CA3054501A1

CA3054501A1 - Camera dolly and track

Info

Publication number: CA3054501A1
Application number: CA3054501A
Authority: CA
Inventors: Richard Mclaughlin
Original assignee: Ricfae Enterprises Inc
Current assignee: Ricfae Enterprises Inc
Priority date: 2019-09-06
Filing date: 2019-09-06
Publication date: 2021-03-06

Abstract

A camera dolly has a wheeled chassis and a work platform carried by the wheeled chassis. A track is mounted onto the work platform and is a linear track having a first end and a second end. A mobile camera mount is mounted to the track such that it is able to move freely along the track between the first end and the second end. The mobile camera mount has an attachment for a camera.

Description

CAMERA DOLLY AND TRACK
TECHNICAL FIELD
[0001] This relates to devices for manipulating a camera, in particular a camera, such as may be used to capture motion pictures, that moves along a track.
BACKGROUND

[0002] When using a camera, such as a digital or film camera used to capture motion pictures, it is often desirable to allow the camera to move along a track in a linear direction (a tracking shot) such that the camera moves smoothly during the shot. Often tracks need to be constructed on the ground for each individual shot, which can be a time consuming and expensive process. U.S. Patent No. 5,711,227 (Johnson) entitled "Portable and collapsible dolly and track" discloses a dolly and track that can be folded for transportation.
SUMMARY

[0003] According to an aspect, there is provided a camera dolly, comprising a wheeled chassis, a work platform carried by a wheeled chassis, a track mounted to the work platform, the track being a linear track and having a first end and a second end, and a mobile camera mount mounted to the track, the mobile camera mount comprising an attachment for a camera, and wheels that engage the track such that the mobile camera mount is able to move freely along the track between the first end and the second end.

[0004] According to other aspects, the camera dolly may include one or more of the following features, alone or in combination: a portion of the track may extend past an outer perimeter of the work platform; the camera dolly may further comprise one or more height adjustable track supports that support the portion of the track that extends past the outer perimeter of the work platform; the attachment may comprise a telescoping support column, a camera jib, a rotating stand, or combinations thereof; the chassis may comprise stabilizing jacks; there may be rollers that are detachably mounted to stabilizing jacks and that are adapted to engage and move along a ground track as the stabilizing jacks support the wheeled chassis above the ground track; the track may comprise a plurality of track sections that connect end to end; the dolly may further comprise a seating platform on the chassis and above the track; and the track may be less than 50cm above the work platform of the chassis.

[0005] According to an aspect, there is provided a method of capturing a tracking shot with a camera, the method comprising the steps of moving a camera dolly to a desired location, the camera dolly comprising a wheeled chassis and a work platform carried by a wheeled chassis, immobilizing the work platform at the desired location, mounting a track to the work platform, the track extending linearly between a first end and a second end, the camera dolly acting as an anchor for the track, mounting a mobile camera mount to the track, the mobile camera mount comprising an attachment for the camera, and wheels that engage the track such that the mobile camera mount is able to move freely along the track between the first end and the second end, mounting a camera on the mobile camera mount, and moving the mobile camera mount along the track while the camera is operating such that the camera moves along a camera path of the tracking shot.

[0006] According to other aspects, the method may include one or more of the following features, alone or in combination: stabilizing the work platform may comprise engaging a ground surface with jacks mounted to the wheeled chassis; a portion of the track may extend past an outer perimeter of the work platform; the method may further comprise the step of using one or more height adjustable track supports to support the portion of the track that extends past the outer perimeter of the work platform; the step of mounting the track to the work platform may further comprise attaching more than one track section in end to end relation; and the camera attachment may comprise a telescoping support column, a camera jib, a rotating stand, or combinations thereof.

[0007] According to an aspect, there is provided a method of assembling a track for a camera mount comprising the steps of moving a first camera dolly to a desired location, the first camera dolly comprising a wheeled chassis and a work platform carried by a wheeled chassis, immobilizing the work platform of the first camera dolly, connecting a plurality of track sections in end to end relation to form the track, at least one track section being mounted to the work platform, a portion of the track extending past an outer perimeter of the work platform, and supporting the portion of the track that extends past the outer perimeter of the work platform using one or more height adjustable supports that extend between a ground surface and the track

[0008] According to other aspects, the method may comprise one or more of the following features, alone or in combination: the method may further comprise the step of mounting a further portion of the track to a second camera dolly spaced from the first camera dolly, the second camera dolly comprising a wheeled chassis and a work platform carried by the wheeled chassis; immobilizing the work platform may comprise engaging a ground surface with jacks mounted to the wheeled chassis; the method may further comprise the step of mounting the camera mount to the track, the camera mount engaging the track such that the camera is movable along the track; the track may be linear.

[0009] In other aspects, the features described above may be combined together in any reasonable combination as will be recognized by those skilled in the art.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0010] These and other features will become more apparent from the following description in which reference is made to the appended drawings, the drawings are for the purpose of illustration only and are not intended to be in any way limiting, wherein:
FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a camera dolly with a track.
FIG. 2 is a perspective view of a camera dolly with one end of a track extending off a work platform.
FIG. 3 is a perspective view of a camera dolly with both ends of a track extending off a work platform.
FIG. 4 is an elevated end view of a camera mount engaged to a track.
FIG. 5 is perspective view of the bottom of a camera mount.
FIG. 6 is a perspective view of a camera dolly on a ground-mounted track.
FIG. 7 is an elevated side view of a track connected between two dollies.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

[0011] A camera dolly, generally identified by reference numeral 10, will now be described with reference to FIG. 1 through 6.

[0012] Referring to FIG. 1, camera dolly 10 has a wheeled chassis 12.
As depicted, wheeled chassis 12 has a set of four wheels 16, two of which are smaller and steerable. The arrangement of the wheels for wheeled chassis 12 may take various forms as are known in the art, depending on the preferences of the user. For example, there may be two wheels to be used similar to a handcart, three wheels, or more than four wheels, with any practical number of wheels being steerable. Some or all of wheels 16 may also be removable.
Camera dolly 10 may have a handle 18 that can be used to manoeuvre dolly 10. It may be advantageous to design handle 18 to be adjustable to improve usability. Handle 18 may also be retractable or removable for storage or to avoid unnecessary obstacles during use. Dolly 10 may be designed such that it can be disassembled. For example, dolly 10 may be disassembled when transporting between sets or for storage.

[0013] Chassis 12 may have stabilizers, such as stabilizing jacks 20 at each corner as shown that are used to stabilize camera dolly 10 in a desired location, such as at a filming location. Stabilizing jacks 20 may be detachably mounted to chassis 12. The stabilizers may be any suitable type of stabilizer that is known in the art, and may be removably or permanently attached to chassis 12. Stabilizers are generally extendable or telescopic such that they can be lowered to engage different ground surfaces in order to stabilize dolly 10.
This may involve a scissor-type jack, a telescopic-type jack, a ratchet-type jack, etc.
Stabilizing jacks 20 may be lowered into engagement with the ground such that chassis 12 is stabilized against movement when weight is applied to work platform 14, which may require wheels 16 to be raised off the ground. It will be understood that there may be other methods of stabilizing dolly 10 known in the art, such as using wheels 16 that have locking brakes, using solid wheels that resist compression, etc. Chassis 12 may have a seating platform 22 removably attached to chassis 12 that a camera operator can sit on while operating the camera.

[0014] Wheeled dolly carries a work platform 14. As depicted, work platform 14 is a flat, planar structure that is the top surface of chassis 12, however work platform 14 may be any structure capable of supporting track 30 and carried with chassis 12.

[0015] A track 30 is mounted on platform 14. Track 30 is a linear track that has a first end 32 and a second end 34 and defines a linear path along which a mobile camera mount 50 is able to move. Track 30 is preferably designed to engage with and accommodate mobile camera mount 50 in a stable manner. While other designs are possible, track 30 as depicted has top flanges 36 that extend horizontally toward each other that are engaged on top and bottom by rollers carried by camera mount 50, as will be discussed below.
Track 30 may have stops 38 at first end 32 and second end 34 to confine camera mount 50 on track 30.
Preferably, stops 38 are made from a cushioning material to prevent undue jarring if the end of track 30 is reached. In the depicted example, track 30 is mounted directly to work platform 14 such that it lies along the length of dolly 10. While top flanges 36 will inherently be above it may be raised slightly, they are preferably low enough that camera mount 50 is within comfortable stepping distance generally at floor level, such as within about 20 cm and not more than 50 cm. Track 30 will generally be mounted below seating platform 22, if present, to allow a user to use camera mount 50 while seated.

[0016] Referring to FIG. 2 and 3, one or both of first end 32 and second end 34 may extend outside an outer perimeter 15 of work platform 14, or in the depicted embodiment where track 30 extends end to end, past each end of platform 14. The portion of track 30 that extends past each end may be supported by one or more height adjustable track supports 40 that extend between track 30 and a ground surface 31.

[0017] Referring to FIG. 3, dolly 10 is shown with removable handle

18, seating platform 22, and two wheels 16 removed to allow track 30 to be extended in both directions.
Track 30 may be made from a plurality of track sections 30a, 30b, 30c, etc.
that are connected in end to end relation such that a second end 34a of track section 30a is connected to a first end 32b of track section 30b. As depicted in FIG. 3 and FIG. 4, track sections 30a, 30b, etc.
are connected via pin connections 42 that maintain a smooth transition between adjacent sections and latches 44 that secure adjacent sections together. It will be understood that the additional track sections may be connected using other types of connections known in the art.
By connecting additional track sections end to end, the length of track 30 may be made as long as required, using work platform 14 as a support, and if required, may be used to transport the required track sections when configured as a cart. As shown, each additional track section 30b, 30c is supported by an extendable and adjustable leg 40 that is used to level track 30. The design and number of adjustable legs may be modified according to the needs of a particular system.
[0018] Referring to FIG. 4 and FIG. 5, mobile camera mount, generally identified by reference numeral 50, has a mounting platform 52 that engages the flanges 36 of track 30 via a plurality of mount wheels 54 that allow camera mount 50 to move freely along track 30.
Mount wheels 54 are preferably configured to allow camera mount 50 to move along track 30 between first end 32 and second end 34, as shown in FIG. 1. While other configurations may be used, referring to FIG. 4 and FIG. 5, the depicted example of camera mount 50 has top wheels 54a, side wheels 54b, and up-stop wheels 54c that engage flanges 36 in three directions to secure camera mount against falling off track 30 regardless of the forces applied or where the center of gravity is moved relative to track 30. Wheels 54a, 54b, and 54c may be adjustable or removable in order to accommodate different tracks 30 and flanges 36, or to allow camera mount 50 to be removed from track 30. Camera mount 50 may have brakes 56 that can be selectively engaged in order to secure camera mount 50 in a single location along the length of track 30. For example, brakes 56 may be engaged before dolly 10 is moved around to prevent unwanted movement of camera mount 50.

[0019] Work platform 14, track 30, and mobile camera mount 50 are preferably designed to accommodate various types of cameras and filming techniques. As depicted, camera mount 50 has an attachment 58 for a camera 60. Attachment 58 may take different forms depending on the specific shot to be taken with camera 60. As depicted, mounting platform 52 has a flat top surface 53 to which attachment 58 is connected, however other structures may be used that allow the mounting of camera 60. Attachment 58 may connect camera 60 directly to camera mount 50, or attachment 58 may be made from components that allow for additional spatial manipulation of camera 60. In one example, shown in FIG. 1, camera 60 is mounted to camera mount 50 via a telescoping post 62 that allows for vertical movement of camera 60 relative to camera mount 50 and a camera holder 64 that holds camera 60. Camera 60 may be rotatable about a vertical axis with respect to camera mount 50 and camera holder 64 may allow for manipulation of camera 60 in other directions. In another example, shown in FIG. 2 and FIG. 3, a jib 66 is included between camera holder 64 and telescoping post 62 to allow further freedom of movement of camera 60 in space relative to camera mount 50. Jib 66 may also be rotatable about a vertical axis with respect to camera mount 50. Dolly 10 may have one or more camera jib holders 68, which camera 60 at the end of jib 66 may be engaged with when not in use, such as when dolly 10 is moved. Other configurations of attachment 58 can be used, and are well known to those skilled in the art.

[0020] In another embodiment, camera dolly 10 may be configured to move along a track 70 already mounted to the ground. Referring to FIG. 6, dolly 10 may have a plurality of rollers 72 that engage external track 70, such that when they are engaged, dolly 10 moves along external track 70. As depicted, rollers 72 are removably connected to the bottom of stabilizing jacks 20 and can be raised or lowered to selectively engage external tracks 70.
Other configurations of rollers 72 known in the art may be used, such as other attachments for rollers 72 in addition to stabilizing jacks 20, or rollers 72 may be connected in place of wheels 16.

[0021] A method of assembling track 30 and using track 30 to shoot a tracking shot for a motion picture using camera dolly 10 will now be described.

[0022] Camera dolly 10 is first moved to a desired location where the tracking shot will be taken. As camera dolly 10 is moved to the desired location, it may be used to carry track and some or all of any additional track sections 30b, 30c, (as shown in FIG.
3) that may be required. Referring to FIG. 1, track 30 may be mounted to work platform 14 prior to being 25 moved, or it may be assembled on location. Similarly, mobile camera mount 50 may be mounted onto track 30 before camera dolly 10 is moved to the desired location, or may be assembled on location. Once camera dolly 10 is moved to the desired location, work platform 14 is immobilized to remain in that position. Work platform 14 may be immobilized using jacks 20 connected to chassis 12 or by other methods.

[0023] Referring to FIG. 3, when camera dolly 10 has been immobilized at the desired location, track 30 is mounted to work platform 14 such that the portion of track 30 on work platform 14 extends linearly along a desired path for camera mount 50 to take.
Track 30 may extend outside of a perimeter 15 of work platform 14 and one or more height adjustable supports 40 may be connected between track 30 and the ground to support sections 30b and 30c of track 30. Camera dolly 10 may also be used to move camera mount 50 with an operator, although the use of track 30 will allow for smoother shots to be taken.

[0024] Mobile camera mount 50 is mounted to track 30 such that it is able to move freely along track 30 between first end 32 and second end 34. Camera mount 50 may be mounted on to track 30 by any method known in the art, such as removing stop 38 (shown in FIG. 1) and sliding camera mount 50 on to one end of track 30 and replacing stop 38, or by removing up-stop wheels 54c, placing camera mount 50 on top of track 30 and reattaching up-stop wheels 54c. If attachment 58 and camera 60 are not already affixed on camera mount 50 they may be attached at this point. Mobile camera mount 50 is then moved along track 30 to allow camera 60 to capture a tracking shot.

[0025] Referring to FIG. 2 and 3, track 30 may be assembled by connecting a plurality of track sections 30a, 30b, etc., in end to end relation. At least one track section 30a will be mounted to work platform 14, either before or after work platform 14 has been immobilized.
Then, after work platform 14 has been immobilized, the remaining track sections 30b and 30c are connected in end to end relation with track sections 30 on work platform 14. As depicted, track sections 30a, 30b, 30c are connected using pin connections 42 to align track sections and then securing them together using latches 44. One or more height adjustable supports 40 that extend between the ground surface and track 30 are used to support the portion of track that extends past perimeter 15 of work platform 14. Track 30 that extends past may extend 25 linearly, or may incorporate curved sections (not shown) such that camera mount 50 can change direction as it travels along track 30. Once track 30 has been connected and supported, mobile camera mount 50 may be mounted to track 30 such that it can move along the length of track 30.
30 [0026] Referring to FIG. 7, a further portion of track 30 may be mounted to a second dolly 10b spaced apart from a first dolly 10a. The additional track 30 may be connected to the track on the first dolly 10a such that mobile camera mount 50 can travel along track 30 over both the first and second dollies 10a and 10b. A single track 30 may be mounted on any number of dollies 10.
[0027] In one example, dolly 10 may be used to quickly move track 30 to a new desired location for capturing another tracking shot. After the required shot has been captured, mobile camera mount 50 may be moved to a position on track 30 that is within perimeter 15 of work platform 14, and brakes 56 may be engaged to flanges 36 of track 30 to secure camera mount 50 into that position. Track sections that are not mounted to work platform 14 may be disconnected and removed from track 30. If any wheels 16 were removed, they are reattached and dolly 10 is then mobilized, such as by raising jacks 20 so that dolly 10 can be moved on wheels 16. Dolly 10, with camera mount 50 secured on top of it, may then be moved to a new filming location. Once secured at that location, track 30 can then be reassembled at the desired location to capture a new shot. The same method, without the camera mount, may be repeated for any additional dollies 10 that may be used.
[0028] In this patent document, the word "comprising" is used in its non-limiting sense to mean that items following the word are included, but items not specifically mentioned are not excluded. A reference to an element by the indefinite article "a" does not exclude the possibility that more than one of the elements is present, unless the context clearly requires that there be one and only one of the elements.
[0029] The scope of the following claims should not be limited by the preferred embodiments set forth in the examples above and in the drawings, but should be given the broadest interpretation consistent with the description as a whole.

Claims

What is Claimed is:

1. A camera dolly, comprising:
a wheeled chassis;
a work platform carried by a wheeled chassis;
a track mounted to the work platform, the track being a linear track and having a first end and a second end; and a mobile camera mount mounted to the track, the mobile camera mount comprising an attachment for a camera, and wheels that engage the track such that the mobile camera mount is able to move freely along the track between the first end and the second end.

2. The dolly of claim 1, wherein a portion of the track extends past an outer perimeter of the work platform.

3. The dolly of claim 2, further comprising one or more height adjustable track supports that support the portion of the track that extends past the outer perimeter of the work platform.

4. The dolly of claim 1, wherein the attachment comprises a telescoping support column, a camera jib, a rotating stand, or combinations thereof.

5. The dolly of claim 1, wherein the chassis comprises stabilizing jacks.

6. The dolly of claim 5, further comprising rollers that are detachably mounted to stabilizing jacks, the rollers being adapted to engage and move along a ground track as the stabilizing jacks support the wheeled chassis above the ground track.

7. The dolly of claim 1, wherein the track comprises a plurality of track sections that connect end to end.

8. The dolly of claim 1, further comprising a seating platform on the chassis and above the track.

9. The dolly of claim 1, wherein the track is less than 50cm above the work platform of the chassis.

10. A method of capturing a tracking shot with a camera, the method comprising the steps of:
moving a camera dolly to a desired location, the camera dolly comprising a wheeled chassis and a work platform carried by a wheeled chassis;
immobilizing the work platform at the desired location;
mounting a track to the work platform, the track extending linearly between a first end and a second end, the camera dolly acting as an anchor for the track;
mounting a mobile camera mount to the track, the mobile camera mount comprising an attachment for the camera, and wheels that engage the track such that the mobile camera mount is able to move freely along the track between the first end and the second end;
mounting a camera on the mobile camera mount; and moving the mobile camera mount along the track while the camera is operating such that the camera moves along a camera path of the tracking shot.

11. The method of claim 10, wherein stabilizing the work platform comprises engaging a ground surface with jacks mounted to the wheeled chassis.

12. The method of claim 10, wherein a portion of the track extends past an outer perimeter of the work platform.

13. The method of claim 12, further comprising the step of using one or more height adjustable track supports to support the portion of the track that extends past the outer perimeter of the work platform.

14. The method of claim 10, wherein the step of mounting the track to the work platform further comprises attaching more than one track section in end to end relation.

15. The method of claim 10, wherein the camera attachment comprises a telescoping support column, a camera jib, a rotating stand, or combinations thereof.

16. A method of assembling a track for a camera mount comprising the steps of:
moving a first camera dolly to a desired location, the first camera dolly comprising a wheeled chassis and a work platform carried by a wheeled chassis;
immobilizing the work platform of the first camera dolly;
connecting a plurality of track sections in end to end relation to form the track, at least one track section being mounted to the work platform, a portion of the track extending past an outer perimeter of the work platform; and supporting the portion of the track that extends past the outer perimeter of the work platform using one or more height adjustable supports that extend between a ground surface and the track.

17. The method of claim 16, further comprising the step of mounting a further portion of the track to a second camera dolly spaced from the first camera dolly, the second camera dolly comprising a wheeled chassis and a work platform carried by the wheeled chassis.

18. The method of claim 16, wherein immobilizing the work platform comprises engaging a ground surface with jacks mounted to the wheeled chassis.

19. The method of claim 16, further comprising the step of mounting the camera mount to the track, the camera mount engaging the track such that the camera is movable along the track.

20. The method of claim 16, wherein the track is linear.