A Microprocessor Based Camera Remote Control Unit

The introduction of the TK-47 automatic color camera at NAB 1978 added a new impetus to the evolution of TV camera technology. This represented the world's first color camera chain which decisively embraced the now firmly established digital semi-conductor memory. The multiplicity of remote control potentiometers traditionally found on color camera CCU's are now totally eradicated and replaced instead by a couple of chips of semi-conductor RAM. The latter, in turn, are supervised by a microprocessor and the loading or updating is from a remote digital terminal. Because this new memory is now resident within each individual camera chain and not, as formerly, within the CCU potentiometers the digital remote terminal no longer constitutes an integral component of the camera chain. Rather, it now assumes the role of technical supervisor and electrically it can now be delegated to any of a large number of cameras within a TV complex. The terminal affords microprocessor assisted manual alignment of the total camera chain, as well as at the touch of a button, a sophisticated automatic system that will completely and automatically align the camera chain. All control interconnections within the camera system are via a serial digital data bus.

Published

1983-02

Content type

Original Research

DOI

10.5594/M00612

ISBN

978-1-61482-913-3