Visual Landing Aid Using Grid Light Cones for eVTOL Navigation
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Solution Overview
Problem
Current visual landing aids for aircraft, such as PAPI and VAGS, provide low angular resolution, making it difficult for eVTOL aircraft to navigate complex landing environments like urban areas, and require pilots to combine separate systems for determining approach path deviations, which is tedious and error-prone.
Innovation Solution
A visual landing aid using a mechanical and/or optical structure to direct light into focused light cones arranged in a grid, providing a two-dimensional display that shows both the magnitude and direction of deviation from the target landing approach path, allowing pilots to correct their approach path intuitively.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Measurement precision
If traditional PAPI/HAPI systems are used for visual approach slope indication, then the system provides basic glide path guidance, but the angular resolution is low and insufficient for eVTOL aircraft in complex urban landing environments
Solution Approach 1:
The navigation light is segmented into multiple focused light cones arranged in a grid pattern, where each light cone corresponds to a specific angular sector. This segmentation enables high angular resolution by dividing the viewing field into discrete, resolvable elements, allowing eVTOL aircraft to precisely determine their position relative to the target approach path in complex urban environments.
2Ease of operation
If separate PAPI/HAPI and VAGS systems are used for determining approach path in vertical and horizontal planes, then both glide path and azimuth information are provided, but the pilot must identify indications from each separate system and estimate spatial position, which is tedious and error-prone
Solution Approach 1:
The system merges vertical glide path indication and horizontal azimuth indication into a single integrated navigation light display. The focused light cones are arranged such that their positional arrangement simultaneously encodes both vertical and horizontal deviation information, allowing the pilot to directly perceive complete spatial position relative to the target approach path without mentally combining separate system indications.
Solution Approach 2:
The navigation light utilizes a two-dimensional grid arrangement of focused light cones to encode three-dimensional spatial position information (vertical glide path angle and horizontal azimuth angle). By mapping spatial deviations onto a 2D light pattern, the system provides intuitive, direct visual feedback of the aircraft's position in the approach plane without requiring the pilot to interpret multiple separate indicators.
3Measurement precision
If high-precision landing guidance systems are implemented, then accurate position and deviation data are provided, but specialized equipment is expensive and time-consuming to install, calibrate/certify, maintain and repair
Solution Approach 1:
The system uses a simplified optical structure that creates focused light cones through geometric arrangement rather than complex electronic sensors or active transponders. This passive optical approach provides high-precision visual guidance while avoiding the installation, calibration, and maintenance complexities of specialized electronic landing guidance equipment.
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
This solution offers high-resolution, intuitive navigation for aircraft, eliminating the need to combine separate systems and enhancing safety in complex environments by clearly indicating horizontal and vertical deviations from the optimal approach path.
Implementation Method 1
a mechanical and/or optical structure for directing the light emitted and/or reflected by the element into a plurality of focused light cones which are positioned next to each other in a grid-like manner along a radiating surface
Data Source
Figure 1
Figure 2
Figure 3a~3b
AI summary
A visual landing aid (1) for an aircraft approaching a landing site (L) comprises at least one light-emitting and/or light-reflecting element (2) and a mechanical and/or optical structure (3) for directing the light emitted and/or reflected by the element (2) into a plurality of focused light cones (5) which are positioned next to each other in a grid-like manner along a radiating surface (4) of the mechanical and/or optical structure (3) and together form a navigation light (6), the focused light cones (5) forming the navigation light (6) changing for an observer in the aircraft as a function of a deviation of the aircraft from a target landing approach path. This visual landing aid (1) offers a combined solution for landing navigation in both horizontal and vertical planes. Further, this visual landing aid (1) is scalable and can provide a much higher resolution compared to existing solutions.