Collision-avoidance method for cooperating carriers and onboard optical assembly designed for its implementation

• US 5,291,196 A
• Filed: 08/20/1992
• Issued: 03/01/1994
• Est. Priority Date: 09/03/1991
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Thomson-CSF (Thales SA)
• Original Assignee: Thomson-CSF (Thales SA)
• Inventors: Defour, Martin
• Primary Examiner(s): Swarthout, Brent
• Application Number:
  US07/933,190
• Time in Patent Office: 558 Days
• Field of Search: 340/961, 340/963, 340/964, 364/461, 342/29, 342/54, 342/61, 342/65, 73/178 R, 73/178 T, 250/353, 455/609, 244/175
• US Class Current: 340/961
• CPC Class Codes: B64D 47/06 for indicating aircraft presence
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 1/7034 Mounting or deployment thereof
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 1/7038 Signal details
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 2201/06 Aircraft navigation
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 3/781 Details

Abstract

A collision-avoidance method for cooperating carriers consists of:

transmitting, from each carrier, monochromatic pulsed light waves, coming from at least two wide-field optical transmission devices to cover the space around the carrier and thus define a zone of proximity, the power of the optical transmission defining, under given weather conditions, the range of the transmission and hence the zone covered;

and receiving, at each carrier, the monochromatic, pulsed light waves radiated into space by other cooperating carriers, on at least two wide-field reception devices covering the space around the carrier. Each intrusion of a carrier into the proximity zone of another carrier prompts the detection of light radiation and the triggering of an alarm on either carrier. Applications are to air anti-collision systems.

Claims

1. A collision-avoidance method for cooperating carriers, said method comprising the steps of:

transmitting, from each carrier monochromatic pulsed lightwaves, coming from four wide-field optical transmission devices to cover the entire zone surrounding each of said carrier simultaneously to define a zone of proximity with the power of the optical transmission defining, under given weather conditions, the range of the transmission and thus the zone covered;

receiving, at each carrier, monochromatic, pulsed lightwaves radiated into the space by other cooperating carriers, on four wide-field optical reception devices covering into the proximity zone of another carrier prompting the detection of light radiation and the triggering of an alarm of either carrier;

placing a first two of said four optical transmission devices on a respective side of each of said carriers on either side of the vertical plane of symmetry of said carriers wherein the optical axes of said first two carriers are slightly offset from a parallel relationship in such a way that the spaces covered by each of the transmissions of the said first two transmission devices, in the horizontal plane of said carrier, overlap at a first predetermined distance from said carrier in one of a front and rear of said carrier and wherein the spaces covered by each of the transmissions of said first two transmission devices in the horizontal plane of said carrier, do not overlap in the other one of said front and rear of said planes;

placing a second two of said four optical transmission devices on the top and bottom of said carrier symmetrical about a horizontal plane of said carrier in such a manner that the optical axes of said second two carriers are slightly offset from being parallel in order to provide that spaces covered by each of the transmissions of said second two transmission devices, in a vertical plane of said carrier, do not overlap in said one of the front and rear of said carrier and wherein the spaces covered by each of the transmissions of said second two devices, in said vertical plane of said carrier, overlap at a second predetermined distance from said carrier to thereby provide substantially full volume coverage of the area surrounding each of said carriers.

2. A method according to claim 1, wherein the volume of area having a radius greater than the longest of said first and second distances is entirely covered by said four transmitter devices.

3. A method according to claim 1, wherein said first and second distances are a function of said offsets of each one of said first and second two transmitters with respect to each other.