Beckhoff Embedded PCs control SpiderCam® camera robot

EURO 2008: Spectacular television pictures with
PC Control

The 16 top teams in Europe are competing in the UEFA European Football Championship in Austria and Switzerland from 7th to 29th June 2008. The top event is being broadcast to 180 countries worldwide. SpiderCam® camera robots, mounted above the field, provide spectacular camera pictures. The state-of-the-art camera systems have been installed in a total of four European Championship stadiums: in the Ernst Happel Stadium in Vienna, the Wals-Siezenheim Stadium in Salzburg, the St. Jakob Park in Basel and the Stade de Genève in Geneva. The cameras are all controlled by Beckhoff PC-based control technology.

When Cristiano Ronaldo, Ruud van Nistelrooy and Michael Ballack hit their opponents on the break during the EURO 2008, they will be watched by numerous television cameras from various perspectives. Highly dynamic television pictures from the helicopter perspective are transmitted by the SpiderCam®, a camera robot (developed by the company of the same name) that moves the camera freely in all directions in space like a remote controlled flying object. A cable winch system, fixed to four masts on the roofs of the stands or other fixed points in the stadium, keeps the camera in the desired position. Cable winches that shorten and lengthen the cables and a coordinated control system drive the system, making it fast and agile.

Speeds of up to 9 m/s (32 km/h) are possible. In order to control this complex process, spidercam GmbH is using a CX1000 Embedded PC running Windows CE as an operating system for the central controller. Each winch station incorporates a CX9000 Embedded PC that communicates, using TwinCAT, through network variables with the CX1000 in the central control unit. Integrated TwinSAFE terminals ensure maximum safety, particularly at critical times such as the commissioning or when under manual control.

In spite of the complex technology, it is relatively easy to use the SpiderCam®. Only two people are needed to operate the camera system. While one flies the SpiderCam® through space with the aid of a joystick, the second operates the camera itself. A control monitor with online display provides accurate information about the exact position of the camera at all times.

Different cameras can be fitted to the camera head, or dolly, according to need. The image signals are transmitted to the director’s booth or the transmitter van along the glass fibre that is embedded in the plastic cables.

SpiderCam®
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