COLLISION AVOIDANCE AND WARNING SYSTEM

• US 20100299067A1
• Filed: 05/20/2009
• Published: 11/25/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 05/20/2009
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Textron Innovations Incorporated (Textron Inc)
• Original Assignee: Bell Helicopter Textron Incorporated (Textron Inc)
• Inventors: McCollough, James, Bais, Christos
• Granted Patent: US 9,196,168 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 701/301
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 13/933 of aircraft or spacecraft
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 5/0021 located in the aircraft
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 5/0052 for cruising combined instruments indicating more than one navigational value G01C23/00
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 5/0078 for monitoring traffic from the aircraft radar or analogous systems specially adapted for traffic control G01S13/91
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 5/0086 for monitoring terrain radar or analogous systems specially adapted for terrain avoidance G01S13/935
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 5/04 Anti-collision systems
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 5/045 Navigation or guidance aids, e.g. determination of anti-collision manoeuvers radar or analogous systems specially adapted for anti-collision between aircraft G01S13/933
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 5/065 Navigation or guidance aids, e.g. for taxiing or rolling

Abstract

A collision avoidance and warning system for a helicopter uses a type of emitted energy, for example radio frequency radar, from a transceiver positioned to cover a selected field of view for detecting an object or pedestrian in the vicinity of the helicopter. For helicopters that include a tail rotor assembly, the selected field of view can include a region around the tail rotor assembly so that when the helicopter is running on the ground, an alarm can be issued to persons approaching the tail rotor assembly. When the helicopter is in flight, the collision avoidance and warning system can alert the pilot when a portion of the helicopter outside of the pilot'"'"'s field of view is in danger of a collision with an object.

Claims

1. A collision avoidance and warning system comprising:

a helicopter having a fuselage;

a transceiver having a transmitter for transmitting radio waves and a receiver for receiving reflected radio waves from the radio waves transmitted by the transmitter, the transceiver being supported by the helicopter;

a ground-personnel warning signal system for issuing a ground-personnel warning signal to ground personnel;

a cockpit warning signal system for issuing a cockpit warning signal to a pilot of the helicopter;

a flight-ground detection system for detecting whether the helicopter is on the ground or in flight; and

a data processor coupled to said transceiver, said flight-ground detection system, said ground-personnel warning signal system, and said cockpit warning signal system, said data processor being configured for processing transceiver data and flight-ground detection system data, and for selectively activating at least one of said ground-personnel warning signal system to issue a ground-personnel warning signal and said cockpit warning signal system to issue a cockpit warning signal.

2. The system of claim 1, wherein helicopter further comprises an anti-torque system comprising at least one rotor having blades attached thereto.

3. The system of claim 2, wherein the transmitter of the transceiver is configured for transmitting radio waves towards a region adjacent to the anti-torque system, and wherein the receiver of the transceiver is configured for receiving reflected radio waves from the radio waves transmitted towards the region adjacent to the anti-torque system.

4. The system of claim 1, wherein the data processor is configured to determine whether to activate one of said ground-personnel warning signal system and said cockpit warning signal system based at least in part on data from the flight-ground detection system representative of whether the helicopter is on the ground or in flight.

5. The system of claim 1, wherein the data processor is configured to determine which of said ground-personnel warning signal and said cockpit warning signal should be issued based at least in part on data from the flight-ground detection system representative of whether the helicopter is on the ground or in flight.

6. The system of claim 1, wherein the flight-ground detection system comprises a weight-on-gear sensor.

7. The system of claim 1, wherein the ground-personnel warning signal includes at least one of a visual warning signal and an audible warning signal at a preselected frequency, the frequency being preselected based at least in part on a noise signature of the helicopter during operation.

8. The system of claim 1, wherein the cockpit warning signal includes at least one of an audible warning signal, a visual warning signal, and a tactile warning signal.

9. The system of claim 1, further comprising a second transceiver having a second transmitter for transmitting radio waves and a second receiver for receiving reflected radio waves from the radio waves transmitted by the second transmitter, the transceiver being supported by the helicopter.

10. The system of claim 1, further comprising a second transceiver having a second transmitter and a second receiver, wherein the second receiver is configured for receiving radio waves from radio waves transmitted by at least one of the first and second transmitters.

11. A method of collision avoidance and warning comprising:

transmitting radio waves from a transmitter supported by a helicopter;

receiving, at a receiver supported by the helicopter, reflected radio waves from the radio waves transmitted by the transmitter;

generating transceiver data based at least in part on the received reflected radio waves;

detecting whether the helicopter is on the ground or in flight;

generating flight-ground detection data based at least in part on said detecting whether the helicopter is on the ground or in flight;

processing the transceiver data and the flight-ground detection data; and

selectively activating at least one of a ground-personnel warning signal and a cockpit warning signal.

12. The method of claim 11, wherein helicopter comprises an anti-torque system comprising at least one rotor having blades attached thereto.

13. The method of claim 12, wherein the transmitting includes transmitting radio waves towards a region adjacent to the anti-torque system, and wherein the receiving includes receiving reflected radio waves from the radio waves transmitted towards the region adjacent to the anti-torque system.

14. The method of claim 11, further comprising determining whether to activate one of said ground-personnel warning signal system and said cockpit warning signal system based at least in part on data representative of whether the helicopter is on the ground or in flight.

15. The method of claim 11, further comprising determining which of said ground-personnel warning signal and said cockpit warning signal should be issued based at least in part on data representative of whether the helicopter is on the ground or in flight.

16. The method of claim 11, wherein the ground-personnel warning signal includes at least one of:

a visual warning signal emitted from the helicopter;

an audible warning signal emitted from the helicopter at a preselected frequency, the frequency being preselected based at least in part on a noise signature of the helicopter during operation;

an audible warning signal emitted from within equipment worn by a detected person; and

a visual warning signal emitted from within equipment worn by a detected person.

17. The method of claim 11, wherein the cockpit warning signal includes at least one of an audible warning signal, a visual warning signal, and a tactile warning signal.

18. The method of claim 11, further comprising:

transmitting radio waves from a second transmitter supported by the helicopter; and

receiving, at a second receiver supported by the helicopter, reflected radio waves from the radio waves transmitted by the second transmitter.

19. The method of claim 11, wherein the detecting of whether the helicopter is on the ground or in flight includes detecting the collective pitch position.

20. The method of claim 11, further comprising:

receiving, at a second receiver supported by the helicopter, reflected radio waves from radio waves transmitted by at least one of the first transmitter and a second transmitter supported by the helicopter.