Sensor Aperture Cleaning for Aircraft Visibility
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Solution Overview
Problem
Aircraft designs with reduced out-the-window visibility, such as supersonic aircraft, face challenges in providing pilots with adequate forward visibility due to long noses and high angles of attack, which can impair depth perception and require complex mechanical solutions like droop-nose designs or additional windows, leading to increased drag and weight.
Innovation Solution
The use of sensors mounted beneath the aircraft nose, protected by transparent apertures with cleaning mechanisms, to provide a fused image of the out-the-window scene to display devices, enhancing visibility without the need for traditional cockpit windows or complex mechanical systems.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Speed
If a long nose and high angle of attack configuration is used for supersonic flight, then drag is reduced and high-speed performance is improved, but forward visibility and depth perception are impaired
Solution Approach 1:
The patent introduces sensors as intermediary devices mounted on the aircraft nose to capture external visual information. These sensors act as mediators between the external environment and the pilot, providing visual data without requiring direct line-of-sight through the aircraft structure. The sensors mount system positions sensors at optimal locations to overcome the visibility limitations imposed by the long nose configuration.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent replaces the mechanical solution of moving or drooping the nose structure with an electronic/sensor-based system. Instead of mechanically altering the nose position to improve visibility, the system uses sensors to capture and transmit visual information electronically to the cockpit displays, eliminating the need for complex mechanical actuation systems.
2Ease of operation
If droop-nose design or additional cockpit windows are added to improve visibility, then forward visibility is enhanced, but aircraft weight and structural complexity increase
Solution Approach 1:
The patent extracts the visibility function from the physical cockpit window structure and relocates it to sensor-based systems. By taking out the requirement for large transparent windows or movable nose sections, the design eliminates the associated weight penalties while maintaining the essential function of providing external visual information to the pilot.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent creates a visual copy of the external scene through sensors and displays it in the cockpit. Rather than providing direct viewing through windows, the system captures an optical copy of the external environment and presents it to the pilot, achieving the same operational benefit without the weight of additional window structures.
3Ease of operation
If sensors are mounted beneath the aircraft nose to provide out-the-window views, then visibility is enhanced without mechanical complexity, but sensor apertures are susceptible to obstruction from ice, rain, and debris
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies preliminary protective actions to the sensor apertures by positioning them within recessed mount structures that protrude only slightly from the aircraft surface. This preliminary positioning protects the apertures before obstructions can accumulate, reducing the likelihood of ice and debris buildup while maintaining optical access to the external environment.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent incorporates dynamic heating elements within the sensor aperture structures to actively prevent ice and contaminant accumulation. By applying thermal energy dynamically to the aperture surfaces, the system maintains clarity despite exposure to adverse weather conditions, ensuring continuous reliable operation of the sensor systems.
Data Source
AI summary
Multiple sensors capture images representing scenery outside an aircraft or other type of vehicle for use within a visual display system. A protective housing encloses the sensors. This protective housing includes a transparent aperture through which the sensor captures images. A cleaning mechanism removes obstructions from the transparent aperture in order to provide continuous images representing scenery outside the aircraft through an operator display.