	US 12,077,321 B2
	Imaging method of satellite system, and transmission device
Kazuo Ishigame, Tokyo (JP); Itaru Shimizu, Tokyo (JP); Satoshi Ezawa, Tokyo (JP); Tetsu Ogawa, Tokyo (JP); and Naomi Kurahara, Tokyo (JP)
Assigned to SONY GROUP CORPORATION, Tokyo (JP)
Appl. No. 17/596,164
Filed by SONY GROUP CORPORATION, Tokyo (JP)
PCT Filed May 29, 2020, PCT No. PCT/JP2020/021285 § 371(c)(1), (2) Date Dec. 3, 2021, PCT Pub. No. WO2020/250707, PCT Pub. Date Dec. 17, 2020.
Claims priority of application No. 2019-109283 (JP), filed on Jun. 12, 2019.
Prior Publication US 2022/0234764 A1, Jul. 28, 2022
Int. Cl. B64G 1/10 (2006.01); H04N 23/661 (2023.01)

CPC B64G 1/1085 (2013.01) [B64G 1/1028 (2023.08); H04N 23/662 (2023.01)]

12 Claims

1. An imaging method of a satellite system, the satellite system including:

a transmission device installed on earth; and

a plurality of artificial satellites, wherein each artificial satellite of the plurality of artificial satellites has an imaging device, the imaging method comprising:

transmitting, by the transmission device, an imaging instruction to the plurality of artificial satellites passing in sky, wherein the imaging instruction is transmitted based on an event detected by a sensor installed on earth, and the imaging instruction includes information related to required imaging conditions;

receiving, by a first artificial satellite of the plurality of artificial satellites, the imaging instruction;

determining, by the first artificial satellite, whether imaging by the first artificial satellite is possible, wherein the determination is based on whether the required imaging conditions are satisfied by the first artificial satellite;

imaging, by the first artificial satellite, an occurrence region of the event based on the determination that the imaging by the first artificial satellite is possible, wherein the imaging is based on the imaging instruction;

transmitting, by the first artificial satellite, the imaging instruction to a second artificial satellite of the plurality of artificial satellites based on a determination that the imaging by the first artificial satellite is not possible;

imaging, by the second artificial satellite, the occurrence region of the event based on the imaging instruction transmitted to the second artificial satellite; and

transmitting, by the second artificial satellite, the imaging instruction to a ground station based on the second artificial satellite being unable to perform the imaging.