Rotating window and radome for surveillance pod

• US 9,575,169 B2
• Filed: 02/05/2014
• Issued: 02/21/2017
• Est. Priority Date: 11/19/2013
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Goodrich Corporation (Rtx Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Goodrich Corporation (Rtx Corporation)
• Inventors: Colantonio, Peter
• Primary Examiner(s): Brainard, Timothy A
• Application Number:
  US14/173,008
• Publication Number:
  US 20160223664A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,112 Days
• Field of Search: 342/53
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: B64C 1/36 adapted to receive antennas or radomes
• CPC Class Codes: B64D 47/08 Arrangements of cameras
• CPC Class Codes: B64D 7/00 Arrangements of military equipment, e.g. armaments, armament accessories, or military shielding, in aircraft; Adaptations of armament mountings for aircraft dropping bombs or the like B64D1/00; armaments or mountings therefor per se F41
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 13/867 Combination of radar systems with cameras
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 7/02 of systems according to group G01S13/00
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 7/027 Constructional details of housings, e.g. form, type, material or ruggedness
• CPC Class Codes: G03B 15/006 Apparatus mounted on flying objects
• CPC Class Codes: H01Q 1/28 Adaptation for use in or on aircraft, missiles, satellites, or balloons
• CPC Class Codes: H01Q 5/22 RF wavebands combined with non-RF wavebands, e.g. infrared or optical

Abstract

A pod has a rotatable housing and a motor for driving the rotatable housing to rotate. The rotatable housing includes an image capture device for capturing an electromagnetic image and a radar transmitting and capturing device for capturing a radar image. The motor is operable to change an orientation of the rotatable housing relative to a pod housing, such that a desired one of the electromagnetic image capture device and the radar transmission and reception system faces an area that is to be studied. A method is also disclosed.

Claims

1. A surveillance device for gathering images of an area, comprising:

a. a flight vehicle;

b. a pod attached to the flight vehicle;

c. a moveable housing within the pod and including an electromagnetic image capture device and a radar image capture device;

d. a motor connected to the moveable housing;

e. a motor controller connected to the motor, wherein the motor and motor controller are constructed and arranged to move the housing to a first orientation for at least one of the electromagnetic image capture device and the radar image capture device to capture a first image of the area while the vehicle is in flight, and additionally to move the housing to a second orientation for the other one of the electromagnetic image capture device and the radar image capture device to capture a second image of the area while the vehicle is in flight.

2. The surveillance device as set forth in claim 1, wherein the first image and the second image are of the same area.

3. The surveillance device as set forth in claim 1, wherein the first image and the second image are of different areas.

4. The surveillance device as set forth in claim 1, wherein the first and second orientations are the same orientation.