Optoelectronic guidance device, aircraft and guidance method

Abstract

The application relates to the field of aircraft landing assisting technology, aims to solve the problem of how to improve the measurement accuracy and efficiency of landing assisting guidance, and provides an optoelectronic guidance device, an aircraft and a guidance method. The optoelectronic guidance device comprises a seat, an azimuth assembly, a pitch assembly and a sensor assembly. The seat comprises a mounting base. The pitch assembly comprises a pitch support and a connecting flange, and the pitch support is connected with the azimuth assembly through the connecting flange. The sensor assembly comprises a sensor support and a middle-wave infrared sensor, a zoom visible light camera, a laser sensor and a short-wave infrared sensor fixedly connected with the sensor support. After the middle-wave infrared sensor and the zoom visible light camera capture the aircraft, the laser sensor emits laser towards the aircraft, and the short-wave infrared sensor receives the echo. The optoelectronic guidance device provided in the embodiment can achieve the effect of improving the measurement accuracy and efficiency of landing assisting guidance by rough tracking of the aircraft and accurate tracking of the aircraft through the laser sensor and the short-wave infrared sensor.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] This application relates to the field of aircraft landing assistance technology, and more specifically, to optoelectronic guidance equipment, aircraft, and guidance methods. Background Technology

[0002] When an aircraft lands on a short, narrow offshore platform, it requires landing assistance, such as a landing guidance commander, optical landing aids, or radar guidance. The landing guidance commander uses signal flags and, based on experience and quick, accurate judgment, guides the aircraft for a precise landing. Optical landing aids utilize optical principles to create a central beam of light in the air, forming five layers of light at approximately a 3° angle to the deck. During landing, the pilot adjusts the aircraft's altitude in real time based on the color of the light beams. Radar guidance uses active radar waves to illuminate the aircraft, measuring its azimuth, pitch, distance, and speed in real time. This data is transmitted to the pilot via radio communication, allowing the pilot to precisely control the aircraft for a precise landing.

[0003] In existing technologies, signal flags and optical landing aids have too short an effective range, limiting the pilot's maximum visibility to within 2 nautical miles, which cannot meet the landing requirements of faster-moving aircraft. Active radar illumination of aircraft is not permitted under electromagnetic silence conditions, and the radar image resolution is insufficient, resulting in a unclear and unintuitive picture that fails to capture the background. Solving these technical problems is a matter that those skilled in the art need to consider. Summary of the Invention

[0004] This application provides an optoelectronic guidance device, an aircraft, and a guidance method to address the problem of how to improve the measurement accuracy and efficiency of landing assistance guidance.

[0005] In a first aspect, embodiments of this application provide an optoelectronic guidance device, including a base, an azimuth assembly, a pitch assembly, and a sensor assembly. The base includes a mounting base. The azimuth assembly is disposed on the mounting base. The pitch assembly includes a pitch bracket and a connecting flange, the connecting flange being disposed between the pitch bracket and the azimuth assembly, the pitch bracket and the azimuth assembly being connected via the connecting flange. The sensor assembly includes a sensor bracket and a mid-wave infrared sensor, a zoom visible light camera, a laser sensor, and a short-wave infrared sensor fixedly connected to the sensor bracket. The sensor bracket is movably disposed on the pitch bracket. The mid-wave infrared sensor and the zoom visible light camera are used to capture an aircraft. After the mid-wave infrared sensor and the zoom visible light camera capture the aircraft, the laser sensor is used to emit a laser towards the aircraft, and the short-wave infrared sensor is used to receive the laser echo reflected by the aircraft.

[0006] Compared to existing technologies, the photoelectric guidance device provided in this embodiment is fixedly mounted on a platform via a mounting base. The azimuth movement of the azimuth component and the pitch movement of the pitch component drive the sensor component to rotate and capture the target aircraft. The mid-wave infrared sensor and the zoom visible light camera work together to capture the aircraft and perform coarse tracking. The laser sensor emits a laser towards the aircraft, and the short-wave infrared sensor receives the laser echo reflected by the aircraft to perform precise tracking. Therefore, the photoelectric guidance device can quickly and accurately track the aircraft, thereby improving the measurement accuracy and efficiency of landing assistance guidance.

[0007] In one possible implementation, the photoelectric guidance device further includes a display and control console, which is electrically connected to the mid-wave infrared sensor and the zoom visible light camera, respectively. The display and control console is used to process images of the aircraft captured by the mid-wave infrared sensor and the zoom visible light camera.

[0008] In one possible implementation, the display console is electrically connected to the laser sensor and is used to control the activation of the laser sensor to obtain distance and speed information of the aircraft.

[0009] In one possible implementation, the display console is electrically connected to the shortwave infrared sensor for imaging the laser echo and tracking and measuring the aircraft.

[0010] Secondly, embodiments of this application also provide an aircraft for use in conjunction with an optoelectronic guidance device. The aircraft includes a fuselage and an optical cooperative target. The fuselage is used to be captured by the mid-wave infrared sensor and the zoom visible light camera. The optical cooperative target is disposed on the fuselage and is used to reflect the laser emitted by the laser sensor and allow the laser echo to enter the short-wave infrared sensor.

[0011] In one possible implementation, the optical cooperative target includes a cornerstone prism, a housing, and a base, with one end of the base fixedly connected to the fuselage and the other end connected to the housing, and the cornerstone prism fixed inside the housing.

[0012] In one possible implementation, the optical cooperative target is disposed on the landing gear forearm of the fuselage. The aircraft also includes fastening screws and anti-rotation pins, which are spaced vertically at intervals on the landing gear forearm, and the optical cooperative target is fixedly connected to the landing gear forearm via the fastening screws and anti-rotation pins.

[0013] Thirdly, embodiments of this application also provide a guidance method, providing an optoelectronic guidance device, the optoelectronic guidance device further including a display and control console, the guidance method comprising the following steps: after receiving a guidance command, the optoelectronic guidance device uses a zoom visible light camera and a mid-wave infrared sensor to search for an aircraft; when the zoom visible light camera and the mid-wave infrared sensor detect the aircraft, the display and control console processes the images from the zoom visible light camera and the mid-wave infrared sensor respectively to obtain two-way image deviation information, performs Kalman data fusion on the two-way image deviation information to obtain the deviation information of the aircraft, and performs target closed-loop tracking control based on the deviation information of the aircraft; after the zoom visible light camera and the mid-wave infrared sensor stably track the aircraft, the display and control console actively activates the laser sensor, the laser sensor acquires the radial distance information of the aircraft, and calculates the velocity information of the aircraft based on the obtained distance information; simultaneously, the short-wave infrared sensor images the laser echo and determines the imaging stability; after the imaging stabilizes, the display and control console extracts the deviation information of the laser echo image points, and the display and control console transitions to using the short-wave channel to track and measure the aircraft. Attached Figure Description

[0014] To more clearly illustrate the technical solutions of the embodiments of this application, the accompanying drawings in the embodiments will be briefly described below. It should be understood that the following drawings only show some embodiments of this application and should not be regarded as a limitation of the scope. For those skilled in the art, other related drawings can be obtained based on these drawings without creative effort.

[0015] Figure 1 This is a schematic diagram of the principle of an optoelectronic guidance device and an aircraft according to an embodiment of this application;

[0016] Figure 2 for Figure 1 A 3D view of some parts of the photoelectric guidance device;

[0017] Figure 3 for Figure 1 A three-dimensional view of the aircraft's landing gear forearm and optical cooperative target;

[0018] Figure 4 for Figure 1 A schematic diagram of the target surface of the optical cooperative target of the aircraft;

[0019] Figure 5 This is a schematic diagram of a guiding method according to an embodiment of this application.

[0020] Explanation of key component symbols:

[0021] 1. Optoelectronic guidance equipment; 11. Seat; 111. Mounting base; 12. Pitch assembly; 121. Sensor bracket; 122. Pitch axis; 123. Azimuth assembly; 124. Pitch bracket; 125. Connecting flange; 126. Pitch bracket side plate; 13. Display and control console; 14. Sensor assembly; 141. Mid-wave infrared sensor; 142. Zoom visible light camera; 143. Laser sensor; 144. Short-wave infrared sensor; 2. Aircraft; 21. Fuselage; 211. Landing gear forearm; 22. Optical cooperative target; 221. Cornerstone prism; 222. Shell; 223. Base; 23. Fastening screw; 24. Anti-rotation pin. Detailed Implementation

[0022] The technical solutions in the embodiments of this application will be clearly and completely described below with reference to the accompanying drawings. Obviously, the described embodiments are only some embodiments of this application, and not all embodiments.

[0023] Some embodiments of this application are described in detail. Unless otherwise specified, the following embodiments and features can be combined with each other.

[0024] Example

[0025] Please see Figures 1 to 4 This embodiment provides a photoelectric guidance device 1, including a base 11, an azimuth component 123, a pitch component 12, and a sensor component 14. The base 11 includes a mounting base 111. The azimuth component 123 is disposed on the mounting base 111. The pitch component 12 includes a pitch bracket 124 and a connecting flange 125, the connecting flange 125 being disposed between the pitch bracket 124 and the azimuth component 123, and the pitch bracket 124 and the azimuth component 123 being connected via the connecting flange 125. The sensor assembly 14 includes a sensor bracket 121 and a mid-wave infrared sensor 141, a zoom visible light camera 142, a laser sensor 143, and a short-wave infrared sensor 144, which are fixedly connected to the sensor bracket 121. The sensor bracket 121 is movably mounted on the pitch bracket 124. The mid-wave infrared sensor 141 and the zoom visible light camera 142 are used to capture the aircraft 2. After the mid-wave infrared sensor 141 and the zoom visible light camera 142 capture the aircraft 2, the laser sensor 143 is used to emit a laser towards the aircraft 2, and the short-wave infrared sensor 144 is used to receive the laser echo reflected by the aircraft 2.

[0026] In this embodiment, the photoelectric guidance device 1 is fixedly mounted on the platform via the mounting base 111. The azimuth movement of the azimuth component 123 and the pitch movement of the pitch component 12 drive the sensor component 14 to rotate in order to capture the target aircraft 2. The mid-wave infrared sensor 141 and the zoom visible light camera 142 work together to capture the aircraft 2 and perform coarse tracking of the aircraft 2. The laser sensor 143 emits a laser towards the aircraft 2, and the short-wave infrared sensor 144 receives the laser echo reflected by the aircraft 2 to perform precise tracking of the aircraft 2. Therefore, the photoelectric guidance device 1 can quickly and accurately track the aircraft 2, thereby improving the measurement accuracy and efficiency of the landing assistance guidance.

[0027] In this embodiment, the aircraft 2 includes an airplane or a space shuttle, and the aircraft 2 moves relative to the motion platform.

[0028] The photoelectric guidance device 1 is installed on the motion platform and is used to guide the aircraft 2 to land on the motion platform.

[0029] The photoelectric guidance device 1 includes a pitch component 12 and an azimuth component 123. The azimuth component 123 is vertically mounted on the mounting base 111 and can rotate 360° infinitely in the horizontal direction via a torque motor and an angle encoder. The pitch bracket 124 includes two pitch bracket side plates 126. One end of a connecting flange 125 is connected to one pitch bracket side plate 126, and the other end is connected to the other pitch bracket side plate 126. The cross-section formed by the connecting flange 125 and the two pitch bracket side plates 126 is U-shaped. The connecting flange 125 is connected to the upper end of the azimuth component 123 and is used to drive the pitch component 12 to rotate horizontally.

[0030] The pitch assembly 12 also includes a pitch axis 122, which achieves pitch movement in the vertical direction by means of an angle encoder and a torque motor. One end of the pitch axis 122 is fixedly connected to the pitch support side plate 126, and the other end is fixedly connected to the sensor support 121. The rotation of the pitch axis 122 itself drives the sensor support 121 to rotate relative to the pitch support side plate 126. With this configuration, the sensor assembly 14 can achieve rotational movement in both the horizontal and vertical directions simultaneously, adjusting its attitude according to the spatial movement of the aircraft 2, thereby enabling the photoelectric guidance device 1 to quickly and flexibly track the aircraft 2. The pitch assembly 12 and the azimuth assembly 123 are designed using the principle of inertial stability to isolate the influence of disturbances on the motion platform and ensure that the optical axis of the sensor assembly 14 can stably point towards the aircraft 2.

[0031] In one embodiment, the photoelectric guidance device 1 further includes a display console 13, which is electrically connected to the mid-wave infrared sensor 141 and the zoom visible light camera 142, respectively. The display console 13 is used to process the images of the aircraft 2 captured by the mid-wave infrared sensor 141 and the zoom visible light camera 142.

[0032] In this embodiment, the display and control console 13 is electrically connected to the sensor assembly 14 via optical fiber or cable. The zoom visible light camera 142 and the mid-wave infrared sensor 141 are mainly used to acquire video images of the target aircraft 2 in order to complete the acquisition and coarse tracking of the target aircraft 2, as well as the video monitoring of the target aircraft 2.

[0033] The laser sensor 143 is mainly used to measure the distance to the target aircraft 2.

[0034] The shortwave infrared sensor 144 is mainly used for point source imaging of laser echoes to achieve precise tracking of the target aircraft 2. The optical cooperative target 22 installed on the target aircraft 2 is mainly used to reflect laser wavelengths for ranging and point source imaging. The display and control console 13 is mainly used to process video images and data information acquired by the sensing components, as well as for human-machine interaction, transmitting the processed spatial coordinate information of the target aircraft 2 to the pilot through communication equipment.

[0035] The zoom visible light camera 142 has a focal length range of 10mm to 200mm and is mainly used to acquire clear images of the target aircraft 2 and to monitor and observe the landing of the aircraft 2.

[0036] The mid-wave infrared sensor 141 uses a detector with a resolution of 640×512, an F-number of 4, and a field of view of no more than 3° for the entire lens.

[0037] The shortwave infrared sensor 144 uses a 640×512 shortwave infrared detector, and the overall field of view is no more than 3°.

[0038] The laser sensor 143 uses a fiber laser with a center wavelength of 1550nm to ensure the safety of the pilot's eyes, and the laser beam divergence angle is no greater than 2′.

[0039] In one embodiment, the display console 13 is electrically connected to the laser sensor 143 and is used to control the activation of the laser sensor 143 to obtain distance and speed information of the aircraft 2.

[0040] In one embodiment, the display console 13 is electrically connected to the shortwave infrared sensor 144 for imaging the laser echo and tracking and measuring the aircraft 2.

[0041] Secondly, this embodiment also provides an aircraft 2 for use in conjunction with an optoelectronic guidance device 1. The aircraft 2 includes a fuselage 21 and an optical cooperative target 22. The fuselage 21 is used to be captured by a mid-wave infrared sensor 141 and a zoom visible light camera 142. The optical cooperative target 22 is disposed on the fuselage 21 and is used to reflect the laser emitted by the laser sensor 143 and allow the laser echo to enter the short-wave infrared sensor 144.

[0042] In one embodiment, the optical cooperative target 22 includes a cornerstone prism 221, a housing 222 and a base 223. One end of the base 223 is fixedly connected to the body 21 and the other end is connected to the housing 222. The cornerstone prism 221 is fixed inside the housing 222.

[0043] In this embodiment, the optical cooperative target 22 is designed using an array of three cornerstone prisms 221. Due to the characteristic of the cornerstone prisms 221 to return incident light symmetrically around its center along the original optical path, the optical cooperative target 22 can accurately return the laser wavelength to the short-wave infrared sensor 144. The three arrays of the optical cooperative target 22 can effectively reflect the laser echo in the form of a beam, avoiding the problem of divergent beams generated by the reflection of light from a single cornerstone.

[0044] In one embodiment, the optical cooperative target 22 is disposed on the landing gear forearm 211 of the fuselage 21. The aircraft 2 also includes fastening screws 23 and anti-rotation pins 24, which are spaced apart along the vertical direction on the landing gear forearm 211. The optical cooperative target 22 is fixedly connected to the landing gear forearm 211 by the fastening screws 23 and anti-rotation pins 24.

[0045] In this embodiment, the optical cooperative target 22 has dimensions ≤ φ100mm × 69mm and a weight ≤ 0.7kg. This size and weight will not significantly affect the target aircraft 2, and its adaptability is good. To avoid wind resistance issues caused by the optical cooperative target 22, it can be mounted on the landing gear of the aircraft 2. During normal flight, the optical cooperative target 22 can retract to the belly of the aircraft along with the landing gear, without causing additional wind resistance.

[0046] Thirdly, please refer to Figure 5This embodiment also provides a guidance method, providing an optoelectronic guidance device 1, which further includes a display and control console 13. The guidance method includes the following steps: After receiving a guidance command, the optoelectronic guidance device 1 uses a zoomable visible light camera 142 and a mid-wave infrared sensor 141 to search for the aircraft 2; when the zoomable visible light camera 142 and the mid-wave infrared sensor 141 detect the aircraft 2, the display and control console 13 processes the images from the zoomable visible light camera 142 and the mid-wave infrared sensor 141 respectively to obtain two-way image deviation information, and performs Kalman data fusion on the two-way image deviation information to obtain the aircraft 2. The deviation information of the aircraft 2 is used for target closed-loop tracking control. After the zoom visible light camera 142 and the mid-wave infrared sensor 141 stabilize the tracking of the aircraft 2, the display and control console 13 actively activates the laser sensor 143. The laser sensor 143 acquires the radial distance information of the aircraft 2 and calculates the velocity information of the aircraft 2 based on the obtained distance information. At the same time, the short-wave infrared sensor 144 images the laser echo and judges the imaging stability. After the imaging stabilizes, the display and control console 13 extracts the deviation information of the laser echo image point, and the display and control console 13 transitions to using the short-wave channel to track and measure the aircraft 2.

[0047] In this embodiment, since the target aircraft 2 is in close-range flight, the target image on the zoom visible light camera 142 or the mid-wave infrared sensor 141 becomes increasingly larger. When image tracking is used, the tracking point changes randomly. Therefore, the zoom visible light camera 142 or the mid-wave infrared sensor 141 is used for coarse tracking of the aircraft 2. The short-wave infrared sensor 144 images the laser echo, which is reflected back by the optical cooperative target 22 mounted on the aircraft 2. The photoelectric guidance device 1 tracks a point fixed to the aircraft 2; therefore, imaging the laser echo using the short-wave infrared sensor 144 is used for precise tracking of the aircraft 2. The short-wave infrared sensor 144 tracks and guides the target aircraft 2 until it lands at the ideal landing point, and then waits for commands to perform the next guidance mission.

[0048] Throughout the entire workflow of the photoelectric guidance device 1, no further instructions are required except for acquiring guidance commands. These guidance commands can be designed for automatic transmission through the platform management system. Therefore, the entire workflow of the photoelectric guidance device 1 requires no human intervention, achieving full automation.

[0049] The optoelectronic guidance device 1 in this embodiment employs sensors such as a zoom visible light camera 142, a mid-wave infrared sensor 141, a laser sensor 143, and a short-wave infrared sensor 144 to acquire image and video information of the aircraft 2, measure the spatial coordinates and velocity of the aircraft 2 in real time, and transmit the measurement information to the pilot for precise guidance. The optoelectronic guidance device 1 uses optoelectronic measurement methods, achieving optical-grade measurement accuracy, which is higher than that of optical guidance and radar guidance. The optoelectronic guidance device 1 is less susceptible to the influence of complex electromagnetic environments and does not generate controversial electromagnetic bands. The optoelectronic guidance device 1 uses multi-band optical imaging technology to measure and guide the aircraft 2, acquiring day and night video images of the aircraft 2. The optoelectronic guidance device 1 features high resolution, rich image information, and intuitive reliability. By guiding the aircraft 2 to land using the optoelectronic guidance device 1, the number of highly skilled personnel required for positioning is reduced, improving guidance efficiency. Therefore, the optoelectronic guidance device 1 has the advantages of high resolution, intuitive reliability, fully automatic guidance, high guidance efficiency, higher measurement accuracy, and immunity to electromagnetic silence.

[0050] The above embodiments are only used to illustrate the technical solutions of this application and are not intended to limit it. Although this application has been described in detail with reference to the above preferred embodiments, those skilled in the art should understand that modifications or equivalent substitutions to the technical solutions of this application should not depart from the spirit and scope of the technical solutions of this application.

Claims

1. A photoelectric guidance system, characterized in that, include: Optoelectronic guidance equipment and aircraft; The photoelectric guiding device includes: a base, including a mounting base; Orientation component, disposed on the mounting base; The pitch assembly includes a pitch bracket and a connecting flange, wherein the connecting flange is disposed between the pitch bracket and the azimuth assembly, and the pitch bracket and the azimuth assembly are connected by the connecting flange. The sensor assembly includes a sensor bracket and a mid-wave infrared sensor, a zoom visible light camera, a laser sensor, and a short-wave infrared sensor fixedly connected to the sensor bracket. The sensor bracket is movably mounted on the pitch bracket. The mid-wave infrared sensor and the zoom visible light camera are used to capture the aircraft. After the mid-wave infrared sensor and the zoom visible light camera capture the aircraft, the laser sensor is used to emit a laser towards the aircraft, and the short-wave infrared sensor is used to receive the laser echo reflected by the aircraft. The photoelectric guidance device also includes a display and control console, which is electrically connected to the mid-wave infrared sensor and the zoom visible light camera respectively. The display and control console is used to process the images of the aircraft captured by the mid-wave infrared sensor and the zoom visible light camera. The aircraft includes: a fuselage for being captured by the mid-wave infrared sensor and the zoom visible light camera; The aircraft also includes an optical cooperative target located on the fuselage, which is used to reflect the laser emitted by the laser sensor and allow the laser echo to enter the short-wave infrared sensor.

2. The photoelectric guidance system according to claim 1, characterized in that: The display and control console is electrically connected to the laser sensor and is used to control the activation of the laser sensor to obtain the distance and speed information of the aircraft.

3. The photoelectric guidance system according to claim 2, characterized in that: The display and control console is electrically connected to the short-wave infrared sensor and is used to image the laser echo and track and measure the aircraft.

4. The photoelectric guidance system according to claim 1, characterized in that: The optical cooperative target includes a cornerstone prism, a housing, and a base. One end of the base is fixedly connected to the fuselage, and the other end is connected to the housing. The cornerstone prism is fixed inside the housing.

5. The photoelectric guidance system according to claim 4, characterized in that: The optical cooperative target is located on the landing gear forearm of the fuselage; The aircraft also includes fastening screws and anti-rotation pins, which are spaced vertically at intervals on the landing gear forearm. The optical cooperative target is fixedly connected to the landing gear forearm via the fastening screws and anti-rotation pins.

6. A photoelectric guidance method, characterized in that, include: Based on the photoelectric guidance system according to any one of claims 1 to 5, the guidance method includes the following steps: After receiving the guidance command, the photoelectric guidance device uses the zoom visible light camera and the mid-wave infrared sensor to search for the aircraft. When the zoom visible light camera and the mid-wave infrared sensor detect the aircraft, the display and control console processes the images from the zoom visible light camera and the mid-wave infrared sensor respectively to obtain two channels of image deviation information. The two channels of image deviation information are then fused using Kalman data to obtain the deviation information of the aircraft. The deviation information of the aircraft is then used for target closed-loop tracking control. After the zoom visible light camera and the mid-wave infrared sensor stably track the aircraft, the display and control console actively activates the laser sensor. The laser sensor acquires the radial distance information of the aircraft and calculates the speed information of the aircraft based on the obtained distance information. Simultaneously, the shortwave infrared sensor images the laser echo and determines the imaging stability. After the imaging stabilizes, the display and control console extracts the deviation information of the laser echo image points, and then the display and control console switches to using the shortwave channel to track and measure the aircraft.

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