French start-up company Otonomy Aviation has developed a vision system that features externally-mounted cameras on business jets, which provide passengers with a real-time view of the landscape.
Developed by Otonomy Aviation, the cameras consist of a number of imaging components that were supplied by FRAMOS, including a 5 MPixel CMOS image sensor, and DSL949 and DSL213 lenses from Sunex. Emmanuel Maridor, Managing Director FRAMOS France, noted that the sensor, which is not named in the press release, is specifically designed for difficult lighting conditions.
"The sensor is noted for its high resolution, HD ability and excellent reliability. With Low Light and Low Dark Current features, it is especially designed for applications in difficult lighting conditions and reduces image noise through automatic black level calibration," he said.
The cameras in the system capture video from outside of the aircraft and transmit that to monitors inside, which provide the passengers with a scenic view. Regulations prevented the company from using prefabricated cameras in the system, as the hardware development process has to be documented in a stringently specific way in the aviation industry. As a result, Otonomy developed the system using FRAMOS components, including a PC. Guillaume Daudon, founder of Otonomy, said that his company partnered with FRAMOS on the basis of high quality standards and reliability.
"The advantage is that we can use off-the-shelf components that did not have to be specially developed for us. Initial results show that customers are very happy with the image quality achieved and that communication between the lens and Ethernet output signal functions excellently," he said.
The system is currently being used by owners of private or corporate business jets, but in the next phase of expansion, the system will be used in commercial flights, and will also stream to wireless devices, not just the monitors inside the plane.
"Everything is going mobile. That’s why the camera images should not be shown only on wired and wireless displays in the aircraft, but also on other mobile devices such as the iPad," says Daudon. The airplane windows permit only a very limited view, and what could be more entertaining on a flight than to have a broader vista of the landscape, virtually as the pilot sees it?"
As it currently stands, Otonomy Aviation provides vision systems for a number of aircraft manufacturers, including Airbus, Gulfstream, Dassault, and soon, Boeing. In addition to providing scenic views for passengers, the camera system has been used on the ground to increase security during boarding and de-boarding, and to visualise the raising and lowering of the undercarriage. In the future, Otonomy plans to focus more on the area of security.
View more information on Otonomy Aviation.
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