AU673086B2

AU673086B2 - Image and data capturing apparatus

Info

Publication number: AU673086B2
Application number: AU68662/94A
Authority: AU
Inventors: Maxwell Leslie Stainlay
Original assignee: Individual
Current assignee: Individual
Priority date: 1993-07-23
Filing date: 1994-07-25
Publication date: 1996-10-24
Anticipated expiration: 2014-07-25
Also published as: AU6866294A

Description

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P/:00/011 Regulation 3.2

AUSTRALIA

Patents Act 1990 COMPLETE SPECIFICATION FOR A STANDARD PATENT

ORIGINAL

TO BE COMPLETED BY APPLICANT go Name of Applicant: MAXWELL LESLIE STAINLAY Actual Inventor(s): MAXWELL LESLIE STAINLAY Address for Service: JOHN R.G. GARDNER PO BOX 443 MUDGEERABA QLD 4213 Invention title: IMAGE AND DATE CAPTURING APPARATUS Details of Associated Provisional Applications Nos: PM 0083 The following statement is a full description of this invention, including the best method of performing it know to me:- *ee AculIvno*) AWL ELESANA to BOX:44 This invention relates to an image and data capturing apparatus and method and in a particular but not exclusive aspect to a method and apparatus for capturing images and information concerning particular geographical locations.

It is presently known to use video image capturing means usually a video camera for capturing video images of particular geographic locations so as to show for example a particular terrain. This may be required for electrical supply planning, agricultural, survey or mining applications or other purposes such as law enforcement, local government, science and defence applications.

Usually, however, the captured images cannot be accurately associated with a particular geographical location. Whilst an accurate visual record of a particular location can be presented for viewing, the actual geographical position which the visual record represents is not able to be accurately associated with the visual record. Whilst position information can be now received and recorded using 20 satellite navigational systems such as that known as SATNAV, there is at present no means which will provide accurate correspondence between recorded positional information of a certain location and the visual images recorded of that location.

The present invention aims to overcome or alleviate the above disadvantages by providing a method and apparatus which permits both the capturing of visual images of particular geographical locations and positional information relating to such captured visual images. The present invention also aims to provide a method and apparatus which in a preferred aspect can provide such information in a suitable form for storage and subsequent display or presentation. Other objects and advantages will become apparent from the following description.

The present invention thus provides in a first aspect image and position capturing apparatus including means for receiving positional information relating to a particular location, means for capturing visual image information of said particular location corresponding to said positional information, and storage means for storing said positional information and image information in such a manner that said stored positional information corresponds to said stored image information.

The visual images may be captured and stored in any form which will permit their subsequent presentation or display. Most preferably the visual images are captured on a video tape. For this purpose, the image capturinig means suitably comprises a video camera. which captures and stores visual images of the location on the video tape, suitably in a video cassette. Preferably the audio track of the video tape is used to store the positional information corresponding to the visual images stored on the image storage portion of the video tape. The positional information is suitably obtained from information supplied from a remote source such as a satellite, such information normally being provided in digital forn and received by a suitable navigational receiver.

Preferably data conversion means are employed to convert the positional infoirmation which when received is normally in digital form into a form which allows for its storage on the audio track of the video tape.

The information provided upon replaying the video tape thus prepared comprises visual images, and infor-mation concerning the position of those visual images, the positional information being converted into a suitable :form for viewing. The positional information may include latitude and longitudinal information to allow correct geographical identification of the vrisual images.

The information provided by the video tape may be converted into a form for processing and editing by a computer so that if desired the information can be provided in a different format, for example on a computer disc for subsequent viewing or printing out of the information.

If required time and/or date infornation can also be stored by the 30 storage means. Where a video cassette tape is used as the recording or storage means, this information may also be stored on the tape suitably on the audio track of the video tape. Such information can be recorded from the navigational receiver which may have this facility, or a separate device providing time and date information or alternatively from manual means such as by an operator or observer using a microphone.

In an alternative configuration, digital storage means may be provided to store both the image signals and positional information signals in digital form for conversion and replay as desired. In yet an alternative configuration, the storage means may comprise a compact disc or the like.

In a further aspect, the present invention provides a method for providing visual and positional information concerning a particular location, said method comprising the steps of capturing and storing visual images of a particular location and simultaneously capturing and storing positional information of said particular location such that when said stored information is reproduced or replayed said captured and stored positional information colrresponds to said captured and stored visual images. Suitably both the visual images and positional information are stored on a video tape.

Typically the image and positional capturing means is mounted on an aircraft such as a helicopter.

In order that the invention may be more readily understood and put into practical effect, reference will now be made to the accompanying drawings which illustrate a preferred embodiment of the invention and wherein:- Fig. 1 illustrates the general arrangement of the apparatus according to the present invention; and Fig. 2 is a schematic of the arrangement of Fig. 1.

Referring to the drawings and firstly to Fig. 1 there is illustrated a system 10 for collecting image and positional information according to a preferred form of the present invention. The system 10 is normally used in conjunction with a helicopter 11 fiom which a geographical location can be effectively scanned using a suitable video camera, however, it will be appreciated that the

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information can be captured from a video camera supported on other forms of flying aircraft or objects such as light planes or balloons. Alternatively, the system of the invention may be applied to use with motor vehicles where say the profile of a particular geographical location is required to be captured and viewed.

In this embodiment, a video camera 12 is supported on the helicopter 11 so as to scan or monitor geographical features of a particular area over which the helicopter 11 is flying to capture those images in conventional fashion on a video cassette tape held within the camera 12 or in a separate recording unit with which the camera 12 is associated.

At the same time, a navigational receiver 13 in the helicopter 11 provides an output, indicating positional information, such as latitude and longitude information corresponding to the geographical position over which the helicopter 11 is flying or is positioned. Normally the navigational receiver 13 receives such information from a 20 navigational satellite such as that known as CATNAV. The data from the navigational receiver 13 which is normally in digital form is processed by a data conversion circuit 14 which for example may include a digital to analogue S. converter and which manipulates or converts the data into a form so as to make it compatible for receipt by the audio input circuit of the video camera 12 and storage on the audio track of the video cassette tape with the camera 12.

Thus, positional information can thus be stored on the audio track of the cassette tape held by the camera 12, whilst, at the same time the image information is stored on the video track of the cassette tape.

If desired time and/or date information may also be recorded information provided by the receiver 13 or other unit, or manually by means of an observer using say a microphone. An observer may also indicate, using the microphone, any pertinent information required to be noted such as a particular geographical feature. That information may also be stored on the video track which as with the positional information is synchronised with the video information stored on the tape. Alternatively, this information may be recorded on separate recording means either on tape or integrated circuit.

The image information, positional information and other information are thus stored on the video cassette tape 15 to be available for subsequent replay and/or processing. Thus the video tape 15 may be played back through a video cassette player or recorder 16 or the video camera 12 for viewing. For further processing a data conversion unit 17 including an appropriate interface circuit may be used to convert this replayed image positional and other information into a form where it may be received by the communications port of a computer 18 for example a personal computer. This information can be processed and edited into an appropriate form for storage on data base and use in a variety of ways depending upon its end application. A typical presentation is shown at 19 in Fig. 1 which may be displayed on a computer monitor or printed out. As an example, the visual and positional information can be stored on a computer disc or compact disc 20 for supply to the end user. Such information can be used for analysis to enable actions to be planned and undertaken and if desired the information can be printed out in hard copy form.

It will be appreciated that the system of the invention provides an effective a simple means whereby both positional and image information can be supplied in a accurate, convenient and useful form.

Whilst the embodiment described above employs a video camera and video tape for storing image and positional information, it is within the scope of the present invention that other means for storage may be used.

For example, the image information could be captured and stored as digital information in memories in appropriate circuitry. In such a form, the digital information provided by the navigational receiver may not need conversion into in a different form for storage but simply stored in suitable memories or other storage means with timing or synchronising signals stored both for the image capturing means and information capturing means to enable synchronisation between the image and positional information in digital form. Thus where replayed, the image information will correspond to the positional information. A suitable storage means for both the image information and positional information may comprise a disc such as a compact disc from which information may be read using laser techniques.

Whilst the above has been given by way of illustrative embodiment of the invention, all such modifications and variations thereto as would be apparent to persons skilled in the art are deemed to fall within the 15 broad scope and ambit of the invention as herein defined in e *.the appended claims.

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Claims

1. Image and position capturing apparatus including means for receiving positional information relating to a particular location, means for capturing visual image information of said particular location corresponding to said positional information, and storage means for storing said positional information and image information in such a manner that said stored positional information corresponds to said stored image information.

2. Apparatus according to Claim 1 wherein said storage means comprises a video tape.

3. Apparatus according to Claim 2 wherein said image information capturing means comprises a video camera for capturing and storing visual images of said location on said video tape.

4. Apparatus according to Claim 3 wherein said positional information is stored on the audio track of said video tape. e

5. Apparatus according to any one of the preceding claims wherein said positional information is supplied in digital form and wherein data conversion means converts said positional information into a form for storage on said audio track of the video tape. 9

6. Apparatus according to any one of the preceding claims wherein said positional information comprises latitude and longitudinal information.

7. Apparatus according to any one of the preceding claims and including means for storing in said storage means time and/or date informnnation. 30

8. Apparatus according to any one of the preceding claims wherein S said information is converted and processed by computer means for storage in :iF' memory means.

9. An aircraft provided with the apparatus as defined in any one of the preceding claims.

A method for providing visual and positional information concerning a particular location, said method comprising the steps of capturing and storing visual images of a particular location and simultaneously capturing and storing positional information of said particular location such that when said stored information is reproduced or replayed said captured and stored positional information corresponds to said captured and stored visual images.

11. A method according to Claim 9 wherein said visual images and positional information are captured and stored on a video tape.

12. A method according to Claim 10 or Claim 11 wherein said captured and stored visual images and positional information are captured from an aircraft.

S:13. Image and position capturing apparatus substantially as hereinbefore described with reference to the accompanying drawings.

14. A method for providing visual and positional information concerning a particular location substantially as hereinbefore described with reference to the accompanying drawings. 25 Dated this twenty-third day of August 1996 0t MAXWELL LESLIE STAINLAY By My Patent Attorneys PIZZEYS Gr Jdhn RIG Gardner I LM ABSTRACT A method and apparatus for capturing visual images of a particular geographical location and positional information relating to that location, including a video camera (12) which stores video information on a video track of a video tape Positional information derived from a navigational receiver (13) is converted by a data converter (14) into a form which permits it to be simultaneously recorded on the audio track of the video tape When replayed the tape thus provides video information about the geographical location as well as positional information relating to that location. 0*S 0 o.:i e .•co i.