JP2819421B2 - Race photographing method and apparatus - Google Patents

Description

Description: TECHNICAL FIELD The present invention relates to a method and an apparatus for photographing a race such as a horse race, a bicycle race, and an athletics with a television camera or the like.

[Conventional technology]

In the conventional shooting method using a TV camera for racing such as horse racing, bicycle racing, and athletics, one or several cameras are installed in a certain place, and the camera is rotated and the camera is shot while following the racer. I have.

[Problems to be solved by the invention]

In most of the conventional photographing methods, the position of the camera is fixed, so that the photographing is performed in an oblique direction with respect to the traveling direction of the racer. In such a case, the ranking of the traveling racer is difficult to understand. . In particular, when a racer runs a certain width on a course like a horse race, the ranking is difficult to understand, and sometimes the shooting is reversed from the actual ranking.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION It is an object of the present invention to provide a photographing method capable of accurately photographing a running situation including a ranking of all or a part of a race that is particularly important.

[Means for solving the problem]

In order to achieve the above object, a photographing method according to the present invention is directed to a method for photographing a race on a substantially elliptical course consisting of two substantially semicircles facing each other and two substantially parallel straight lines connecting both ends thereof. , Are engaged with a trajectory of an arbitrary height on a straight line connecting substantially the center positions of the two semicircles, and a photographing direction is substantially perpendicular to a traveling direction of the racer on the course, and When the racer is running on a straight section of the course, the tracker runs on the track at approximately the same speed as the racer so that the facing camera always shoots the racer. When running in a section, a camera substantially above the center of the semicircular section rotates at an angular velocity substantially equal to that of the racer.

As another photographing method, an outer or inner side of the arc-shaped course is engaged with an orbit substantially concentric with the arc-shaped course, and the photographing direction is substantially perpendicular to the traveling direction of the racer on the course. In addition, the vehicle runs on the track at substantially the same angular velocity as the racer so that the camera facing the course always photographs the racer on the course.

[Action]

When the camera running on the orbit configured as described above always shoots the racer and runs at the same speed as the racer, or rotates or runs at the same angular speed as the racer, the screen shot by the camera always displays the racer Since the screen continues to be viewed from the direction perpendicular to the traveling direction, it is possible to accurately capture the traveling condition including the traveling order of the racer.

Basically, the shooting distance to the running racer is almost always constant, so there is no need for zooming when shooting the same range.

Since the shooting distance is shorter than the conventional method, a clear image can be obtained.

Basically, the shooting direction is always almost perpendicular to the racer's running direction, so when the racer is running on a straight course or on a semicircular course, the camera is running inside or outside it Sometimes, the camera only needs to run and does not need to traverse, and when the camera is at the center of the semicircular course, it only needs to rotate and does not need to run.

Basically, since the angle at which the camera looks down at the racer is almost always constant, it is not necessary to shake the camera up and down to capture the same range.

〔Example〕

An embodiment will be described with reference to the drawings.
As shown in FIG. 2, an elliptical course 1 consisting of two opposing semi-circles r and two parallel straight lines s connecting both ends thereof.
At positions 2, 3 at the same height from the center of the two semicircles r.
A traveling vehicle 5 traveling on a track, that is, a rail 4
There is a television camera 6 mounted to be rotatable left and right. The television camera 6 is substantially perpendicular to the running direction of the racer 7 and faces diagonally downward and forward.

Just before the racer starts, that is, when the racer 7 is aligned with the start line 8, the television camera 6 is vertically above the extension of the start line 8. Therefore, at this time, on the television screen, the start line 8 is shown in the vertical line portion at the center of the screen as shown in FIG. The trapezoid ABCD indicates the shooting range of the TV camera 6.

When the race starts and the racer 7 starts running in the direction of the arrow, the traveling vehicle 5 equipped with the television camera 6
It travels on the rail 4 at almost the same speed as the above, and the screen always shows the racer 7. When the racer 7 enters the semicircular portion, the television camera 6 starts rotating at the position 3 above the center point of the semicircle at the same angular velocity as the racer 7, and starts traveling again when entering the linear portion.

It is desirable that the driving of the traveling vehicle 5, the operation of the television camera, the transmission and reception of video signals, and the like are all performed wirelessly.

At the moment when the racer starts or when entering the arc from a straight section, the traveling of the traveling vehicle 5 or the television camera 6
The rotational movement of the lens requires extreme acceleration and deceleration, which may be a practical problem. The following methods can be considered as a countermeasure for this.

As a first method, as shown in FIG. 4, a television camera 6a is mounted on a traveling vehicle 5a running on an elliptical rail 4a at a fixed distance from the course 1 inside the course 1, and When photographing, the traveling vehicle 5a does not need to always stop. Further, if the semicircular portion of the rail 4a is formed not by an arc but by a dotted line, smoother acceleration / deceleration can be achieved.

Also, as shown in FIG. 5, a rail 4b may be provided outside the course 1 in the same manner. In this case, if the shape of the rail 4b is indicated by a dotted line, smooth acceleration / deceleration can be achieved.

As a second method, before the start, the speed of the traveling vehicle 5 is increased from the position 9 immediately before the position vertically above the extension of the start line 8 in FIG.
At the moment of the start, the traveling vehicle 5 is located almost vertically above the extension of the start line 8 and at approximately the same speed as the racer 7. Even when entering the arc from a straight section, the racer will always be in the center of the screen for the first time by rotating the camera while gradually reducing the linear motion.

A more ideal method is to provide a separate rotation-only camera on an axis that stands perpendicular to the center point of the semicircle, and when the number of linear motion cameras reaches a few, the rotation-only camera that has previously rotated Should be switched to At this time, the rail 4 needs to be extended so that the linear motion camera can stop after passing a few points. 13 is the goal.

Some racetracks have a slightly deformed oval course, as shown in Fig. 6, which differs from a simple semicircle with two parallel straight lines connecting both ends of the course. However, at this time, if the center of the arc-shaped part is assumed to be a few centers and this is the center of rotation of the TV camera, there is almost no problem in practical use. There is a marked difference.

In a race such as a horse race, the order from the last arc 12 to a straight course to the goal is particularly important.

On the other hand, in some racetracks, as shown in FIG. 6, a large-screen television 10 is provided in front of the seats 11 and inside the course 1 so that the television image can be shown to the customer. Shooting is hindered by the large-screen television 10 and cannot be taken at an important place immediately before the goal 13.

In addition, in the video displayed on the large-screen TV 10 by the fixed-point TV camera 14 provided on the grandstand side and in the general broadcast video, the actual running direction of the racer is the same as the running direction on the screen, so there is no discomfort. When the racer is not running on the front course, the direction that the racer is actually running is different from the direction that the racer is running on the screen, and when the racer is running on the near course, the sense of discomfort is reversed. strong.

As a means for solving these three problems, as shown in FIG. 7, excellent results can be obtained by a combination of several photographing methods.

First, from the start of the race, the area around the first arc portion 15 and into the front straight section 16 is photographed by the fixed point television camera 14 as before, and after entering the front straight section, the rail 4 of the present invention is taken. The mode is switched to shooting by the television camera 6 on the traveling vehicle 5 traveling above.

At the next arc 17, the television camera 6 rotating at 2 shoots, and from the last most important scene the last arc of the course
Arc-shaped rails provided concentrically on the outside of 12
A television camera 6b on a traveling vehicle 5b suspended by 4C captures an image while traveling at the same angular velocity as the racer 7.

Rail 4C is installed in parallel with the course from the straight line of the course to the goal, and the traveling vehicle suspended by this
5b is a linear motion, and the television camera 6b photographs the racer 7. At this time, the rail 4C is desirably provided on the roof of the seat 11 or on the back of the tip when the seat 11 is on the second or third floor.

Also, when switching from the television camera 6 to the television camera 6b, the running direction of the racer 7 is reversed, so that the first screen gradually disappears and the next screen gradually appears while the fade-in / fade-out appears so as to eliminate any discomfort. For example, it is desirable to take a picture of the television camera 6b taking a picture of running the last arc-shaped portion 12 in wide-angle photography and zoom up to telephoto to reduce discomfort.

At this time, the fixed point television camera 14 can share the television camera 6b.

In the above embodiment, the track is a rail provided at a position higher than the ground. Alternatively, the track may be at the same height as the ground, and the height of the traveling vehicle may be increased. A track may be installed on the ceiling in a stadium with wings, and a suspended traveling vehicle may be used.

Although the above embodiment relates to a horse race, the present invention can be effectively implemented in various races such as a bicycle race and an athletics. Further, in the above embodiment, the photographing camera is mounted on the traveling vehicle, but the photographing camera travels, rotates, and rotates as defined in the claims by any configuration such as integrally forming the photographing camera and the traveling vehicle. The present invention can be effectively implemented if photography is performed.

〔The invention's effect〕

Since the present invention is configured as described above, the ranking of all runs from the start of the race to the finish can be easily determined.
It is possible to see the race accurately, and even when watching from the bleachers at the racetrack, it is possible to grasp the race ranking more accurately when watching on the large screen TV by shooting of the present invention than watching the racer itself, It contributes to improving the enjoyment of watching races at broadcasts and racetracks, and preserving accurate records.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is a plan view of a racetrack, FIG. 2 is a cross-sectional view of a racetrack,
FIG. 3 is a plan view of a television screen, and FIGS. 4, 5, 6, and 7 are plan views of other racetracks. 1.… Course, 4.4a.4b.4c.… Rail, 5.5a.5b.… Traveling car, 6.6a.6b. …… TV camera, 7. …… Racer, 8.
… Start line, 10 …… Large-screen TV, 11 …… Balls,
13… Goal, 14 …… Fixed point television camera.

Claims (2)

(57) [Claims] 1. A method of photographing a race on a substantially elliptical course comprising two substantially semi-circles opposed to each other and two substantially parallel straight lines connecting both ends thereof, wherein an arbitrary height at a substantially constant distance from said course. Running on the course, and the shooting direction is substantially perpendicular to the running direction of the racer on the course, and the racer is straight on the course so that the camera facing the racer always shoots the racer on the course. Running at a speed substantially equal to the racer when running on a portion, and running or rotating at an angular speed substantially equal to the racer when the racer is running at a semicircular portion of the course. How to shoot a race. 2. A photographing apparatus for a substantially oval course comprising two substantially semi-circles facing each other and two substantially parallel straight lines connecting both ends thereof, wherein a camera is provided at an arbitrary distance substantially constant from said course. A race photographing apparatus that runs or rotates at a height of the race and can always photograph a racer on the course from a direction substantially perpendicular to the traveling direction.