Wireless remote control to operate a radiometric camera mounted to an aerial vehicle

• US 9,880,552 B1
• Filed: 04/07/2016
• Issued: 01/30/2018
• Est. Priority Date: 04/08/2015
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Gary Eugene Strahan, Infrared cameras, inc.
• Original Assignee: Gary Eugene Strahan
• Inventors: Strahan, Gary Eugene, Forister, Gary
• Primary Examiner(s): Wong, Yuen H
• Application Number:
  US15/092,907
• Time in Patent Office: 663 Days
• CPC Class Codes: B64U 2101/00 UAVs specially adapted for particular uses or applications
• CPC Class Codes: G05D 1/0038 by providing the operator with simple or augmented images from one or more cameras located onboard the vehicle, e.g. tele-operation images analyzed by a computer and used for automatic navigation G05D1/0246
• CPC Class Codes: G05D 1/0094 involving pointing a payload, e.g. camera, weapon, sensor, towards a fixed or moving target
• CPC Class Codes: G05D 1/101 specially adapted for aircraft

Abstract

A wireless remote control assembly which includes a wireless remote control in communication with an aerial vehicle. A radiometric camera can be mounted to the aerial vehicle. The aerial vehicle can have a radiometric camera processor. A display can be in communication with an aerial vehicle processor. A remote control data storage can be in communication with a remote control processor. A power supply can be in further communication with the aerial vehicle processor. Computer instructions located in the remote control data storage can capture data from the remote control processor to the radiometric camera for a target. Furthermore, computer instructions in the remote control data storage can instruct the radiometric camera processor to perform aerial thermography to view different wavelengths simultaneously.

Claims

1. A wireless remote control assembly to wirelessly perform aerial thermography and data capture for a target, the wireless remote control assembly comprising:

a. an imaging sensor processor mounted to an aerial vehicle in communication with an aerial vehicle processor and an aerial vehicle power supply on the aerial vehicle;

b. a radiometric camera mounted on the aerial vehicle in communication with the imaging sensor processor and the aerial vehicle power supply;

c. at least one imaging sensor mounted on the aerial vehicle and in communication with the imaging sensor processor and the aerial vehicle power supply; and

d. a wireless remote control comprising;

(i) a remote control processor in communication with the display and the imaging sensor processor to provide commands to perform aerial thermography and data capture using the radiometric camera and the at least one imaging sensor; and

(ii) a controller in communication with the imaging sensor processor to selectively provide commands to the imaging sensor processor causing the imaging sensor processor to capture data and store the captured data in an imaging sensor data storage, wherein the controller comprises a variable intensity level control and a variable span control and optionally;

1. a region of interest control;

2. a capture data control;

3. a camera selection control;

4. a zoom control;

5. a mode control;

or

6. a target setting menu; and

(iii) a display wherein maximum temperature or minimum temperature values are scaled with the variable intensity level control or the variable span control.

2. The wireless remote control assembly of claim 1, wherein the controller variably controls intensity levels corresponding to temperatures emitted by the target.

3. The wireless remote control assembly of claim 1, wherein the controller variably controls span to adjust a range of temperatures captured by the radiometric camera.

4. The wireless remote control assembly of claim 1, wherein the imaging sensor data storage contains a temperature scale for adjusting intensity level and span.

5. The wireless remote control assembly of claim 1, wherein the target setting menu comprises at least one of:

a. emissivity;

b. distance;

c. relative humidity;

d. background reflection;

e. ambient temperature;

f. reflectivity; and

g. transmissivity.

6. The wireless remote control assembly of claim 1, wherein the zoom control widens or narrows a field of view of at least one:

the radiometric camera and the at least one imaging sensor.

7. The wireless remote control assembly of claim 1, wherein the camera selection control is configured to allow a user to select the at least one imaging sensor, the radiometric camera or an additional camera mounted on the aerial vehicle and provide an image to the display, and wherein, the camera selection control enables the user to sequence through the at least one imaging sensor, the radiometric camera and the additional cameras mounted on the aerial vehicle.

8. The wireless remote control assembly of claim 1, wherein the wireless remote control further comprises:

a. a throttle control;

b. a yaw control;

c. a pitch control; and

d. a roll control.

9. The wireless remote control assembly of claim 8, wherein the throttle control, the yaw control, the pitch control and the roll control are used for communicating with the aerial vehicle processor to control flight of the aerial vehicle.

10. The wireless remote control assembly of claim 1, wherein the wireless remote control further comprises a gimbal control to wirelessly pitch and yaw a gimbal mounted to the aerial vehicle and to support the radiometric camera and the at least one imaging sensor.

11. The wireless remote control assembly of claim 1, further comprising from 2 cameras to 32 cameras mounted to the aerial vehicle and in communication with the aerial vehicle power supply and the imaging sensor processor.

12. The wireless remote control assembly of claim 1, wherein the region of interest control defines a subset of pixels from the target for monitoring in real time.

13. The wireless remote control assembly of claim 1, wherein the commands of the wireless remote control comprise commands for making biasing corrections to a perceived temperature.

14. The wireless remote control assembly of claim 1, wherein the display further comprises flight data.

15. The wireless remote control assembly of claim 1, wherein the imaging sensor processor further comprises commands for post-processing, reporting, or mapping the captured data.