Synthetic vision for enhancing poor visibility flight operations

Visibility is important for the pilot controlling an aircraft in flight conditions close to the ground, particularly when landing. Therefore, poor visibility yields a great restriction for aircraft operations. Restrictions exist for landing sites which are equipped with facilities providing a landing approach aid like ILS since a minimum is required for visibility. For landing sites providing no approach aids, restrictions are much more severe. This holds even if aircraft are equipped with modern instrumentation and navigation devices. The natural view of the pilot is dependent on various meteorological conditions like darkness, dust, fog, rain etc. The degradation in view caused by these conditions can be compensated for partially or even completely by technical means providing artificial vision cues. Such technical means may be based on radar or optical sensor information. Concepts which employ these techniques are known as “Synthetic Visual Systems” or “Enhanced Visual Systems,” . The present paper is concerned with computer generated vision as a further technique providing visual cues for the pilot. Computer generated vision may be used in combination with the aforementioned sensor based techniques. Thus, it is possible to compensate for limitations which sensor based visual systems have in providing sufficient visibility range or in generating a normal looking image. In addition, computer generated imagery has the potential providing additional information to the pilot for controlling the flight path or for warning purposes. This potential can yield improved and/or more information as compared with the natural view when looking out of the cockpit window     

视觉条件对驾驶员跟踪着舰引导指令影响研究

针对光学助降系统易受到不良天气（如低能见度）影响的缺点,研究了不同视觉条件对驾驶员跟踪着舰引导指令的影响。在光学着舰引导系统模型建立的基础上,针对不同视觉条件,对驾驶员跟踪菲涅尔透镜“肉球”的情况进行了仿真对比。结果表明,当视觉品质下降时,为防止跟踪效果变差,驾驶员应当减小操纵增益。     

星际着陆自主障碍检测与规避技术

 为了在具有科学价值的复杂地形区域实现安全着陆,未来的星际着陆器必须具备自主障碍检测与规避的能力。从星际着陆导航传感器技术、自主障碍检测方法和自主障碍规避技术3个方面出发,对星际着陆自主障碍检测与规避技术进行较全面的分析和总结。首先,对适用于星际着陆自主障碍检测的各种主动式和被动式传感器的工作原理、优缺点进行较深入的阐述;接着,基于不同传感器的测量信息,对各种自主障碍检测方法的障碍检测能力、优缺点进行较详细的对比分析;然后,基于多信息融合的自主障碍检测方法,对安全着陆点选择的原则进行阐述;最后,对星际着陆自主障碍规避流程和适用于星际着陆自主障碍规避的制导控制方法进行较系统的总结。     

ILS-a safe bet for your future landings

An argument is presented in favor of the ILS (instrument landing system), the principal components of which are the localizer, which provides lateral guidance to the pilot, and the glide slope, which gives the vertical guidance. A pilot flying these signals precisely will end up over the hard surface runway with the ILS receiving antenna, wherever it is mounted on the aircraft, being about 20 ft above the touchdown point. The safety record and evolution of the ILS are examined, and a pilot's view of ILS (that of the author, an engineer who has worked with ILS since 1957 and a pilot who has used ILS safely for over 30 years) is given. System availability is discussed, and comments concerning future use are offered     

舰载机综合光电着舰引导信息融合

飞机着舰过程对着舰引导信息的精度要求非常高,为了更好地辅助飞行员着舰或者实现舰载机自主着舰,文章将电子着舰系统和光学助降系统提供的引导信息进行融合,实现了电子与光学着舰信息的综合运用。其中,电子着舰系统提供斜距、方位仰角和方位偏航角,光学助降系统提供方位仰角和方位偏航角。仿真结果表明,该方法提供的着舰引导信息精度高。     

Augmented flight dynamics model for pilot workload evaluation in tilt-rotor aircraft optimal landing procedure after one engine failure

An augmented flight dynamics model is developed to extend the existing flight dynamics model of tilt-rotor aircraft for optimal landing procedure analysis in the event of one engine failure.Compared with the existing flight dynamics model, the augmented model involves with more pilot control information in cockpit and is validated against the flight test data. Based on the augmented flight dynamics model, the optimal landing procedure of XV-15 tilt-rotor aircraft after one engine failure is formulated into a Nonlinear Optimal Control Problem(NOCP), solved by collocation and numerical optimization method. The time histories of pilot controls in cockpit during the optimal landing procedure are obtained for the evaluation of pilot workload. An evaluation method which can synthetically quantify the pilot workload in time and frequency domains is proposed with metrics of aggressiveness and cutoff frequencies of pilot controls. The scale of the pilot workload is compared with those of the shipboard landing procedures, bob-up/bob-down and dash/quickstop maneuvers of UH-60 helicopter. The results show that the aggressiveness of pilot collective and longitudinal controls for the tilt-rotor aircraft optimal landing procedure after one engine failure are higher than those for UH-60 helicopter shipboard landing procedures up to the condition of sea state 4, while the pilot cutoff frequency of collective control is lower than that of the bob-up/bob-down maneuver but the pilot cutoff frequency of longitudinal control is higher than that of the dash/quick-stop maneuver. The evaluated pilot workload level is between Cooper–Harper HQR Level 2 and Level 3.     

Hybridizing contemporary glide slopes to provide vertical guidancefor GPS approaches

Vertical guidance for an instrument approach to landing during conditions of reduced visibility is a crucial element with respect to safety of flight. It is noteworthy that this vertical component-to be most useful and safe-must desirably provide the pilot with no more than several feet of uncertainty. Unfortunately, with GPS the vertical portion of the position information supplied the pilot by GPS signals is the least precise because of geometries involved. Augmentation for enhancement of accuracy is quite important and the assertion is that it is necessary for totally safe vertical guidance. Evidence from approximately 60 years of experience with electronic landing systems serving the public is that there has been no aircraft accident due to a defective vertical guidance signal. Visibilities as low as 600 feet horizontally can exist at certain airports and landings can still be accomplished. These landings, while not common, are being accomplished flawlessly by contemporary aircraft and equipment. Many aspects of the contemporary UHF glide slope have been studied during its half-century of use. This paper reports on advances, some of them quite recent, that make it realistic to claim that a glide slope can be sited for Category I operation at any runway that meets the physical requirements for this type of operation. For the UHF glide slope, siting imperfections are accommodated by using one of five available types of contemporary glide slope systems or derivatives thereof. This paper reviews how accommodations are achieved in practical cases. Results from earlier tests are identified which show hybridizing of UHF glide slopes and GPS can be used to provide good approach guidance to aircraft making fully automatic approaches to touchdown     

舰载机综合电子显示与自动着舰导引仿真系统

阐述了综合电子显示与自动着舰导引系统的重要地位及以往仿真研究中存在的缺陷, 提出了该仿真系统的总体设计思想,最后着重介绍了各仿真子系统,基本解决了系统建立的思路问题。该系统的研制成功对舰载机的着舰模拟训练具有十分重要的意义。     

推力矢量型V/STOL飞行器动态过渡过程的操纵策略优化

针对推力矢量型垂直/短距起降（vertical/short takeoff and landing, V/STOL）飞行器的动态过渡过程模型,综合考虑过渡走廊限制、操纵冗余及不同起降任务需求指标,研究最优过渡操纵策略。考虑V/STOL飞行器的喷射气流效应,对飞行器进行全量动力学建模。利用可达平衡集方法,建立通用过渡走廊计算框架。设计了能够在V/STOL过渡段和高速飞行间平稳过渡的操纵方式。将推力矢量飞行器的动态倾转过渡过程转化为非线性动态最优控制问题,根据不同起降任务特点建立合理的指标和约束,采用直接转换法和序列二次规划算法进行求解,得出不同任务特点下的最优操纵策略与过渡过程。采用可达平衡集计算过渡走廊的方法,不仅不受飞行器类型的限制,更简化了构造过程,具有良好的通用性与鲁棒性。以光滑过渡为目标的优化结果使得飞行员在飞行器过渡过程中的操纵量变化大幅减小,从而使得飞行员能更加专注于对飞行器运动的操纵;以距离更短为目标的优化结果则使得降落过程的飞行距离缩短了30%左右。从操纵策略出发的优化结果使得驾驶员能够更好掌握操纵关注点及边界,增加了整个动态过渡过程的安全性。     

Autonomous navigation and guidance for landing on asteroids

This paper presents an autonomous landing navigation and guidance scheme for future asteroid sample return mission. An autonomous navigation scheme based on feature tracking technology is brought out firstly; secondly, desired descent landing trajectories with the initial and terminal constraints are planned in order to achieve arrive-at-time landing on an asteroid; then, two guidance control laws, based on error phase analysis method and PD plus PWPF method respectively, are designed to track reference descent trajectory; finally, the validity of the proposed scheme is confirmed by computer simulation.     

自动油门控制技术在舰载机上的应用

着舰技术是舰载机应用的一项高难技术,自动油门控制作为一项有效的着舰辅助手段,通过进场动力补偿,可有效提高舰载机着舰轨迹稳定性,进而显著提升着舰精度及着舰成功率。介绍了自动油门控制技术的起源、着舰需求、基本组成和控制原理,并对其未来发展前景进行了展望。     

A passive millimeter wave camera for aircraft landing in lowvisibility conditions

Fog and low visibility conditions have hampered aviation since its inception. Fog-related accidents are numerous, and canceled take-offs and landings due to fog and low visibility conditions (Cat III) have significant economic impact on airlines, parcel carriers and general aviation. Millimeter waves have good propagation properties in weather and give adequate spatial resolution when used to image the forward scene. Passive millimeter wave focal plane array cameras are new sensors which, integrated into future guidance and landing systems, promise to be an effective aid, or alternative, to existing technology for aircraft landings and take-offs under Cat III conditions. They can produce visual-like radiometric images at real time frame rates (up to 30 Hz), and are directly amenable to image fusion with infrared and visible images. TRW has been actively involved in developing and productizing this technology both at the hardware and the system levels     

DFBW飞机人-机闭环纵向着陆特性研究

本文根据试飞员的飞行体会和一组试飞曲线,提出驾驶员参数随着着陆过程变化的频率域模型,建立装有DFBW飞机的人-机闭环系统数学模型,编制非线性全量时域仿真程序,对纵向着陆过程动态作了全面的定量分析,其结果与装有MCS飞机的试飞情况吻合,验证了本文建模、程序可信度和精度,从而得出某DFBW飞机着陆特性是可被驾驶员接受的一些有益结论。     

Prediction of pilot workload in helicopter landing after one engine failure

This paper presents a method to predict the pilot workload in helicopter landing after one engine failure. The landing procedure is simulated numerically via applying nonlinear optimal control method in the form of performance index, path constraints and boundary conditions based on an augmented six-degree-of-freedom rigid-body flight dynamics model, solved by collocation and numerical optimization method. UH-60A helicopter is taken as the sample for the demonstration of landing after one engine failure. The numerical simulation was conducted to find the trajectory of helicopter and the controls from pilot for landing after one engine failure with different performance index considering the factor of pilot workload. The reasonable performance index and corresponding landing trajectory and controls are obtained by making a comparison with those from the flight test data. Furthermore, the pilot workload is evaluated based on wavelet transform analysis of the pilot control activities. The workloads of pilot control activities for collective control, longitudinal and lateral cyclic controls and pedal control during the helicopter landing after one engine failure are examined and compared with those of flight test. The results show that when the performance index considers the factor of pilot workload properly, the characteristics of amplitudes and constituent frequencies of pilot control inputs in the optimal solution are consistent with those of the pilot control inputs in the flight test. Therefore, the proposed method provides a tool of predicting the pilot workload in helicopter landing after one engine failure.     

舰载飞机着舰过程的参数适配特性

 舰载飞机着舰过程的参数适配特性对于着舰安全性有着重要的影响.基于着舰安全准则,研究了无风和平静海况下驾驶员视野、着舰下沉速率和拦阻距离对舰载飞机参数适配特性的影响,给出了一定初始状态下舰载飞机的着舰质量和着舰速度的适配包线,分析了影响最大着舰质量的因素并对适配包线的扩展方法进行了研究.结果表明,适配包线由最小着舰速度和最大着舰速度封闭而成.其中,最小着舰速度主要由驾驶员视野准则决定;对于最大着舰速度,当着舰质量较小时主要由着舰下沉速率准则决定,当着舰质量较大时主要由拦阻距离准则决定;最大着舰质量由拦阻系统性能和驾驶员视野共同决定.通过增大拦阻力、改善飞机的低速气动特性可以有效扩展适配包线范围,增加许用的最大着舰质量,但下滑角大小的改变对其影响不大.     

着陆襟翼打开状态下抓斗式反推装置 三维流动数值模拟

基于求解三维Reynolds-averaged Navier-Stokes方程,数值模拟了着陆襟翼打开状态下抓斗式反推装置工作时流场分布特性.网格采用非结构化四面体与六面体混合分区生成技术,湍流模型选用Spalart-Allmaras模型.结果表明,在计算滑跑速度范围内,反向排气流不会被进气道重新吸入;高温反向排气流会冲击到飞机吊挂及部分机翼,需引起注意;随着滑跑速度的降低,反向排气流侧向影响范围急剧增大,若机翼后掠角较大,则反向排气流容易被相邻发动机再次吸入,引起进气畸变;当滑跑速度降低到34m/s时,反向流开始吹向地面,可能会卷起地面颗粒物并且被进气道吸入;随着滑跑速度的降低,反推力减小.      

基于模糊推理的舰载机进舰过程安全性仿真分析

 舰载机进舰过程复杂,驾驶员对舰载机的控制是影响进舰安全的重要因素,驾驶员操作的偏差受到人员自身状态、环境状态以及设备(舰载机)状态的综合影响。以国外某型舰载机为例,提出了基于模糊推理的舰载机进舰过程安全性建模与仿真方法。考虑舰载机进舰过程中驾驶员控制的不确定性,分析了引起驾驶员不确定性的人-机-环因素,基于模糊推理建立不确定因素引起的驾驶员控制偏差模型,并在此基础上建立了舰载机进舰过程安全性仿真模型。通过仿真分析明确危险模式、危险程度以及危险发生的时刻点等关键因素的影响程度,为进一步保证舰载机进舰安全提供基础。     

电传操纵飞机起飞着陆动态特性仿真研究

 以刚体系动力学理论为依据,结合飞机起飞着陆运动学特征,建立了起落架-机身组合刚体6自由度全量飞机方程。提出的阶跃跟踪驾驶员时域数学模型,有助于评价起飞着陆阶段人-机系统的飞行品质。然后建立机械操纵系统、电传操纵系统的数学模型,并编制非线性全量时域仿真程序,对起飞着陆动态特性做出了综合的全面的定量分析,其结果与试飞情况吻合。     

基于非线性动态逆的舰载机直接升力航迹控制

针对舰载机人工进场着舰精确轨迹控制中飞行员操纵负担重、着舰环境复杂的问题,提出采用非线性动态逆(NDI)先进控制方法设计基于直接升力的舰载机精确着舰轨迹控制律。首先,综合分析了"魔毯"技术的控制策略,从航迹调整和姿态保持的直接升力解耦控制角度出发,设计了两层NDI回路;然后,采用合理的控制分配方法实现直接升力的舵面分配。仿真结果表明,所提出的精确着舰控制方法能够有效实现"魔毯"式航迹操纵。     

TALONS 95 GHz radar sensor for autonomous landing guidance

Ground tests of the TALONS (tactical avionics for low-level navigation and strike) 95-GHz radar sensor are reported. Radar backscatter data were taken for a runway/taxiway system at realistic depression angles in various weather conditions to determine the effects of precipitation and fog. The data were analyzed and utilized to produce radar imagery. Radar cross-sections of several tactical targets were also measured. It was found that the conditions encountered during the test program were virtually transparent to 95-GHz energy at the detection ranges required for landing guidance