RU2370786C2 - Device for prevention of helicopter collision wit obstacles - Google Patents

Abstract

FIELD: transportation.

SUBSTANCE: directions to obstacle and distance to it are defined in field of view with flat angle of 360° with the help of device, which comprises "k" identical transceiver modules, which include optical receiver, inlet of which is connected to receiving non-scanning astigmatic optical system, which receives in sector with flat angle 360°/k and low vertical angle, transmitting system of each module comprises modulator with its modulation law, which, through control unit, generates signals "m" of optical pulse transmitters, every of which is connected to its transmitting non-scanning astigmatic optical system, which radiates in sector with flat angle 360/mk, sectors of transmitting and receiving optical systems inside and between modules are coupled and create a flat circular system of view with angle of 360°. Outlets of optical receivers of modules are connected to "k" inlets of information processing system, to which information is also supplied from "mxk" inlets of optical module transmitters control. Outlet of information processing system is connected to system of pilot warning, which, with the help of light and sound alarms, informs about availability, direction and distance to obstacle.

EFFECT: provision of circular view for system of helicopter pilot warning about availability of obstacles.

2 dwg

Description

The device relates to optical location systems for ensuring helicopter flight safety in difficult conditions, for example, during construction and rescue operations, flights in mountain and urban conditions, where there is a danger of collision with obstacles, often small and poorly distinguishable.

Known devices for ensuring flight safety of aircraft using optical and radar (99122795/09, class G01S 13/93; 5005389/22 and 5047611/09, class G01S 17/00), as well as thermal imaging and combined systems (development of NGOs GIPO Kazan), designed to prevent collisions during flight en route.

The disadvantages of these devices include the use of methods of scanning the surrounding space, leading to an increase in the complexity of devices for ensuring flight safety and, as a consequence, to a deterioration in their overall dimensions and cost, and complex, redundant systems for issuing and displaying information that impede the work of pilots.

Closer to the problem solved by this invention is a radar system for preventing collisions of an aircraft with obstacles, described in RF patent No. 2150752 (1), cl. G01S 13/93 and selected by us as a prototype. In this system, to expand the viewing angles in the horizontal plane, “... additional channels identical to the first (course) are used, while the receiving and transmitting antennas of each channel are made in the form of a planar microelectronic phased antenna array (PMFAR) located on the corresponding surface section of the aircraft’s hull flush with its skin in such a way that the direction of the maximum of the PMFAR radiation pattern in the vertical plane coincides with the plane of flight of the aircraft, and The direction of the maximum horizontal view provides the forward hemisphere. " Each of the additional channels is responsible for viewing its sector of the front hemisphere. To view each sector, the linear frequency modulation method is used, when the direction of the maximum of the PMFAR radiation pattern in the horizontal plane changes when the transmitter frequency changes. The same frequency modulation is used to measure the distance to an obstacle.

The disadvantages of the prototype that impede its use for the above purposes include:

1. The use of PMFAR, which has a small aperture of the radiation pattern, which required the “viewing" of the viewing sector.

2. Use for “viewing” frequency modulation, which will inevitably lead to a change in the position of the maximum radiation pattern in the vertical plane and will make it impossible to use the system when flying at low altitudes, since it will qualify the surface of the earth as an obstacle.

3. The need to place the PMFAR “flush” with the skin of the aircraft in many places makes it possible to install it only in the factory, which deprives this system of “autonomy” from the point of view of its installation and dismantling in aerodrome conditions.

4. The use of PMFAR does not allow the system to work efficiently at short distances, where a narrow radiation pattern does not "manage to" form in the near zone, which leads to a significant increase in minimum working distances and makes it unacceptable for helicopter security systems.

The aim of the invention is to provide a circular view for the warning system of the pilot of the helicopter about the presence of obstacles and increase its effectiveness by simplifying the presentation of information about the presence of obstacles, direction and distance to it.

The aim of the invention is achieved by the fact that the proposed system contains "k" identical transceiver modules, including an optical receiver, the input of which is connected to a receiving non-scanning astigmatic optical system, receiving in the sector with a flat angle of 360 ° / k and a small vertical angle, transmitting the system of each module contains a modulator with its own modulation law, which through the control unit generates signals “m” of optical pulse transmitters, each of which is connected to its transmitting non-scanning astig To the optical optical system emitting in a sector with a flat angle of 360 ° / mk, the sectors of the transmitting and receiving optical systems inside and between the modules are conjugated and form a flat circular viewing system with an angle of 360 °. The outputs of the optical receivers of the modules are connected to the “k” inputs of the information processing system, which also receives information from the “mxk” outputs of the control units of the optical transmitters of the modules. The output of the information processing system is connected to the pilot warning system, which with the help of light and sound signals reports the presence, direction and distance to the obstacle.

The invention is illustrated by drawings.

Figure 1 shows: transceiver modules 1i, optical radiation receivers 2i, optical receiving systems 3i, modulators 4i, control units 5i, pulse optical transmitters 6ij, transmitting optical systems 7ij, where i = 1 ... k, j = 1 ... m, the information processing system 8 and the information display system 9. FIG. 2 shows the mutual arrangement of the sectors of radiation and reception of optical signals in the module.

A safety device for a helicopter flight operates as follows.

The optical transmitters 6ij of module 1i, according to the law specified by the control unit 5i, emit short light pulses with a modulator frequency of 4i through the optical system 7ij in a sector with a flat angle of 360 ° / mk, while the totality of all optical transmitters emits in a flat angle of 360 ° in the plane perpendicular to the vertical axis of the helicopter. The optical signal reflected by an obstacle in the sector of the transmitting optical system 7ij, through the receiving optical system 3i is fed to the optical radiation receiver 2i. The signal from the radiation receiver is transmitted to the information processing system 8, which simultaneously receives signals from all the "m × k" outputs of the control units 5i of the optical transmitters. The information processing system 8 identifies the sectors of emission and reception of signals from an obstacle by comparing the signals from the “m × k” outputs of the control units 5i of the optical transmitters and the “k” optical receivers, and also determines the distance intervals to the obstacle. Based on this information, using the information display system 9, light and sound signals are generated to warn the pilot of the direction and distance to the obstacle. This ensures that information about the sources of danger is minimized to the minimum necessary and sufficient for the pilot to make a decision.

The composition of the device, its autonomy from the standard avionics of the helicopter allows you to create a system of all-round visibility using identical structural modules, including an optical radiation receiver, a modulator, a control unit, emitting and receiving optical systems, optical pulse transmitters, which for ease of installation and maintenance can be placed on the outside of the helicopter.

Claims (1)

A helicopter flight safety and landing safety device consisting of “k” identical modules, each of which contains a receiving and transmitting optical system, a modulator, an optical signal receiver and “t” optical pulse transmitters, as well as an information processing system that identifies radiation sectors and receiving signals from an obstacle and determining intervals of distances to an obstacle, and a warning system, characterized in that the optical signal receiver of each module is connected to non-scanning astigma optical system receiving in the plane of the helicopter in a sector with a flat angle of 360 ° / k and a small vertical angle, the “t” of the outputs of the optical pulse transmitters of each module are connected to their transmitting optical systems, which are also made by non-scanning astigmatic radiating in the plane of the helicopter in sector with a flat angle of 360 ° / mk, the field of view "m" of the transmitting optical systems of each module are aligned with the field of view of the receiving optical system and completely overlap it, the field of reception of "k" modules are conjugated and form a 360 ° viewing angle in the plane of the helicopter, the modulator output of each module is connected to a control unit designed to set the optical pulse transmitters the law of emission of short light pulses with a modulator frequency, “m” of outputs of which are connected to the inputs of pulse optical transmitters, “k” outputs optical receivers of the modules are connected to the “k” inputs of the information processing system, the signals from the “mxk” outputs of the control units, the output of the information processing system under for prison system to display the information via sound and light signals warns the helicopter pilot of the distance to the obstacle and the sector in which it is located.

Images