Israel Aerospace Industries Ltd.

Ohad Rozenberg

Haim Somech

Erez Avrahamov

Menachem Saidov

According to one aspect of the presently disclosed subject there is provided a system implemented in a mobile carrier for determining a position of the mobile carrier by using a processing and memory circuitry (PMC) and a satellite communications on the move (SOTM) antenna system, being configured to maintain a communications link from a satellite communications (SATCOM) having a spatial position. The system is configured to obtain data indicative of the spatial position of the SATCOM, the estimated altitude of the mobile carrier and the direction of the antenna towards the SATCOM spatial position and to determine the position of the mobile carrier.

Positioning using SATCOM

According to the presently discloses subject matter, a flight path is autonomously generated (e.g. in response to an unexpected need to land the aircraft) leading the aircraft from its current position towards a target destination (e.g. a landing site) where the flight path is generated while taking into consideration flight constraints existing in the area and avoiding violation of the flight constraints. The flight path is then used for autonomous generation of flight instructions for controlling the aircraft and leading the aircraft to the desired destination.

Three dimensional aircraft autonomous navigation under constraints

A computer-implemented method of controlling an aircraft during autonomous landing. The method includes using a computer for performing the following: applying image processing on an image captured by a camera on board the aircraft while approaching a runway for identifying in the image a touchdown point (TDP) of the runway; calculating a deviation, in image parameters, of the TDP relative to the center of the image; converting the deviation in image parameters to angular and distance deviation values based on predefined ratios; calculating an offset of the aircraft's position relative to a landing corridor ending at the identified TDP based on the calculated angular and distance deviation; and transmitting the calculated offset to an aircraft control system configured to provide instructions for controlling the aircraft; wherein the offset is used for controlling the aircraft for guiding the aircraft towards the landing corridor to enable landing.

Image sensor based autonomous landing

The presently disclosed subject matter includes a camera system for aerial photography applications which can be mounted on an aircraft and be operated for obtaining images of a surveyed area. The proposed camera system comprises a camera control unit operatively connected to a camera supported by a pivotal supporting device such as a gimbal assembly. The camera is continuously moved along a scanning line without stopping and is operated to capture images in a certain frame rate, this is carried out by measuring as well as regulating the angular velocity of the camera to adapt the pictured and the non-pictures zones over the scanning line.

Aerial photography camera system

The presently disclosed subject matter includes a Ux V system simulator. According to some examples synthetic images are display on the display device, the synthetic images showing an artificial representation of an environment in which operation of a Ux V is being simulated, the images are shown as if viewed from a vantage point of an imaging payload located onboard the Ux V; the images are processed to extract thereform values of one or more graphic image parameters; responsive to a command issued with respect to the synthetic images, the extracted values are compared with respective predefined reference values; A simulation of the issued command is executed only if the comparison between the extracted values and respective reference values complies with at least one predefined condition, thereby increasing similarity between the operation of the simulator and the operation of the real UAV system being simulated.

Unmanned vehicle simulator

The presently disclosed subject matter includes a method and system configured for enabling using a high resolution imaging assembly for surveying large areas as well as for tracking objects within the surveyed area, notwithstanding the bandwidth limitation of the communication link.

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Yad Binyamin, Israel

Ohad Rozenberg