PROVISION OF STEREOSCOPIC VIDEO CAMERA VIEWS TO AIRCRAFT PASSENGERS

• US 20150077516A1
• Filed: 09/02/2014
• Published: 03/19/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 09/19/2013
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Airbus Operations GmbH (Airbus SE)
• Original Assignee: Airbus Operations GmbH (Airbus SE)
• Inventors: Coto-Lopez, Gerald
• Application Number:
  US14/474,954
• Publication Number:
  US 20150077516A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 348/43
• CPC Class Codes: B64D 11/0015 Arrangements for entertainment or communications, e.g. radio, television
• CPC Class Codes: B64D 47/08 Arrangements of cameras
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 13/194 Transmission of image signals
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 13/211 using temporal multiplexing
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 13/221 using the relative movement between cameras and objects
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 13/261 with monoscopic-to-stereoscopic image conversion
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/2146 located in mass transportation means, e.g. aircraft, train or bus flight-deck installations for entertainment or communications B64D11/0015; arrangements specially adapted for transportation systems in broadcast systems H04H20/62; moving wireless networks H04W84/005
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/2187 Live feed
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/41422 located in transportation means, e.g. personal vehicle arrangements specially adapted for transportation systems in broadcast systems H04H20/62
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 23/45 for generating image signals from two or more image sensors being of different type or operating in different modes, e.g. with a CMOS sensor for moving images in combination with a charge-coupled device [CCD] for still images
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 7/181 for receiving images from a plurality of remote sources

Abstract

A processing unit for providing stereoscopic video data on board an aircraft, a system comprising the processing unit, an aircraft comprising the system, a method for providing stereoscopic video data on board an aircraft, as well as a computer program for executing the method. The processing unit comprises: a processing component configured to process at least a part of first video data and second video data to form stereoscopic video data, wherein the first and the second video data represent video images of one or more views external to the aircraft; and a forwarding component configured to forward the formed stereoscopic video data to one or more display devices provided on board the aircraft for presentation to passengers of the aircraft.

Claims

1. A processing unit for providing stereoscopic video data on board an aircraft, wherein the processing unit comprises:

a processing component configured to process at least a part of first video data and second video data to form stereoscopic video data, wherein the first and the second video data represent video images of one or more views external to the aircraft; and

a forwarding component configured to forward the formed stereoscopic video data to one or more display devices provided on board the aircraft for presentation to passengers of the aircraft.

2. The processing unit of claim 1, wherein the first video data and second video data represent video images captured by at least two external video cameras and the processing component is configured to combine at least a part of the first and second video data by overlapping corresponding frames of the first and second video data.

3. The processing unit of claim 1, wherein the first video data represent video images captured by a single external video camera for each of the one or more views and the processing unit further comprises a generating component configured to generate the second video data from the first video data.

4. The processing unit of claim 3, wherein the generating component is configured to generate the second video data by duplicating the first video data and by delaying or retarding the duplicated first video data by at least one of a preconfigured and predetermined delay time.

5. The processing unit of claim 4, wherein the processing unit is configured to determine the delay time based on at least one of the velocity of the aircraft over ground, the altitude of the aircraft above ground, delay information input by one or more passengers of the aircraft and delay information input by aircraft personnel.

6. The processing unit of claim 4, wherein the processing component is configured to combine at least a part of the first video data and second video data by overlapping frames of the first video data with frames of the second video data, wherein the overlapping frames of the first and second video data are offset in accordance with the delay time.

7. The processing unit of claim 1, wherein the forwarding component is configured to forward at least one of the first and second video data to the one or more display devices provided on board the aircraft for presentation to passengers of the aircraft.

8. The processing unit of claim 1, wherein the first and second video data are structured or organized in a video feed or a video stream, and the stereoscopic video data are structured or organized in a stereoscopic video feed or a stereoscopic video stream.

9. The processing unit of claim 1, further being incorporated into a system for providing stereoscopic video data on board an aircraft, comprising at least one video camera configured to generate at least first video data representing video images of one or more views external to the aircraft.

10. The processing unit of claim 9, wherein the system further comprises one or more display devices coupled to the processing unit via at least one of a wired and a wireless connection such that the stereoscopic video data is retrievable on demand to display stereoscopic video images represented by the stereoscopic video data on at least one of the one or more display devices.

11. The processing unit of claim 9, wherein the system comprises or is configured as an In-Flight Entertainment (IFE) system.

12. The processing unit of claim 9, wherein the system is incorporated into an aircraft and wherein the at least one video camera is arranged on the aircraft structure as at least one of a downward-looking video camera and a forward-looking video camera.

13. A method for providing stereoscopic video data on board an aircraft, wherein the method comprises:

processing, using a computer processor, at least a part of first video data and second video data to form stereoscopic video data, wherein the first and the second video data represent video images of one or more views external to the aircraft; and

forwarding the formed stereoscopic video data to one or more display devices provided on board the aircraft for presentation to passengers of the aircraft.

14. A computer program product comprising program code portions configured to process, using a computer processor, at least a part of first video data and second video data to form stereoscopic video data, wherein the first and the second video data represent video images of one or more views external to the aircraft, and to forward the formed stereoscopic video data to one or more display devices provided on board the aircraft for presentation to passengers of the aircraft when the computer program product is executed on a computing device.

15. A computer readable non-transitory recording medium storing a computer program product according to claim 14.