Automatic Tracking Camera System for Aircraft Approach Detection
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Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional automatic tracking camera systems for aircraft require expensive and large radar apparatuses, making them impractical for detecting the approaching runway and angle of aircraft, especially under varying meteorological conditions and installation constraints.
Innovation Solution
An automatic tracking camera system that includes an image pickup unit, a driving unit for panning and tilting, a signal receiver for aircraft information, an image signal processor, and a controller to calculate and adjust the camera's position based on received aircraft data, allowing for automatic tracking without the need for radar apparatuses.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Extent of automation
If radar apparatus is used to detect aircraft position and direction, then automatic tracking capability is improved, but cost and installation space increase significantly
Solution Approach 1:
The patent replaces the mechanical/radar-based detection system with an optical system using a camera and image processing algorithms. Instead of using radar apparatus to detect aircraft position and direction, the system uses a camera to capture images and processes these images to automatically track the aircraft, thereby reducing cost and installation space while maintaining automatic tracking capability
Solution Approach 2:
The patent creates a visual copy representation of the aircraft through image processing. By capturing images of the aircraft and processing these visual copies to extract position and motion information, the system achieves automatic tracking without needing physical radar apparatus, thus reducing system complexity and cost
2Extent of automation
If image recognition technology is used for automatic tracking, then manual operation is reduced, but the system fails when object does not appear within camera range
Solution Approach 1:
The patent performs preliminary action by pre-calculating and storing standby positions corresponding to different approaching runways and angles in a memory unit. Before the aircraft actually appears in the camera view, the system prepares multiple pre-positioned camera angles based on received aircraft information, ensuring the camera is already optimally positioned when the aircraft enters the frame, thereby maintaining reliable automatic tracking under varying meteorological and installation conditions
Data Source
AI summary
An automatic tracking camera system includes: an image pickup unit; a driving unit for rotating the image pickup unit in panning or tilting direction; a signal receiver for receiving an object information signal; an image signal processor for recognizing an object in an image and detecting motion of the object in the image; a controller for controlling the image pickup unit, the driving unit, and the image signal processor; and a memory for storing, for each passageway, standby positions at which the image signal processor detects the object. The controller calculates an approaching passageway and angle of the object; selects a corresponding standby position from the standby positions stored in the memory; drives the driving unit and a lens apparatus to the standby position; and controls, when the image signal processor recognizes the object, the driving unit and the lens apparatus to automatically track the object based on detected information.