An aerial observation system comprising a tethered aerial platform 1 and a plurality of ground-based monitoring devices. The aerial platform carries a payload comprising a plurality of fixed focal length cameras 4 and a communication means 5, 6 for transmitting image data captured by the cameras independently to each of the ground-based monitoring devices. Each ground-based device is independently operable to select and display an area of interest from the image data. Preferably each ground-based device performs a digital pan-tilt-zoom operation on the camera image, allowing the airborne cameras to be lighter and cheaper than ones with a physically controllable field of view. Moreover, multiple users are able to independently access different fields of view simultaneously. Preferably, the cameras 4 provide a combined 360 degree view. A telemetry unit may transmit position and heading data relating to the cameras. The aerial platform may be a tethered balloon or a kite 3 stabilised balloon 2 such as a kytoon. In further independent claims, the aerial platform is a kytoon with a payload having centre of gravity underneath or behind the aerostatic lift of the kytoon. The kite part may have a keel onto which the payload is connected. The kytoon may have pockets to house mounting plates for the cameras.
Tethered aerial platform and aerial observation system
2016-01-06
Patent
Electronic Resource
English
Control of a tethered aerial platform for acquiring aerial images
Tema Archive | 2004
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