Reproduction of a field of view as scanned by a remote controlled aircraft

• US 3,992,707 A
• Filed: 09/13/1974
• Issued: 11/16/1976
• Est. Priority Date: 09/13/1974
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Vereinigte Flugtechnische Werke-Fokker Gesellschaft Mit Beschrankter Haftung
• Original Assignee: Vereinigte Flugtechnische Werke-Fokker Gesellschaft Mit Beschrankter Haftung
• Inventors: Berger, Joachim, Schmidtlein, Hubertus
• Primary Examiner(s): Tubbesing, T.H.
• Application Number:
  US05/505,732
• Time in Patent Office: 795 Days
• Field of Search: 343/5 CM, 343/5 MM, 343/5 SC, 343/6 A, 343/6 ND
• US Class Current: 342/58
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 7/10 Providing two-dimensional and co-ordinated display of distance and direction

Abstract

The field-of-view is line-scanned transverse to movement of a vehicle such as an aircraft and the line scan signal is transmitted to a ground station in which a frame is assembled on a line for line basis with updating by each new scanning line to obtain a running picture to be displayed and imaging passage of the vehicle over the field-of-view. Additional information may be juxtaposed and superimposed. The scanning-display path may be part of a loop linked through an operator observing the display and manipulating remote control for the vehicle.

Claims

1. A system for reproducing an image of a particular field-of-view from a remote controlled vehicle, and along its travel path, comprising:

sensing means on the vehicle and provided for continuously line scanning the field of view, the lines running transversely to the direction of propagation of the vehicle, thereby providing a line scan signal of on a continuous basis, and representing the lines covering the field-of-view sequentially and continuously as the vehicle progresses the lines running transverse to the direction of propagation of the vehicle and without field scan transverse to the direction of the lines other than the movement of the vehicle transversely to the direction of the lines;

first means for transmitting the line scan signal to a station being stationary or moving independent from the vehicle;

second means for receiving said transmitted line scan signal at said station;

signal processing means including means (a) for storing said line scan signal as sequentially received with respect to sequential lines for assembling information of an image field in the sequence of line scanning, and as a plurality of lines, whereby each line as received for storage by the means (a) is stored in a particular position corresponding in the image field, said processing means further including means (b) for causing the stored signal to be shifted in the means (a) as to their respective line positions in the image field upon adding of the signals of each newly received line in the particular position, so as to obtain shifting of each line in the image field to different positions in the image field corresponding to the progression of the vehicle, each line remaining in the store until being dumped;

each line as stored in means (a) is not being updated as to its content by scanning signals from the sensing means; and

display means connected to the means for storing, and displaying on a screen the plurality of the lines as stored in the means (a) repeatedly and independently from the updating of the image in the means (a), but including each new scanning line and the lines as shifted by operation of the means (b), resulting in shifting of the display of the lines across the screen at a rate proportional to and representative of the speed of the vehicle, whereby each line as initially stored is displayed repeatedly but in different positions on the screen.

2. A system as in claim 1 and means for controlling the scanning rate of the sensor in dependance upon speed of the vehicle.

3. A system as in claim 1, and including a marker on the display screen, the image as displayed being oriented in relation to the marker so that the screen denotes the projected presence of the vehicle in the imaged field-of-view.

4. A system as in claim 1, wherein the means for storing has capacity for at least as many lines as there are lines in the displayed image, and for each new line being stored, one line is dumped from storage.

5. A system as in claim 1, wherein plural sensors are provided to provide for separate scan signals but covering at least in parts the same field-of-view;

means including the first, second and signal processing means means, for transmitting, receiving and storing the separate scan signals; and

means including the display means for providing images corresponding to said scan signals as stored.

6. A system as in claim 5, wherein the different sensors are responsive to different frequencies.

7. A system as in claim 6, wherein the different sensors include a radar sensor.

8. A system as in claim 6, wherein the different sensors include a infrared sensor.

9. A system as in claim 6 wherein the different sensors are color responsive.

10. A system as in claim 1, including means for displaying additional image information in relation to the displayed image and in independently controllable variation in relation thereto.

11. A system as in claim 1, wherein the line frequency of the line scanning is adjustable in accordance with the speed of the aircraft.

12. A system as in claim 1, including means for displaying additionally the projected travel path of the vehicle in superimposed relation to the displayed image.

13. A system as in claim 1, including means for providing additional information for visible superimposing upon the display of said screen.

14. In a system linking a remote controlled vehicle with its remote control stand via a transmission link, the improvement comprising:

a sensor in the vehicle for providing a scan signal representative of scanning the scenery over which the vehicle passes, transverse to the direction of movement of the vehicle and at a line scan rate depending upon and varying with the speed of the vehicle;

means for transmitting the line scan signal from the vehicle and for receiving it at the control stand via said transmission link;

a first storage device connected to the means for receiving and for storing the line scan signal as received, individually as to each scanning line;

a second storage device for assembling line signals in plural lines and in a format for presentation in a frame composed of plural lines as stored in the second means;

first circuit means connected to the first and second storage device for controlling the transfer of signals from the first to the second storage device to obtain insertion of the signals as presenting a line as scanned, as top line in the frame;

second circuit means connected for shifting the line scan signals of the lines within a frame down upon insertion of a new top line; and

display means for providing a running display of the frame as stored in the second storage device.

15. In a system as in claim 14, wherein the sensor has a forward orientation so that the line as scanned is forward from the vehicle, the display providing for superimposed indication of the vehicle below the top line as displayed.

16. In a system as in claim 14, wherein the sensor provides a relative fast scan the transmission link including means for transmitting the line scan at a slower rate to obtain narrow band transmission.

17. A system for reproducing an image of a particular field of view from a remote controlled vehicle and along its travel path comprising:

sensing means on the vehicle and scanning the field of view by line scanning without field scanning, the lines running transversely to the travel path, field scanning being indirectly provided by movement of the vehicle along the travel path;

first means connected to the sensing means and assembling sequentially line scan signals for display;

second means connected to the first means for receiving each of the assembled line scan signals at a rate corresponding to the assembly, for storing said line signals as received in sequential line positions for storage and for subsequent display, the second means being connected for receiving each new line scan signal as assembled, in a particular position;

third means connected for shifting the storage position of each line as initially received and stored, to a position away from the particular position, corresponding to a shifting of the entire image transversely to the lines;

fourth means connected to the second means for displaying the line signals as image on a display screen, whereby each line as stored is repeatedly displayed, but in different positions due to shifting by operation of the third means, so that the image moves across the display screen; and

at least the second, third and fourth means being disposed remotely from the vehicle, the system including a transmission link from the vehicle to the second means as far as the connection between the sensing means, the first means and the second means is concerned.