Classifications

• • H—ELECTRICITY
  • H04—ELECTRIC COMMUNICATION TECHNIQUE
  • H04M—TELEPHONIC COMMUNICATION
  • H04M11/00—Telephonic communication systems specially adapted for combination with other electrical systems
  • H04M11/007—Telephonic communication systems specially adapted for combination with other electrical systems with remote control systems
• • H—ELECTRICITY
  • H04—ELECTRIC COMMUNICATION TECHNIQUE
  • H04L—TRANSMISSION OF DIGITAL INFORMATION, e.g. TELEGRAPHIC COMMUNICATION
  • H04L12/00—Data switching networks
  • H04L12/28—Data switching networks characterised by path configuration, e.g. LAN [Local Area Networks] or WAN [Wide Area Networks]
  • H04L12/2803—Home automation networks
  • H04L12/2807—Exchanging configuration information on appliance services in a home automation network
  • H04L12/2809—Exchanging configuration information on appliance services in a home automation network indicating that an appliance service is present in a home automation network
• • H—ELECTRICITY
  • H04—ELECTRIC COMMUNICATION TECHNIQUE
  • H04L—TRANSMISSION OF DIGITAL INFORMATION, e.g. TELEGRAPHIC COMMUNICATION
  • H04L12/00—Data switching networks
  • H04L12/28—Data switching networks characterised by path configuration, e.g. LAN [Local Area Networks] or WAN [Wide Area Networks]
  • H04L12/2803—Home automation networks
  • H04L12/2816—Controlling appliance services of a home automation network by calling their functionalities
  • H04L12/2818—Controlling appliance services of a home automation network by calling their functionalities from a device located outside both the home and the home network
• • H—ELECTRICITY
  • H04—ELECTRIC COMMUNICATION TECHNIQUE
  • H04L—TRANSMISSION OF DIGITAL INFORMATION, e.g. TELEGRAPHIC COMMUNICATION
  • H04L12/00—Data switching networks
  • H04L12/28—Data switching networks characterised by path configuration, e.g. LAN [Local Area Networks] or WAN [Wide Area Networks]
  • H04L12/2803—Home automation networks
  • H04L2012/2847—Home automation networks characterised by the type of home appliance used
  • H04L2012/2849—Audio/video appliances

Definitions

• the present invention relates to a device and a process for remote control of telescopes for astronomical observations.
• the travel of the user to the observation site and the transport of the telescope entail the need to have time and a means of transport available.
• the aim of the present invention is to provide a device and a process for remote control of telescopes for astronomical observations which allows to substantially eliminate the need for the user to purchase a personal telescope.
• an object of the present invention is to provide a device and a process for remote control of telescopes for astronomical observations which allows the user to substantially eliminate the need to travel to a suitable observation site carrying his own telescope with him.
• Another object of the present invention is to provide a device and a process for remote control of telescopes for astronomical observations which allows the user to take astronomical photographs and/or videos of high quality without having to purchase expensive equipment.
• Another object of the present invention is to provide a device and a process for remote control of telescopes for astronomical observations which allows to access the world of astronomical observations by means of a conventional PC.
• Another object of the present invention is to provide a device and a process for remote control of telescopes for astronomical observations which allows to control a telescope remotely and entirely automatically even for operations such as image focusing, precision in tracking celestial bodies and sighting.
• Another object of the present invention is to provide a device and a process for remote control of telescopes for astronomical observations which are highly reliable, relatively easy to provide and at competitive costs.
• a device for remote control of telescopes for astronomical observations characterized in that it comprises one or more telescopes, each controlled by a respective computer, at least one server to which said computers are connected by means of a local area network, said server being connected to a wide-area data network in order to receive requests from users to access said one or more telescopes, said server decoding said requests and transmitting to said control computers the instructions required to actuate said telescopes according to the requirements of the users.
• a process for remote control of telescopes for astronomical observations characterized in that it comprises the steps of: sending to a server, by means of a wide-area data network, a request to use a remote telescope; waiting for said server to enable said telescope; and waiting for the response of said telescope, in terms of images, photographs and the like, from said server.
• FIG. 1 is a block diagram of the control device according to the present invention.
• FIG. 2 is another block diagram of a portion of the control device according to the present invention.
• FIG. 3 is a block diagram of the control process provided according to the present invention.
• Figure 4 is a more detailed block diagram of a portion of the diagram of Figure 3;
• Figure 5 is a schematic view of a telescope adapted for using the process according to the present invention. Ways of carrying out the Invention
• the control device comprises one or more telescopes 1 located at sites which are geographically adapted for astronomical observation, such as for example mountains, hills, and the like, and with which a respective computer, for example a PC 2, is associated.
• the PCs 2 are mutually connected by means of a local area network 3 (known as LAN) and are interfaced with at least one server S ⁇ -.S,., which also has a database which contains images and information that the user can access.
• LAN local area network 3
• server S ⁇ -.S which also has a database which contains images and information that the user can access.
• the servers S,_...S n can furthermore be connected to an actual astronomic observatory 4, accordingly allowing users to connect not only to the various telescopes 1 but also to the observatory; in this case it is not possible to directly control the telescopes by means of computers 2, but one can merely receive images and any other data from the observatory 4.
• a plurality of users U ⁇ .-U j can connect to the various servers and can therefore individually control the telescopes 1 by means of a control software loaded in the computers 2.
• FIG. 2 the server S, is connected, by means of a network 4, for example an Ethernet-type LAN, to a node 5 which acts as a hub for the local area networks 3 that connect the control computers 2 of the telescopes 1.
• a network 4 for example an Ethernet-type LAN
• Figure 2 also illustrates the connection between an image acquisition device 10 of the CCD type, associated with the telescope 1, and the respective computer 2.
• connection between the telescope 1 and the computer 2 occurs for example by means of an RS232 serial network or the like, whereas the connection between the CCD image acquisition devices is of the SCSI type.
• the server Sj is connected, by means of a global area network 11, to a wide-area data network such for example the Internet.
• Figure 3 is a detail view of a block diagram of the main software program for managing the computers 2 for controlling the individual telescopes 1.
• the users connected by means of the wide-area data network to the global area network 11, access request management systems and reply management systems which are connected to the main software program 20, which has a control supervisor 21 and allows the user to send the requests for use of a given telescope 1 or of an image acquisition device 10.
• each electronically-controlled telescope 1 is, as shown, connected to a computer 2 which controls it, and each one of said computers 2 is included in the context of a local network 3.
• a server S is part of the local network 3 and deals with receiving from the global area network 11 (for example the Internet) the requests of the users in real time and with converting them into a suitable language which can be understood by the computers 2 that control the telescopes 1.
• the server S j then transmits the necessary instructions to the control computers 2, waits for the results (for example images from the CCD acquisition devices), converts them to an appropriate form and transmits them, again by means of the global area network 11, to the users.
• the main program provides for a step 25 for waiting for requests from the management system, i.e., from the server, which following a request 26 submitted by a user by means of the global area network 11 decodes the request, step 27, a step 28 for managing the control computers 1, and a step 29 for sending the request thus decoded to the control computers 1 by means of the local area network 3.
• Each computer reports, by means of the network 3, its situation, step 30, and during step 31 the reply to the request 26 submitted by the user is downloaded from the computer 2.
• the reply thus downloaded is prepared, step 32, to be sent by means of the global area network 11 to the user as a reply 33.
• the reply thus prepared is also stored in the database for future use.
• each user by means of a connection to a global area network such as for example the Internet, can access a chosen telescope and can take control of it, from his own location, by keying in commands which are interpreted as commands for aiming the telescope, taking still pictures or moving pictures by means of the CCD acquisition devices.
• a global area network such as for example the Internet
• the images captured by the telescope are then displayed in real time on the computers of the users.
• conventional telescopes are highly sensitive to temperature changes, which induce, in the materials of which they are made, size variations according to the ability of the materials to absorb and/or transmit the received heat.
• Metals are materials which are particularly sensitive to these phenomena and tend to expand and contract very easily also for small temperature variations.
• the telescope used in the process according to the invention provides for the use of optical glass which has a much better intrinsic resistance to thermal expansion than currently available telescopes.
• a glass-ceramic material is in fact used for the optical elements which is approximately 60 times more resistant to temperature variations than the kinds of glass used for the mirrors of conventional telescopes.
• An optical element supporting tube made of carbon fiber is coupled to this type of material and, in addition to providing great advantages in terms of agility and light weight, it has a thermal expansion coefficient which is very close to the coefficient of the glass ceramics used for the optical elements.
• the optical tube and the mirrors accommodated inside it are highly insensitive to ambient temperature variations and in any case the glass ceramic material that forms the mirror and the tube in which said mirror is accommodated react uniformly to such variations. The result is that focusing operations are highly facilitated, positions remain extremely stable over time and require a very small number of corrections, differently from what occurs for conventional telescopes, where focusing does not hold for more than a few hours per night.
• the telescope used in the device and process according to the invention has a variable focal length system, according to the requirements of the object to be photographed.
• Figure 5 is a view of a telescope 1 which is formed by a footing 50 on which a tube 60 is pivoted which internally accommodates the optical elements and a CCD device, designated by the reference numeral 65.
• the telescope according to the invention has a CCD device 65 which is suitable to move so as to be able to vary the focus of the telescope.
• This translatory motion is achieved by using a tube 70 which is arranged coaxially outside the tube 60 and can move along guides on the outer surface of the tube 60, so that the CCD device 65, rigidly coupled to the tube 70, can perform a translatory motion with respect to the tube 60.
• This translatory motion therefore allows to modify the focus of the telescope without having to use a single focal length for each telescope.
• This refinement allows the remotization of the telescopes used in the process according to the invention to be absolute even as regards focusing said telescopes in addition to their aiming.
• the global area network can be a satellite network. All the details may also be replaced with other technically equivalent elements.

Landscapes

• Engineering & Computer Science (AREA)
• Automation & Control Theory (AREA)
• Signal Processing (AREA)
• Telescopes (AREA)
• Two-Way Televisions, Distribution Of Moving Picture Or The Like (AREA)
• Closed-Circuit Television Systems (AREA)
• Selective Calling Equipment (AREA)

Applications Claiming Priority (3)

Publications (1)

Family

ID=11380781

Family Applications (1)

Country Status (7)

Families Citing this family (9)

• 1998
  • 1998-09-30 IT ITMI982104 patent/IT1302570B1/it active IP Right Grant
• 1999
  • 1999-09-29 AU AU56450/99A patent/AU5645099A/en not_active Abandoned
  • 1999-09-29 WO PCT/IB1999/001592 patent/WO2000019695A1/it not_active Application Discontinuation
  • 1999-09-29 JP JP2000573071A patent/JP2002526799A/ja active Pending
  • 1999-09-29 CN CN 99813830 patent/CN1328742A/zh active Pending
  • 1999-09-29 CA CA002345426A patent/CA2345426A1/en not_active Abandoned
  • 1999-09-29 EP EP99943181A patent/EP1125426A1/en not_active Withdrawn

Non-Patent Citations (1)

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