Obstruction Height Measurement Using Angular Sensors
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing methods for measuring flight path obstructions, particularly fine structures like antennae and buildings, are not accurate and consistent, leading to potential aircraft hazards due to geometric errors and difficulty in detecting small features.
Innovation Solution
An instrumented aircraft equipped with a distance measuring module, altitude measuring module, and angle measuring module calculates obstruction height using platform position, target distance, and elevation angle, with a presentation module overlaying height data onto a video stream for real-time observation and database updates.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of operation
If aerial photograph stereography is used to measure obstruction height, then measurement can be performed from above, but geometric errors are magnified and measurement precision deteriorates
Solution Approach 1:
Instead of measuring vertical height from a vertical viewpoint (aerial photograph), the system inverts the approach by measuring from a horizontal or oblique viewpoint using a portable platform with angular sensors. The height is calculated by measuring the angle of elevation to the obstruction top and the distance to the obstruction base, rather than taking vertical photographs and stereographically calculating height.
2Measurement precision
If down-looking LiDAR systems are used to map terrain, then direct vertical measurement is achieved, but fine structures like antennae cannot be detected
Solution Approach 1:
The system applies local quality by using high-precision angular sensors specifically targeted at detecting fine structures. Rather than relying on broad area LiDAR scanning, the portable platform allows operators to focus measurement beams and sensors on specific fine structures like antennae, applying enhanced measurement quality locally to these critical features.
Solution Approach 2:
The system transitions from vertical top-down measurement (LiDAR) to horizontal/oblique side-view measurement. By changing the measurement dimension from vertical perspective to lateral perspective with angular measurement, the system can detect fine structures that are invisible from above while still calculating vertical height through trigonometric relationships.
3Difficulty of detecting and measuring
If perspective photographic measurement is used to view obstructions from the side, then measurement of interest is captured, but pixel resolution is insufficient to detect fine structures
Solution Approach 1:
The system replaces the mechanical/optical imaging system (camera pixels) with an angular measurement system. Instead of relying on camera resolution to detect fine structures, the system uses angular sensors (electronic theodolite) that directly measure the angle of elevation to the obstruction top, providing precision independent of distance and pixel resolution.
Data Source
AI summary
Accurate measurements of flight path obstructions are taken from a moving aerial platform. Platform position, including altitude, is combined with dynamic data including target distance and target elevation data to calculate obstruction height or altitude. An optical subsystem on the aerial platform images the obstructions and provides a video stream showing the obstructions. The video stream and aerial platform data are wirelessly communicated to a control terminal where an operator observes a presentation of obstructions and obstruction altitudes or heights. The operator can issue commands to the aerial platform.