Apparatus and method for providing pointing capability for a fixed camera

• US 20080185526A1
• Filed: 04/12/2006
• Published: 08/07/2008
• Est. Priority Date: 09/12/2005
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Honeywell International Inc.
• Original Assignee: Honeywell International Inc.
• Inventors: Goossen, Emray R., Martinez, Steven D., Horak, Dan T.
• Granted Patent: US 7,597,489 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 250/353
• CPC Class Codes: G01J 5/08 Optical arrangements
• CPC Class Codes: G01J 5/0808 Convex mirrors
• CPC Class Codes: G01J 5/084 Adjustable or slidable
• CPC Class Codes: G01J 5/0893 Arrangements to attach devices to a pyrometer, i.e. attaching an optical interface; Spatial relative arrangement of optical elements, e.g. folded beam path G01J5/049 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G02B 26/0816 by means of one or more reflecting elements
• CPC Class Codes: G02B 26/101 with both horizontal and vertical deflecting means, e.g. raster or XY scanners colour television using laser beams scanning a display screen H04N9/3129
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 23/58 Means for changing the camera field of view without moving the camera body, e.g. nutating or panning of optics or image sensors
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 7/185 from a mobile camera, e.g. for remote control

Abstract

Reflective movable mirrors are used to reflect an image from a desired direction into the lens of a camera. This apparatus is preferably used with infrared (IR) cameras. To capture images from different directions, the orientations of the mirrors are modified. The mirrors are light, requiring only miniature motors and actuators for moving them. The mirrors are also much smaller than the focal plane electronics and the IR lens, requiring much less space for moving them than would be required for moving the camera. This provides a pointing capability for an airframe-fixed IR camera and this capability is provided with minimum additional payload, space and power requirements. The apparatus and method can be used for IR and electro-optical (EO) cameras.

Claims

1. An apparatus for capturing images from a plurality of directions onto a lens of at least one fixed camera, the apparatus comprising at least one moveable mirror, said at least one moveable mirror comprising a first structure for moving the at least one moveable mirror in a rotational horizontal axis and a second structure for moving the at least one moveable mirror in a vertical axis, for reflecting an image onto the lens.

2. The apparatus of claim 1 wherein said first structure comprises a pan motion of three hundred and sixty degrees.

3. The apparatus of claim 1 wherein said second structure comprises a tilt motion of a predetermined range.

4. The apparatus of claim 3 wherein the predetermined range comprises plus or minus twenty degrees.

5. The apparatus of claim 1 wherein said at least one moveable mirror comprises three moveable mirrors.

6. The apparatus of claim 5 wherein a second and a third moveable mirror comprise an independent inoperative and operative state.

7. The apparatus of claim 6 wherein said operative state comprises a first mechanism for tilting the second mirror forty five degrees in a first predetermined direction and a second mechanism for tilting the third mirror forty five degrees in a second predetermined direction.

8. The apparatus of claim 1 wherein the fixed camera comprises an infrared camera and the apparatus further comprising a fixed electro-optical camera disposed at ninety degrees from the infrared camera wherein the at least one moveable mirror reflects the image onto a cold mirror, said cold mirror passing the infrared image to the infrared camera and reflecting the electro-optical image to the fixed electro-optical camera.

9. An apparatus for capturing images from a plurality of directions onto a lens of a fixed camera, the apparatus comprising:

a rotating mirror comprising an independent vertical rotation and independent horizontal rotation;

a first tilting mirror, wherein said first tilting mirror further comprises an first inactive mode;

a second tilting mirror, wherein said second tilting mirror further comprises an second inactive mode, and

at least one actuator for positioning the rotating mirror, the first tilting mirror and the second tilting mirror to reflect an image located in a specific direction onto the lens.

10. The apparatus of claim 9 wherein said independent horizontal rotation comprises a pan motion of three hundred and sixty degrees.

11. The apparatus of claim 9 wherein said independent vertical rotation comprises a tilt motion of a predetermined range.

12. The apparatus of claim 11 wherein the range comprises plus or minus twenty degrees.

13. The apparatus of claim 9 wherein said first tilting mirror further comprises an active mode comprising a first structure for tilting said first tilting mirror forty five degrees from a first predetermined axis and said second tilting mirror further comprises an active mode comprising a second structure for tilting said second tilting mirror forty five degrees from a second predetermined axis.

14. An apparatus for simultaneously recording an infrared image and an electro-optical image of a same scene from a direction from a plurality of directions, the apparatus comprising:

a fixed infrared camera and a fixed electro-optical camera, said fixed infrared camera disposed ninety degrees from said electro-optical camera; and

at least one moveable mirror for reflecting an image for the scene onto a cold mirror, said cold mirror passing the infrared image to the fixed infrared camera and reflecting the electro-optical image to the fixed electro-optical camera.

15. The apparatus of claim 14 wherein said fixed electro-optical camera and said fixed infrared camera are geometrically aligned.