Image capturing

• US 9,561,869 B2
• Filed: 02/07/2012
• Issued: 02/07/2017
• Est. Priority Date: 02/10/2011
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: BAE Systems Plc
• Original Assignee: BAE Systems Plc
• Inventors: Finn, Harry John, Tebay, Andrew Christopher, Parker, David Robert, Stockton, Simon Graham
• Primary Examiner(s): Le, Peter D
• Application Number:
  US13/985,004
• Publication Number:
  US 20130321626A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,827 Days
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: B64D 47/08 Arrangements of cameras
• CPC Class Codes: B64U 20/87 Mounting of imaging devices, e.g. mounting of gimbals
• CPC Class Codes: G01C 11/025 by scanning the object

Abstract

A camera assembly is disclosed for mounting on a vehicle (e.g. an aircraft). An exemplary camera assembly can include: a fixture (e.g. a rotatable drum); a camera; and a mirror; wherein the fixture is arranged to be rotated relative to the vehicle about an axis; the camera is mounted on the fixture such that the camera has a substantially fixed position relative to the fixture; the mirror is mounted on the fixture such that, if the fixture rotates, the mirror rotates; the mirror is rotatable relative to the fixture about a further axis, the further axis being substantially perpendicular to the axis; and the camera is arranged to detect electromagnetic radiation reflected by the mirror. The axis and the further axis may intersect.

Claims

1. An aircraft comprising:

a modular camera array configured to, for each of a plurality of time-steps within a time period, for each of a plurality of modular cameras of the modular camera array, simultaneously generate an image of a respective portion of terrain, wherein the portions of terrain are such that the whole of a given area of terrain has been imaged by the end of the time period;

one or more processors in each of the modular cameras arranged to identify one or more objects of interest in the images generated by the respective modular camera of the modular camera array; and

select subset images of all the generated images such that the whole area of terrain is covered by the portions of the terrain in the images in the subset images;

the subset images being the minimum number of images that provides that the whole area of the terrain is covered by the portions of the terrain in the subset images alone;

whereby the whole area of the terrain is oversampled, having intermediate images generated between the subset images;

wherein all the generated images equals the subset images plus the intermediate images; and

for an image not in the subset images, if an object of interest is in that image, extract a sub-image containing the object of interest, that has not previously been stored, from that image;

a camera assembly comprising;

a fixture configured to be rotated relative to the aircraft about an axis;

a mirror mounted on the fixture such that, if the fixture rotates, the mirror rotates, and rotatable relative to the fixture about a further axis, the further axis being substantially perpendicular to the axis; and

an assembly camera mounted on the fixture such that the assembly camera has a substantially fixed position relative to the fixture, and arranged to detect electromagnetic radiation reflected by the mirror;

wherein

the camera assembly is configured to, responsive to a selection of a particular object of interest from the one or more identified objects of interest, be operated so as to rotate the fixture about the axis and/or rotate the mirror about the further axis such that a portion of terrain that the assembly camera is able to image includes the selected object of interest.

2. The aircraft according to claim 1, wherein the axis and the further axis intersect.

3. The aircraft according to claim 1, wherein the fixture comprises:

a drum, the assembly camera and the mirror being mounted inside the drum, and the axis being a longitudinal axis of the drum.

4. The aircraft according to claim 1, the camera assembly further comprising:

a further processor configured to process images generated by the assembly camera.

5. The aircraft according to claim 1, the camera assembly further comprising:

storage means arranged for storing images generated by the assembly camera.

6. The aircraft according to claim 1, the camera assembly further comprising:

transmitting means for transmitting images comprising an object of interest video generated by the assembly camera from the camera assembly for use by an entity remote from the camera assembly.

7. The aircraft according to claim 1, the camera assembly further comprising a further processor configured to select the particular object of interest from the one or more identified objects of interest.

8. The aircraft according to claim 1, wherein the camera assembly is mounted on the aircraft such that the axis is substantially parallel to a roll axis of the aircraft.

9. The aircraft according to claim 1, wherein the fixture is rotatable relative to the modular camera array.

10. The aircraft according to claim 1, wherein the one or more processors are configured to select a particular object of interest, the camera assembly being arranged to be operated depending on the selected particular object of interest so as to generate, using the assembly camera of the camera assembly, one or more images of the selected particular object of interest.

11. A method of generating an image using an aircraft comprising a camera assembly comprising:

a fixture;

an assembly camera; and

a mirror;

wherein the fixture is arranged to be rotated relative to the aircraft about an axis;

the assembly camera is mounted on the fixture such that the assembly camera has a substantially fixed position relative to the fixture;

the mirror is mounted on the fixture such that, if the fixture rotates, the mirror will rotate;

the mirror being rotatable relative to the fixture about a further axis, the further axis being substantially perpendicular to the axis; and

the assembly camera being arranged to detect electromagnetic radiation reflected by the mirror, the method comprising;

providing a modular camera array;

for each of a plurality of time-steps within a time period, simultaneously generating, by each modular camera of the modular camera array, an image of a respective portion of terrain, wherein the portions of terrain are such that the whole of a given area of terrain has been imaged by an end of the time period;

identifying, by one or more processors in each of the modular cameras, one or more objects of interest in the images generated by the respective modular camera of the modular camera array;

selecting a particular object of interest from the one or more identified objects of interest;

selecting subset images of all the generated images such that the whole area of terrain is covered by the portions of the terrain in the images in the subset images;

the subset images being the minimum number of images that provides that the whole area of the terrain is covered by the portions of the terrain in the subset images alone;

whereby the whole area of the terrain is oversampled, having intermediate images generated between the subset images; and

wherein all the generated images equals the subset images plus the intermediate images; and

for an image not in the subset images, if an object of interest is in that image, extract a sub-image containing the object of interest, that has not previously been stored, from that image;

rotating the fixture about the axis and/or rotating the mirror about the further axis, such that a portion of terrain that the assembly camera is able to image comprises the selected object of interest; and

using the assembly camera, generating one or more images of the portion of terrain comprising the selected object of interest.

12. The method of claim 11 is performed by a program or plurality of programs stored on a non-transitory computer-readable medium arranged for execution by a computer system or one or more processors such that upon execution they cause the computer system or the one or more processors to operate.

13. The method of claim 11 is performed by a program or plurality of programs stored on a machine readable non-transitory storage medium.

14. The method according to claim 11, wherein the fixture comprises:

a drum, the assembly camera and the mirror being mounted inside the drum, and the axis being a longitudinal axis of the drum.

15. The method according to claim 14, wherein the one or more processors are configured to process the images generated by the assembly camera.

16. The method according to claim 15 comprising:

storage means arranged for storing the images generated by the assembly camera.

17. The method according to claim 16, comprising:

transmitting means for transmitting images generated by the assembly camera from the camera assembly for use by an entity remote from the camera assembly.

18. The method according to claim 17 comprising a further processor configured to select the particular object of interest from the one or more identified objects of interest a wherein the location of the objects of interest comprises aircraft location, aircraft orientation, modular camera array location, and ground elevation from the oversampled modular camera array images to hand off to the gimballed camera assembly.