This invention relates to remotely controlled miniature or toy vehicles and more particularly to a radio controlled miniature vehicle having a video camera for transmitting real time video images.
Throughout the history of motion image production, such as video production and film-making, directors and producers have attempted to transport cameras along with moving subjects or targets to create images with the greatest emotional impact and realism. For example, if a runaway truck is shown careening down a steep mountain road, the viewer experiences greater suspense if the action is viewed from the front of the truck where the camera remains just ahead of the truck, rather than from a fixed position at the side of the road. Typically, a camera is mounted to the rear of a vehicle that remains in front of the truck at all times.
To achieve such realistic effects, movie engineers and technicians have created camera cars which are typically full-size vehicles to which platforms have been mounted. Various forms of rigging securely fix cameras and personnel to the platform while the camera car travels at high speeds following the subject.
Small, rapidly moving subjects, such as remote controlled toy vehicles and cars, are too small to effectively film or "shoot" in this manner. Miniature cars may travel at speeds up to fifteen miles per hour and are extremely agile and able to change direction quickly. The speed and agility of miniature race cars combined with their small size of approximately six to twenty-four inches in length, make action photography extremely difficult.
Various techniques have been used to produce such action photography, but each have significant limitations. It is known to place a camera and a human operator on a dolly or other movable platform and push the dolly so as to follow the subject. However, the size and weight requirements of this technique severely limit speed and maneuverability. Additionally, when filming a small toy vehicle the subject can only be seen from a downward angle thus, diminishing the presentation's dramatic impact and realism.
Mounting the camera and operator on a compact vehicle, such as an electric golf cart, increases the speed at which the camera and operator may travel, but speed and maneuverability are still severely limited. Available camera angles are also limited.
Another approach is to construct a long raised platform for the target toy car which follows a path parallel to the path travelled by the golf cart. This permits the camera lens to be positioned at a low point relative to the subject such that more dramatic camera angles may be used. However, this technique limits the subject to traveling along a single path and also limits the camera to recording the subject from only one side in any single shot. Construction of such ramps or paths are expensive and time consuming.
No known methods of shooting subjects such as remote controlled toy cars have been able to record continuous live-action images leading or following a subject vehicle where the target vehicle is able to travel under low-clearance obstacles and through tunnels and bridges.
Accordingly, it is an object of the present invention to provide a system for creating video images of a toy target vehicle.
It is another object of the present invention to provide a system for creating video images of a toy target vehicle where the video images are remotely transmitted to a base station.
It is a further object of the present invention to provide a system for creating video images of a toy target vehicle where the video camera is carried by a toy vehicle and remotely controlled.
It is yet another object of the present invention to provide a video image production system where the camera car, the camera, and the target car are controlled by wireless devices.