AUTONOMOUS AND AUTOMATIC LANDING SYSTEM FOR DRONES

• US 20090055038A1
• Filed: 12/01/2006
• Published: 02/26/2009
• Est. Priority Date: 12/02/2005
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Thales SA
• Original Assignee: Thales SA
• Inventors: Cornic, Pascal, Garrec, Patrick
• Granted Patent: US 8,265,808 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 701/17
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 11/10 using Doppler effect
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 13/003 Bistatic radar systems; Multistatic radar systems
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 13/825 with exchange of information between interrogator and responder
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 13/88 Radar or analogous systems specially adapted for specific applications electromagnetic prospecting or detecting of objects, e.g. near-field detection, G01V3/00
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 13/913 for landing purposes
• CPC Class Codes: G05D 1/0676 specially adapted for landing

Abstract

The invention relates to an automatic aircraft landing guidance system having an electromagnetic detecting and locating device, positioned on the ground and a first multifunction transmitting/receiving radiofrequency beacon, on board each guided aircraft and transmitting in particular a continuous wave. The detecting and locating device uses the continuous wave transmitted by the beacon to perform a passive locating intended to improve the accuracy of the measurement of the angular position of the aircraft. It also comprises means for generating and periodically transmitting to the aircraft, via the beacon, information enabling said aircraft to rejoin an optimum landing path from its position. The invention applies more particularly to the guidance of autonomous and automatic aircraft such as drones in the approach and landing phase.

Claims

1. An automatic aircraft landing guidance system, comprising:

an electromagnetic detecting and locating device, positioned on the ground to measure, for at least one aircraft, the distance separating it from the aircraft and the angular position of said aircraft relative to a reference direction, based on the echo reflected by said aircraft,

a first multifunction radiofrequency beacon on board each guided aircraft, the beacon comprising means for exchanging information with the detecting device and forming a point source transmitting a continuous sinusoidal wave to the detecting device, the detecting and locating device using the continuous wave transmitted by the beacon to perform a passive locating intended to improve the accuracy of the measurement of the angular position of the aircraft and comprising means for generating and periodically transmitting to the aircraft, via the beacon, information enabling said aircraft to rejoin an optimum landing path from its position.

2. The system as claimed in claim 1, further comprising a second radiofrequency beacon placed on the ground level with the point of contact of the aircraft with the ground to enable the detecting and locating device to perform differential measurements of the distance and angular position of the aircraft.

3. The system as claimed in claim 2, wherein the second beacon comprises passive means enabling the detecting and locating device to differentiate the echo reflected by this beacon from a fixed echo.

4. The system as claimed in claim 3, wherein said passive means comprise the vanes of a moving fan.

5. The system as claimed in claim 1, wherein the onboard multifunction beacon comprises means for performing altitude measurements, said beacon fulfilling the radio-altimeter function.

6. The system as claimed in claim 3, wherein the beacon periodically transmits to the detecting and locating device information relating to the altitude of the aircraft, the altitude being measured by said beacon.

7. The system as claimed in claim 4, wherein the detecting and locating device uses the altitude information transmitted by the beacon to improve the accuracy of the measurement of the angular position of the aircraft.

8. The system as claimed in claim 1, wherein the operation of the detecting and locating device alternates active locating periods, of duration Δ

T₁, during which it measures the distance and the angular position of the aircraft from the echo reflected by said aircraft, and periods of listening and exchanging data, of duration Δ

T₂, during which it measures the angular position of the aircraft from the signal transmitted by the beacon, and during which it transmits the positioning information to the aircraft.

9. The system as claimed in claim 1, wherein the operation of the detecting and locating device alternates groups of N active locating periods, of duration Δ

T₁, during which it measures the distance and the angular position of the aircraft from the echo reflected by said aircraft and periods of listening and exchanging data, of duration Δ

T₂, during which it measures the angular position of the aircraft from the signal transmitted by the beacon, and during which it transmits positioning information to the aircraft, each group of active locating periods being separated from the next group by a period of listening and exchanging data.

10. The system as claimed in claim 7, wherein the detecting and locating device uses the signals received during the N active locating periods forming one and the same group to perform a Doppler filtering of the signal, the filtered signal being used to perform the measurement of the distance and the angular position of the aircraft, this measurement being used jointly with the angular position measurement obtained from the signal transmitted by the beacon, in the period of listening and exchanging data that precedes said group, and with the altitude measurement transmitted by the beacon during this same period.

11. The system as claimed in claim 1, comprising a third multifunction radiofrequency beacon, identical to the first beacon and on board with the first beacon on each guided aircraft, and means making it possible to alternately use each beacon to perform the task of exchanging information with the detecting and locating device, and the task of producing a point transmission source, while the other beacon performs the altitude measurements.

12. The system as claimed in claim 9, wherein the operation of the detecting and locating device alternates groups of N active locating periods, of duration Δ

T₁, during which it measures the distance and the angular position of the aircraft from the echo reflected by said aircraft, and periods of listening and exchanging data, of duration Δ

T₂, during which it measures the angular position of the aircraft from the signal transmitted by one of the multifunction radiofrequency beacons, and during which it transmits positioning information to the aircraft via said beacon;

each group of active locating periods being separated from the next group by a period of listening and exchanging data, the task of exchanging information with the detecting and locating device, and the task of producing a point transmission source being performed alternately from one period of listening and exchanging data to another, by the first and by the second beacon.

13. The system as claimed in claim 1, wherein the detecting and locating device is a radar comprising means for performing distance and angular locating measurements.

14. The system as claimed in claim 11, wherein the radar used is a beam-forming radar.

15. The system as claimed in claim 2, wherein the onboard multifunction beacon comprises means for performing altitude measurements, said beacon fulfilling the radio-altimeter function.

16. The system as claimed in claim 2, wherein the operation of the detecting and locating device alternates active locating periods, of duration Δ

T₁, during which it measures the distance and the angular position of the aircraft from the echo reflected by said aircraft, and periods of listening and exchanging data, of duration Δ

T₂, during which it measures the angular position of the aircraft from the signal transmitted by the beacon, and during which it transmits the positioning information to the aircraft.

17. The system as claimed in claim 3, wherein the operation of the detecting and locating device alternates active locating periods, of duration Δ

T₁, during which it measures the distance and the angular position of the aircraft from the echo reflected by said aircraft, and periods of listening and exchanging data, of duration Δ

T₂, during which it measures the angular position of the aircraft from the signal transmitted by the beacon, and during which it transmits the positioning information to the aircraft.

18. The system as claimed in claim 4, wherein the operation of the detecting and locating device alternates groups of N active locating periods, of duration Δ

T₁, during which it measures the distance and the angular position of the aircraft from the echo reflected by said aircraft and periods of listening and exchanging data, of duration Δ

T₂, during which it measures the angular position of the aircraft from the signal transmitted by the beacon, and during which it transmits positioning information to the aircraft, each group of active locating periods being separated from the next group by a period of listening and exchanging data.

19. The system as claimed in claim 5, wherein the operation of the detecting and locating device alternates groups of N active locating periods, of duration Δ

T₁, during which it measures the distance and the angular position of the aircraft from the echo reflected by said aircraft and periods of listening and exchanging data, of duration Δ

T₂, during which it measures the angular position of the aircraft from the signal transmitted by the beacon, and during which it transmits positioning information to the aircraft, each group of active locating periods being separated from the next group by a period of listening and exchanging data.

20. The system as claimed in claim 6, wherein the operation of the detecting and locating device alternates groups of N active locating periods, of duration Δ

T₁, during which it measures the distance and the angular position of the aircraft from the echo reflected by said aircraft and periods of listening and exchanging data, of duration Δ

T₂, during which it measures the angular position of the aircraft from the signal transmitted by the beacon, and during which it transmits positioning information to the aircraft, each group of active locating periods being separated from the next group by a period of listening and exchanging data.