Method for supporting helicopter pilots by visual landing under Brown-Out or White-Out conditions
Abstract
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11 claims: 7 independent, 4 dependent
- 1Zastrzeżenia patentowe 1. Sposób wspomagania pilotów podczas lądowania helikopterów w czasie lotu z widocznością w warunkach zapylenia (brown-out) lub wzniecanej zamieci (white-out), znamienny tym, że podczas podchodzenia do lądowania znajdujący się na pokładzie helikoptera czujnik 3D generuje dane 3D przewidzianego miejsca do lądowania przy rozdzielczości przynajmniej 0,5° i szybkości transmisji powyżej 20000 pikseli/s, dane te gromadzi się z wykorzystaniem danych na temat pozycji i położenia helikoptera z uzyskaniem widoku 3D miejsca lądowania, na podstawie tego widoku 3D w perspektywie odpowiadającej rzeczywistej pozycji i położeniu helikoptera na bieżąco generuje się wirtualny widok na zewnątrz, który przedstawia się pilotowi, przy czym obecna jest procedura kontroli, przy użyciu której zapewnia się, że podczas gromadzenia danych do widoku 3D nie uwzględnia się danych 3D przewidzianego miejsca lądowania, które wygenerowano podczas zjawiska brown-out lub white-out.
- 2Sposób według zastrzeżenia 1, znamienny tym, że procedurę kontroli realizuje się tak, że analizuje się odbierane dane 3D, aby rozpoznać zjawisko brown-out lub white-out, przy czym danych 3D, które generuje się od momentu rozpoznania zjawiska brownout lub white-out, nie uwzględnia się podczas gromadzenia danych do widoku 3D.
- 3Sposób według zastrzeżenia 1, znamienny tym, że procedurę kontroli realizuje się tak, że w sposób ciągły mierzy się wysokość helikoptera nad ziemią, przy czym danych 3D, które generuje się poniżej danej wysokości minimalnej, nie uwzględnia się podczas gromadzenia danych do widoku 3D.
- 4Sposób według jednego z powyższych zastrzeżeń, znamienny tym, że układ odniesienia położenia w celu obliczenia danych położenia i pozycji wykorzystuje też generowane dane 3D.
- 5Sposób według jednego z powyższych zastrzeżeń, znamienny tym, że wirtualny widok na zewnątrz renderuje się w sposób fotorealistyczny.
- 6Sposób według zastrz. 5, znamienny tym, że podczas podchodzenia do lądowania za pomocą kolorowej kamery wideo rejestruje się rozkład poziomów kolorów i szarości miejsca lądowania, a wirtualny widok na zewnątrz generuje się w sposób zbliżony do rzeczywistego rozkładu poziomów kolorów i szarości.
- 7Sposób według zastrzeżenia 5 albo 6, znamienny tym, że w celu wspomagania postrzegania w renderowanej scenie symuluje się oświetlenie słoneczne i rzucany cień zgodnie z położeniem Słońca znanym na podstawie jego lokalizacji i pory dnia.
- 8Sposób według jednego z powyższych zastrzeżeń, znamienny tym, że w celu generowania danych 3D stosuje się czujnik 3D o rozdzielczości przynajmniej 0,5° i szybkości transmisji powyżej 20000 pikseli/s. - 7
- 9Sposób według jednego z powyższych zastrzeżeń, znamienny tym, że wirtualny widok na zewnątrz przedstawia się na wyświetlaczu ekranowym lub wyświetlaczu HUD (ang. Head-Up-Display).
- 10Sposób według jednego z powyższych zastrzeżeń, znamienny tym, że dane 3D do generowania widoku 3D miejsca lądowania gromadzi się w czasie dłuższym od 1 sekundy.
- 11Sposób według jednego z powyższych zastrzeżeń, znamienny tym, że wirtualny widok na zewnątrz generuje się z częstotliwością przynajmniej 20 Hz. Sporządziła i zweryfikowała Dorota Rzążewska Rzecznik patentowy - 8 Fig.
Independent claims11
35 paragraphs, as filed
The invention relates to a method of assisting pilots during a helicopter landing during a flight with visibility in brown-out or white-out conditions.
During the approach to landing helicopters on a dusty or snow-covered landing pad in the final phase, there is a sudden reduction in visibility caused by rising dust or snow. This phenomenon, known as brown-out or white-out, is a significant threat when landing during a visual flight rules (VFR). The pilot loses orientation about his position and height relative to the ground; swirling dust or snow makes the helicopter tilt. This leads to accidents many times and is now the main cause of all helicopter accidents.
The article entitled "Brown-Out survival - technology or training?", Published in the magazine "Defense Helicopter" (Shepard publishing house, pages 10-12, issue February / March 2004) contains an introduction to the issues of brown-out, or white-out and shows the first technical attempts to solve the problem, which will also be briefly addressed later in the description.
According to the current state of technology, instruments used in instrument flight conditions, i.e. without external visibility, are available to pilot in suitably equipped helicopters. In this way, in the event of a brown-out or white-out phenomenon, you can land according to the instrument flight rules, using orientation using, for example, an artificial horizon and a radar altimeter. The problem that accompanies this is that in the critical phase just before landing, suddenly you need to completely switch from orientation based on the outward view to orientation based on the abstract data from the instruments. This requires constant training of pilots in critical situations, and often leads to accidents.
There are also known proposals for solutions that, using sensors using the GPS system, try to provide pilot information. In this way, expenditure on full equipment for instrument flights was avoided, but nothing changed with respect to the fundamental problem of the required change from orientation based on the image seen to orientation using instruments.
Detection of the landing pad by dust or snow using radar was also proposed. This solution does not work with currently available radars due to too low resolution and minimum detection distance. In addition, the costs and weight of the radar are significant. Proposed in document DE 43 28 573 C2
- 2 ROSAR system could basically penetrate dust or snow in the conditions of brown-out or white-out phenomena and offer pilot support by means of the graphical representation of the instantaneous radar echo.
This type of radar, however, means significant expenditure in terms of costs and due to the weight of this type of system, which is why there is currently no ROSAR system on the market.
WO 02/450048 A1 describes a navigation and landing method for airplanes and helicopters, with which a virtual outdoor view is generated for the pilot using an on-site terrain database as well as an obstacle database. The obstacle database is updated using a wireless connection to the ground station during the flight. The use of this method is therefore limited to landings with appropriate infrastructure, and therefore it is not suitable for solving the problem of brown-out or white-out phenomena occurring in an unprepared area during landing in an accidental area.
EP 0 911 647 A2 describes a flight handling system that also enables a surface ship pilot to have a virtual view outside. For this purpose, he uses a database that, depending on the distribution of its data, is divided into three types of resources, i.e. topographic data from a large area, topographic data from a narrow area and data on obstacles, such as location and height power lines, tall buildings and more. The database is updated during the flight using various 3D sensors. During good weather, data on the surrounding environment is generated, and during adverse weather conditions it is assumed that at least three obstacles can be generated using 3D sensors.
Furthermore, the method of EP 0 911 647 A2 is characterized in that the generation of the virtual view is based on limited, abstract topographic data or obstacle data.
The purpose of the invention is to provide the pilot with some support with respect to landing in flight with visibility in the conditions of brown-out or white-out.
This object is achieved as described in claim 1. Preferred embodiments of the invention are described in the dependent claims.
According to the invention, the helicopter is equipped with a higher-frequency 3D-facing forward sensor as well as a position reference system. The 3D sensor has a frequency of at least 0.5 ° and a transmission rate> about 20,000 pixels / s. During approach to landing on the landing pad, the 3D sensor records it on a regular basis. Based on the collected 3D data using flight position and position data from the helicopter position reference system, a virtual view of the landing pad is generated in a perspective view that corresponds to the actual position and position of the helicopter. This virtual view from
- 3 outside is made available to the pilot using an indicator device (screen, HUD display and others).
Using the control procedure it is also ensured that 3D data generated during the brown-out or white-out phenomenon is not included in the calculation for the virtual outdoor view. The first possible embodiment here envisages that the received data are subject to analysis, and thus the brown-out or white-out phenomenon is detected directly.
Currently used higher frequency 3D sensors can only be used as VFR sensors (i.e. during flight with visibility), which means that they are not able to penetrate it with the brown-out or white-out phenomenon. Therefore, when brown-out or white-out occurs, it is recognized based on sensor data by means of image analysis automatically using a 3D image of the dust cloud. The pilot is then made available during the brown-out phenomenon a virtual view based on 3D data obtained before the occurrence of the brown-out or white-out phenomenon, whereby the perspective view is constantly adjusted based on location reference data to the current position and helicopter position.
To ensure that 3D data generated during the brown-out or white-out phenomenon is not taken into account when calculating the virtual view outside, alternatively to the direct detection of the brown-out or white-out phenomenon described above, one can provide for a solution that uses only 3D data that was generated during the approach to landing above a certain fixed minimum flight altitude. This minimum flight height is selected in such a way that above this minimum flight altitude the brown-out or white-out phenomenon can still be ruled out. A typical value is around 10-15 m. Height measurement can be carried out in particular using a radar altimeter. The virtual outdoor view is then made available to the pilot below the minimum flight altitude based on 3D data obtained above the minimum flight altitude, the perspective view is then constantly adjusted based on location reference data to the current position and helicopter position.
The virtual outdoor view should be adapted to the helicopter's airborne operations as quickly as possible. A frequency of at least 20 Hz is sufficient.
The pilot is then available during the entire landing phase for a virtual high-frequency outdoor view with a natural appearance. Because the data from 3D sensors are collected during the approach to landing, and due to the movement during the flight more and more points of space are recorded, you can get video quality resolution. For example, during a landing approach of 10 s with a transmission rate above 20,000 pixels / s, more than 200,000 pixels are obtained. Because the perspective view always corresponds to the current position and position of the helicopter, the pilot based on this virtual view can at any time
- 4 assess the position of the helicopter relative to the landing site. After the brown-out or white-out phenomenon occurs, it can end the landing without a critical adjustment based on this virtual view. Since the brown-out or white-out phenomenon only occurs about 3-5 m above the ground, generating a virtual image based on data obtained before this visibility restriction occurs is sufficient, as it is usually not expected that in the last about 3 seconds there will be obstacles at the landing site. High-resolution sensors that cannot penetrate dust or snow are currently not required.
A 3D sensor is a sensor that offers a graphic representation of the distance, in particular an image generating laser radar, as described, for example, in DE 39 42 770 C2 or DE 43 20 485 A1. As a 3D sensor you can, for example, use a laser radar designed for HELLAS helicopters from EADS Deutschland GmbH, Ottobrunn, which allows you to get 40,000 pixels / s at a range of up to 1 km, sufficient here with excess.
However, 3D data generation can alternatively be done in another known way. For example, you can use a stereo camera for this purpose.
There are numerous devices available on the market for the required position reference system. As an example, the Honeywell AH2100 inertial navigation system should be mentioned. In a particularly preferred embodiment, the position reference system uses in addition to further sensor data also 3D data from the 3D sensor itself to calculate the position and position data.
The required processing of 3D data to obtain a photo-realistic image from the perspective of a helicopter pilot can be ensured without a problem and in an economical way using standard methods of modern 3D visualization technology.
In particular, OpenGL and DirectX can be used as 3D interface to render 3D graphics. To ensure the most realistic representation of a rendered scene, you can use the following measures to your advantage:
- Using a color video camera, the distribution of color levels and gray of the landing site is recorded alongside the 3D data. As a result, you can get a virtual view of the outside close to the actual distribution of color levels and gray of the landing site.
- To support perception in the rendered scene, you can simulate solar lighting and cast shadow according to the position of the Sun known based on its location and time of day.
With the use of cost-effective and weight-sensitive sensors available, the present invention generally provides some support for a pilot during an in-flight landing with visibility under brown-out or white-out conditions.
The basic structure of the system is explained in Fig. 1.
Fig. 1 schematically shows the essential elements of an embodiment of the system according to the invention for assisting helicopter landing.
The 3D sensor 1, directed forward, is installed on the helicopter in such a way that the intended landing place during the landing approach is visible. The 3D sensor provides data to the image processor 2, which continuously obtains the position and position data of the helicopter from the position reference system 3. The image processor first generates a high resolution 3D image of the landing site based on the data collected from the 3D sensors for a few seconds and in combination with position and position data. On this basis, the image processor 2 generates a virtual image from the pilot's perspective on an ongoing basis, which is represented by a display 4, which can be a standard multi-functional display or a HUD (Head up Display). Based on 3D data, the image processor 2 is able to recognize the occurrence of brown-out or white-out phenomena without much effort for analysis. 3D data generated under brown-out or white-out phenomena is not used to generate the virtual view of the landing site.
Prepared and verified
Dorota Rzążewska
Patent Attorney
10 members in 6 offices
Priority claims5
| Document | Office | Kind | Date |
|---|---|---|---|
| 102004051625 | Germany | A | |
| 102004051625 | Germany | A | |
| 05019389 | European Patent Office (EPO) | A | |
| DE20041051625 | – | – | – |
| EP20050019389 | – | – | – |
Members10
| Document | Office | Kind | |
|---|---|---|---|
| EP1650534A1 | European Patent Office (EPO) | A1 | |
| US2006087452A1 | United States of America | A1 | |
| DE102004051625A1 | Germany | A1 | |
| DE102004051625B4 | Germany | B4 | |
| US7365652B2 | United States of America | B2 | |
| EP1650534B1 | European Patent Office (EPO) | B1 | |
| AT532037T | Austria | T | |
| ATE532037T1 | Austria | T1 | |
| ES2373445T3 | Spain | T3 | |
| PL1650534T3This record | Poland | T3 |
Numbers
- Publication, DOCDB
- 1650534
- Publication, EPODOC
- PL1650534T
- Application
- 19389
- Application, DOCDB
- 05019389
- Application, EPODOC
- PL20050019389T
Titles2
- English
- Method for supporting helicopter pilots by visual landing under Brown-Out or White-Out conditions
- Polish
- Sposób wspomagania pilotów podczas lądowania helikopterów w czasie lotu z widocznością w warunkach zapylenia lub wzniecanej zamieci
Classification
- CPC, 2
- G01S17/89
- G05D1/0676
- IPC, 2
- G01C23 00
- G01S17 89