Distributed Directional Aperture for Vertical Lift Aircraft
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Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional aperture systems for vertical lift aircraft, such as helicopters, face challenges due to their omnidirectional nature, leading to excess apertures that burden the platform's structure, aerodynamics, and radar observability, and limit signal quality, making directional aperture implementation difficult at higher frequencies.
Innovation Solution
A distributed directional aperture (DDA) system is installed on vertical lift aircraft, comprising a sensor and emitter array subsystem, a beamformer subsystem, and a telemetry subsystem, which processes and transmits signals in multiple frequency bands, allowing for directional reception and transmission by determining time delays based on sensor and emitter positions, enabling focused beams.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Adaptability or versatility
If omnidirectional aperture systems are used in vertical lift aircraft, then signal reception coverage is improved, but signal quality deteriorates and the number of required apertures increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent divides the aperture system into multiple distributed sensor elements positioned on the fuselage and rotor blades. Each sensor element captures signals independently, and through beamforming processing, these segmented signals are combined to achieve both omnidirectional coverage and directional signal quality enhancement.
Solution Approach 2:
The distributed sensor array system serves multiple functions simultaneously: it provides omnidirectional signal reception coverage while also enabling directional beamforming for improved signal quality, and can adapt to different frequency bands and mission requirements through reconfigurable processing.
2Measurement precision
If multiple apertures are installed to improve signal quality, then directional reception is improved, but platform structural burden and aerodynamic impact increase
Solution Approach 1:
The rotor blades serve dual purposes: they provide the lifting function for the helicopter while simultaneously acting as mounting structures for the sensor array elements. This eliminates the need for separate aperture mounting structures and reduces overall platform complexity.
Solution Approach 2:
The system utilizes the dynamic rotation of rotor blades to achieve stationary omnidirectional coverage. The moving sensors on rotating blades sweep through all spatial directions, creating the effect of a stationary omnidirectional aperture array without requiring multiple fixed mounting points on the fuselage.
3Ease of manufacture
If apertures are mounted on fuselage for fixed wing aircraft, then aperture placement is simplified, but vertical lift aircraft lack convenient mounting points due to fuselage shape and moving rotor blades
Solution Approach 1:
The patent exploits the dynamic motion of rotor blades to overcome the static limitation of fuselage mounting. By placing sensors on the moving rotor blades, the system achieves omnidirectional coverage that would be difficult to obtain from fixed fuselage mounts, while the rotational motion naturally provides coverage in all directions around the aircraft.
Solution Approach 2:
The system transitions from two-dimensional fuselage surface mounting to three-dimensional spatial distribution by utilizing the rotor blade rotation. The sensors traverse a three-dimensional path during rotation, enabling aperture placement in spatial dimensions rather than just on the fuselage surface.
4Adaptability or versatility
If omnidirectional transmission is used, then communication coverage is improved, but opportunity for adversary interception increases
Solution Approach 1:
The transmission system is divided into multiple emitter elements distributed on the rotor blades. Each emitter can be independently controlled to form directional beams, allowing the system to transmit signals in specific directions rather than omnidirectionally, thereby reducing interception risk while maintaining coverage through beam steering.
Solution Approach 2:
The system uses dynamic beamforming to redirect transmission beams in different directions as the rotor blades rotate. This enables the aircraft to provide communication coverage to multiple directions over time while maintaining directional transmission at any instant, reducing the window of opportunity for interception.
Data Source
AI summary
The disclosed invention provides a distributed directional aperture (DDA) system that is installed in a vertical lift aircraft that comprises a fuselage and a rotor system including rotary wings rotatably coupled to the fuselage. The DDA system provides capability to receive and/or transmit signals in one or more frequency bands, and provides communications, signals intelligence (SIGNINT), positional sensing, jamming, and offensive cyber on the vertical lift aircraft. The DDA system of the vertical lift aircraft includes a sensor and emitter array subsystem that includes a plurality of sensors and emitters distributed in the rotary wings, a beamformer subsystem that processes the sensor signals and emitter signals, and a telemetry subsystem that conveys signals between the sensor and emitter array subsystem and the beamformer subsystem.