JP2002029499A - Aircraft-borne video transmitting device - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide an aircraft-borne video transmitting device, capable of being on board an aircraft easily in a short time with small manpower, and improving in responsiveness to practical use, workability, and aircraft availability factor. SOLUTION: This video transmitting device comprises a storing pod 1 that is removably mounted on the airframe 5 of the aircraft and stores at least a photographing means and a radio transmitting mean, and a controller 3 disposed in the airplane operably by an operator for controlling the operation by the storing pod 1. Video information photographed by the photographing means can be transmitted through the controller 3 by the radio transmitting mean.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to an on-board video transmission apparatus for transmitting video information, which is mounted on an aircraft and photographed from an airframe, to a base station by radio.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art As a conventional airborne video transmission device, for example, as shown in FIG.
Some are mounted on. In this prior art, the cabin sheet in the airframe 51 is removed and the platform 5 is placed on the floor.
2, and an on-board storage frame 53 having a wireless transmitter and the like, a video device frame 54 and a camera device frame 55 are mounted on the platform 52 so as to be positioned inside the body 51.
The antenna 56 is attached to the outside of the antenna.

A camera vibration isolator 58 is mounted on the outside of the body 51 via a camera vibration isolator mount 57, and a camera (not shown) is mounted on the camera vibration isolator 58. The camera is connected to a camera device frame 55 via a cable, and the camera device frame 55, the video device frame 54, and the on-board storage frame 53 are connected to each other by a cable or a waveguide.
Further, the antenna 56 is connected to the on-board storage rack 53 via a cable or a waveguide, and a video signal from a camera is processed by the camera device rack 55 and the video device rack 54. Wireless transmission. Further, a monitor 59 for observing an image captured by a camera is installed inside the body 51.

[0004]

However, in the above-mentioned conventional video transmission apparatus for mounting on an airplane, when mounting it on the airframe 51, the cabin sheet in the airframe 51 is removed, and the platform 52 is fixed on the floor.
2 includes an onboard storage frame 53, a video device frame 54, and a camera device frame 5
5 and the antenna 56 are attached, and the camera is attached to the outside of the body via the camera vibration isolator mount 57 and the camera vibration isolator 58. There is a concern that it will require more workers.

[0005] Also, when the video transmission device is detached from the machine body 51, much time and the like are required as in the case of mounting, and there is a concern that the operability of the machine body 51 may be reduced.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION Accordingly, an object of the present invention, which has been made in view of the above points, is that an aircraft can be easily and quickly mounted on an aircraft with a small number of personnel, and the responsiveness and workability of the operation and the availability of the aircraft can be improved. An object of the present invention is to provide a video transmission device.

[0007]

According to a first aspect of the present invention, there is provided an aircraft-mounted video transmission apparatus which is detachably mounted on an aircraft body and accommodates at least a photographing means and a radio transmission means. A storage pod, and control means for controlling the photographing means and the wireless transmitting means, the control means being installed on the aircraft so as to be operable by an operator, and transmitting the video information photographed by the photographing means to the wireless device via the control means. The transmission is performed by the transmission unit.

According to the first aspect of the present invention, the storage pod is attached to the body, the control means is installed, and the image information captured by the imaging means provided on the storage pod is provided by a simple operation of electrically connecting the two. Can be transmitted by the wireless transmission means provided in the storage pod via the control means,
It can be easily and quickly mounted on an aircraft with a small number of personnel, and it is possible to improve operational responsiveness, workability, and aircraft operation rate.

According to a second aspect of the present invention, in the video transmission apparatus mounted on an aircraft according to the first aspect, the storage pod is mounted outside the airframe.

According to the second aspect of the present invention, since the storage pod is attached to the outside of the machine body, the attachment work can be performed more easily.

According to a third aspect of the present invention, in the video transmission apparatus mounted on an aircraft according to the first or second aspect, a relay storage pod detachably mounted on the body of the aircraft and storing at least relay wireless transmission means. Wherein the video information photographed by the photographing means can be transmitted by the relay wireless transmitting means via the control means.

According to the third aspect of the present invention, for example, the carrier frequency, transmission power, radio wave format,
Set the antenna format etc. so that long-distance transmission is possible compared to the wireless transmission means on the storage pod side, and transmit video information captured by the imaging means over a longer distance, or wireless transmission on the storage pod side The video information is transmitted by appropriately selecting the means and the relay wireless transmission means on the relay storage pod side, or the video information is transmitted from the relay wireless transmission means when the storage pod side wireless transmission means fails. For example, various transmission modes are possible.

According to a fourth aspect of the present invention, in the video transmission apparatus mounted on an aircraft according to the third aspect, the relay storage pod is mounted outside the body.

[0014] According to the fourth aspect of the invention, similarly to the second aspect of the invention, the work of mounting the relay storage pod can be performed more easily.

According to a fifth aspect of the present invention, in the video transmission apparatus mounted on an aircraft according to the fourth aspect, the storage pod and the relay storage pod are respectively mounted on left and right sides of the body.

According to the fifth aspect of the present invention, the video information can be easily mounted in a well-balanced manner on the airframe, and the video information is transmitted by selecting the wireless transmission means on the storage pod side or the relay wireless transmission means on the relay storage pod side. Becomes possible.

According to a sixth aspect of the present invention, in the video transmission apparatus mounted on an aircraft according to any one of the first to fifth aspects, the wireless transmission means of the storage pod comprises a transmitter and a directional antenna coupled to the transmitter. The storage pod further includes a data communication radio connected to a data transmission antenna installed on the body, an antenna controller for controlling the direction of the directional antenna, and the storage pod on the body. And a fixing device for detachably mounting.

According to the sixth aspect of the present invention, since the wireless transmission means has a directional antenna, it is possible to transmit video information efficiently with low power, and the storage pod has a data communication radio. Since the data communication radio is connected to, for example, an antenna for data transmission attached to an aircraft, data communication such as transmission of data such as position information and attitude of the aircraft to the base station becomes possible.

According to a seventh aspect of the present invention, in the video transmission apparatus mounted on an aircraft according to any one of the third to fifth aspects, the relay wireless communication means of the relay storage pod includes a receiver, a transmitter, and the receiver. A directional antenna coupled to the transmitter, and a non-directional antenna coupled to the transmitter; and the relay storage pod further includes a data communication radio connected to a data transmission antenna installed on the airframe. A relay device, an antenna controller for controlling the direction of a directional antenna coupled to the receiver, and a fixing device for detachably mounting the relay storage pod to the airframe.

According to the seventh aspect of the present invention, the image information obtained by photographing by the photographing means of the storage pod is transmitted from the omnidirectional antenna via the transmitter of the relay storage pod, or the image information received by the directional antenna. Information can be transmitted from the omni-directional antenna 21 via the relay pod transmitter, or from the directional antenna 12 via the storage pod transmitter, instead of using the data communication radio of the storage pod. Thus, data communication can be performed with the base station using the data communication radio of the relay storage pod.

[0021]

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS An embodiment of an airborne video transmission device according to the present invention will be described below with reference to FIGS.

FIG. 1 is a front view showing a state in which a video transmission device for aircraft is mounted on a helicopter according to the present invention, FIG. 2 is a diagram showing the left side of the helicopter shown in FIG. 1, FIG. 3 is a plan view, and FIG. 5 is a right side perspective view, FIG. 6 is a block diagram of a video transmission device, and FIG. 7 is a block diagram showing a configuration of a main part of a base station that receives video information from a helicopter.

The video transmission apparatus mounted on an aircraft according to the present embodiment has a storage pod 1, a relay storage pod 2, a controller 3, and a monitor 4. The storage pod 1 and the relay storage pod 2 are provided with adapters (fixing devices) 1a and 2a for detachably attaching to the body 5 of the helicopter, respectively. And detachably attached to a hard point of the body 5. Here, the storage pod 1 is connected to a hard point on the lower right side of the airframe 5 via the adapter 1a.
Attach the adapter to the hard point at the bottom left
The relay storage pod 2 is attached via a. Further, in order to stably maintain the mounting state of the storage pod 1 and the relay storage pod 2 on the body 5, each of the body 5
From the upper part by a damper tube 7.

The controller 3 and the monitor 4 are connected to the controller 3 and installed on a console provided inside the body 5 so that an operator can operate the controller 3 while watching the monitor 4. I do. As the controller 3 and the monitor 4, instead of mounting a dedicated device so as to be able to be loaded and unloaded, a device permanently installed in the body 5 can be used. In this case,
A program for photography may be stored in a permanent controller in advance, and the program may be switched and used at the time of photography.

An omnidirectional data transmission antenna 8 protruding from a lower portion of the airframe 5 is attached to the airframe 5, and a GPS antenna 9 is mounted on the upper portion.
Further, when nighttime photographing is performed, an infrared night vision device (FLIR) 10 is attached to project outside the lower part of the body 5.

At the lower part of the storage pod 1, a visible camera 11 whose projection direction can be adjusted is provided so as to protrude, and a directional antenna 12 which can adjust a radiation direction of a transmission radio wave is protruded at a side opposite to the body 5 side. Provided. As shown in FIG. 6, a data communication radio 14, an antenna controller 15 and a camera controller 16 are provided inside the storage pod 1 by connecting to an encoder / decoder 13 and connected to a coupler 17 as shown in FIG. A transmitter 18 is provided.
The visible camera 11 is connected to the coupler 17 and the transmitter 1
The antenna terminal 8 is connected to the directional antenna 12. Here, it is preferable that the connection between the transmitter 18 and the directional antenna 12 be connected by a waveguide to prevent attenuation of transmission power.

After the storage pod 1 is attached to the body 5, the encoder / decoder 13 and the coupler 17 are connected to the controller 3, and the antenna terminal of the data communication radio 14 is connected to the body 5 via a coaxial cable. Connect to the attached data transmission antenna 8.

A first omnidirectional antenna 21 is provided at the lower part of the relay storage pod 2 so as to protrude therefrom, and a directional antenna 23 capable of adjusting a radio wave receiving direction is provided on a side opposite to the body 5. Is provided to protrude. As shown in FIG. 6, a data communication radio 25 and an antenna controller 26 are provided inside the relay storage pod 2 by connecting to an encoder / decoder 24.
And a transmitter 28 and a receiver 29 are provided. In addition,
The antenna terminal of the transmitter 28 is connected to the omnidirectional antenna 21, and the antenna terminal of the receiver 29 is connected to the directional antenna 23.
, And the antenna terminal of the data communication radio 25 is connected to the data transmission antenna 8. It is preferable to connect the antennas other than the data communication wireless device 25 by using a waveguide as in the above.

After the relay storage pod 2 is attached to the machine body 5, the encoder / decoder 24 and the coupler 27 are connected to the controller 3.

The controller 3 further includes, as shown in FIG.
The GPS antenna 9 is connected, and an inertial navigation device (INS) 30 provided on the airframe 5 is connected. Also, FL
When the IR 10 is attached, the FLIR 10 is connected to the controller 3.

On the other hand, as shown in FIG. 7, a base station 31 that communicates with the airframe 5 and receives video information from the airframe 5 includes a non-directional data transmission antenna 32 and a directional antenna for receiving video information. 33 are provided. The data transmission antenna 32 is connected to a controller 35 via a data communication radio 34, and the directional antenna 33 is connected to the controller 35 via a receiver 36. A monitor 37 is connected to the controller 35, and an antenna controller 38 for adjusting the direction of the directional antenna 33 is connected to the controller 35.

In the present embodiment, the communicable distance and storage using the data transmission antenna 8 transmitted from the data communication radio 14 of the storage pod 1 and attached to the airframe 5 and the data transmission antenna 32 of the base station 31 are used. The communicable distance using the directional antenna 12 of the pod 1 and the directional antenna 33 of the base station 31 is, for example, 50 km.
In addition, the communicable distance transmitted from the data communication radio 25 of the relay storage pod 2 and using the data transmission antenna 8 and the data transmission antenna 32 of the base station 31 and the omnidirectional antenna 21 of the relay storage pod 2 The communicable distance of the base station 31 using the data transmission antenna 32 is, for example, 100 km.

Next, the operation of this embodiment will be described.

When the body 5 reaches the target point and the operator finds the target, the controller 3 measures the accurate position of the body 5 based on a signal from at least one of the GPS antenna 9 and the INS 30, and the azimuth. The direction of the body 5 is measured with a meter. Here, the distance between the aircraft 5 and the base station 31 is 50K.
m, the measured data is modulated from the controller 3 by the data communication radio 14 via the encoder / decoder 13 of the storage pod 1 to the data transmission antenna 8 attached to the body 5. And supplies it to the antenna controller 15 via the encoder / decoder 13 to control the directional antenna 12 to face the base station 31 based on the measurement data.

The operator adjusts the orientation of the visible camera 11 by the camera controller 16 via the encoder / decoder 13 by the controller 3 so that the photographing direction of the visible camera 11 is directed to the target while observing the monitor 4. Then, when it is confirmed that the target is being photographed, the controller 3 controls the controller 3 to modulate the photographed video information with the transmitter 18 through the coupler 17 of the storage pod 1 and to transmit the modulated information from the directional antenna 12 to the base station. Send to 31.

On the other hand, in the base station 31, the measurement data transmitted from the airframe 5 is received and demodulated by the data communication radio 34 via the data transmission antenna 32, and the controller 35 controls the antenna 35 based on the received signal. The direction of the directional antenna 33 is adjusted to the direction of the body 5 through the directional antenna 3 so that the video information transmitted from the body 5 is
The signal is received and demodulated by the receiver 36 through 3, and the received signal is supplied to the controller 35, and the captured video is displayed on the monitor 37.

On the other hand, when the distance between the airframe 5 and the base station 31 exceeds 50 km, the distance between the airframe 5 and the base station 31 normally shot by another relay airplane having the same equipment is taken. Used in. Using the data communication radio 14 or 25 of the video camera and the data transmission antenna 8 to perform data transmission of the above-described measurement data and the like to and from another aircraft, and an image captured by the visible camera 11 of the storage pod 1. Information is supplied from the controller 3 to the transmitter 18 of the storage pod 1 and transmitted from the directional antenna 12. Another airframe for relaying is received by the directional antenna 23 and transmitted to the base station 31 by the omnidirectional antenna 21 or the directional antenna 12.

When the relay airframe cannot be used, the video camera uses the omnidirectional antenna 21 of the relay housing pod 2 or the data communication transmitter 8 of the relay housing pod 2 and the data transmission antenna 8 to transmit video. Send

The distance between the aircraft 5 and the base station 31 is 50
Km, the transmitter 1 of the storage pod 1
8 and the directional antenna 12 fail, the data transmission radio 8 attached to the data communication radio 14 and the airframe 5 of the storage pod 1 or the transmitter 28 of the relay storage pod 2 and the omnidirectional Video information is transmitted using the antenna 21.

As described above, the visible camera 1 provided in the storage pod 1
1 has been described for transmitting video information,
The video information in the LIR 10 can also be transmitted to the base station 31 using the storage pod 1 and the relay storage pod 2 as described above.

The present invention is not limited to the above embodiment, but can be variously modified without departing from the spirit of the invention. For example, in the above embodiment, the storage pod 1
And the relay storage pod 2 are attached, but the relay storage pod 2 can be omitted. Further, as information to be transmitted from the aircraft 5 to the base station 31, in addition to the above-described video information, measurement data of the position and orientation of the aircraft 5, aircraft information such as an aircraft speed and a target arrival time, and airspace information are transmitted. Can also. Further, in the above-described embodiment, the visible camera 11 is provided in the storage pod 1 as a photographing means, but an FLIR may be provided instead of the visible camera 11 or together with the visible camera 11. Further, it is also possible to adopt a configuration in which video information is transmitted only by a non-directional antenna without providing a directional antenna in the storage pod 1 or the relay storage pod 2. Further, the video transmission device according to the present invention can be mounted not only on a helicopter but also on another aircraft.

[0042]

According to the above-described video transmission apparatus mounted on an aircraft according to the present invention, the storage pod containing at least the photographing means and the radio transmission means is detachably mounted on the body of the aircraft, and the operation by the storage pod is performed. The control means for controlling the camera is installed on the aircraft so that it can be operated by an operator, and by electrically connecting the two, the video information photographed by the photographing means provided on the storage pod is provided on the storage pod via the control means. Since it is possible to transmit by wireless transmission means, it can be easily and quickly mounted on the aircraft with a small number of personnel,
It is possible to improve the responsiveness of the operation, the workability, and the operation rate of the aircraft.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is a front view of a helicopter showing an embodiment in which a video transmission device for mounting on an aircraft according to the present invention is mounted on a helicopter.

FIG. 2 is a view showing a left side surface of the helicopter shown in FIG. 1;

FIG. 3 is also a plan view.

FIG. 4 is also a left side perspective view.

FIG. 5 is also a right side perspective view.

FIG. 6 is a block diagram of a video transmission device according to the present embodiment.

FIG. 7 is a block diagram illustrating a configuration of a main part of a base station that receives video information from the video transmission device according to the present embodiment.

FIG. 8 is a diagram for explaining a conventional airborne video transmission device.

[Explanation of symbols]

 Reference Signs List 1 storage pod 2 relay storage pod 1a, 2a adapter (fixing device) 3 controller 4 monitor 5 airframe 8 data transmission antenna 9 GPS antenna 10 infrared night vision device (FLIR) 11 visible camera 12 directional antenna 13 encoder / decoder 14 Data communication radio 15 Antenna controller 16 Camera controller 17 Coupler 18 Transmitter 21 Non-directional antenna 23 Directional antenna 24 Encoder / decoder 25 Data communication radio 26 Antenna controller 27 Coupler 28 Transmitter 29 Receiver 30 Inertial navigation device (INS) 31 base station 32 data transmission antenna 33 directional antenna 34 data communication radio 35 controller 36 receiver 37 monitor 38 antenna controller

Claims (7)

[Claims] A storage pod that is detachably attached to an aircraft body and stores at least a photographing unit and a wireless transmission unit; and a storage pod that is installed on the aircraft so that an operator can operate the photographing unit and the wireless transmission unit. Control means for controlling, wherein the video information photographed by said photographing means is transmitted by said wireless transmitting means via said control means, and is mounted on an aircraft. 2. The video transmission apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the storage pod is mounted outside the body. 3. A relay storage pod which is detachably attached to the body of the aircraft and stores at least a relay wireless transmission means, wherein video information captured by the imaging means is transmitted to the relay via the control means. The airborne video transmission device according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the video transmission device is configured to be able to transmit by wireless transmission means. 4. The video transmission device according to claim 3, wherein the relay storage pod is mounted outside the airframe. 5. The video transmission apparatus according to claim 4, wherein the storage pod and the relay storage pod are respectively mounted on left and right sides of the body. 6. The wireless transmission means of the storage pod includes a transmitter and a directional antenna coupled to the transmitter, and the storage pod is connected to a data transmission antenna installed on the body. Data communication radio, and an antenna controller for controlling the direction of the directional antenna,
The video transmission device for mounting on an aircraft according to any one of claims 1 to 5, further comprising a fixing device for detachably attaching the storage pod to the airframe. 7. The relay wireless communication means of the relay storage pod includes a receiver and a transmitter, a directional antenna coupled to the receiver, and an omni-directional antenna coupled to the transmitter. Further, the relay storage pod has a data communication radio connected to a data transmission antenna installed on the airframe, and an antenna controller for controlling the direction of a directional antenna coupled to the receiver. The video transmission device for mounting on an aircraft according to claim 3, further comprising: a fixing device for detachably mounting the relay storage pod to the airframe.