Device, system and method of protecting aircrafts against incoming threats

• US 20100253567A1
• Filed: 03/04/2010
• Published: 10/07/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 03/10/2009
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Airbus DS Electronics And Border Security GmbH, Bird Aerosystems Limited
• Original Assignee: EADS Deutschland GmbH (Airbus SE), Bird Aerosystems Limited
• Inventors: Weiss, George, Zelikman, Semion, Ben Ari, Zahi, Keller, Erwin Franz, Caplan, Ariye Yehuda, Factor, Ronen, Dragucki, David, Hamilton, Colin Henry, Seibt, Erhard
• Granted Patent: US 8,258,998 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 342/52
• CPC Class Codes: F41H 11/02 Anti-aircraft or anti-guided missile or anti-torpedo defence installations or systems cartridges or missiles for producing smoke or for dispensing radar chaff or infrared material F42B5/15, F42B12/48, F42B12/70; informative reference: details of radar or sonar systems G01S7/00; jamming or electronic countermeasures G01S7/38, G01S7/495, H04K3/00
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 13/867 Combination of radar systems with cameras
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 7/36 Means for anti-jamming , e.g. ECCM, i.e. electronic counter-counter measures
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 7/38 Jamming means, e.g. producing false echoes
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 7/495 Counter-measures or counter-counter-measures using electronic or electro-optical means

Abstract

Device, system and method of protecting aircrafts against incoming threats. For example, a system for protecting an aircraft against an incoming threat includes: one or more electro-optic sensors to substantially continuously search for the incoming threat, and to generate a signal indicating that a possible incoming threat is detected; one or more radar sensors to be activated in response to the signal, and to search for the incoming threat; and a central computer to determine whether or not the incoming threat exists, based on a sensor fusion algorithm able to fuse data received from the one or more electro-optic sensors and data received from the one or more radar sensors.

Claims

1. A system for protecting an aircraft against an incoming threat, the system comprising:

one or more electro-optic sensors to substantially continuously search for said incoming threat, and to generate a signal indicating that a possible incoming threat is detected;

one or more radar sensors to be activated in response to said signal, and to search for said incoming threat; and

a central computer to determine whether or not said incoming threat exists, based on a sensor fusion algorithm able to fuse data received from the one or more electro-optic sensors and data received from the one or more radar sensors.

2. The system of claim 1, wherein the one or more electro-optic sensors comprise one or more wide-angle panoramic electro-optic sensors able to produce and process images.

3. The system of claim 1, wherein the one or more radar sensors comprise one or more gimbaled slew radar sensors.

4. The system of claim 3, wherein the one or more radar sensors comprise one or more narrow-beam Ka Band radar sensors.

5. The system of claim 1, wherein the one or more radar sensors is to maintain a non-transmitting standby mode until receiving said signal, and to switch from said standby mode to an active transmitting mode upon receiving said signal.

6. The system of claim 1, wherein the one or more radar sensors utilize a radar waveform constructed based on an initial range between the aircraft and the incoming threat.

7. The system of claim 6, wherein the central computer is to calculate said initial range using Digital Terrain Model (DTM) data.

8. The system of claim 6, wherein one or more operational parameters of the one or more radar sensors are configured based on said constructed radar waveform.

9. The system of claim 6, wherein said initial range is calculated based on data provided by the one or more electro-optic sensors and data provided by a navigation system of said aircraft.

10. The system of claim 9, wherein the data provided by said navigation system of the aircraft comprises at least one of:

aircraft angular position;

aircraft angular velocity; and

aircraft altitude.

11. The system of claim 9, wherein the one or more radar sensors are associated with a gimbaling mechanism having one or more gimbals, and wherein the gimbaling mechanism is to set an initial orientation of said one or more gimbals based on the data provided by said navigation system of said aircraft.

12. The system of claim 1, wherein the one or more electro-optic sensors is operational during flight for a time period which is at least ten times greater than the time period in which the one or more radar sensors are operational.

13. The system of claim 1, wherein, if the central computer determines, based on said sensor fusion algorithm, that the possible incoming threat does not exist, and a maximum duration of the possible incoming threat is not reached, then the one or more radar sensors are to perform one or more additional threat confirmation cycles.

14. The system of claim 1, wherein the central computer is to selectively activate one or more airborne countermeasure devices upon determination that said incoming threat exists.

15. The system of claim 1, wherein the airborne countermeasure devices comprise at least one of:

a decoy dispenser, a chaff dispenser, and a flare dispenser.

16. The system of claim 1, further comprising a radome to cover at least partially the one or more radar sensors.

17. The system of claim 1, wherein the system is mounted on at least one of:

a bottom portion of said aircraft;

a side portion of said aircraft; and

a top portion of said aircraft.

18. The system of claim 1, wherein the aircraft comprises an aircraft selected from the group consisting of:

an airplane, a helicopter, a manned aircraft, an unmanned aircraft, a military aircraft, a civilian aircraft, a commercial aircraft, an executive aircraft, and a cargo aircraft.

19. A method for protecting an aircraft against an incoming threat, the method comprising:

substantially continuously searching for said incoming threat using one or more electro-optic sensors;

generating, by said one or more electro-optic sensors, a signal indicating that a possible incoming threat is detected;

in response to said signal, activating one or more radar sensors to search for said incoming threat; and

determining whether or not said incoming threat exists, based on a sensor fusion algorithm able to fuse data received from the one or more electro-optic sensors and data received from the one or more radar sensors.

20. The method of claim 19, comprising:

maintaining, by said one or more radar sensors, a non-transmitting standby mode until receiving said signal; and

switching from said standby mode to an active transmitting mode upon receiving said signal.

21. The method of claim 19, comprising:

constructing a radar waveform, for utilization by the one or more radar sensors, based on an initial range between the aircraft and the incoming threat.

22. The method of claim 21, comprising:

calculating said initial range using Digital Terrain Model (DTM) data.

23. The method of claim 21, comprising:

configuring one or more operational parameters of the one or more radar sensors based on said constructed radar waveform.

24. The method of claim 21, comprising:

calculating said initial range based on data provided by the one or more electro-optic sensors and data provided by a navigation system of said aircraft.

25. The method of claim 19, comprising:

based on said sensor fusion algorithm, determining that the possible incoming threat does not exist and that a maximum duration of the possible incoming threat is not reached; and

performing by the one or more radar sensors one or more additional threat confirmation cycles.

26. The method of claim 19, comprising:

selectively activating one or more airborne countermeasure devices upon determination that said incoming threat exists.