Aerovironment, Inc.

Jefferson C McBride

Thomas Robert Szarek

Thomas Omer

Manolis Pavlos Dimotakis

Tom Omer

A system and method for transmitting still images and a video feed from an unmanned aerial vehicle to a ground station is disclosed. The system includes an aircraft including a digital video camera to capture still images and video frames of an object. A video encoder is coupled to the camera to provide a video output including video packets. A file server is coupled to the camera to provide a still image output including image data packets. A multiplexer is coupled to the video output and the still image output. The multiplexer produces a data transmission including the video packets and the image data packets. A transmitter sends the data transmission to the ground station. The ground station receives the data transmission and demultiplexes the packets into separate video and image data packets. The ground control station may select the ratio the video stream images in relation to the still image to be transmitted from the aircraft.

System and method of high-resolution digital data image transmission

An unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) includes a fuselage, a gimbal-mounted turret having one or more degrees of freedom relative to the fuselage, a camera disposed in the gimbal-mounted turret for motion therewith in the one or more degrees of freedom, and a central video image processor disposed exteriorly of the gimbal-mounted turret, the central video image processor configured to receive and process image data from the camera.

Camera ball turret having high bandwidth data transmission to external image processor

A turret assembly for attachment on the undersurface of an aircraft that reduces performance limitations due to gimbal lock and reduces the cross section profile of the assembly. The assembly includes a roll actuator including a drive shaft. A yoke having a cross member is coupled to the drive shaft and a pair of prongs. The yoke is rotated via the roll actuator and drive shaft along a roll axis oriented substantially parallel to the body of the aircraft. A turret is mounted on the prongs of the yoke. A tilt actuator is contained within the turret. The tilt actuator tilts the turret on a tilt axis relative to the yoke. The tilt axis is perpendicular to the roll axis.

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Simi Valley, CA, United States of America

Jefferson C McBride