Camera guidance system

• US 6,650,360 B1
• Filed: 05/06/1998
• Issued: 11/18/2003
• Est. Priority Date: 12/23/1993
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Wells & Verne Investments Limited
• Original Assignee: Wells & Verne Investments Limited
• Inventors: Osen, Karl
• Primary Examiner(s): Philippe, Gims S.
• Application Number:
  US09/073,610
• Time in Patent Office: 2,022 Days
• Field of Search: H04/N.718, 348/156, 348/157, 348/154, 348/155, 348/142, 348/113, 348/123, 348/118, 348/169-172, 348/117, 348/144-147, 348/36, 348/37, 348/139, 701/23, 701/200, 701/205, 701/211, 701/207, 701/209, 701/216, 701/300, 701/302, 701/24, 701/28, 342/36, 342/451, 342/357, 342/457
• US Class Current: 348/157
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 19/41 Differential correction, e.g. DGPS [differential GPS]
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 5/0009 Transmission of position information to remote stations involving assistance data G01S5/0236
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 5/0247 Determining attitude
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 23/695 Control of camera direction for changing a field of view, e.g. pan, tilt or based on tracking of objects

Abstract

A camera guidance system uses global navigation satellite systems (GNSS) and Inertial Measurement Units (IMU) to point a camera on a target.

Claims

1. A camera guidance system allowing to acquire video signals, irrespective of conditions of visibility, contrast and background, of at least one target, by means of at least one camera, and to transmit such video signals to a receiver station, characterized in that it comprises

a platform supporting said at least one camera, such camera being able to focus on the target, following its movement relative to the platform;

at least one position determination means such as Global Navigation Satellite System (GNSS) receivers is mounted on the target, and is able to determine the target'"'"'s position in GNSS coordinate system,

at least three position determination means such as Global Navigation Satellite System (GNSS) receivers mounted on the platform to determine the position and attitude of said platform in GNSS coordinate system, said platform having a platform coordinate system fixed to it, and,

the position of the target in platform coordinates is obtained by subtracting the platform'"'"'s global position vector from the target'"'"'s global position vector and projecting the resulting vector onto the platform coordinate system,

the camera on the platform is pointable in a plurality of directions with respect to the platform coordinate system,

processing means for computing positioning data and providing said data to said positionable camera to make the camera point at the target;

means for transmitting the video signals to a receiver station;

communication means between the said information, position determination and transmission means.

2. A system according to claim 1, in which the transmitting means convey video signals acquired by the camera, either to a film or tape for recording such signals, or to at least one receiver or relay station.

3. A system according to claim 2, characterized in that

the allocation of a camera to a target can be modified,

the target can also serve as a platform and the platform as a target,

the global positions, relative positions, and attitude date of target, the platform and the relay stations are acquired by global navigation satellite system (GNSS) receivers, and

the relay stations are equipped with orientable directional antennas able to use the communication means-and position determination means to point said antennas to other relay stations or to the receiver stations.

4. A system according to claim 3, in which the GNSS receivers are supported by inertial navigation systems.

5. A system according to claim 1, in which the target and the platform are aircraft.

6. A system according to claim 1, in which the platform and the target are vehicles.

7. A system according to claim 1, in which the targets are vehicles equipped with GNSS receivers, and cameras with enhanced zoom capabilities are positioned around a motor race circuit so as to be able to fully use zoom factors with the help of the position of the cars as provided by their GNSS receivers.

8. A system according to claim 1, win which the platform is an aircraft and the targets are ground vehicles.

9. A system in accordance with claim 1, wherein:

said camera acquires video of the target for broadcasting, said camera being able to acquire close-up images of the target with long focal length lenses.

10. A camera guidance system for a camera tracking a target, the system comprising:

a platform supporting the camera, said platform being movable into a plurality of positions for pointing the camera at the target;

target position means for determining a position of the target, said target position means being mounted on the target and transmitting said position of the target away from the target;

processing means for receiving said position of the target from said target position means, said processing means determining a relative target position of said target position means with respect to said platform, said processing means moving said platform to point the camera at the target based on said relative target position;

platform position means at said platform for determining a position of said platform and transmitting said position of the platform to said procesing means, said processing means using said position of the target and said position of said platform to move said platform and point the camera at said target.

11. The system in accordance with claim 10, wherein:

said position of said target and said position of said platform are determined in a common coordinate system;

said processing means detmies a difference position in platform coordinates between said position of the target and said position of said platform, said difference position in said platform coordinates indicating how to move said platform.

12. The system in accordance with claim 10, wherein:

said platform position means receives signals from navigation stations to determine said position of said platform.

13. The system in accordance with claim 10, wherein:

said target position means and said platform position means receives signals from identical navigation stations to determine said position of the target and said position of said platform.

14. The system in accordance with claim 11, wherein:

said common coordinate system is a global coordinate system.

15. The system in accordance with claim 10, wherein:

the camera has a zoom feature;

said processing means controls said zoom feature based on said relative target position.

16. A system in accordance with claim 10, wherein:

said camera records video of the target and converts the video of the target into video signals;

a television display receives said video signal from said camera and converts said video signal into said video of the target, said display then displays said video of the target.

17. A system in accordance with claim 10, wherein:

said camera acquires video of the target for broadcasting, said camera being able to acquire close-up images of the target with long focal length lenses;

said target position means include Global Navigation Satellite System (GNSS) receivers for determining said position of the target.

18. A system in accordance with claim 10, wherein:

said camera is pointable in a plurality of directions for pointing the camera at the target;

said target position means is independent from terrestrial installation;

at least one camera position determination means is provided for acquiring a position of the camera in a same coordinate system as the target position means;

said processing means receives said position of the target from said target position means and said position of the camera from said camera position determination means, said processing means determining a relative target position with respect to said camera, said processing means moving said camera to point at the target based on said relative target position;

the camera guidance system tracks the target and acquires video signals irrespective of conditions of visibility, contrast and background;

said target position means transmits a signal where a content of the signal uniquely identifies said position of the target.

19. A method for pointing a camera to a target, the method comprising the steps of:

determining a position of the target, said determining of said position being performed at the target;

transmitting said position of the target away from the target;

determining a position of the camera, said determining of said position of said camera being performed at the target;

calculating a relative position of the target relative to the camera based on said position of the target transmitted from the targets and on said position of said camera, said calculating occurring at a location spaced from the target;

moving the camera based on said calculating to follow movement of said target.

20. The method in accordance with claim 19, wherein:

said determining of said position of the target is performed in a global coordinate system and is performed on the target;

said calculating of said relative position is performed in platform coordinates.

21. The method in accordance with claim 19, wherein:

said determining of said position of the target and said position of the camera is performed in a common coordinate system independent of the camera and the target;

said calculating of said relative position is performed by calculating a difference between said position of the camera and said position of the target.

22. The method in accordance with claim 21, wherein:

said determining of said position of the target is performed using a Global Navigation Satellite System (GNSS) receiver mounted on the target;

said determining of said position of the camera is performed using a Global Navigation Satellite System (GNSS) receiver spaced from the target;

said calculating of said relative position is performed by subtracting said position of the camera from the position of the target.

23. The method in accordance with claim 19, wherein:

the camera is on a platform positionable to point in a plurality of directions with respect to the coordinate system of the platform, in order to acquire video signals of the target via relay stations;

at least one of the camera, target or relay stations is equipped with a GNSS receiver and an Inertial Measurement Unit (IMU);

position measurements are made by the GNSS receiver and the IMU at known time intervals;

platform attitude from said measurements are computed to point the camera on the target;

a position and orientation in platform coordinates are calculated by subtracting the platform'"'"'s global position vector from the target'"'"'s global position vector and projecting the resulting vector onto the platform coordinate system;

said platform is moved according to said resulting vector.

24. A method in accordance with claim 19, wherein:

said moving of the camera causes the camera to follow the target when the target moves out of a field of view of the camera.