Optical data acquisition device and optical data acquisition method

Abstract

According to the present invention, optical data for calculating observation information can be acquired with a simple configuration using an aircraft. Specifically, the present invention is achieved by an optical data acquisition device provided with: a housing having a processing circuit therein, the housing being placed and pressed and fixed to the seat surface of a seat of an aircraft; a light collection unit having a detection surface directed to the field of view of a window of the aircraft, the boundary of the field of view of the detection surface of the light collection unit being within the range of the window; and a connection cable that electrically or optically connects the light collecting unit and the processing circuit, and the processing circuit calculates observation information on the basis of optical data acquired from the light collecting unit.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention relates to an optical data acquisition device and an optical data acquisition method used in an aircraft. Background Art

[0002] Artificial satellites carrying devices for remotely measuring the concentration of gas components on the earth based on optical data have been put into use. For example, Patent Document 1 discloses a device for correcting and measuring the concentration of carbon dioxide on the earth by an artificial satellite. In this way, observations of the earth such as the concentration of gas components near the earth's surface are usually performed by artificial satellites based on optical data.

[0003] Prior art literature

[0004] Patent Literature

[0005] Patent Document 1: International Publication No. 2009 / 090745 Summary of the invention

[0006] Problems to be solved by the invention

[0007] If the Earth's atmosphere and surface are observed using optical data from artificial satellites, the cost of obtaining data, such as the cost of artificial satellites and the cost of operating artificial satellites, is relatively high. In addition, observations by artificial satellites are suitable for observations in a wide area on the Earth, but not for compact observations in a local area. In addition, artificial satellites are high-speed and are not suitable for detailed local observations.

[0008] Furthermore, there is a need for an optical data acquisition device and an optical data acquisition method for acquiring optical data for observing the concentration of gas components on the local surface, for example. In order to observe the earth based on optical data, especially to observe phenomena at locations close to the surface, it is preferred to conduct direct observations at an altitude corresponding to the phenomenon. Since artificial satellites conduct observations from a high altitude far from the surface of the earth, it is desirable to obtain an optical data acquisition device and an optical data acquisition method that can obtain optical data for observing the phenomenon as close to the surface as possible. In addition, in response to this, observations using small aircraft are sometimes conducted, but in the past, devices were installed on the outside of the fuselage or measurements were made on the lower side of the fuselage from holes arranged in the fuselage, resulting in poor accessibility to the measuring device. In addition, there are concerns about the problem of the measuring device being exposed to the outside and the reduction in the rigidity of the fuselage caused by the arranged holes.

[0009] Technical solutions to solve problems

[0010] The problem is solved by an optical data acquisition device, which acquires optical data from the field of view of a window of an aircraft, wherein the aircraft has the window and a seat arranged side by side with the window and having a seat surface, the optical data acquisition device comprising: a shell having a processing circuit inside, the shell being placed and pressed and fixed to the seat surface of the seat; a light collecting unit having a detection surface directed toward the field of view of the window across the window, the light collecting unit being fixed relative to the shell in such a manner that a boundary of the field of view of the detection surface is within the range of the window; and a connecting cable which electrically or optically connects the light collecting unit to the processing circuit, the processing circuit calculating observation information from the window based on the optical data acquired from the light collecting unit.

[0011] The problem is solved by an optical data acquisition method, which is a method for acquiring optical data in the field of view from a window of an aircraft by an optical data acquisition device, wherein the aircraft has the window and a seat arranged side by side with the window and having a seat surface, and the optical data acquisition device comprises: a shell having a processing circuit inside, the shell being placed and pressed and fixed to the seat surface of the seat; a light collecting part having a detection surface pointing to the field of view of the window, the light collecting part being fixed relative to the shell in such a manner that a boundary of the field of view of the detection surface is within the range of the window; and a connecting cable for electrically or optically connecting the light collecting part to the processing circuit, the processing circuit calculating observation information from the window based on the optical data acquired from the light collecting part.

[0012] Effects of the Invention

[0013] According to the present invention, it is possible to realize acquisition of optical data for calculating observation information of an observation object in the field of view of a window of an aircraft using an aircraft with a simple configuration. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0014] Figure 1 It is a block diagram showing the structure of an optical data acquiring device 1 as an embodiment of the present invention.

[0015] Figure 2A It is a perspective view showing a representative example of the installation of the optical data acquiring device 1 as an embodiment of the present invention.

[0016] Figure 2B It is a perspective view of another example of the installation of the optical data acquiring device 1 as an embodiment of the present invention.

[0017] Figure 2C It is a perspective view of still another example of the installation of the optical data acquiring device 1 as an embodiment of the present invention.

[0018] Figure 3 This is a diagram showing the concept of observation between an aircraft and the ground surface by the optical data acquisition device 1 as an embodiment of the present invention.

[0019] Figure 4 The diagram is a diagram showing the details of the observation concept of the optical data acquisition device 1 as an embodiment of the present invention. Figure 4 yes Figure 3 An enlarged view of the interior of the machine. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0020] [Implementation Method]

[0021] (Configuration of Optical Data Acquisition Device 1)

[0022] Reference Figures 1 to 2B The configuration of the optical data acquiring device 1 will be described. Figure 1 It is a block diagram showing the structure of the optical data acquiring device 1 . FIG. 2A to FIG. 2C 1 is a diagram showing the installation state of the optical data acquisition device 1. The optical data acquisition device 1 includes a housing 11, a processing device 12 disposed inside the housing 11, a light collecting unit 14, and a connecting cable 15. The housing 11 of the optical data acquisition device 1 is composed of at least one housing, and may also be composed of a plurality of housings. In addition, the housing 11 also includes a housing 11 composed of a plurality of housings and the plurality of housings are electrically connected by cables.

[0023] The optical data acquisition device 1 uses an aircraft 2 represented by a passenger plane to calculate observation information of an observation object along the route of the aircraft 2. Here, "observation information" refers to phenomena on the earth that can be observed from the field of view of the window 22 of the aircraft 2, and is information observed by calculation based on the optical data obtained from the window 22 of the aircraft 2. Typically, it is "the concentration of gas components", "the intensity of fluorescence", and "cloud characteristics including the cloud top height" especially near the surface of the earth. Here, the "gas component" is typically at least one of carbon dioxide, methane, and nitrogen dioxide. In addition, the "optical data" is data related to the light obtained from the window 22 of the aircraft 2. The "concentration of gas components", "the intensity of fluorescence", and "cloud characteristics including the cloud top height" are described separately later.

[0024] The aircraft 2 to which the optical data acquisition device 1 is applicable is an aircraft that is equipped with a window 22 and a seat 21 arranged side by side with the window 22. The window 22 is a structure in which a transparent window material is embedded in a window frame. The seat 21 has a seat surface 21a. In particular, as a specific example, the window 22 is a window that is the entire surface of the aircraft 2, such as a side window of the fuselage of the aircraft 2 or a window of the cockpit. An aircraft that does not have a window 22 and a seat 21 arranged side by side with the window 22 is not an object of the optical data acquisition device 1. On the contrary, even if it is an aircraft used for cargo transportation rather than passenger transportation, an aircraft that is equipped with a window 22 with seats 21 arranged side by side is also an applicable object of the optical data acquisition device 1. The optical data acquisition device 1 is mounted on the seat surface 21a of the seat 21 arranged side by side with the window 22 of the aircraft 2.

[0025] The seat 21 has a seat belt 23. The seat belt 23 has a retracting and fixing portion that is fixed to one side of the seat surface 21a with a coupling buckle. A coupling accommodating portion that is coupled to and accommodates the coupling buckle of the seat belt 23 is disposed on the other side of the seat surface 21a. The seat belt 23 is capable of extending from the retracting and fixing portion of the seat surface 21a to the coupling accommodating portion on the other side of the seat surface 21a to press and fix an object to the seat surface. When the coupling buckle of the seat belt 23 is accommodated in the coupling accommodating portion, both ends of the seat belt 23 are fixed, and a person or an object can be fixed between the seat belt 23 and the seat surface 21a.

[0026] The seat belt 23 may include a case where it is not composed of only one seat belt component but includes more than one extended seat belt component. That is, a case where a coupling accommodating portion is arranged at one end of the extended seat belt component and a coupling buckle is arranged at the other end, the coupling accommodating portion of the extended seat belt component is engaged with the coupling buckle of the seat belt component fixedly arranged at the retracting and fixing portion fixed to the seat surface 21a, and the coupling buckle of the extended seat belt component is engaged and fixed with the coupling accommodating portion on the other side of the seat surface 21a.

[0027] The housing 11 is placed and pressed to the seat surface 21a of the seat 21 by the safety belt 23. The housing 11 has a hanging portion 11a. When the housing 11 is placed on the seat surface 21a, the hanging portion 11a is arranged at a position on the housing 11 away from the seat surface 21a. Typically, the hanging portion 11a is arranged at a position on the housing 11 that is opposite to at least one of the seat surface 21a of the seat 21 and the backrest of the seat 21. The hanging portion 11a is in a shape such as a notch, a protrusion, a hole or a groove through which the safety belt 23 is passed and hung. By hanging the safety belt 23 on the hanging portion 11a, the housing 11 is pressed to at least one of the seat surface 21a of the seat 21 and the backrest of the seat 21. As a result, the optical data acquisition device 1 is firmly fixed to the aircraft.

[0028] The processing device 12 is housed in the housing 11, and the light collecting unit 14 is fixed relative to the housing 11. The processing device 12 has, for example, a spectroscopic unit (not shown), a detection unit (not shown), and a processing circuit (not shown) inside. The light collecting unit 14 is typically an optical sensor or a microwave sensor. An optical sensor is an optical sensor that can observe light from the ultraviolet region to the near-infrared region, such as reflected light from sunlight from the surface of the earth, or observe infrared regions, such as radiant heat from an object. A microwave sensor is a sensor that observes microwaves radiated by an object with a wavelength longer than infrared rays.

[0029] Reference Figure 4 The observation area of ​​the light collecting unit 14 is described. The light collecting unit 14 has a detection surface 14a for detecting light. The detection surface 14a has a certain direction as a pointing axis, and can detect a range of a predetermined amplitude from the pointing axis. The pointing axis is usually a direction perpendicular to the detection surface 14a. The detection surface 14a points to the observation light source of optical data of the observation object outside the aircraft 2 that is within the field of view of the window 22 of the aircraft 2 through the window 22 in the area of ​​the window 22. The light collecting unit 14 is installed so that the outermost boundary of the field of view of the detection surface 14a is within the range S of the window 22. The installation method of the light collecting unit 14 will be described later. The outermost boundary of the field of view of the detection surface 14a of the light collecting unit 14 is within the range of the window 22, which means that the range of the maximum viewing angle α of the detection surface 14a of the light collecting unit 14 is within the range S of the window 22, that is, the area of ​​the wall of the aircraft 2 outside the frame of the window 22 will not be reflected in the area detected by the detection surface 14a.

[0030] The light collecting unit 14 is a device that can obtain light from the outside of the aircraft 2 through the window 22 of the aircraft 2, and perform calculation processing based on the intensity of the light as optical data corresponding to the light through the processing device 12. Figure 3 and Figure 4 As shown, the light collecting unit 14 is set to aim at the observation area 3a on the ground surface at a predetermined distance from the axis of the aircraft 2. The observation area 3a is an area located on the side of the aircraft 2 from the horizontal direction to the lower side along the flight direction of the aircraft 2 when the aircraft 2 is in a horizontal flight and a take-off and landing flight. The pointing axis of the detection surface 14a of the light collecting unit 14 is defined in such a way as to become the observation area 3a on the ground surface. Through the pointing direction adjustment function of the arm 13, it can be set to reliably aim at the observation area 3a on the ground surface. The observation area 3a on the ground surface is set so that the inclination angle β between the pointing direction of the detection surface 14a of the light collecting unit 14 and the horizontal direction is set based on the viewing angle α of the light collecting unit 14, so that observation can be performed with a certain observation range. For example, when the viewing angle α is an angle of 25 degrees to 30 degrees, the range L of the observation area 3a on the ground surface is 40 kilometers to 50 kilometers.

[0031] The light collecting part 14 may also be Figure 2A As shown in FIG. 1 , the housing 11 is fixed by the arm 13. Figure 2B As shown in the figure, the arm 13 is directly fixed to the shell 11. In the former case, the arm 13 is a component extending from the shell 11 toward the window 22 in such a manner that one end 13a of the arm 13 is fixed to the shell 11 and the other end 13b of the arm 13 holds the light collecting part 14. The other end 13b of the arm 13 may also have a directional direction adjustment function as a swing head function of the light collecting part 14, which can adjust the directional direction of the detection surface 14a of the light collecting part 14 in such a manner that the light collecting part 14 is movable around three axes perpendicular to each other. Alternatively, the light collecting part 14 may also be in the form of a mechanism having a directional direction adjustment function that allows the detection surface 14a to be movable around three axes perpendicular to each other. Furthermore, it may also be as Figure 2C As shown in FIG. 1 , the light collecting unit 14 is fixed to the window 22 by installing a suction cup 16 adsorbed on the window 22. At this time, the light collecting unit 14 installed on the window 22 is connected to the housing 11 (processing device 12) through a connecting cable 15. Figure 2A An example in which the light collecting unit 14 is fixed to the housing 11 via the arm 13 as shown will be described.

[0032] In this case, since the housing 11 does not have a height from the seat surface 21a to the window 22, the light collecting unit 14 is suspended at a suitable height of the window 22 by the arm 13. In the latter case, the light collecting unit 14 is directly mounted on the housing 11 in such a manner that the housing 11 directly holds the light collecting unit 14. In this case, the housing 11 has a height from the seat surface 21a to the window 22, and the light collecting unit 14 can be fixed at a suitable height of the window 22 by the housing 11. In a state where the housing 11 is fixed relative to the seat 21, the light collecting unit 14 is configured so that the detection surface 14a of the light collecting unit 14 points to the observation area 3a of the ground surface on the side of the aircraft 2 across the window 22 in the area of ​​the window 22. The light collecting unit 14 is fixed relative to the housing 11 in such a manner that the boundary of the field of view of the detection surface 14a is within the range of the window 22.

[0033] The light collecting unit 14 also includes at least one of a posture sensor (not shown) capable of measuring the angle of the detection surface 14a relative to an arbitrary axis relative to a predetermined reference axis, and a position sensor (not shown) capable of measuring the position of the light collecting unit 14 on the earth. In the case where the other end 13b of the arm 13 or the light collecting unit 14 has a pointing direction adjustment function, the posture sensor can detect the pointing direction of the detection surface 14a of the light collecting unit 14. The position sensor is a sensor capable of obtaining information on the three-dimensional spatial position of the position and altitude of the light collecting unit 14 on the earth, and is typically a global positioning system (GPS). The position sensor may also be arranged at any part of the optical data acquisition device 1 instead of the light collecting unit 14. Data of at least one of the outputs of the posture sensor and the position sensor are processed in association with the result of the spectral information of the observation object from the field of view of the window calculated by the processing circuit based on the data obtained from the light collecting unit 14. That is, the position and height on the ground surface to which the detection surface 14a of the light collecting unit 14 points are known through the data obtained from the posture sensor and the position sensor, so the observation result of the optical data acquisition device 1 and the position and height on the ground surface can be determined. In addition, when the optical data acquisition device 1 is not equipped with a position sensor, the position and height of the aircraft mounted with the optical data acquisition device 1 can be measured and the measured values ​​can be sent to the processing circuit, or after the aircraft ends its flight, the measured values ​​of the position and height of the aircraft can be associated as the location where the observation result of the optical data acquisition device 1 is obtained.

[0034] That is, a posture sensor capable of measuring the angle of the detection surface 14a relative to any axis of a coordinate system relative to a predetermined reference axis is installed in the light collecting unit 14. The predetermined reference axis is, for example, the machine axis (roll axis) which is the long direction of the aircraft 2 when the aircraft 2 is placed horizontally, the axis in the horizontal plane perpendicular to the machine axis (pitch axis), and the vertical axis (yaw axis) perpendicular to the machine axis and the horizontal plane. The coordinate system of the predetermined reference axis is, for example, a three-dimensional coordinate system defined by these axes. The posture sensor can obtain posture data of how much the pointing direction of the detection surface 14a of the light collecting unit 14 has a deviation angle relative to each reference axis of the above-mentioned coordinate system.

[0035] The processing device 12 and the light collecting unit 14 are connected via a connection cable 15. The connection cable 15 is a cable that connects the processing device 12 and the light collecting unit 14 electrically or optically. The light collecting unit 14 or the processing device 12 is provided with an optical sensor. When the light collecting unit 14 is provided with an optical sensor, the light collected by the detection surface 14a of the light collecting unit 14 is converted into an electrical signal, and the electrical signal is sent to the processing circuit via the connection cable 15 as an electrical cable. When the processing device 12 is provided with an optical sensor, the light collected by the detection surface 14a of the light collecting unit 14 is sent to the processing circuit as an optical signal via the connection cable 15 as a representative optical fiber. These can be selectively selected according to the optical data of the observation object in the field of view of the window 22. When the connection cable 15 is an electrical cable, the information obtained by the position sensor and the posture sensor of the light collecting unit 14 is converted into electrical information, and transmitted to the processing circuit via the connection cable 15, and the calculation is performed in the processing circuit.

[0036] The processing circuit of the processing device 12 performs the following processing: based on the optical data obtained from the light collecting unit 14, the observation information of the observation object in the field of view of the window 22 is calculated. The processing circuit and the software executed in the processing circuit have the circuit and software structure of measuring the observation information of the observation object in the field of view of the window used in the earth observation on the previous artificial satellite. That is, the processing circuit processes the data converted into an electrical signal and transmitted by the light collecting unit 14, or the data converted into an electrical signal after the optical data transmitted from the light collecting unit 14 is transmitted, and calculates the observation information of the observation object in the field of view of the window. The processing circuit is a circuit that also saves and processes related information such as the information of the posture obtained by the posture sensor or the information of the position obtained by the position sensor. In addition, the processing circuit associates at least one of the data obtained by the posture sensor and the data obtained by the position sensor with the optical data obtained from the light collecting unit 14, and performs processing for calculating the spectral information of the observation object in the field of view of the window.

[0037] For example, when the object of observation is the gas in the earth's atmosphere and the observation information is the concentration of the components of the gas, the optical data obtained from the light collecting unit 14 is split and converted into data of the intensity of light corresponding to each wavelength, and the attenuated wavelength region in the data of the intensity of light corresponding to each wavelength is calculated in the processing device 12. Then, the absorption and scattering characteristics of components such as carbon dioxide, nitrogen dioxide, and methane in the earth's atmosphere and microparticles such as aerosols as atmospheric pollutants at different wavelengths of the object of observation are determined. In this way, the concentration of the components of the gas in the atmosphere can be remotely measured.

[0038] In addition, when the object of observation is the fluorescence of the earth and the observation information is the photosynthesis amount of the plant, similarly to the case of observing the concentration of the gas component, the optical data obtained from the light collecting unit 14 is split and converted into data of the intensity of light corresponding to each wavelength, and the attenuated wavelength region in the data of the intensity of light corresponding to each wavelength is calculated in the processing device 12, and the fluorescence derived from the plant relative to the sunlight and artificial light is identified to calculate the photosynthesis amount of the plant. In this way, the photosynthesis amount of the plant when photosynthesizing by the irradiation of the sun can be observed.

[0039] In addition, when the observation object is a cloud and the observation information is cloud characteristics such as the height of the cloud, the optical data obtained from the light collecting unit 14 is split and converted into data of the intensity of light corresponding to each wavelength, as in the case of observing the concentration of gas components and observing fluorescence, and the attenuated wavelength region in the data of the intensity of light corresponding to each wavelength is calculated in the processing device 12, and the oxygen content between the cloud and the aircraft is calculated by observing the intensity of light at different wavelengths of the reflected light after the sunlight is reflected by the cloud. In this way, the oxygen content between the cloud and the aircraft can be measured and cloud characteristics such as the height can be observed based on the air pressure at the cloud top.

[0040] This application claims priority from Japanese Patent Application No. 2022-142763 filed on September 8, 2022, and cites the contents as a part of this application.

[0041] Description of Reference Numerals

[0042] 1: Optical data acquisition device;

[0043] 11: Shell;

[0044] 11a: Suspension part;

[0045] 12: Processing circuit;

[0046] 13: Arm;

[0047] 14: Light collecting part;

[0048] 14a: detection surface;

[0049] 15: Connect the cables;

[0050] 16: Suction cup;

[0051] 2: Aircraft;

[0052] 21: Seat;

[0053] 21a: Seat surface;

[0054] 22: Window;

[0055] 23: Seat belt;

[0056] 3: Surface;

[0057] 3a: Measurement area.

Claims

1. An optical data acquisition device for acquiring optical data in a field of view from a window of an aircraft, wherein the aircraft has the window and a seat arranged side by side with the window and having a seat surface. The optical data acquisition device comprises: a housing having a processing circuit therein, the housing being placed and pressed against the seat surface of the seat; a light collecting unit having a detection surface directed toward the visual field of the window across the window, the light collecting unit being fixed relative to the housing in such a manner that a boundary of the visual field of the detection surface is within the range of the window; and connecting the light collecting unit and the processing circuit electrically or optically via a connecting cable, The processing circuit calculates observation information from the window based on the optical data obtained from the light collecting unit.

2. The optical data acquisition device according to claim 1, The window is a side window of the aircraft or a cockpit window.

3. The optical data acquisition device according to claim 1, The observation information is one of the concentration of gas components on the ground surface, the intensity of fluorescence emitted by plants during photosynthesis, and cloud characteristics including cloud top height.

4. The optical data acquisition device according to claim 1, The fixing is performed by either an arm having one end mounted on the housing and extending toward the window and holding the light collecting portion at the other end, or a suction cup mounted on the light collecting portion.

5. The optical data acquisition device according to claim 1, The light collecting unit includes at least one of a posture sensor capable of measuring an angle of the detection surface with respect to an arbitrary axis with respect to a predetermined reference axis and a position sensor for measuring a position of the light collecting unit on the earth.

6. The optical data acquisition device according to claim 5, The processing circuit processes at least one of the data acquired by the posture sensor and the data acquired by the position sensor in association with the optical data.

7. The optical data acquisition device according to any one of claims 1 to 6, The seat has a safety belt that can be extended and retracted from one side of the seat surface toward the other side and presses and fixes an object to the seat surface. The housing has a hanging portion on which the safety belt can be hung, and the pressing and fixing is performed by the safety belt hung on the hanging portion.

8. An optical data acquisition method, comprising: acquiring optical data in a field of view from a window of an aircraft by an optical data acquisition device, wherein the aircraft has the window and a seat arranged side by side with the window and having a seat surface. The optical data acquisition device comprises: a housing having a processing circuit therein, the housing being placed and pressed against the seat surface of the seat; a light collecting portion having a detection surface directed toward the visual field of the window, the light collecting portion being fixed relative to the housing in such a manner that a boundary of the visual field of the detection surface is within the range of the window; and connecting the light collecting unit and the processing circuit electrically or optically via a connecting cable, The processing circuit calculates observation information from the window based on the optical data obtained from the light collecting unit.

9. The optical data acquisition method according to claim 8, The window is a side window of the aircraft or a cockpit window.

10. The optical data acquisition method according to claim 8, The observation information is one of the concentration of a gas component on the ground surface, the intensity of fluorescence emitted by plants during photosynthesis, and cloud characteristics including the height of the cloud top.

11. The optical data acquisition method according to claim 8, The fixing is performed by either an arm having one end extending from the housing toward the window and holding the light collecting portion at the other end, or a suction cup attached to the light collecting portion.

12. The optical data acquisition method according to claim 8, The light collecting unit includes at least one of a posture sensor capable of measuring an angle of the detection surface with respect to an arbitrary axis with respect to a predetermined reference axis and a position sensor for measuring a position of the light collecting unit on the earth.

13. The optical data acquisition method according to claim 8, The light collecting unit includes at least one of a posture sensor capable of measuring an angle of the detection surface with respect to an arbitrary axis with respect to a predetermined reference axis and a position sensor for measuring a position of the light collecting unit on the earth.

14. The optical data acquisition method according to claim 13, The processing circuit processes at least one of the data acquired by the posture sensor and the data acquired by the position sensor in association with the optical data.

15. The optical data acquisition method according to any one of claims 8 to 14, The seat has a safety belt that can be extended and retracted from one side of the seat surface toward the other side and presses and fixes an object to the seat surface. The housing has a hanging portion on which the safety belt can be hung, and the pressing and fixing is performed by the safety belt hung on the hanging portion.

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