Optical node correcting circuit

Claim 2

In a compsite photography system of the registered matte type having foreground and background cameras and objects constituting a reference frame for each camera in a scene in the field of view of each camera, the size of objects in the background scene being on a scale substantially different from that of objects in the foreground scene, mounting means supporting each camera for movement about a pivotal point whereby a change in the perspective of each scene may be viewed by its respective camera, the nodal points of the foreground camera and of the background camera being respectively displaced by predetermined distances from their pivotal points, and the cameras being coupled for synchronizing the movement of the background camera with movement along X, Y, and Z-axes and pan and tilt of the foreground camera means for maintaining the perspective with which the background camera views its scene synchronized with the perspective with which the foreground camera views its scene during pan and tilt movements of the foreground camera comprising means at said foreground camera for generating pan and tilt signals, respectively representative of pan and tilt motion thereof, means responsive to said signals representative of foreground camera pan and tilt motion for generating first correctional signals representative of the displacement of the nodal point of said background camera from its pivotal point in response to said foreground camera pan and tilt signals, means responsive to said foreground camera pan and tilt signals for generating second correctional signals representative of the displacement of said foreground camera nodal point from its pivotal point in response to said foreground camera pan and tilt motion, means for scaling said second correctional signals in accordance with a predetermined scaling factor, means for adding said first and second scaled correctional signals to produce resulting correctional signals, and means responsive to said resulting correctional signals for moving the nodal point of said background camera to a nodal point location which, relative to the scene being viewed by said background camera, is identical with the nodal point location of the foreground camera relative to the scene being viewed by said foreground camera.

Claim 3

An apparatus as recited in claim 1 wherein said means for generating first correctional signals includes means for generating an N signal representative of the distance between the nodal and pivotal points of said background camera, a cosine 1 signal reprsentative of a cosine of the tilt angle to which said background camera is to be driven in response to the tilt of the foreground camera, a sine 1 signal representative of the sine of said tilt angle, a cosine 1 signal representative of the cosine of the pan angle to which said background camera is to be driven in response to the panning of said foreground camera, and a sine 1 signal representative of the sine of the pan angle, means for multiplying said N signal by said cosine 1 signal to provide a C signal, means for multipying said C signal by said cosine 1 signal to produce an X-axis rate signal, means for differentiating said first resultant signal, means for multiplying said C signal by said sine 1 signal to produce a second resultant signal, means for differentiating said second resultant signal to produce a Y-axis rate signal, means for multiplying said N signal by said sine 1 signal to produce a Z-axis correctional signal.

Claim 4

In a system as recited in claim 1 wherein said means for generating second correctional signals comprise means for generating a square root signal representative of the distance between said foreground camera pivotal point and nodal point, a cosine 1 signal, representativE of a cosine of the tilt angle of said foreground camera, a sine 1 signal representative of the sine of the tilt angle of said foreground camera, a cosine 1 signal representative of the cosine of the pan angle of said foreground camera, and a sine 1 signal representative of the sine of the pan angle of said foreground camera, means for multiplying said square root signal with said cosine 1 signal to produce a C2 signal, means for multiplying said C2 signal with said cosine 1 signal to produce an X-axis resultant signal, means for differentiating said X resultant signal to produce an X-axis corrective rate signal, means for multiplying said sine 1 signal with said C2 signal to produce a Y-axis corrective signal, means for differentiating said Y corrective signal to produce a Y-axis corrective rate signal, means for multiplying said square root signal by said sine 1 signal to produce a Z-axis corrective signal.

Claim 5

In a composite photography system of the registered matte type having foreground and background cameras and objects constituting a reference frame for each camera in a scene in the field of view of each camera, the size of the objects in the background scene being on a scale substantially different from that of objects in the foreground scene camera both cameras being supported for three dimensional movement and movement in pan and tilt, said foreground camera having means for generating X, Y and Z, pan and tilt signals, there being means for scaling said X, Y and Z signals, said background camera having means for responding to said scaled X, Y and Z signals and said pan and tilt signals for maintaining said background camera motion synchronized with said foreground camera, the improvement comprising means for correcting the background camera movement for displacement of the model and pivotal points of said foreground camera and for displacement of the nodal and pivotal points of said background camera comprising means for compensating for the displacement of the nodal points of said foreground and background cameras from their pivotal points comprising means for generating an N signal representative of the distance between the nodal point and pivotal point of said background camera, means responsive to said N signal and the pan and tilt signals of said foreground camera for generating first X, Y and Z corrective signals, means for generating a square root signal representative of the distance between the nodal points and the pivotal point of said foreground camera, means responsive to said square root signal and the pan and tilt movements of said foreground camera for generating second X, Y, and Z corrective signals, means for applying said second X, Y and Z corrective signals to said scaling means to be corrected for the difference in scale between said foregoing and background scenes, and means for applying said X, Y and Z scaled corrective signals and said first X, Y and Z corrective signals to said background camera to move it in response thereto whereby said background camera is positioned at a location which compensates for the distance between the pivotal and nodal points of both foreground and background cameras.

Claim 6

In a composite photography system of the registered matte type having foreground and background cameras and objects constituting a reference frame for each camera in a scene in the field of view of each camera, the size of the objects in the background scene being on a scale substantially different from that of objects in the foreground scene camera both cameras being supported for three dimensional movement and movement in pan and tilt, said foreground camera having means for generating X, Y and Z, pan and tilt signals, there being means for scaling said X, Y and Z signals, said background camera having means for responding to said scaled X, Y and Z signals and said pan and tilt signals for maintaining said background camera motion synchronized with said foreground camera, the improvement comprising means for correcting the background camera movement for displacement of the model and pivotal points of said foreground camera and for displacement of the nodal and pivotal points of said background camera comprising means for compensating for the displacement of the nodal points of said foreground and background cameras from their pivotal points comprising means for generating an N signal representative of the distance between the nodal point and pivotal point of said background camera, means responsive to said N signal and the pan and tilt signals of said foreground camera for generating first X, Y and Z corrective signals, means for generating a square root signal representative of the distance between the nodal points and the pivotal point of said foreground camera, means responsive to said square root signal and the pan and tilt movements of said foreground camera for generating second X, Y, and Z corrective signals, means for applying said second X, Y and Z corrective signals to said scaling means to be corrected for the difference in scale between said foregoing and background scenes, and means for applying said X, Y and Z scaled corrective signals and said first X, Y and Z corrective signals to said background camera to move it in response thereto whereby said background camera is positioned at a location which compensates for the distance between the pivotal and nodal points of both foreground and background cameras.

Claim 7

In a composite photography system of the registered matte type having foreground and background cameras and objects constituting a reference frame for each camera in a scene in the field of view of each camera, the size of objects in the background scene going on a scale substantially different from that of objects in the foreground scene, mounting mans supporting each camera for movement about a pivotal axis whereby to change the perspective of each scene is viewed by its respective camera, the nodal point of the foreground camera and of the background camera being respectively displaced by a predetermined distance from their pivotal aXes, said foreground camera generating signals representative of pan and tilt motion, and the cameras being coupled for synchronizing the movement of the background camera with movement along X, Y and Z-axes and pan and tilt of the foreground camera means for compensating for the displacement of the nodal point from the pivotal point of said background camera comprising means for generating a first distance signal representative of the distance between said background camera nodal and pivotal points, means responsive to pan and tilt signals generated by said foreground camera and to said distance signal for generating X, Y and Z-axis corrective signals indicative of the location to which said background camera nodal point must be moved in response to said foreground camera pan and tilt signals, to eliminate any error caused by the displacement of its nodal point from its pivotal point, and means for moving said background camera along its X, Y and Z axes in response to said X, Y and Z corrective signals.

Claim 8

In a composite photography system of the registered matte type having foreground and background cameras and objects constituting a reference frame for each camera in a scene in the field of view of each camera, the size of objects in the background scene going on a scale substantially different from that of objects in the foreground scene, mounting mans supporting each camera for movement about a pivotal axis whereby to change the perspective of each scene is viewed by its respective camera, the nodal point of the foreground camera and of the background camera being respectively displaced by a predetermined distance from their pivotal aXes, said foreground camera generating signals representative of pan and tilt motion, and the cameras being coupled for synchronizing the movement of the background camera with movement along X, Y and Z-axes and pan and tilt of the foreground camera means for compensating for the displacement of the nodal point from the pivotal point of said background camera comprising means for generating a first distance signal representative of the distance between said background camera nodal and pivotal points, means responsive to pan and tilt signals generated by said foreground camera and to said distance signal for generating X, Y and Z-axis corrective signals indicative of the location to which said background camera nodal point must be moved in response to said foreground camera pan and tilt signals, to eliminate any error caused by the displacement of its nodal point from its pivotal point, and means for moving said background camera along its X, Y and Z axes in response to said X, Y and Z corrective signals.

Claim 9

In a composite photography system of the registered matte type having foreground and background cameras and objects constituting a reference frame for each camera in a scene in the field of view of each camera, the size of objects in the background scene going on a scale substantially different from that of objects in the foreground scene, mounting means supporting each camera for movement about a pivotal axis whereby to change the perspective of each scene is viewed by its respective camera, the nodal point of the foreground camera and of the background camera being respectively displaced by a predetermined distance from their pivotal axes, said foreground camera generating signals representative of pan and tilt motion, and the cameras being coupled for synchronizing the movement of the background camera with movement along X, Y and Z axes and pan and tilt of the foreground camera means for compensating the background camera viewing perspective for the displacement of the nodal point from the pivotal point of said foreground camera comprising means for generating a square root signal representative of the distance between said pivotal and nodal points of said foreground camera, means responsive to said tilt angle signal to generate a signal representative of the sine of said tilt angle and another signal representative of the cosine of said tilt angle, means for multiplying said square root signal by said sine of said tilt angle signal to obtain a Z-axis corrective signal, means for multiplying said square root signal by said cosine of said tilt angle signal to obtain a C signal representative of the radius of a circle described by said nodal point when said foreground camera is panned, means responsive to said tilt angle signal for generating a signal representative of the sine of said tilt angle and for generating a signal representative of the cosine of said tilt angle, means for multiplying said C signal by said sine of said tilt angle signal to obtain a Y-axis corrective signal, means for multiplying said C signal by said cosine of said tilt angle signal to obtain an X axis corrective signal, means for differentiating said X and Y-axis corrective signals in accordance with the ratio of objects in said foreground and background scenes, and means for moving said background camera in response to said attenuated X and Y axis correctional signals and said Z axis correctional signals.

Claim 10

In a composite photography system of the registered matte type having foreground and background cameras and objects constituting a reference frame for each camera in a scene in the field of view of each camera, the size of objects in the background scene going on a scale substantially different from that of objects in the foreground scene, mounting means supporting each camera for movement about a pivotal axis whereby to change the perspective of each scene is viewed by its respective camera, the nodal point of the foreground camera and of the background camera being respectively displaced by a predetermined distance from their pivotal axes, said foreground camera generating signals representative of pan and tilt motion, and the cameras being coupled for synchronizing the movement of the background camera with movement along X, Y and Z axes and pan and tilt of the foreground camera means for compensating the background camera viewing perspective for the displacement of the nodal point from the pivotal point of said foreground camera comprising means for generating a square root signal representative of the distance between said pivotal and nodal points of said foreground camera, means responsive to said tilt angle signal to generate a signal representative of the sine of said tilt angle and another signal representative of the cosine of said tilt angle, means for multiplying said square root signal by said sine of said tilt angle signal to obtain a Z-axis corrective signal, means for multiplying said square root signal by said cosine of said tilt angle signal to obtain a C signal representative of the radius of a circle described by said nodal point when said foreground camera is panned, means responsive to said tilt angle signal for generating a signal representative of the sine of said tilt angle and for generating a signal representative of the cosine of said tilt angle, means for multiplying said C signal by said sine of said tilt angle signal to obtain a Y-axis corrective signal, means for multiplying said C signal by said cosine of said tilt angle signal to obtain an X axis corrective signal, means for differentiating said X and Y-axis corrective signals in accordance with the ratio of objects in said foreground and background scenes, and means for moving said background camera in response to said attenuated X and Y axis correctional signals and said Z axis correctional signals.