Aircraft Lidar Pattern Scanning for Faster Turbulence Detection
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing aircraft measurement systems, such as lidar, struggle to quickly detect turbulence and environmental conditions ahead of the aircraft, limiting the ability to make timely adjustments for improved flight performance and safety.
Innovation Solution
A laser beam scanning system in an aircraft that moves a laser beam to scan an area based on a sequence of locations nearest to the center, using a pattern to generate backscatter data for rapid measurements of turbulence, windshear, and other environmental conditions.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Speed
If a traditional lidar system scans the area, then environmental conditions can be detected, but the scanning speed is slow and detection is not timely
Solution Approach 1:
The scanning area is divided into multiple segments or zones, and the laser beam scans only the most relevant segments first (those nearest to the aircraft center), rather than scanning the entire area uniformly. This segmentation allows the system to prioritize critical detection zones and reduce overall scanning time.
Solution Approach 2:
The scanning pattern applies different scanning priorities to different locations within the scanned area. Locations nearest to the center of the area (closest to the aircraft flight path) are scanned with higher priority and more frequently, while peripheral locations are scanned less intensively. This local quality differentiation optimizes detection timing for the most critical regions.
2Area of stationary object
If the laser beam scans all locations in the area, then complete coverage is achieved, but the time to complete scanning increases
Solution Approach 1:
The system performs preliminary scanning of the most critical areas (locations nearest to the center) before completing scans of the entire area. This preliminary action on high-priority zones ensures that the most important environmental data is collected first, allowing timely detection without waiting for complete area coverage.
Solution Approach 2:
The scanning pattern skips or rushes through peripheral locations that are less critical to immediate flight safety. By reducing the time spent on distant locations and focusing on center-near locations, the system achieves faster detection of relevant environmental conditions while still maintaining overall area coverage.
Applied Scientific Principles
This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.
Function Achieved in This Case
Enables faster scanning and detection of environmental conditions, providing pilots with timely data for adjusting flight paths to reduce turbulence effects and enhance engine performance, thereby improving fuel efficiency and safety.
Implementation Method 1
The laser beam encounters aerosols in the air that reflect or 'backscatter' light towards the aircraft. Aerosols are fine solid particles, liquid particles, or both, suspended in air or other gases. The backscatter of the laser beam can also be caused by the molecules in the air or objects in the air.
Implementation Method 2
a light detection and ranging (lidar) sensor can be used to measure various parameters during the flight of an aircraft
Data Source
AI summary
A laser beam scanning system comprises a lidar system in an aircraft and a controller. The lidar system is configured to emit a laser beam into an atmosphere during flight of the aircraft; receive backscatter light generated in response to emitting the laser beam; and generate backscatter data using the backscatter light. The controller is configured to control the lidar system to move the laser beam to scan an area using a pattern that is based on a sequence of locations in the pattern being nearest to a center of the area. The controller is configured to control the lidar system to generate measurements of the area using the backscatter data generated from scanning the area.