Guiding method and device for in-flight-refuelling line

• US 6,324,295 B1
• Filed: 11/10/1998
• Issued: 11/27/2001
• Est. Priority Date: 05/10/1996
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Institut National Polytechnique de Grenoble, Sextant Avionique
• Original Assignee: Institut National Polytechnique de Grenoble, Sextant Avionique
• Inventors: Wassner, Hubert, Valery, Philippe, Horaud, Patrice
• Primary Examiner(s): Mancuso, Joseph
• Assistant Examiner(s): Tabatabai, Abolfazl
• Application Number:
  US09/180,280
• Time in Patent Office: 1,113 Days
• Field of Search: 364/460, 244/135, 141/232, 382/100, 701/300
• US Class Current: 382/100
• CPC Class Codes: B64D 39/00 Refuelling during flight filling or emptying fuel tanks B64D37/14

Abstract

The invention relates to the in-flight refuelling of aircraft.

To facilitate coupling between a refuelling line carried by an orientable boom at the rear of a tanker aircraft and a coupling receptacle on a receiving aircraft, means of automatic guidance are provided, which comprise:

a camera (40) borne by the end of the boom and providing an image in the form of an electronic signal,

shape-recognition means (56, 58, 60) coupled to the camera for recognizing, in the image provided by the camera, characteristic elements associated with the receptacle,

position-calculation means for determining, by calculation in the image provided by the camera, the difference between the position of the characteristic elements or the image at a given instant and a reference position originating from an image, stored in memory, of the line and of the receptacle when they are coupled,

means (62) for deducing from the actual size of the receptacle, from the size and from the position of its projection in the image, the depth-wise distance between the end of the line and receptacle,

and means for controlling the orientation of the boom and deploying the line on the basis of the differences thus determined, so that the line is brought closer to the receptacle by iteration until these differences have been cancelled.

Claims

1. A coupling system for in-flight refuelling, using means for automatically guiding a first end of a telescopic line towards a coupling receptacle to couple said telescopic line and said coupling receptacle, said telescopic line being deployable from a first end of an orientable boom, said system comprising:

a camera mounted on said first end of said orientable boom and providing an image in a form of an electronic signal;

shape-recognition means coupled to said camera for recognizing, in said image provided by said camera, characteristic elements associated with said coupling receptacle;

position-calculation means for calculating a difference between a position of characteristic elements of said image provided by said camera at a given instant and a reference position originating from a virtual image, stored in memory, of said telescopic line and said coupling receptacle, when said telescopic line and said coupling receptacle are coupled;

means for deducing, from an actual size of said coupling receptacle, and from a size and a position of said characteristic elements in said image, a depth-wise distance between said first end of said orientable boom and said coupling receptacle; and

means for controlling an orientation of said orientable boom and deploying said telescopic line based on said difference, so that said telescopic line is brought closer to said coupling receptacle by iteration until said difference has been canceled.

2. The coupling system according to claim 1, wherein said reference position is a position of said characteristic elements of said image provided by said camera, when said telescopic line is in a final position for allowing coupling to said coupling receptacle.

3. The coupling system according to claim 2, wherein said shape-recognition means includes a database containing predetermined characteristic images corresponding to various receptacles and characteristic markings on an aircraft likely to be refueled.

4. The coupling system according to claim 3, wherein said shape-recognition means includes means for defining a reference position that can vary over time, starting from said predetermined characteristic images, of a current orientation of said orientable boom and of a current length of said telescopic line that has been deployed.