Flight Path Control Using LIDAR to Avoid Aircraft Contrails
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Solution Overview
Problem
Aircraft contrails contribute to climate change by trapping and absorbing thermal radiation, and existing navigation systems do not effectively avoid atmospheric regions where contrails form.
Innovation Solution
Utilizing LIDAR transceivers to measure humidity and temperature data to determine contrail formation potential, and generating a flight path that avoids these regions, adjusting the vehicle's vector velocity to prevent contrail formation.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Object-affected harmful factors
If aircraft follow conventional flight paths, then navigation simplicity is maintained, but contrail formation increases climate change impact
Solution Approach 1:
The system performs preliminary detection of atmospheric conditions (humidity, temperature, pressure) along potential flight paths before the aircraft arrives. This advance information allows the navigation system to pre-calculate contrail formation risk and select optimal flight paths that avoid contrail-prone regions, preventing harmful effects before they occur.
Solution Approach 2:
The system continuously monitors atmospheric conditions along the flight path using LIDAR and other sensors, feeding this data back to the navigation system. This real-time feedback enables dynamic adjustment of the flight path to avoid regions where contrails are likely to form, adapting to changing atmospheric conditions during flight.
2Measurement precision
If LIDAR transceivers are installed on the vehicle, then humidity measurement precision is improved, but vehicle weight increases
Solution Approach 1:
The system replaces traditional mechanical or chemical humidity sensing methods with LIDAR-based optical detection. LIDAR uses laser light to measure atmospheric properties, including humidity, through light scattering and absorption characteristics of water vapor molecules. This optical method provides high measurement precision without the bulk and weight of conventional humidity sensing equipment.
Solution Approach 2:
The LIDAR transceiver serves multiple functions: it measures humidity, temperature, pressure, and wind velocity along the flight path. By using a single multi-functional device instead of separate sensors for each parameter, the system minimizes weight addition while maximizing measurement capabilities for contrail prediction.
3Object-affected harmful factors
If flight path is adjusted to avoid contrail regions, then contrail formation is reduced, but flight time may increase
Solution Approach 1:
The system avoids contrail formation in only those specific atmospheric regions where conditions are favorable for contrail development (high humidity, low temperature). Rather than taking excessively long detours around entire atmospheric layers, the navigation system makes localized, partial adjustments to the flight path only where and when contrail risk is present, minimizing additional flight time while effectively reducing contrail formation.
Solution Approach 2:
The flight path adjustment is dynamic rather than static. The system continuously monitors atmospheric conditions and adjusts the flight path in real-time based on actual contrail formation risk. When contrail-prone conditions are detected, the system dynamically reroutes; when conditions are favorable, the system returns to the optimal direct path, balancing environmental protection with flight efficiency.
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
Reduces contrail formation by optimizing flight paths based on atmospheric conditions, thereby mitigating the vehicle's contribution to global warming.
Implementation Method 1
obtaining humidity data, for at least one atmospheric geographic region, derived from a measurement only made by at least one light detection and ranging (LIDAR) transceiver
Implementation Method 2
water vapor can condense as ice onto soot particles emitted from the aircraft jet engines, thus creating a condensation trail (contrail)
Data Source
AI summary
A technological improvement to a system for vehicle navigation is provided. The improvement diminishes a contribution to global climate change, e.g., global warming, by generating a flight path (generated flight path) or modifying the flight path (modified flight path) of a vehicle to avoid an atmospheric region in which the vehicle would create a contrail if the vehicle travelled through the atmospheric region.