Three-dimensional infrared laser aircraft landing-guiding system with high directivity

Abstract

A three-dimensional infrared laser aircraft landing-guiding system with high directivity is described. The system utilizes a highly penetrable and highly directional infrared laser source to generate an optical image via an optical image generating apparatus. The generated optical image involves the information for aircraft landing, and the information covers a large range of flying areas to make the optical image detectable for an aircraft. With the information provided by the optical image, the aircraft can be guided to the best landing path. The infrared laser source is highly directional and can emit a laser light to specific directions, reducing waste of energy, increasing navigation distances, and improving anti-jamming capability.

Claims

1. A system for three-dimensional infrared laser aircraft landing-guiding with high directivity, the system comprising: an infrared laser source emitting a low-divergence infrared laser light based on a best landing angle; an optical image generating apparatus enabling the laser light to generate a directional radiation of an optical image; and an infrared detecting system and an image recognizing and analyzing system that are configured on an aircraft.

2. The system in claim 1, wherein a wavelength region of the infrared laser light is between 3˜5 μm or 8˜12 μm.

3. The system of claim 1, wherein the infrared laser source is a polarized light source.

4. The system of claim 1, wherein the infrared laser source is placed on an airstrip under a best landing site such as to emit the infrared laser light based on the best landing angle.

5. The system of claim 1, wherein the optical image provides information including a relative position to the best landing angle and a relative velocity between the aircraft and an airstrip.

6. The system of claim 1, wherein the infrared detecting system detects a wavelength region between 3˜5 μm or 8˜12 μm.

7. The system mentioned in claim 6, wherein the image recognizing and analyzing system recognizes and analyzes image detected by the infrared detecting system as well as displays analysis results.

8. A method of aircraft landing-guiding using the system of claim 1, the method comprising: (1) guiding an aircraft to fly to a place near to a landing airport using a guiding system; (2) providing, via an optical system based on a best landing path, an infrared laser light configured to generate an optical image including information for the aircraft to land the landing airport; (3) detecting, by an infrared detecting system placed on the aircraft, the optical image generated via an optical apparatus; (4) recognizing and analyzing the optical image by an image recognizing and analyzing system, as well as displaying analysis results; and (5) adjusting a flying direction of the aircraft based on the analysis results to the best landing path by a pilot or an autonomous flight system.

9. The system in claim 2, wherein a direction of the infrared laser light is calibrated by a visible laser light beam.

10. The system in claim 2, wherein a pilot of the aircraft wears a pair of goggles of which polarization is orthogonal to polarization of the infrared laser light, preventing pilot's eyes from infrared laser light, and the infrared laser source is placed on an airstrip under a best landing site such as to emit the infrared laser light based on the best landing angle.

Description

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0016] FIG. 1 shows a schematic diagram of a three-dimensional high-directivity infrared light aircraft landing guidance system according to an example of the present disclosure. 1: an airstrip; 2: an infrared laser source with high directivity (low divergence angle); 3: calibrate laser emitters; 4: an optical device; 5: an optical image generating apparatus; 6: infrared detecting system, image recognizing system, and analyzing system that are configured on the aircraft.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

[0017] The three-dimensional high-directivity infrared light aircraft landing guidance system include: an infrared laser source emitting an infrared laser light toward a best landing path with a low divergence angle, a light source for emitting a visible alignment beam, an optical device for converting the infrared laser and the visible alignment beam, an optical image generating apparatus, which the infrared laser light passes through and generates an image projected toward the best landing path, an infrared detecting system and an image recognizing and analyzing system that are configured on the aircraft. An optical image with directional radiation is generated by the laser to provide the information for the pilot to land the aircraft.

[0018] The infrared laser source is placed on the airstrip under the best landing site to emit the infrared laser light toward the best landing angle. The wavelength region of the infrared laser light is between 3˜5 μm or 8˜12 μm, and the infrared laser source is the polarized light source. The direction of infrared laser light is calibrated by a visible laser light beam. The calibration beam is a red-light beam. The infrared laser and visible calibration beam are integrated together by the optical device with half-transparency and half-reflection. In a good weather condition, the red and infrared laser are open at the same time, in about 1000 m range, and the pilot can directly look through the red light in the direction of landing. When encountered bad weather, only the infrared laser is open as a guiding light source.

[0019] Laser light emitted by an infrared laser source can produce an optical image of directional radiation in the air passing through the image generating apparatus, which can provide the information required for aircraft landing.

[0020] The infrared detecting system can detect a wavelength region between 3˜5 μm or 8˜12 μm, and can analyze the optical image changes within two-dimensional plane and time. The image recognizing and analyzing system can recognize and analyze image detected by infrared detecting system and display the analysis results. The pilot wears a pair of goggles whose polarization is orthogonal to the polarization of the infrared laser light, preventing pilot's eyes from infrared laser light.

[0021] By utilizing the aforementioned three-dimensional high-directivity infrared light aircraft landing-guiding system, The infrared laser light passes through the image generating apparatus to create an image provides the information for aircraft landing towards the best landing path. A guiding system guides the aircraft flying near to the landing airport; the image is detected by the infrared detecting system placed on the aircraft; the detected image is recognized and analyzed by the image recognizing and analyzing system, displaying the analysis results; according to the analysis results from the image recognizing and analyzing system, the pilot or the autonomous flight system may adjust aircraft flying direction to the best landing path.

[0022] According to the present disclosure, an infrared laser source with high penetrability and high directivity is used to transmit the navigation signal only in a specific direction, thereby reducing the energy consumption, covering a larger flight range, increasing the navigation distance, and providing information for aircraft landing. Therefore, the present disclosure can be applied to various types of large and small airports as a landing-guiding assistance system under severe weather conditions and even as a primary landing-guiding system instead of the original landing-guiding system.