Taxi-Assist Camera Alignment via Feature Detection
Find Innovative SolutionsGenerate Solutions
Solution Overview
Problem
Commercial aircraft accidents during taxiing operations are costly and time-consuming due to difficulties in navigating around obstacles, particularly with large wingspans and external engine configurations, where pilots have limited visibility of wingtips and engines.
Innovation Solution
An automated alignment system for taxi-assist cameras that detects specific aircraft features and transforms real-time video frames to align them with reference locations, ensuring a standard view for pilots, reducing the need for manual technician intervention.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Extent of automation
If manual alignment of taxi-assist cameras is performed by technicians using remote communications devices, then camera orientation can be adjusted, but the process requires multiple technicians, communication systems, and significant time
Solution Approach 1:
The camera alignment system performs self-alignment by automatically detecting aircraft features in the camera field of view, comparing their positions to reference data, and adjusting camera orientation parameters without requiring human operators. The system serves itself by using its own camera to detect features and generate alignment commands.
Solution Approach 2:
The manual mechanical adjustment process performed by technicians is replaced by an automated electronic system that uses image processing, feature detection algorithms, and electronic control signals to adjust camera orientation. The mechanical manual operation is substituted with automated computational and electronic control mechanisms.
2Measurement precision
If taxi-assist cameras are positioned similarly on different aircraft, then pilots can expect a standard view, but camera misalignment causes non-standard views that reduce pilot awareness
Solution Approach 1:
The system performs preliminary alignment actions by automatically detecting aircraft features and calculating the required camera orientation adjustments before finalizing the alignment. This preliminary automated adjustment ensures precise alignment is achieved quickly without requiring manual fine-tuning.
Solution Approach 2:
The system uses feedback from the camera's own image capture to detect aircraft features and determine alignment status. The detected feature positions are compared against reference data, and the alignment adjustments are based on this feedback loop, enabling precise and rapid alignment.
3Loss of information
If pilots manually observe external objects during taxiing, then they can navigate around obstacles, but pilots in central cockpits have difficulty seeing wingtips and engines on aircraft with large wingspans
Solution Approach 1:
The taxi-assist camera serves as an intermediary device that captures external scenes including wingtips and engines, and transmits this visual information to the pilot in the central cockpit. The camera mediates between the external environment and the pilot's limited field of view, providing enhanced situational awareness.
Data Source
AI summary
Apparatus and associated methods relate to aligning a taxi-assist camera such that each image frame of real-time video that the camera generates has a standard presentation format. The taxi-assist camera is configured to be mounted on an aircraft and oriented such that each image frame includes both a specific feature of the aircraft and of nearby objects external to the aircraft. The specific feature of the aircraft is detected and a location within the image frame of the specific feature is determined. The determined location within the image frame is compared with a reference location. A transformation operator is generated to transform the image frame such that the specific feature of the aircraft will be located within the image at a location corresponding to the reference location. The transformation operator is then applied to each of the image frames of the real-time video that the camera generates.