REMOTE CONTROL FLYING SYSTEM

• US 3,557,304 A
• Filed: 10/24/1967
• Issued: 01/19/1971
• Est. Priority Date: 10/24/1967
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Kinder, Floyd A., Richard O. Rue, Vance L. Hansen
• Original Assignee: Kinder, Floyd A., Richard O. Rue, Vance L. Hansen
• Inventors: Rue, Richard O., Kinder, Floyd A., Hansen, Vance L.
• Application Number:
  US04/677,789
• Time in Patent Office: 1,183 Days
• US Class Current: 348/114
• CPC Class Codes: G05D 1/0038 by providing the operator with simple or augmented images from one or more cameras located onboard the vehicle, e.g. tele-operation images analyzed by a computer and used for automatic navigation G05D1/0246
• CPC Class Codes: G09B 9/32 by projected image G09B9/307, G09B9/36 take precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G09B 9/48 a model being viewed and manoeuvred from a remote point

Abstract

A system for flying a drone aircraft by remote control comprising a television camera mounted in the cockpit of the drone aircraft where the pilot'"'"''"'"'s head is normally located; a wide-angle lens mounted on the television camera; transmitting means to send the pictures back to the ground where they are projected using rear projection means onto a hemispherical viewing screen; and a remote ground control for flying the drone in response to the pictures received from the cockpit television camera.

Claims

1. A system for flying drone aircraft from the ground entirely by remote control comprising:

a drone aircraft having a conventional aircraft cockpit including an instrument panel, ejection seat, and flight controls;

a remote control station;

a television camera, having a 180* lens, detachably mounted on said ejection seat of said aircraft at the position a pilot'"'"''"'"'s head would be if a pilot were occupying said ejection seat, and scanning the view said pilot would see;

telemetry means for transmitting signals from said television camera to said station;

telemetry means for transmitting the readings of said cockpit instruments to said station;

a kinescope projector and translucent hemispheric viewing screen at said station for receiving said transmitted television camera signals, and producing and displaying an undistorted picture of said view scanned by said television camera wherein said kinescope projector projects said view onto the convex surface of said hemisphere and said picture is displayed for viewing on the concave surface of said hemisphere;

means for receiving said telemetered instrument readings at said station and displaying said readings on an instrument panel identical to the instrument panel in said drone;

a simulated cockpit at said station having said remote control station instrument panel, and flight controls identical to those in said drone such that a pilot seated before said instrument panel and said flight controls with his head at the center of curvature of said hemisphere can see the view he would see if he were occupying said drone'"'"''"'"'s ejection seat;

means for moving the flight controls in said drone in response to the movement of said flight controls by said pilot at said station such that the flight of said drone is controlled entirely by remote control; and

means for ejecting said camera and said seat from said aircraft, including a parachute, such that said camera can be ejected and recovered.