Mobile laser designated infrared multimedia mapping system

• US 20060018642A1
• Filed: 07/20/2004
• Published: 01/26/2006
• Est. Priority Date: 07/20/2004
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: David V. Chaplin
• Original Assignee: David V. Chaplin
• Inventors: Chaplin, David V.
• Application Number:
  US10/894,022
• Publication Number:
  US 20060018642A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 396/7
• CPC Class Codes: G01V 8/10 Detecting, e.g. by using light barriers by reflection from the object G01S17/00
• CPC Class Codes: G03B 29/00 Combinations of cameras, projectors or photographic printing apparatus with non-photographic non-optical apparatus, e.g. clocks or weapons; Cameras having the shape of other objects combinations with flash apparatus G03B15/03
• CPC Class Codes: G03B 37/00 Panoramic or wide-screen photography; Photographing extended surfaces, e.g. for surveying; Photographing internal surfaces, e.g. of pipe
• CPC Class Codes: G08B 17/005 for forest fires, e.g. detecting fires spread over a large or outdoors area fire fighting forest fires A62C3/02

Abstract

A system for collecting GPS positioning data in correlation with infrared imagery and digital imagery from an aerial based platform. The system can complete the said data collection assignments without requiring physically connecting any hardware or sensors to the exterior of the aircraft. Our inventions exclusive niche in the aerial remote sensing industry consists of a mobile hardware platform, which facilitates mounting an array of cameras, sensors, and recording equipment inside the aircraft without any hardware mounted to the exterior of the aircraft. The mobile hardware platform supports multiple types and configurations of cameras and a diverse sensor array. The preferred embodiment of the sensory and camera configuration operates concurrently in real-time to facilitate the data collection process. The said preferred embodiment allows an operator to collect infrared imagery, digital imagery, and geopspatial position coordinates for a single target or multiple targets simultaneously. The system was also designed to enable the data collection process during normal flight without requiring the aircraft to hover or reverse direction. Due to the field of view and mobility the tree-way tripod head provides, targets can be acquired and recorded while the aircraft is in motion. The MOBILE LASER DESIGNATED INFRARED MULTIMEDIA MAPPING SYSTEM was designed for, but not limited to, use on forest fire monitoring, utilities inspections, and riparian wildlife and habitat mapping homeland security, agricultural inspection, forest management, burn area rehabilitation assessment, HAZMAT assessment, surveillance, aerial perimeter mapping and calculations, and many other remote sensing applications.

Claims

1. A mobile remote sensing system for aerial based data acquisition comprising:

a mobile hardware platform

a multi-directional tripod head

a mounting plate to host various configurations of cameras and sensors

a multi-spectral camera

a visible imaging camera

a storage device for recording imagery

a geo-spatial data acquisition apparatus

a laser rangefinder

a magnetic compass with tilt and roll sensors

a mobile computer

2. The mobile hardware platform of claim 1 wherein said mobile hardware platform is connected to a means of controlling a multi-directional camera and sensor mount.

3. The multi-directional camera and sensor mount of claim 2 wherein said multi-directional camera and sensor mount is comprised of a multi-directional tripod head connected to a mounting plate for cameras and sensors which provide a physical means of mounting various configurations of cameras and sensors to the multi-directional tripod head whereby an operator can move the cameras and sensors simultaneously to observe and record features anywhere within the multi-directional camera and sensor mount'"'"'s field of view.

4. The multi-directional camera and sensor mount of claim 3 wherein said means of multi-directional camera and sensor control is designed to serve as a foundation for several different camera and sensory configurations, mounted directly to the mounting plate, to facilitate recording different types of data outside the aircraft.

5. The multi-spectral camera of claim 1 mountable on said multi-directional camera and sensor mount to facilitate motion in any direction within the said mounts field of view while searching or recording targets external to the aircraft.

6. The visual camera of claim 1 mountable on said multi-directional camera and sensor mount to facilitate motion in any direction within the said mounts field of view while searching or recording targets external to the aircraft.

7. The a geo-spatial data acquisition apparatus of claim 1 mountable on said multi-directional camera and sensor mount including a means of outputting and receiving a positional data stream to the mobile computer, whereby said multi-spectral camera, visual camera, and geo-spatial data acquisition apparatuses being functional simultaneously to acquire time-related imagery and positional related data.

8. A completely mobile remote sensing system for aerial based data acquisition to be mounted from inside an aircraft with nothing fixed to the airframe of the aircraft.

9. A completely mobile remote sensing system for aerial based data acquisition with the means to acquire any remote targets geo-spatial position ranged from a distance from the aircraft and to acquire the said targets geo-spatial position real-time and in correlation with corresponding imagery collected from the cameras simultaneously in real-time.

10. The means to acquire a remote targets geo-spatial position from a distance from the aircraft of claim 9 wherein said means includes, but is not limited, to a laser rangefinder interfaced with a magnetic compass with integrated tilt and roll sensors, whereby an operator can select a target from a distance, trigger the laser range finder, whereas this data is recorded real-time while the mobile computers data processor simultaneously records the data acquired from the rangefinder, tilt and roll sensors, and geo-spatial data acquisition apparatus simultaneously which is processed in the mobile computer to determine the said targets exact geo-spatial positioning coordinates in real-time.

11. The said laser-designated targets geo-spatial positioning coordinates of claim 10 wherein said geo-spatial positioning coordinates can be acquired simultaneously in correlation with multi-spectral imagery and visual imagery to output multi-dimensional information packages for each individual target acquired via the laser rangefinder.