# US 12,015,868 B2 · Item of optronic equipment for assisting with piloting an aircraft > Agents: this data is available as JSON from the patentgrep API and MCP server — see https://patentgrep.com/llms.txt - Number: US 12,015,868 B2 - Document ID: US12015868B2 - Status: Granted - Kind: B2 - Application number: 17/274,716 - Filed: 2019-09-10 - Published: 2022-01-20 - Granted: 2024-06-18 - Earliest claimed: 2018-09-10 - Assignees: Safran Electronics & Defense - Applicants: Safran Electronics & Defense - Inventors: Louis Massie; Emmanuel Kling; Michel Vaissiere; Thomas Devichi - Web page: https://patentgrep.com/patent/US12015868B2 ## CPC - H04N 5/265: Mixing - H04N 13/243: using three or more two-dimensional [2D] image sensors - B64D 43/00: Arrangements or adaptations of instruments - B64D 47/00: Equipment not otherwise provided for - B64D 47/08: Arrangements of cameras - H04N 23/51: Housings - H04N 23/698: for achieving an enlarged field of view, e.g. panoramic image capture - H04N 23/90: Arrangement of cameras or camera modules, e.g. multiple cameras in TV studios or sports stadiums - H04N 13/117: the virtual viewpoint locations being selected by the viewers or determined by viewer tracking - H04N: PICTORIAL COMMUNICATION, e.g. TELEVISION - B64D: EQUIPMENT FOR FITTING IN OR TO AIRCRAFT; FLIGHT SUITS; PARACHUTES; ARRANGEMENT OR MOUNTING OF POWER PLANTS OR PROPULSION TRANSMISSIONS IN AIRCRAFT ## Abstract Optronic equipment for assisting with piloting an aircraft includes a first set of three cameras arranged on the aircraft to generate a panoramic strip from data transmitted by the three cameras of the first set and a second set of three cameras arranged on the aircraft to generate a panoramic strip from data transmitted by the three cameras of the second set, at least one of the cameras that occupies an extreme position on the aircraft relative to the cameras of the first and second sets being arranged so as to have a field of view that is greater horizontally than vertically. ## Claims ### Claim 1 Optronic equipment for assisting with piloting a vehicle, the equipment including a first set of three cameras arranged on the vehicle to generate a first panoramic strip from data transmitted by the three cameras of the first set and a second set of three cameras arranged on the vehicle to generate a second panoramic strip from data transmitted by the three cameras of the second set, at least one of the cameras that occupies an extreme lateral position on the vehicle relative to the cameras of the first and second sets being arranged so as to have a field of view that is greater horizontally than vertically, the first set and the second set being arranged so that the first strip and second strip overlap at least in part in order to provide stereoscopic vision to the pilot, each set being capable of operating on its own, without the other set, so that in case of the loss of one of the sets, the other set is still capable to restitute a flat image to the pilot, wherein the cameras are stationary relative to the vehicle. ### Claim 2 (depends on 1) The equipment according to claim 1, wherein only two cameras of the six cameras in the two sets are arranged so as to have a field of view that is greater horizontally than vertically. ### Claim 3 (depends on 2) The equipment according to claim 2, wherein the two cameras are the cameras bracketing the other four cameras. ### Claim 4 (depends on 1) The equipment according to claim 1, wherein at least two contiguous cameras are arranged in a concave configuration. ### Claim 5 (depends on 4) The equipment according to claim 4, wherein the two cameras arranged at the center of the six cameras are crossed so that a first camera of the first set and a first camera of the second set are arranged in a concave configuration and so that a second camera of the first set and a second camera of the second set are also arranged in a concave configuration. ### Claim 6 (depends on 1) The equipment according to claim 1, wherein two cameras belonging to respective different sets are offset relative to each other in elevation. ### Claim 7 (depends on 1) The equipment according to claim 1, comprising an electronic processor unit connected to the cameras and arranged to form at least one image from the two image strips. ### Claim 8 (depends on 7) The equipment according to claim 7, wherein the image formed from the two image strips is a wide-field image. ### Claim 9 (depends on 1) The equipment according to claim 1, comprising an electronic processor unit connected to the cameras and arranged to display the two image strips in stereoscopic manner. ### Claim 10 (depends on 1) The equipment according to claim 1, wherein the cameras of the first set are powered by a first power supply, and the cameras of the second set are powered by a second power supply that is independent of the first power supply. ### Claim 11 (depends on 1) The equipment according to claim 1, including at least one block in which the cameras are arranged. ### Claim 12 (depends on 1) The equipment according to claim 1, wherein the cameras operate in the infrared range. ### Claim 13 (depends on 1) The equipment according to claim 1, wherein the cameras are of the LWIR type. ### Claim 14 (depends on 1) The equipment according to claim 1, wherein the cameras are not cooled. ### Claim 15 (depends on 1) The equipment according to claim 1, comprising a processor unit connected to the cameras and to a helmet fitted with a device for displaying an image visible to the eyes of the pilot wearing the helmet. ### Claim 16 Optronic equipment for assisting with piloting a vehicle, the equipment including a first set of three cameras arranged on the vehicle to generate a first panoramic strip from data transmitted by the three cameras of the first set and a second set of three cameras arranged on the vehicle to generate a second panoramic strip from data transmitted by the three cameras of the second set, at least one of the cameras that occupies an extreme lateral position on the vehicle relative to the cameras of the first and second sets being arranged so as to have a field of view that is greater horizontally than vertically, wherein each set of the first set of three cameras and the second set of three cameras is capable of operating on its own without the other set, and thus the loss of one of the sets does not correspond to losing half the field of view, wherein the cameras are stationary relative to the vehicle.