Aerial image capture system with single axis camera rotation
AssigneeUrban Sky Theory Inc.
InventorsJared Leidich, Maxmillion J. W. McLaughlin
Life of this patent
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Abstract
An example arial image capture system captures a sequence of images from a camera attached to a flight vehicle while the flight vehicle moves in a lateral direction relative to underlying terrain and while concurrently rotating the camera along a circular path about an axis of rotation. The rotation of the camera controllably alters the camera's field-of-view to trace a curved swath of the underlying terrain with each rotation period of the camera around an area external to the camera's field-of-view.
Claims17
A method of capturing aerial imagery from a balloon, the method comprising:
- capturing a sequence of images from a camera attached to a payload of the balloon while varying a frame capture rate sinusoidally as a function of a heading angle of the camera as the balloon moves in a lateral direction relative to underlying terrain and while concurrently rotating the camera along a circular path continuously and exclusively about a single axis of rotation substantially aligned with a center of gravity of the payload, the rotation controllably altering a field-of-view of the camera to trace a curved swath of the underlying terrain with each rotation period of the camera
- wherein each sequentially-captured image in the sequence of images overlaps with a previously-captured image such that the sequence completely images a continuous portion of the curved swath of underlying terrain.
An aerial imaging system comprising:
- a flight vehicle;
- and
- a payload suspended from the flight vehicle, the payload including a camera and control electronics configured to capture a sequence of images while varying a frame capture rate sinusoidally as a function of a heading angle of the camera and while rotating the camera along a circular path continuously and exclusively about a single axis of rotation while the flight vehicle moves in a lateral direction relative to underlying terrain, the rotation controllably altering a field-of-view of the camera to trace a curved swath of the underlying terrain with each rotation period of the camera,
- wherein each sequentially-captured image in the captured sequence of images overlaps with a previously-captured image such that the sequence completely images a continuous portion of the curved swath of underlying terrain.
One or more non-transitory computer-readable storage media encoding computer-executable instructions for executing a computer process, the computer process comprising:
- capturing a sequence of images from a camera attached to a flight vehicle while the flight vehicle moves in a lateral direction relative to underlying terrain and while concurrently rotating the camera along a circular path continuously and exclusively about a single axis of rotation, the rotation controllably altering a field-of-view of the camera to trace a curved swath of the underlying terrain with each rotation period of the camera,
- wherein each sequentially-captured image in the captured sequence of images overlaps with a previously-captured image such that the sequence completely images a continuous portion of the curved swath of underlying terrain.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.