Modular airborne flir support and extension structure

[0002] This invention on relates generally to airborne imaging systems and more particularly to infrared camera tracking of vehicles and individuals from surveillance aircraft.

[0003] The use of cameras in aircraft for aerial mapping has been widely used in the latter half of the 20^thcentury for not only aerial mapping but also forest management, agricultural surveys, weather, and surveillance as exemplified in U.S. Pat. No. 4,114,839 issued to Sibley. This patent illustrates a camera extension structure for aircraft having conventional rear opening ramps which open and extends the camera horizontally into the slipstream to rear of the aircraft.

[0004] There have been various other methods of supporting and extending various types of cameras in aircraft, such as U.S. Pat. No. 5,894,323 to Kain, which mounts a camera platform in the place of a baggage door on the side of an aircraft which can be quickly removed for a non-photo mission.

[0005] US. Pat. No. 3,917,199 to Dewitt teaches a detachable pod which removably attaches to the bottom of the fuselage and contains a plurality of aerial photography cameras the operation of which are controlled from the inside of the aircraft. This detachable pod is also removable for other uses of the aircraft.

[0006] The present invention is a support and extension structure for an infrared camera generally referred to as a FLIR which is modular and quickly removable from the aircraft. The FLIR, its support and extension structure is mounted and supported on the aircraft seat tracks over an opening in the floor of the fuselage and a sliding door in the cargo pod located under the fuselage. The FLIR extension structure comprises a box structure containing a plurality of vertically positioned tails which in turn support a tracking plate having linear bearings around its periphery for sliding up and down the rails which in turn supports the FLIR camera rotatably mounted on the bottom thereof about a vertical axis. The tracking plate can extend from its retracted position with the FLIR camera fully within the aircraft to an extended position with the FLIR camera extending into the slipstream. The tracking plate is actuated by two pairs of sprockets connected by drive chains which are mounted to the box structure and the drive chains are connected to the tracking plate for moving the tracking plate and FLIR camera. The sprockets are driven by a motor through a drive shaft which lowers the tracking plate against a box frame structure attached to the skin of the aircraft which stops the tracking plate and retains the camera in a precise aligned position. When the FLIR camera is fully retracted, the aircraft has a conventional appearance as a normal cargo-carrying aircraft.

[0007] The principal object of the present invention is to provide a support and extension structure for a FOR camera which extends through a sliding door in a conventional cargo pod.

[0008] Another object of the present invention is to provide a support and extension structure for a FLIR camera which is not visible from the exterior of the aircraft in its retracted position.

[0009] A further object of the present invention is to provide a modular and readily removable FLIR camera support and extension structure from an aircraft.

[0010] Other objectives and advantages of the invention will become more apparent after referring to the Mowing specifications and attached drawings.

[0011] For a better understanding of the present invention, reference is made to the accompanying drawings which ate incorporated herein by reference and in which:

[0012] FIG. 1 is a side view of the aircraft with portions broken away to illustrate the positioning of the FLIR camera in its extended position;

[0013] FIG. 2 is a partial top plan view of the fuselage in section with portions broken away to illustrate the position of the FLIR support structure;

[0014] FIG. 3 is a perspective view of the FLIR support structure with the FLIR in the retracted position and portions of the box structure and top cover removed;

[0015] FIG. 4 is a top view of the FLIR support structure with the top cover removed;

[0016] FIG. 5 is a perspective view of the FLIR support and extension structure, and the connecting aircraft structure, the cargo pod and opened door through which the FLIR is extended in its operative position; and,

[0017] FIG. 6 is a symbolic illustration of the extension structure of the camera.

[0018] FIG. 1 generally illustrates the location of the FLIR support and extension structure, which is generally identified by reference 10. Personnel 15 positioned in front of monitors control the operation of the FLIR camera which can be multiple cameras. The FLIR and its support structure are modular and easily removable from the aircraft through door 11 by a portable crane, forklift, or cherry picker, not shown in the drawing. The support structure and camera 10 are mounted on and carried by seat rails 52, as shown in FIGS. 2 and 3. The FLIR in its retracted position, shown in FIG. 3, is completely within the cargo pod 50 and is covered by a closed sliding door 51, which is shown in FIG. 5. The FLIR support structure extends downwardly through an opening in the aircraft fuselage 36 as shown in FIG. 5. The weight of the FLIR and its support structure is transferred to the seat rails 52 of the aircraft through a pallet 22, as shown in FIGS. 3 and 5.

[0019] The support structure for the FLIR camera comprises a stationary box structure 16, as seen in FIG. 3, comprising corner logs 20, which join a top plate 18 to the pallet structure 22. Supported by the box structure 16 are a plurality of four vertical guide rails 24, only which two can be seen in FIG. 3, while all four are shown in FIG. 4. These guide rails 24 precisely control the movement and alignment of tracking plate 14 and the FLIR through linear bearings 26 as best seen in FIG. 4. Attached to the bottom of tracking plate 14 is a sleeve 34 which attaches to FLIR protective housing 12. FLIR housing 12 is spherical in shape having a planer surface window 13, as shown in FIG. 5, through which the FLIR camera functions.

[0020] The FLIR camera or cameras, which are not shown, can be any type and size of those currently on the market as exemplified in U.S. Pat. No. 5,383,645. The FLIR camera is gimbal mounted so that it rotates about vertical and horizontal axis so that it can look in any direction or track any object as the aircraft moves, none of which is part of the present invention.

[0021] The drive mechanism for extending and retracting the FLIR housing 12, includes two pairs of sprockets 30 mounted on opposite comers of box structure 16 as seen in FIG. 3 with two of the sprockets 30 located at the top of the box structure 16 while a mating pair of sprockets, not seen in FIG. 3, are located at the bottom of the box structure. The sprockets 30 are connected by a drive chain 31, as best seen in FIG. 6. Drive chain 31 in turn is connected to tracking plate 14 for extending the FLIR from its fully retracted position in FIG. 3 to its fully extended position as shown in FIG. 5.

[0022] The drive means for the FLIR support structure comprises a motor 44, as seen in FIGS. 3 and 4, which drives a gear box 28 which in turns drives sprockets 30 through a common drive shaft 29, all of which is common structure well-known in the art and not shown in detail. Motor 44 can be quickly removed and replaced by a hand crank, not shown, if needed.

[0023] In its fully extended position, the tracking plate 14 is lowered until it comes in contact with resilient stops 54, as shown in FIG. 6, which are mounted around the peripheral box frame 32. Box frame 32 in turn is structurally connected to the skin 36 of the aircraft through skin doublers, not shown in the drawings. Once tracking plate 14 is tightly driven against stops 54 and the box frame, the positioning of the FLIR is very precise and rigid with a range of movement of + or −0.005 inches.

[0024] In its fully retracted position, a safety lock pin 46, shown in FIGS. 3 and 4, engages rod 47 through a clevis 48 which extends upward from tracking plate 18, thus locking the tracking plate in its retracted position regardless of any forces transmitted through the previously described drive means. Conventional limit switches, which are not shown in the drawing, are utilized to define the fully extended and fully retracted positions of the FLIR support structure 10 which stop drive motor 44.

[0025] FIG. 5 of the drawing illustrates a portion 56 of the rear bottom surface of cargo pod 50 which includes a sliding door 51 which is actuated by door motor 42, all of which is well-known in the art. The door mechanism includes a pair of door tracks 40 with offset portions which in the fully closed position move the door 51 in an offset direction so that the outer surface of the door is actually flush with the skin of the cargo pod 50.

[0026] The box structure 16 in normal use is fully covered as illustrated in FIG. 5 including a removable cover 17 and four side panels 19.

[0027] Different height sleeves 34 can be used for different size applications and different FLIR cameras.

[0028] It will be appreciated by persons skilled in the art that the present invention is not limited by what has been particularly shown and described herein above. Rather, the scope of the present invention is defined only by the claims which follow.