AIRCRAFT PROVIDED WITH A SURVEILLANCE SYSTEM

• US 20140176668A1
• Filed: 04/02/2012
• Published: 06/26/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 04/01/2011
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Latecoere SA
• Original Assignee: Latecoere SA
• Inventors: Boucourt, Gerard, Groux, Laurent, Carrier, Xavier
• Application Number:
  US14/009,170
• Publication Number:
  US 20140176668A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 348/36
• CPC Class Codes: B64D 45/0053 using visual equipment, e.g. cameras
• CPC Class Codes: B64D 47/08 Arrangements of cameras
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 23/698 for achieving an enlarged field of view, e.g. panoramic image capture
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 7/183 for receiving images from a single remote source

Abstract

An aircraft (11) includes an enclosure and a system for surveilling areas of interest inside the enclosure. The enclosure includes a transverse aisle (13) and a longitudinal aisle (15) that intersect at an intersection zone (19), a first access door (14) being located at one end of the transverse aisle (13) and a second access door (22) being located at one end of the longitudinal aisle. In addition, the surveillance system includes a panoramic camera (17) with a panoramic field of view, the camera being positioned at the intersection zone (19) such that an area of interest associated with the first access door (14) and an area of interest associated with the second access door is located within the field of view of the panoramic camera.

Claims

1. An aircraft (11) comprising a closed space and a system for the surveillance of zones of interest within the closed space, the closed space comprising a transverse aisle (13) and a longitudinal aisle (15) that intersect at an intersection zone (19), a first access door (14) being situated at one end of the transverse aisle (13) and a second access door (22) being situated at one end of the longitudinal aisle (15), characterized in that the surveillance system comprises a camera that has a panoramic field of view, referred to as a “

panoramic camera”

(17), said panoramic camera being sited in the region of the intersection zone (19) so that a zone of interest associated with the first access door (14) and the zone of interest associated with the second access door are in the field of view of the panoramic camera.

2. The aircraft (11) as claimed in claim 1, characterized in that it comprises a camera having a non-panoramic field of view, referred to as a “

non-panoramic camera”

(30), sited in such a way as to observe a zone of interest situated in the field of view of the panoramic camera.

3. The aircraft (11) as claimed in claim 2, characterized in that the non-panoramic camera (30) is sited in such a way as to observe a zone of interest situated at the end of the longitudinal aisle (15), in front of the second access door (22).

4. The aircraft (11) as claimed in claim 3, characterized in that the non-panoramic camera (30) is sited in the second access door (22) or in a bulkhead surrounding said second access door (22).

5. The aircraft (11) as claimed in claim 1, characterized in that the panoramic camera (17) has a field of view wide enough to observe also the transverse aisle (13) on the opposite side to the first access door (14) and/or the longitudinal aisle (15) on the opposite side to the second access door (22).

6. The aircraft (11) as claimed in claim 1, characterized in that it comprises a third access door (16) at another end of the transverse aisle (13), and in that the panoramic camera (17) has a field of view that is wide enough also to observe the third access door (16).

7. The aircraft (11) as claimed in claim 1, characterized in that it comprises a second longitudinal aisle (27) intersecting with the transverse aisle (13) at a second intersection zone (24), and in that the surveillance system comprises another panoramic camera (25) sited in the region of the second intersection zone (24) so as to observe at least the second longitudinal aisle (27).

8. The aircraft (11) as claimed in claim 1, characterized in that it comprises another panoramic camera, sited in a hold of the aircraft (11) or in a landing gear bay of the aircraft (11).

9. The aircraft (11) as claimed in claim 1, characterized in that it comprises another panoramic camera, sited in a passenger cabin of the aircraft (11).

10. The aircraft (11) as claimed in claim 1, characterized in that at least one panoramic camera is housed in a ceiling of the closed space.

11. The aircraft (11) as claimed in claim 1, characterized in that at least one panoramic camera comprises a fixed camera associated with an objective lens capable of focusing the panoramic field of view.

12. The aircraft (11) as claimed in claim 1, characterized in that at least one panoramic camera has a field of view that is panoramic both in azimuth, about an axis of the camera, and in elevation in a plane containing said axis of the camera.

13. The aircraft (11) as claimed in claim 1, characterized in that at least one panoramic camera has a field of view in azimuth that has an angular width of 360°

.

14. The aircraft (11) as claimed in claim 1, characterized in that at least one panoramic camera is a camera that is sensitive in the infrared wavelengths.

15. The aircraft (11) as claimed in claim 1, characterized in that at least one panoramic camera is equipped with a lighting element.