element

37c rotation-regulating disc

38 regulating mechanism

38a energy-storing member 38b pre-stressing piece

38c threaded shank

38d threaded disc

39 stopping member supporting piece 41 main axis counterweight 51 passage

51a one end

51b other end

52 first connecting piece 52a threaded pin

53 second connecting piece 53a threaded sleeve

Claims

1. Manual video camera stabiliser with improved adjustment characteristics for damping forces displacing the video camera, which comprises a holding member (3) that can be attached to the video camera (1), a centre of mass setting unit (10) connected to the holding member (3), a turn regulator unit (30) connected to the centre of mass setting unit (10), and a supporting piece (40) connected to the turn regulator unit (30), where the centre of mass setting unit (10) has a base (11), a lower slide (12) connected to the base (11) with the help of guide pieces (16) in a way allowing sliding and an upper slide (14) connected to the lower slide (12) also with the help of guide pieces (16) in a way allowing sliding, a first moving part-unit (13) controlling the movement of the base (11) and the lower slide (12) with respect to each other and a second part-unit (15) controlling the movement of the lower slide (12) and the upper slide (14) with respect to each other, where the holding member (3) is connected to the upper slide(14) in a way allowing movement, and the centre of mass setting unit (10) has a counterweight carrier unit (20), where the counterweight carrier unit (20) has a bent connecting arm (21), a fixing piece (22) situated at one end (21a) of the connecting arm (21) and a weight- position setting part-unit (23) situated at the other end (21b) of the connecting arm (21), the turn regulator unit (30) has a first axis of rotation (31), a second axis of rotation (33) and a connecting element (32) situated between the two, and a first intermediate body (34) connected to the first axis of rotation (31) and a second intermediate body (35) connected to the second axis of rotation (33), the first intermediate body (34) is connected to the centre of mass setting unit (10), and the second intermediate body (35) is connected to the supporting piece (40), characterised by that one or more damping members (36) are inserted between the first intermediate body (34) of the turn regulator unit (30) and the first axis of rotation (31) connected to the first intermediate body (34), and between the second intermediate body (35) of the turn regulator unit (30) and the second axis of rotation (32) connected to the second intermediate body (35), and/or a swerve-regulating part-unit (37) for regulating the turning of the turn regulator unit (30) around the main axis (41) of the supporting piece (40) is inserted between the second intermediate body (35) of the turn regulator unit (30) positioned further away from the centre of mass setting unit (10) and the supporting piece (40), the swerve-regulating part-unit (37) has an axis of rotation (37a) and an embedding (37b) element co-acting with the axis of rotation (37a), where either the axis of rotation (37a) or the embedding element (37b) is attached to the supporting piece (40), while the other one is attached to the second intermediate body (35) of the turn regulator unit (30) in a fixed position, the embedding element (37b) is paired with a rotation-regulating disc (37c), and one or more damping members (36) are inserted between the rotation-regulating disc (37c) and the second intermediate body (35) of the turn regulator unit (30), and/or the guide pieces (16) between the base (11) and the lower slide (12) of the centre of mass setting unit (10) are formed by an ensemble of guide axes (16a) attached to the lower slide (12) and sleeves (16b) passing through the base and suitable for accommodating the guide axes (16a), while the guide pieces (16) between the lower slide (12) and the upper slide (14) of the centre of mass setting unit (10) are formed by an ensemble of guide axes (16b) attached to the upper slide (14) and sleeves (16a) passing through the lower slide (12) and suitable for accommodating the guide axes (16a), the sleeves (16b) are provided with notches (16c), adhesion enhancing pieces (17) made of a flexible material and having an opening (17a), e.g. rubber rings, are placed in the notches (16c), and the guide axes (16a) of the guide pieces (16) are taken through the openings (17a) of the adhesion enhancing pieces (17) inserted in the notches (16c) of the sleeves (16b) and then guided through the sleeves (16b), and/or the counterweight position setting part-unit (23) of the counterweight carrier unit (20) contains a collecting rod (24) with ribs (24a) and a counterweight suspending structure (25) co-acting with the collecting rod (24), where the counterweight suspending structure (25) has a house (25a) suitable for connecting counterweights (50), a restoring element (25f) placed in the house (25a) and a fixing piece (25c) having a central opening (25d), where the central opening (25d) of the fixing piece (25c) has toothing (25e) suiting the shape and size of the ribs (24a) of the collecting rod (24), the restoring element (25f) is inserted between the house (25a) and the fixing piece (25c), and in this way in the neutral position of the counterweight position setting part-unit (23) the toothing (25e) of the fixing piece (25c) is pressed against the ribs (24a) of the collecting rod (24).

2. Video camera stabiliser as in claim 1, characterised by that the damping member (36) is paired with a regulating mechanism (38), where the regulating mechanism (38) has an energy-storing member (38a) and a pre-stressing piece (38b) connected to the energy-storing member (38a), and the damping member (36) is connected to the energy-storing member (38a).

3. Video camera stabiliser as in claim 2, characterised by that the energy-storing member (38a) is a coiled spring, while the pre-stressing piece (38b) contains a threaded shank (38c) and a threaded disc (38d) co-acting with the threaded shank (38c).

4. Video camera stabiliser as in claim 2 or 3, characterised by that the damping member (36) is a friction insert (36a).

5. Video camera stabiliser as in any of claims 1-3, characterised by that the damping member (36) is formed by a friction-enhancing film layer (36b).

6. Video camera stabiliser as in any of claims 1-5, characterised by that the supporting piece (40) is supplemented with a finger rest (42), while the second intermediate body (35) of the turn regulator unit (30) is supplemented with a stopping member (39), and the stopping member (39) is attached to the second intermediate body (35) of the turn regulator unit (30) near the finger rest (42) of the supporting piece (40), in a fixed position.

7. Video camera stabiliser as in any of claims 1-6, characterised by that the counterweight carrier unit (20) is attached to the base (1 1) of the centre of mass setting unit (10) with the help of the fixing piece (22) placed at one end (21a) of the connecting arm (21).

8. Video camera stabiliser as in any of claims 1-7, characterised by that the collecting rod (24) of the counterweight position setting part-unit (23) of the counterweight carrier unit (20) is covered with a casing (26) having a slot (26a), the casing (26) is taken through the house (25a) and through the central opening (25d) of the fixing piece (25c) placed in the house (25a), while the toothing (25e) of the fixing piece (25c) goes through the slot (26a) of the casing (26) and is connected to the ribs (24a) of the collecting rod (24).

9. Video camera stabiliser as in any of claims 1-8, characterised by that the ribs (24a) of the collecting rod (24) are formed by a thread.

10. Video camera stabiliser as in any of claims 1-9, characterised by that the house (25a) has a first connecting piece (25b), while the individual counterweights (50) have a passage (51), and they are supplemented with a first connecting piece (52) at one end (51a) of the passage (51) and with a second connecting piece (53) at the other end (51b) of the passage (51), and the individual counterweights (50) are connected to each other and to the house (25a) of the counterweight suspending structure (25) with the help of the first connecting pieces (52) and second connecting pieces (53).

1 1. Video camera stabiliser as in claim 10, characterised by that the first connecting piece (25b) of the house (25a) is constructed as a threaded sleeve (25g), and the second connecting piece (53) of the counterweights (50) is also constructed as a threaded sleeve (53a), while the first connecting piece (52) of the counterweights (50) is constructed as a threaded pin (52a).

12. Video camera stabiliser as in any of claims 1-11, characterised by that the surface size of the opening (17a) of the adhesion enhancing pieces (17) is smaller than the cross-section of the guide axes (16a).