PANORAMIC WARNING SYSTEM FOR HELICOPTERS

• US 20080180310A1
• Filed: 11/13/2007
• Published: 07/31/2008
• Est. Priority Date: 11/10/2006
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Airbus Helicopters Deutschland Gmbh (Airbus SE)
• Original Assignee: Eurocopter Deutschland Gesellschaft Mit Beschrã¤Nkter Haftung (European Aeronautic Defence and Space Company EADS NV)
• Inventors: Reich, Alexander
• Granted Patent: US 7,463,183 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 342/30
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 13/87 Combinations of radar systems, e.g. primary radar and secondary radar
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 7/03 Details of HF subsystems specially adapted therefor, e.g. common to transmitter and receiver
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 7/062 in which different colours are used
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 7/22 Producing cursor lines and indicia by electronic means

Abstract

A panoramic warning system for helicopters, for the purpose of detecting obstacles and the proximity of the ground by using a plurality of radar sensors connected to the fuselage structure of the helicopter and which operate on varying wavelengths, the signals of which, representing range information, which are provided with an individual identifier, are compared in a central identification-and-evaluation unit with predetermined warning thresholds and after the assignment to corresponding scan sectors are caused to be displayed on at least one cockpit display.

Claims

1. A panoramic warning system for a helicopter for detecting obstacles and the proximity of the ground, the system comprising:

a plurality of radar sensors connected to a fuselage structure of the helicopter, assigned to different sectors of a sphere surrounding the helicopter, and producing radar beams at different wavelengths;

a central identification-and-evaluation unit, wherein the plurality of radar sensors are configured to communicate signals representing range information cyclically to the central identification-and-evaluation unit;

a cockpit display configured to represent the signals after the signals are edited and compared with predetermined warning thresholds, wherein the radar sensors assigned to sectors of the sphere below, behind and to the side of the helicopter operate with a short-range wavelength, and the radar sensors assigned to sectors of the sphere in front of the helicopter operate with a long-range wavelength, and wherein reflected radar beams include a superimposed identifier via at least one of an amplitude modulation or a frequency modulation, the identifier enabling at least one of a correct mapping to the respective sectors and a differentiation between different aircraft.

2. The panoramic warning system as recited in claim 1, further comprising a common identification unit configured to provide the identifier for the signals.

3. The panoramic warning system as recited in claim 1, wherein the radar sensors operating with the short-range wavelength are assigned to scanning of side regions, lower regions and rear regions of the helicopter and radar sensors operating with the long-range wavelength are assigned to scanning of the front region in front of the helicopter.

4. The panoramic warning system as recited in claim 1, wherein the predetermined warning thresholds are adjustable.

5. The panoramic warning system as recited in claim 4, wherein the predetermined warning thresholds are adjustable via an external data-link circuit.

6. The panoramic warning system as recited in claim 1, wherein horizontal hazards in each region are capable of being represented for the hovering-flight region by colourings of the display indication in yellow and red.

7. The panoramic warning system as recited in claim 1, wherein the cockpit display is configured to represent hazard situations as ellipses coloured red or yellow.

8. The panoramic warning system as recited in claim 1, wherein the cockpit display provides a joint display for all flight attitudes in the form of a spatial hazard picture of the helicopter.