Apparatus and method for the automatic control of an aerial photographic camera

• US 4,600,283 A
• Filed: 07/17/1984
• Issued: 07/15/1986
• Est. Priority Date: 08/04/1983
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: CARL Zeiss JENA GmbH (Carl-Zeiss-Stiftung)
• Original Assignee: Jenoptik JENA GmbH (Jenoptik AG)
• Inventors: Braunschweig, Thomas, Beck, Bernard, Grundmann, Hans-Jorg, Poerschke, Peter, Mark, Rolf-Peter, Gorsch, Rainer, Grafe, Wolf-Rainer, Steffen, Werner
• Primary Examiner(s): Perkey, William B.
• Application Number:
  US06/631,280
• Time in Patent Office: 728 Days
• Field of Search: 354/65, 354/66, 356/28
• US Class Current: 396/8
• CPC Class Codes: G03B 37/00 Panoramic or wide-screen photography; Photographing extended surfaces, e.g. for surveying; Photographing internal surfaces, e.g. of pipe

Abstract

Method and apparatus for automatically controlling aerial photographic cameras. An exact and reliable control device of low electronic and optical cost, which unburdens the operator, is realized by means of two photoreceiver lines positioned parallel to each other and perpendicular to the flight direction. At least the first line is connected to a data memory, which as well as the second line is connected to a correlator. The correlator is connected, via units for calculating the vg/hg ratio and/or the drift, to setting mechanisms of the aerial camera. A third photoreceiver line can also be provided, coupled subsequently to a data memory. The invention is utilizable in photogrammetry.

Claims

1. Method for controlling an aerial camera wherein first and second photoreceiver lines are disposed parallel to one another and perpendicular to the flight direction of the camera, and a third photoreceiver line is disposed parallel to said flight direction, comprising, in a first cycle, storing the data (measurement values) of the third photoreceiver line lying parallel to the flight direction and storing the data (measurement values) of the first photoreceiver line, which lies in front of the second receiver line in the flight direction;

in a second cycle calculating from the data of the third photoreceiver line the shift of the image in the flight direction by correlation;

calculating the vg/hg ratio from the shift and sending it to a mechanism for controlling the overlap;

comparing the image shift with the distance of the two photoreceiver lines, and when the distance is attained, sending a signal to a first correlator;

then, upon receipt of said signal, comparing the stored data of the first photoreceiver line with the actual data of the second line in said first correlator, determining the drift from the shift, and applying it to a mechanism for drift compensation.

2. Method for controlling an aerial camera according to claim 1, comprising adding the determined shift values, after each second cycle superceding the stored data of the third photoreceiver line by the actual data, and calculating the vg/hg ratio from the differential shift derived in this manner, and applying it to a mechanism for controlling the overlap.

3. Method for controlling an aerial camera according to claim 1, comprising mathematically transposing the data of the photoreceiver line lying parallel to the direction of flight by the distance of the two parallel photoreceiver lines and, storing the transposed data, and realizing the comparison of the image shift with the distance of the two parallel photoreceiver lines by correlating the actual data of the third line with the data stored in this manner.