The Walt Disney Company

Iwerks Entertainmnet

Robert H Gurr

Bruce S Johnson

Donald W Iwerks

The reversing film projection system employs film having images printed substantially side-by-side to allow presentation of one set of images in a forward direction and the adjacent images in rearward direction by moving the projection head and associated aperture plate and film guide laterally with respect to the lens and lamp house for display of the film images. In a first forward drive position, the projector motor drives the film in a forward direction with a first aperture of the aperture plate and associated first set of film images aligned with the optical train. Upon completion of the image presentation in the forward direction, the projection head is displaced laterally aligning a second aperture in the aperture plate and the associated second set of film images with the optical train, with the projection motor engaged in a reversed direction. Actuators for motion of the projection head, dowser controls and film transport drive are microprocessor controlled employing absolute frame count for various film presentations.

Reversing film projection system

A robotic assembly is provided that simulates the size, appearance and movement of a human torso. The torso includes a unique combination of high speed rotary and linear actuators arranged in a geometry that enables anatomically correct human-like movement, and which provides sufficient internal room and mounting surfaces for the actuators and related equipment such as hydraulic or pneumatic lines, electronic control circuits, valves, and audio playback devices. A preferred embodiment of the present invention provides up to nine degrees of freedom. The upper torso includes a pair of rotary arm actuators ('rotacs') for rotating arms up to 200 degrees. The rotacs are pivotally attached to a centrally located mounting structure for up-and-down motion (shoulder shrugging) and for forward-and-back motion (shoulder forward). Movement of each rotac for shrugging and shoulder forward is driven by a pair of linear actuators which are attached between the centrally located mounting structure and the output end of each rotac, with one located at the back (for driving the rotac forward-and-back) and one located above the rotac (for lifting and lowering the output shaft of the rotac). The rotary and linear actuators which move the arms and shoulders can be independently controlled to enable the left arm/shoulder to move independently of the right, or can be ganged together to enable the left and right shoulder/arm to be moved in concert. The lower torso potion of the assembly includes a torso twist rotac which is attached to a base (to which could be connected a leg assembly) such that the output shaft extends vertically upwards. The output shaft of a second rotac is rigidly mounted to the output shaft of the torso twist rotac so that it is held in a substantially horizontal position, thus enabling the housing of the second rotac to rotate about its horizontal output shaft, thus providing a torso sidebend function. The housing of the centrally located mounting structure is pivotally connected to a pair of legs extending away from the housing of the second rotac, and a linear actuator is used to link the centrally located mounting structure to the second rotac-linking the upper and lower torso and providing the torso forebend function.

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Tujunga, CA, United States of America

Robert H Gurr