Multi-camera closed circuit television system for aircraft

Claim 1

A closed circuit television system for an aircraft, said system comprising: a first camera arranged to have a field of view essentially perpendicular downward from the aircraft's centerline, said first camera including a focal plane sensor and an interface electronics unit to condition the output of the focal plane electronics for transmission to an external camera control unit; a second camera arranged essentially parallel to the aircraft's center line and forward facing, said second camera also incorporating camera lens optics, a focal plane sensor and interface electronics; a camera module unit structure which houses the two cameras in relation to one another, the system arranged to provide fields of view which narrowly avoid imaging the adjacent camera, said camera module unit structure providing a hermetically sealed, controlled temperature and humidity environment for said first and second cameras; a window mounted within said camera module unit providing a field of view of the cameras; a remote camera control unit containing electronics to drive and process information from the camera; and a remote control unit in the flight deck of the aircraft which allows control of the functional aspects of the system by a member of the flight crew.