Threat countermeasure assistance system

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10822110-B2
Application number	US-201615259805-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Sep 8, 2016
Priority date	Sep 8, 2015
Publication date	Nov 3, 2020
Grant date	Nov 3, 2020

Abstract

Some embodiments include a countermeasure assistance system that, in response to detecting a threat to an aircraft, calculates and presents via a user interface an instruction to assist a pilot in evading the threat. For example, the system may determine a direction to which the aircraft should be turned to present a beam of the aircraft toward the threat, which may assist in evading a radar-enabled threat. The system may calculate a shortest turn to present the beam to the threat. The system may additionally display information regarding a position, nature, and degree of the threat, including through formatting of at least a portion of a user interface for displaying information regarding the threat. The system may additionally calculate and display an intervisibility zone for the threat and for the aircraft's current position to further assist the pilot in navigating to an area at which the threat may be evaded.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. An aircraft comprising:
a visual output to display information to an operator of the aircraft; and
at least one control circuit configured to:
in response to detecting a threat to the aircraft at a first bearing, determining whether the threat is a radar-enabled threat;
in response to determining that the threat is a radar-enabled threat,
calculate a second bearing to which the aircraft should be turned to counteract the threat, wherein the at least one control circuit is configured to calculate the second bearing at least in part by:
calculating a first notch bearing, wherein the aircraft would, when turned to the first notch bearing, present a left-side beam of the aircraft toward the first bearing,
calculating a second notch bearing, wherein the aircraft would, when turned to the second notch bearing, present a right-side beam of the aircraft toward the first bearing, and
selecting the second bearing from between the first notch bearing and the second notch bearing based on which of the first and second notch bearings would be reached with a shortest turn of the aircraft from a current bearing of the aircraft;

determine a direction in which the aircraft should be turned to follow the shortest turn of the aircraft toward the second bearing; and
output via the visual output an instruction to the operator of the aircraft to turn in the direction, the instruction output via the visual output graphically indicating the direction and including the second bearing.

2. The aircraft of claim 1 , wherein:
the at least one control circuit comprises a mission processor of the aircraft, the mission processor being communicatively coupled to at least one threat warning system of the aircraft to receive one or more messages from the at least one threat warning system regarding a detected threat; and
the mission processor is configured to calculate the second bearing in response to a message from the at least one threat warning system regarding the threat, the message comprising the first bearing.

3. The aircraft of claim 2 , wherein the mission processor is configured to output, for presentation via the visual output, the instruction to turn in the direction via a graphical user interface that displays information regarding a topology of the environment surrounding the aircraft.

4. The aircraft of claim 3 , wherein:
the mission processor is further configured to receive an inferred location of the threat in the environment;
the information regarding the topology of the environment comprises a map of the environment; and
the mission processor is configured to further output, for presentation in the graphical user interface via the visual output, the position of the aircraft in the environment, the inferred location of the threat in the environment, and a geometric shape surrounding the position of the aircraft, and to further output via a formatting of the geometric shape the first bearing at which the threat was detected and the second bearing to which the aircraft should be turned.

5. The aircraft of claim 4 , wherein the at least one control circuit is further configured to:
calculate an intervisibility zone for the aircraft with respect to the threat, wherein the mission processor is configured to calculate the intervisibility zone based at least in part on the inferred location of the threat in the environment, the topology of the environment, and a current altitude of the aircraft; and
output the intervisibility zone via the graphical user interface through formatting of at least a portion of the map to illustrate the intervisibility zone.

6. The aircraft of claim 5 , wherein:
the mission processor is further configured to receive, in the one or more messages from the at least one threat warning system regarding the threat, an indication of a nature and/or a degree of the threat; and
the mission processor is configured to output the nature and/or the degree of the threat via the formatting of the geometric shape.

7. The aircraft of claim 6 , wherein the mission processor is further configured to, in response to one or more second messages indicating a change in a degree of the threat, change the formatting of the geometric shape to indicate the change in the degree of the threat.

8. The aircraft of claim 7 , wherein:
the geometric shape is a circle;
the mission processor is configured to format a wedge of the circle to indicate the nature and/or the degree of the threat; and
the mission processor is configured to adjust formatting of the wedge to indicate the change in the degree of the threat.

9. The aircraft of claim 8 , wherein:
the mission processor is further configured to receive, in the one or more messages from the at least one threat warning system regarding the threat, an indication of an accuracy in detection of the first bearing to the threat;
the mission processor is configured with a plurality of formatting animations, each formatting animation of the plurality of formatting animations being associated with a threat degree of a plurality of threat degrees, each formatting animation adjusting a color, transparency, and/or size of a formatting of a wedge of the circle;
the missions processor is configured to adjust a width of the wedge to indicate an accuracy of detection of the first bearing; and
the mission processor is configured to adjust formatting of the wedge to indicate the change in the degree of the threat by selecting and outputting a formatting animation, of the plurality of formatting animations, corresponding to a current degree of the threat.

10. The aircraft of claim 1 , wherein the at least one control circuit is configured to, in response to detecting multiple concurrent threats to the aircraft:
prioritize threats to the aircraft based on a risk presented to the aircraft by each of the multiple concurrent threats;
select one or more of the prioritized threats about which to present information to the pilot via the visual output at a time, and select one or more other threats about which not to present information to the pilot via the visual output at the time; and
output information about the one or more selected prioritized threats via the visual output.

11. The aircraft of claim 10 , wherein:
the one or more selected prioritized threats is at least two threats;
the at least one control circuit is configured to output the information about the at least two threats by alternating over time between presenting information about each of the at least two threats via the visual output.

12. The aircraft of claim 11 , wherein the at least one control circuit is configured to prioritize threats to the aircraft by calculating a probability of survivability by the aircraft for each of the multiple concurrent threats at a time the multiple concurrent threats are detected.

13. The aircraft of claim 12 , wherein the at least one control circuit is configured to calculate the probability of survivability for each of the multiple concurrent threats at least in part by, for each threat:
determining, based on a nature and a current degree of the threat, a known vulnerability of the aircraft to being critically damaged if hit by the threat; and
determining, based at least in part on countermeasures for the threat currently available to the aircraft, a susceptibility of the aircraft to being engaged and/or hit by the threat.

14. A method for assisting a pilot in evading one or more threats to an aircraft, the method comprising:
in response to receiving one or more messages from a threat warning system regarding a radar-enabled threat to the aircraft detected at a

Assignees

• Lockheed Corp

Inventors

• Colby Steven D

Classifications

• G01C21/3852

  Data derived from aerial or satellite images · CPC title

• G01C21/3867

  Geometry of map features, e.g. shape points, polygons or for simplified maps · CPC title

• G08G5/59

  in accordance with predefined flight zones, e.g. to avoid prohibited zones · CPC title

• G08G5/55

  for a single aircraft · CPC title

• G08G5/20

  Arrangements for acquiring, generating, sharing or displaying traffic information (arrangements for monitoring traffic G08G5/72) · CPC title