Aerial Refueling Pilot Director Lights Computer Vision Guidance
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Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional aerial refueling techniques lack precision and reliability in providing pilots with accurate location information during refueling operations, leading to potential safety issues and inefficiencies.
Innovation Solution
A system on a tanker aircraft that includes a camera, processor, and pilot director lights, which generates a 2D image of a receiver aircraft and refueling boom, determines the 3D position of the boom receptacle, and adjusts the pilot director lights based on this position to guide the receiver aircraft into the correct refueling envelope.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Measurement precision
If conventional aerial refueling techniques are used, then the refueling operation can be performed, but the precision and reliability of location information provided to pilots is insufficient
Solution Approach 1:
The patent replaces conventional mechanical/optical director light systems with an automated computer vision system. The system uses cameras to capture images of the receiver aircraft and boom receptacle, processes these images through algorithms to determine precise 3D positions, and automatically controls director lights based on calculated positioning data. This substitution of mechanical systems with automated computational systems directly improves measurement precision and reliability of location information.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent introduces an image processing system as an intermediary between the physical refueling scene and the pilot's guidance system. The system captures images via cameras, processes them through coordinate transformation algorithms (converting 2D image coordinates to 3D spatial coordinates), and generates accurate location information. This intermediary processing layer enhances the precision and reliability of location information by adding computational accuracy to the guidance process.
2Measurement precision
If manual control of director lights is used, then the system is simpler, but the accuracy of guiding the receiver aircraft to the refueling envelope is reduced
Solution Approach 1:
The patent implements a self-service automated system where the director light control system performs its own positioning and guidance functions without requiring manual intervention. The system automatically captures images, processes them through coordinate transformations, calculates the receiver aircraft's position relative to the refueling envelope, and controls the director lights based on these calculations. This automation achieves high guidance accuracy while managing system complexity through integrated self-operating functionality.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent creates a multi-functional integrated system that combines image capture, image processing, coordinate transformation, position calculation, and director light control into a single automated platform. The same system hardware and software perform multiple functions: capturing the refueling scene, processing images to extract position data, transforming coordinates between reference frames, calculating guidance parameters, and controlling the director lights. This multi-functionality achieves high guidance accuracy while consolidating system complexity into a unified automated platform.
3Measurement precision
If real-time image processing is implemented, then the guidance information is more accurate, but the processing time and computational load increase
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies preliminary action by pre-establishing the coordinate transformation relationships and reference frame configurations before actual refueling operations. The system pre-configures the camera parameters, boom geometry, and coordinate system transformations, so that during real-time operation, the system only needs to execute the pre-planned processing algorithms with captured images. This preliminary setup enables rapid real-time processing with high position determination accuracy, reducing both processing time and computational load during critical refueling operations.
Data Source
AI summary
Disclosed herein is methods, systems, and aircraft for performing refueling operations. A method of controlling pilot director lights includes generating, using a camera of a tanker aircraft, a two-dimensional (2D) image of a receiver aircraft and a refueling boom of the tanker aircraft, determining a 2D position of a boom receptacle on the receiver aircraft within the 2D image, determining a three-dimensional (3D) position of the boom receptacle with regard to an origin location of the camera of the tanker aircraft, moving the 3D position of the boom receptacle to have a boom pivot origin to produce a moved 3D position of the boom receptacle, and controlling one or more pilot director lights based on the moved 3D position.