SYSTEM AND METHOD FOR FACILITATING AERIAL REFUELING

• US 20080234884A1
• Filed: 03/21/2007
• Published: 09/25/2008
• Est. Priority Date: 03/21/2007
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: The Boeing Co.
• Original Assignee: The Boeing Co.
• Inventors: Von Thal, German
• Granted Patent: US 8,132,759 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 701/14
• CPC Class Codes: B64D 39/00 Refuelling during flight filling or emptying fuel tanks B64D37/14

Abstract

A refueling system and method for use with a refueling tanker aircraft. The system and method involves the use of a camera system to provide imaging information concerning a receiver aircraft to the processor. The processor uses the imaging information to derive closure rate and distance information for the receiver aircraft as it approaches a refueling envelope prior to contact with a refueling boom. The processor also makes use of information from a look-up table to generate commands that are tailored to the specific type of aircraft being refueled. The commands are applied to a pilot'"'"'s director lights display that generates visual commands or signals (e.g., “UP”, “DOWN”, “LEFT”, “RIGHT”) that assist the pilot of the receiver aircraft in guiding his/her aircraft toward and into the refueling envelope at a desired closure rate. The system and method eliminates potential error in the pre-contact phase of a refueling operation by eliminating judgment decisions by a boom operator when generating the commands for the pilot'"'"'s director lights display.

Claims

1. A system for use with a tanker refueling aircraft to assist in guiding a fuel receiver aircraft into a desired spatial envelope, within which a refueling component can be coupled to said receiver aircraft to enable a refueling operation to be carried out on said receiver aircraft, the system comprising:

a subsystem associated with the re-fueling aircraft for real time monitoring of a position of said receiver aircraft, relative to said refueling aircraft, and generating signals representing needed flight adjustments by said receiver aircraft as said receiver aircraft approaches and enters said spatial envelope; and

a visual indicator system that is responsive to said signals for generating visually perceptible information that an operator of said receiver aircraft can see to assist said operator in guiding said receiver aircraft towards and into said spatial envelope.

2. The system of claim 1, wherein said visual indicator system is carried on said refueling aircraft.

3. The system of claim 1, wherein said subsystem includes a camera carried on said refueling aircraft for real time monitoring of a position of said fuel receiver aircraft relative to said refueling aircraft.

4. The system of claim 1, wherein said subsystem includes:

a camera for imaging said receiver aircraft; and

a processor for processing information from said camera, and for generating said signals.

5. The system of claim 4, further comprising a driver circuit for generating said signals from an output of said processor.

6. The system of claim 5, further comprising a look-up table for storing information pertinent to a plurality of different types of aircraft that may be involved in a refueling operation performed by said refueling aircraft.

7. The system of claim 1, further comprising a manual input by which an operator on said refueling aircraft can input direct commands to drive said visual indicator system.

8. The system of claim 1, wherein said visual indicator system displays at least one of the following commands to a pilot of said receiving aircraft:

a “

Fast”

command indicating a need to increase air speed;

a “

Slow”

command indicating a need to decrease air speed;

a “

UP”

command indicating a need to increase altitude;

a “

Down”

command indicating a need to decrease altitude;

a “

Left”

command indicating a need to move to the left;

a “

Right”

command indicating a need to move to the right; and

a “

Breakaway”

command indicating a need to abort the approach into said spatial envelope.

9. The system of claim 1, wherein said subsystem makes use of information from at least one of an altimeter and an airspeed indicator of said refueling aircraft.

10. A system for use with a tanker refueling aircraft to assist in guiding a fuel receiver aircraft into a desired spatial envelope, within which a refueling component can be coupled to said receiver aircraft to enable a refueling operation to be carried out on said receiver aircraft, the system comprising:

a subsystem associated with the re-fueling aircraft for real time monitoring of a position of said receiver aircraft, relative to said refueling aircraft, and generating information representing needed flight adjustments by said receiver aircraft as said receiver aircraft approaches and enters said spatial envelope; and

said subsystem including;

a camera; and

a processor responsive to real time imaging information from said camera, said processor operating to generate output signals representing information for assisting a pilot of said receiver aircraft in guiding said receiver aircraft into said spatial envelope; and

a visual indicator system including a visual display that is responsive to said output signals from said processor for generating visual commands that an operator of said receiver aircraft can see, to assist said pilot in guiding said receiver aircraft towards and into said spatial envelope.

11. The system of claim 10, wherein said visual display displays at least one of the following commands to said pilot of said receiver aircraft:

a “

Fast”

command indicating a need to increase air speed;

a “

Slow”

command indicating a need to decrease air speed;

a “

UP”

command indicating a need to increase altitude;

a “

Down”

command indicating a need to decrease altitude;

a “

Left”

command indicating a need to move to the left;

a “

Right”

command indicating a need to move to the right; and

a “

Breakaway”

command indicating a need to abort the approach into said spatial envelope.

12. The system of claim 10, further comprising a manual input by which an operator on said refueling aircraft can input direct commands to drive said visual indicator system.

13. The system of claim 10, wherein said visual display is carried on said refueling aircraft.

14. The system of claim 10, wherein said visual display is carried on said receiving aircraft.

15. The system of claim 10, further comprising at least one sensor carried on said refueling component, for supplying signals to said processor concerning a position of said refueling component relative to said receiving aircraft.

16. The system of claim 10, further including a look-up table accessible by said processor for holding information pertaining to a plurality of different aircraft types that is used in generating said commands.

17. The system of claim 10, further comprising:

a load alleviation subsystem including at least one sensor for determining a position of said refueling component, said load alleviation subsystem operating to assist in making said refueling component substantially weightless as it is coupled to said receiver aircraft.

18. A method for assisting in guiding a fuel receiver aircraft into a desired spatial envelope relative to a refueling aircraft, within which a refueling component can be coupled to said receiver aircraft to enable a refueling operation can be carried out on said receiver aircraft, the method comprising:

generating image information concerning said receiver aircraft as said receiver aircraft approaches said spatial envelope;

processing said image information to determine changes to an approach of said receiver aircraft needed to place said receiver aircraft within said spatial envelope so that contact with said refueling component can be made;

generating signals representative of changes in the position of said receiver aircraft that need to be made by an operator of said receiver aircraft during an approach toward said spatial envelope; and

using said signals to drive a visual display for displaying visual commands to said operator of said receiver aircraft to aid said operator in approaching and entering said spatial envelope.

19. The method of claim 18, wherein using said signals to drive a visual display comprises using said signals to drive a visual display carried by said refueling aircraft.

20. The method of claim 19, wherein driving a visual display comprises driving a visual display to display at least one of the following commands:

a “

Fast”

command indicating a need for said receiver aircraft to increase air speed;

a “

Slow”

command indicating a need for said receiver aircraft to decrease air speed;

a “

UP”

command indicating a need to increase altitude of said receiver aircraft;

a “

Down”

command indicating a need to decrease altitude of said receiver aircraft;

a “

Left”

command indicating a need for said receiver aircraft to move to the left;

a “

Right”

command indicating a need for said receiver aircraft to move to the right; and

a “

Breakaway”

command indicating a need to abort the approach into said spatial envelope.