Camera systems for tracking objects from an aircraft

[0002] 1. Field of the Invention

[0003] The present invention relates to video cameras and, more specifically, to video cameras and associated hardware and methodology for tracking objects—either airborne or terrestrial—from an aircraft.

[0004] 2. Description of the Related Art

[0005] It is often desirable to view the exterior of an aircraft during flight—both from a pilot's and a passenger's point of view. For example, a pilot may want to observe the landing gear prior to landing or an engine in flight. Alternatively, a passenger may want to look at a ground-based point of interest (e.g., a geological feature or a monument) during flight.

[0006] To satisfy these needs, cameras have been mounted on the exterior of aircraft, primarily private aircraft. These cameras are mounted in fixed locations on the aircraft and provide images of a fixed target. However, as these cameras are fixed, little flexibility in the viewing environment is afforded.

[0007] A camera system for tracking a target from an aircraft includes a camera with a moveable head, a user interface, and a control circuit. The target has target data indicative of a position of the target, and the aircraft includes a navigation system for generating aircraft data indicative of a current position of the aircraft. The user interface generates the target data, and the control circuit generates pointing data based on the aircraft data and the target data. The pointing data is provided to the camera to cause the camera to direct the camera head at the target. A video display within the aircraft may then display the images from the camera. The user interface may provide a plurality of predetermined targets for selecting and tracking.

[0008] Other features and advantages of the present invention will become apparent to those skilled in the art from a consideration of the following detailed description taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings.

[0009] FIG. 1A illustrates an aircraft with a camera system tracking a stationary terrestrial target;

[0010] FIG. 1B illustrates an aircraft with a camera system tracking a dynamic airborne target;

[0011] FIG. 2 illustrates a field of view in elevation of a camera system mounted to a belly of an aircraft;

[0012] FIGS. 3A and 3B are perspective views taken from a front and a back, respectively, of a camera module of a camera system;

[0013] FIG. 4 is an exploded perspective view of a camera of a camera system for tracking targets;

[0014] FIG. 5 illustrates a field of view in azimuth of a camera system mounted to a belly of an aircraft;

[0015] FIG. 6 is a cross-sectional view of a camera module mounted to an aircraft;

[0016] FIG. 7 is a block diagram illustrating the relationship of a camera system and associated hardware;

[0017] FIG. 8 illustrates a camera head rotating about two axes;

[0018] FIG. 9 illustrates an example of an input of a user interface;

[0019] FIG. 10 illustrate another example of an input of a user interface;

[0020] FIG. 11 illustrate an example of a pull-down menu for a user interface;

[0021] FIG. 12 illustrate an example of a cabin user interface;

[0022] FIG. 13 illustrate an example of a cockpit user interface; and

[0023] FIG. 14 illustrates exemplary methodology for tracking a target with a camera from an aircraft.

[0024] Referring to the drawings in more detail, an aircraft 10 including a camera system 12 for tracking a target 14 is illustrated in FIG. 1. As represented in FIG. 1A, the camera system 12 may track a stationary ground-based or terrestrial target 14acontinuously in real time from a current aircraft position, represented by optical axis O(t₀), to a future aircraft position, represented by phantom line and optical axis O(t_f). Alternatively, as represented in FIG. 1B, the camera system 12 may track a moving or dynamic target 14bcontinuously in real time from a current aircraft position and current target position P(t₀) along a line of sight represented by optical axis O(t₀), to a future aircraft position and future target position P(t_f) along a line of sight represented by phantom line and optical axis O(t_f). The dynamic target 14bmay be airborne as shown in the drawing or may be a terrestrial moving target (now shown).

[0025] Referencing FIG. 2, the camera system 12 is mounted on the aircraft 10 at a location that enables the tracking of a desired target. For ground-based targets, a camera module 16 of the camera system 12 may be mounted on an underside or belly 17 of the aircraft 10. For airborne targets, the camera module 16 may be mounted at other areas of the aircraft 10, e.g., on the nose or on the tail.

[0026] With additional reference to FIGS. 3A and 3B, a camera module 16 of the camera system 12 may include a camera 18 disposed within a housing 20. According to one aspect of the invention as shown in FIG. 4, the camera 18 may include a Panasonic® Super Dynamic II color dome camera (model No. WV-CS854). This commercially available camera includes a camera head 22 and a plurality of connectors 24, including a power cable 24a, a data port 24b, a video output connector 24c, an alarm output connector 24d, and an alarm input connector 24e. The camera 18 is configured so that the camera head 22 is able to move approximately 180° along the elevation to provide a field of view as shown by the dashed lines in FIG. 2, and 360° along the azimuth to provide a field of view as shown by the dashed lines in FIG. 5. Other similarly capable cameras may be used.

[0027] The web site www.panasonic.com/CCTV/products/UnitizedDomeCameras.asp contains information on this camera. The entire content and associated linked web pages, include portable document format (PDF) files of associated specifications and operating manuals, of this site are incorporated herein by reference.

[0028] Referencing FIGS. 3 and 6, exemplary housing 20 may include a body 26 and a dome 28. When the camera 18 is received within the body 26, the camera head 22 extends out of the body 26 and into the dome 28. When mounted to an outer skin 30 of an aircraft, the dome 28 protrude beyond the skin 30, while the body 26 is located within the aircraft. The body 26 and the dome 28 may each include an annular flange 32 and 34, respectively. The dome 28 may be attached to the body 26 with a plurality of fasteners 36. An annular plate 38 may be provided such that the annular flange 34 of the dome 28 is sandwiched therebetween and the annular flange 32 of the body 26. In addition, a seal 40 such as an 0 ring or gasket may be disposed between flanges 32 and 34.

[0029] To mount the module 16 within the skin 30 of the aircraft 10, an opening 42 may be made in the skin 30 through which the body 26 may be inserted from the outside. An annular plate 44 (not shown in FIG. 3B) may then be positioned about the body 26 and against an inside surface of the skin 30. A plurality of fasteners 46 extending through holes in the exterior annular plate 38, the annular flange 34 of the dome 28, the annular flange 32 of the body 26, the skin 30, and the interior annular plate 44 may then secure the module 16 to the aircraft 10. Hardware associated with the fasteners 46, such as nuts 48 and washers, may be utilized.

[0030] According to one aspect of the camera module 16, the flanges 32 and 34 and the exterior annular plate 38 are configured so that the fasteners 36 extend outwardly, i.e., from the flange 32 of the body 26, through the flange 34 of the dome 28, to threaded tapped holes 50 of the exterior plate 38. Accordingly, when mounted to an aircraft, the fasteners 36 are not visible.

[0031] The camera module 16 may include a cable port 52 through which the cables 24 of the camera 18 are passable. For environmental integrity, the module 16 may be hermetically sealed, not only at the dome/body interface with the seal 40 but also at the cable port 52, e.g., with epoxy (not shown). In addition, the interior of the module 16 may be evacuated and/or nitrogen purged prior to sealing. A heater including one or more heating elements 54 may be disposed on an inside of the body 26 to maintain the temperature of the interior of the module 16 within an operating temperature range of the camera 18.

[0032] Referencing FIG. 7, in addition to the camera head 22, the camera system 12 may include a motor assembly 56. The camera head 22 may include any optical or solid-state recording device, e.g., a charge-coupled device (CCD). With additional reference to FIG. 8, to enable rotational movement about a vertical axis z and a horizontal axis x, the camera head 22 may be mounted in a pivotal harness. The motor assembly 56 may include a pair of motors for driving the camera head 22 in the harness.

[0033] With continued reference to FIG. 7, a control unit 60 for tracking targets in real time from an aircraft may include a target processor 62 and a memory 64. The target processor 62 may be connected to a user interface 66 and a navigational system 68 of the aircraft 10. Exemplary user interface 66 may include a user input 70, and may also include memory 72. Exemplary target processor 62 may then receive from the user interface 66 data associated with or indicative of a position of the target 14 (hereinafter “target data”). Similarly, the target-processing unit 62 may receive data associated with or indicative of a position of the aircraft 10 (hereinafter “aircraft data”). Upon processing the target and aircraft data, the target processor 62 may then transmit pointing data to the motor assembly 56 for directing the camera head 22 in a desired direction. According to the art, the camera head 22 may be connected to a video display 74 through a video processor 76 by the video output connector 24c.

[0034] An exemplary user input 70 of the user interface 36 is shown in FIG. 9. According to this example, the user input 70 may be configured as a touch screen display 78 with a plurality of target icons 80. Each of the icons 80 is associated with a target (i.e., TARGET 1, TARGET 2, TARGET 3, . . . , TARGET n), with each target having specific or unique target data, including latitude and longitude. In addition, the target data may include the altitude of the target. Examples of ground-based targets 14 associated with the icons 80 may include geographic features (e.g., mountains and lakes) and manmade points of interest (e.g., buildings, bridges, cities, etc.).

[0035] To select a target for tracking with the exemplary user input 70 with a touch screen display 78, a user selects and touches one of the target icons 80. The user interface 66 may be configured to generate target data associated with the selected target for transmission to the target processor 62. For example, the memory 72 may include a database or a look-up table including the target data for each of the predetermined target icons7; accordingly, the user input 70 may retrieve the target data from the memory 72 for transmission to the target processor 62. Alternatively, the user interface 66 may transmit a pointer associated with the selected target from the user input 70 to the target processor 62 which, in turn, retrieves the target data associated with the transmitted pointer from the memory 64.

[0036] Another example of a user input 70 is illustrated in FIG. 10 in which a pull-down menu 82 on a display 84 is provided. To select a target, a user activates the pull-down menu 82 and selects on of the displayed target icons 86. Upon selection, the user interface 66 may function analogously to that described above in relation to the touch-screen embodiment.

[0037] Referencing FIG. 11, the pull-down menu 82 may include one or more embedded call-out menus 88. When selected (e.g., the REGION 3 call-out menu 88 shown in FIG. 11), a supplemental menu 90 including a plurality of target icons 92 may be displayed. A user may then select one of the displayed target icons 92. In this example, each call-out menu 88 may include a number of target icons associated therewith. For example, if the call-out menus 88 are categorized according to region, then each of the target icons 92 associated therewith may be indigenous to the selected region. For example, if REGION 3 is California, then each of the target icons 92 may be targets located within that state. Alternatively, if the call-out menus 88 are categorized according to target type (not shown), then each of the target icons 92 associated therewith may be of a particular type of target.

[0038] As shown in FIG. 10, the user input 70 may include a user-enter target data box 94 having one or more target data fields 96, e.g., latitude, longitude, and altitude. Accordingly, a user may enter a set of target data for which tracking is desired.

[0039] Referencing FIG. 12, an exemplary embodiment of a user interface 70 may incorporate the video display 74 therein. In addition to preset target 80 discussed above, a user interface 70 may include a manual keypad 98 with directional buttons that, when actuated, direct the line of sight of the camera head 22 as desired. Zoom icons 100a(ZOOM IN) and 100b(ZOOM OUT) may be provided so that the zoom of the camera 12 may be manually controlled. A scan icon 102 may provide so that, when actuated, the camera head 22 scans through a predetermined set of target locations.

[0040] An exemplary embodiment of the user interface 70 may also include a patrol icon 104. For example, when an aircraft is parked on a tarmac, it may be desirable to view areas below the aircraft for security reasons. Accordingly, the patrol icon 104 may be actuated to cause the camera 12 to search preset sectors below the aircraft. In addition, the camera system 12 may include a motion detector (not shown) for detecting motion below the aircraft when the aircraft is stationary. If motion is detected near the aircraft, the camera system 12 may direct the camera head 22 to the moving object for tracking.

[0041] According to another aspect of the invention, a user interface 70 as shown in FIG. 13 may be configured specifically to meet pilot needs. More specifically, in contrast to the passenger-oriented user interface of FIG. 12, user interface 70 of FIG. 13 may include a preset location display 106 including one or more set-location icons 108 displayed on a graphic 109 of the aircraft 10. Each icon 108 may correspond to a particular location on the aircraft 10. As shown in the example, icon 108acorresponds to the nose of the aircraft 10; icon 108b_R, the right landing gear; icon 108b_L, the left landing gear; icon 108c_R, the right wing; icon 108c_L, the left wing; icon 108d_R, the right tail engine (if present); icon 108d_R, the left tail engine (if present); and icon 108e, the tail. Accordingly, when one of the icons 108 is actuated by a pilot (for example, by touching the icon on a touch screen), the camera head 22 is directed to the corresponding location, e.g., the right landing gear as shown on the video display in the example. Target data for each physical location corresponding to the preset icons 108 may be stored in memory of the system 12.

[0042] In addition to scan and patrol icons 102 and 104 as discussed above, exemplary cockpit user interface 70 of FIG. 13 may also include a camera control icon 110 for toggling control of the camera head 22 between a cabin user interface (if present) and the cockpit interface, and a cabin video icon 112. In a number of embodiments, a video camera may (not shown) be installed in the cabin of an aircraft. The output of this cabin camera may be viewed from the cockpit by actuating the cabin video icon 112.

[0043] Exemplary methodology of the invention will be described with additional reference to FIG. 14. As mention, the navigation system 68 of the aircraft 10 generates aircraft data (step S10) which is transmitted to and received by the target processor 62 (step S12). The aircraft data may include latitude, longitude, altitude, pitch, roll, heading, and time.

[0044] As mentioned above, the user input 70 receives a desired target from a user (step S14) and may then generate (step S16) and transmit to the target processor 62 the target data associated therewith. In response, the target processor 62 may either retrieve the target data (step S18) from memory 64 or may retrieve the target data directly from the user interface 66 (step S20).

[0045] Once the aircraft and the target data are received, the target processor 62 may then generate the current position of the aircraft (step S22). This step may be performed if updates of the navigation position retrieved from the aircraft navigation system 68 are not as recent as desired, e.g., within a predetermined time frame. One example of carrying out this operation may include extrapolating data indicative of a previous aircraft position to the current time, e.g., the last navigation data retrieved to the current time using the last known velocity and heading of the aircraft. An example of a source code routine for carrying out this step is provided below.

[0046] Once the current position of the aircraft 10 is determined, the target processor 62 may then generate an adjusted aircraft position (step S24). To do so, the latitude and longitude parameters of the aircraft position in current time are adjusted based on the pitch, roll, and heading parameters of the aircraft data. An example of a source code routine for carrying out this step is provided below.

[0047] Based on the adjusted latitude and longitude of the aircraft, the pointing parameters for the camera head 22 may be generated (step S26). The pointing parameters may include an azimuth parameter and an elevation parameter. The pointing parameters are based on the adjusted latitude and longitude of the aircraft and the known latitude and longitude of the target 14. An example of a source code routine for carrying out this step is provided below.

[0048] The target processor 62 may then modify the pointing parameters to complement a protocol of the motor assembly 56 (step S28). For example, the processor 62 may translate the two pointing parameters (i.e., azimuth and elevation) into a format that is understandable to the motor assembly 56 of the camera 12. Upon receipt of the pointing parameters (step S30), the motor assembly 56 may move the camera head 22 accordingly (step S32) to maintain the target 14 along the optical axis 0 of the camera.

[0049] The tracking process may be continuous (step S34) or end (step S36) at any time. If it is desired to continue tracking (decision D10), particularly the same target 14 (decision D12), then the target processor 62 continuously receives new aircraft data from the navigational system 68, while the target data remains constant. If it is desired to track a different target (step S34 and decision D14), then the user cause the user interface 66 to generate target data for another desired target.

[0050] The invention is not limited to the exemplary embodiments described above but is, instead, to be construed according to the claims that follow.