System and methods for automatically landing aircraft

• US 9,939,819 B2
• Filed: 12/22/2016
• Issued: 04/10/2018
• Est. Priority Date: 10/24/2012
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Aurora Flight Sciences Corporation (The Boeing Co.)
• Original Assignee: Aurora Flight Sciences Corporation (The Boeing Co.)
• Inventors: Lim, Edward
• Primary Examiner(s): Marc-Coleman, Marthe Y
• Application Number:
  US15/388,793
• Publication Number:
  US 20170102713A1
• Time in Patent Office: 474 Days
• Field of Search: 701492, 701 16, 701 3, 244183, 342 33, 3423572, 34235753, 34235734, 73178 H
• CPC Class Codes: B63B 35/50 Vessels or floating structures for aircraft aircraft carriers B63G11/00; flying-boat hulls, other flotation means for aircraft B64
• CPC Class Codes: B64D 45/04 Landing aids; Safety measures to prevent collision with earth's surface
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 13/60 wherein the transmitter and receiver are mounted on the moving object, e.g. for determining ground speed, drift angle, ground track G01S13/64 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 13/86 Combinations of radar systems with non-radar systems, e.g. sonar, direction finder
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 13/865 Combination of radar systems with lidar systems
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 13/882 for altimeters measuring height using barometric means G01C5/06
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 13/913 for landing purposes
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 13/935 for terrain-avoidance
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 17/86 Combinations of lidar systems with systems other than lidar, radar or sonar, e.g. with direction finders
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 17/88 Lidar systems specially adapted for specific applications
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 17/933 of aircraft or spacecraft
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 7/411 Identification of targets based on measurements of radar reflectivity G01S7/415 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 7/4802 using analysis of echo signal for target characterisation; Target signature; Target cross-section
• CPC Class Codes: G05D 1/0684 on a moving platform, e.g. aircraft carrier

Abstract

Disclosed is an autonomous landing system for landing a vertical take-off and landing (VTOL) aircraft. The autonomous landing system may include a flight control system having radar sensors, altimeters, and/or velocity sensors. The flight control system can include a processor to provide pitch, roll, and yaw commands to the VTOL aircraft based at least in part on data from the radar sensors, the altimeters, and/or the velocity sensors. The flight control system can be used to navigate and land the VTOL aircraft on a movable object, such as a ship.

Claims

1. An autonomous landing system for landing a vertical take-off and landing (VTOL) aircraft on a movable object, the autonomous landing system comprising:

one or more radar sensors to provide range and bearing data indicative of a range and bearing of the movable object relative to the VTOL aircraft;

one or more altimeters to provide altitude data indicative of an altitude of the VTOL aircraft;

one or more velocity sensors to provide groundspeed data indicative of a groundspeed of the VTOL aircraft; and

a flight control system having a processor to provide pitch, roll, and yaw commands to the VTOL aircraft, wherein the processor is operatively coupled with each of the one or more radar sensors, the one or more altimeters, and the one or more velocity sensors,

wherein the processor is configured to determine a first location at a predetermined distance from the movable object and a second location at a predetermined altitude above the movable object,

wherein the flight control system is configured (1) to navigate the VTOL aircraft to the first location based at least in part on (a) the range and bearing data and (b) the altitude data, and (2) to maintain the VTOL aircraft at the first location until the flight control system receives a command from a remote object to initiate a landing operation,

wherein the flight control system is configured to navigate the VTOL aircraft from the first location to the second location upon receipt of the command.

2. The autonomous landing system of claim 1, wherein the movable object is a vessel.

3. The autonomous landing system of claim 2, wherein the first location is a vessel-relative off-deck waypoint (VRODW) location that is aft of the vessel.

4. The autonomous landing system of claim 1, wherein the movable object includes a touchdown point.

5. The autonomous landing system of claim 4, wherein the second location is a high hover point above the touchdown point.

6. The autonomous landing system of claim 5, further comprising an optical sensor to track the touchdown point at the movable object from the high hover point.

7. The autonomous landing system of claim 6, wherein the processor is configured to determine a low hover point between the high hover point and the touchdown point.

8. The autonomous landing system of claim 7, wherein the flight control system is configured to, based at least in part on an output from the one or more altimeters, navigate the VTOL aircraft from the high hover point to the low hover point at a first descent speed.

9. The autonomous landing system of claim 8, wherein the flight control system is configured to, based at least in part on an output from the one or more altimeters, navigate the VTOL aircraft from the low hover point to the touchdown point at a second descent speed, wherein the second descent speed is less than the first descent speed.

10. The autonomous landing system of claim 6, wherein the optical sensor includes a flash LIDAR that is oriented downward, toward the ground or the touchdown point.

11. The autonomous landing system of claim 1, wherein the flight control system receives the command from the remote object via a C2 communication link.

12. The autonomous landing system of claim 1, wherein the remote object is the moveable object.

13. The autonomous landing system of claim 1, wherein the one or more velocity sensors includes a Doppler velocity sensor.

14. The autonomous landing system of claim 1, wherein the one or more altimeters includes a radio altimeter and a barometric altimeter.

15. The autonomous landing system of claim 14, wherein the flight control system is configured to provide vertical control of the VTOL aircraft from the first location to the second location based at least in part on measurements from the barometric altimeter.

16. The autonomous landing system of claim 1, wherein the one or more radar sensors includes a pulse radar sensor.

17. The autonomous landing system of claim 1, wherein the one or more altimeters are configured to track an altitude of the VTOL aircraft relative to the moveable object by isolating vertical motion of the moveable object from vertical motion of the VTOL aircraft.

18. The autonomous landing system of claim 1, wherein the processor is configured to provide the pitch, roll, and yaw commands to the VTOL aircraft in a GPS-denied environment.

19. A VTOL aircraft comprising the autonomous landing system of claim 1, wherein the VTOL aircraft is a fixed-wing aircraft.

20. A VTOL aircraft comprising the autonomous landing system of claim 1, wherein the VTOL aircraft is a rotorcraft.