1. Field of the Invention
The present invention generally relates to remote viewing systems, and more particularly, to a system for simulating the views of an airport from a control tower using high resolution cameras and monitors configured as virtual windows.
2. Description of the Related Art
In general, a control tower at an airport controls the movement of airplanes on the ground and in the air near the airport. More particularly, controllers working in the control tower typically direct airplanes landing on and taking-off from runways as well as the movement of airplanes on the ground. For example, when an airplane is ready to depart from a gate, a controller issues taxiing instructions to safely direct the movement of the airplane from the gate to a runway for takeoff. Additional instructions are provided from the control tower to direct the departing airplane into an outgoing track to ensure proper separation between departing airplanes. Similarly, as an arriving airplane approaches the airport for landing, a controller in the control tower determines the landing sequences and stacking instructions to guide the airplane safely into an approach pattern. The arriving airplane is visually acquired from the control tower during its final descent onto the runway to help ensure the airplane""s safe landing on the proper runway. After landing, a controller in the control tower issues taxiing instructions to safely guide the airplane from the runway to the proper arrival gate.
In order to safely direct the movement of airplanes in the air and on the ground, control towers are typically built to provide a clear view of the various areas of the airport grounds such as the arrival and departure gates, the runways, and the taxiing lanes. With reference to FIG. 1, a conventional control tower 100 typically includes an observation deck 102 mounted on a support base 104. The observation deck is typically enclosed in large windows and raised high to provide a clear view of the airport. Conventional control towers, however, are typically costly and require considerable planning and time to construct, and typically cannot be moved once they are constructed in a particular location. Additionally, conventional control towers are typically located a considerable distance away from the optimal locations to observe the runways in order to avoid interfering with arriving and departing airplanes.
The present invention relates to a remote viewing system for simulating the views from a window. In accordance with an exemplary embodiment of the present invention, the remote viewing system includes a camera assembly and a remote viewing assembly. The camera assembly obtains views of a site and transmits the views to the remote viewing assembly. The viewing assembly then displays the views to simulate the various perspectives which can be obtained from looking out of a window, such as looking up and down out of the window.
In an exemplary application of the present invention, the remote viewing system is configured to simulate the views from a control tower at an airport. The camera assembly is located at an airport to obtain views of airplanes landing and departing and the movement of the airplanes on the airport grounds. The remote viewing assembly then displays the views obtained by the camera assembly to simulate the views from the windows of the control tower.