X-band avian radar detection and warning system

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-2016282131-A1
Application number	US-201514665418-A
Country	US
Kind code	A1
Filing date	Mar 23, 2015
Priority date	Mar 23, 2015
Publication date	Sep 29, 2016
Grant date	—

Abstract

The disclosed embodiments relate to an aircraft having an X-band avian radar detection and warning system. The system can include an X-band radar system and a processor. The processor can include a target processor module that can process the reflected X-band radar signals to: detect targets in a projected flight path of the aircraft; identify one or more targets that are determined to correspond to one or more birds; and generate a bird detection signal. In response to receiving the bird detection signal, the warning generator module can generate and transmit a warning generator signal to at least one cockpit output device in the cockpit of the aircraft to cause it to generate a warning signal that is perceptible in the cabin of the aircraft to warn pilots and crew of a potential collision with the birds so that the pilot can take evasive action.

First claim

1 . A method implemented onboard an aircraft, comprising:
receiving, via an X-band radar system, reflected X-band radar signals that are reflected by targets; processing the reflected X-band radar signals to detect targets in a projected flight path of the aircraft, wherein each target detected comprises either: a target that corresponds to one or more birds, or a target that does not correspond to one or more birds; identifying selected ones of the targets that are located in the projected flight path of the aircraft and that are determined to correspond to one or more birds; generating a bird detection signal comprising: information for each target that is identified as corresponding to one or more birds; and transmitting, in response to receiving the bird detection signal, a warning generator signal to at least one cockpit output device in a cockpit of the aircraft.

2 . The method according to claim 1 , wherein the information for each target that is identified as corresponding to one or more birds, comprises: target information for each target that is detected, the target information comprising: a current three-dimensional position, a current flight speed, a heading, a current range from the aircraft, and a Doppler signature.

3 . The method according to claim 1 , wherein processing the reflected X-band radar signals comprises:
digitizing transmitted X-band radar signals and the reflected X-band radar signals to generate digitized transmitted X-band radar signals and digitized reflected X-band radar signals; and processing the digitized transmitted X-band radar signals and the digitized X-band radar signals to generate the processed X-band radar signals.

4 . The method according to claim 3 , wherein processing the digitized transmitted X-band radar signals and the digitized X-band radar signals, comprises:
cross-correlating the digitized transmitted X-band radar signals and the digitized X-band radar signals using a Doppler bank of matched filters to generate cross-correlated X-band radar signals; quantizing amplitude, range and Doppler shift of the cross-correlated X-band radar signals; and extracting identification features for each target, wherein extracting comprises: determining a current three-dimensional position, a current range, a current flight speed and a current heading for each target, and computing a Doppler signature for each target that can be used to identify whether that target corresponds to one or more birds.

5 . The method according to claim 4 , further comprising:
computing a predicted flight path through three-dimensional space for each target that is detected and identified as corresponding to one or more birds, based on a current three-dimensional position, a current flight speed and a current heading of that target, wherein the bird detection signal for each target comprises: the three-dimensional position, the flight speed, the heading, the range, and the predicted flight path.

6 . The method according to claim 4 , further comprising:
accessing, from a memory, a set of pre-determined Doppler signatures that have been determined to correspond to one or more birds in flight; and wherein identifying selected ones of the targets comprises: executing a matching algorithm that compares the Doppler signature for each target to a set of pre-determined Doppler signatures to identify the selected ones of the targets that correspond to one or more birds.

7 . The method according to claim 6 , wherein each of the Doppler signatures comprises: identification features for that Doppler signature, wherein each of the pre-determined Doppler signatures comprises: pre-determined identification features for that pre-determined Doppler signature, and wherein executing a matching algorithm comprises:
comparing the identification features for each particular Doppler signature of each target with the pre-determined identification features for the pre-determined Doppler signatures to identify whether that target corresponds to one of the pre-determined Doppler signatures of one or more birds.

8 . The method according to claim 5 , further comprising:
receiving the projected flight path of the aircraft and the bird detection signal; processing data that indicates the projected flight path of the aircraft and data from the bird detection signal that indicates the predicted flight paths to determine whether a probability of a collision exceeds a threshold; and wherein transmitting the warning generator signal, comprises: when the flight path processor determines that the probability of a collision exceeds a threshold: transmitting the warning generator signal.

9 . The method according to claim 1 , further comprising:
generating, via the at least one cockpit output device, responsive to the warning generator signal, an alert signal that is perceptible in the cockpit of the aircraft.

10 . An aircraft comprising:
an avian detection and warning system mounted in the aircraft, and comprising: an X-band radar system configured to receive reflected X-band radar signals; and a processor comprising: a target processor module configured to process the reflected X-band radar signals to: detect targets in a projected flight path of the aircraft; identify one or more targets that are determined to correspond to one or more birds; and generate a bird detection signal comprising: information for each target that is identified as corresponding to one or more birds; and a warning generator module configured to generate and transmit, in response to receiving the bird detection signal, a warning generator signal to at least one cockpit output device in a cockpit of the aircraft.

11 . The aircraft according to claim 10 , wherein the target processor module comprises:
a target detector and feature extraction module configured to detect targets based on processed X-band radar signals, and generate target information for each target that is detected, wherein the target information for each target comprises: a current three-dimensional position, a current flight speed, a heading, a current range from the aircraft, and a Doppler signature.

12 . The aircraft according to claim 11 , wherein each target detected comprises either: a target that corresponds to one or more birds, or a target that does not correspond to one or more birds, and wherein the target processor module further comprises:
a target identification and flight path predication module configured to process the target information to: identify selected ones of the targets that are located in the projected flight path of the aircraft and that are determined to correspond to one or more birds; compute a predicted flight path through three-dimensional space for each target that is detected and identified as corresponding to one or more birds, wherein each predicted flight path is computed based on the current three-dimensional position, the current flight speed and the current heading of that target; and generate the bird detection signal that comprises: information for each target that is detected and identified as corresponding to one or more birds, the information comprising: the three-dimensional position, the flight speed, the heading, the range, and the predicted flight path.

13 . The aircraft according to claim 11 , wherein the warning generator module comprises:
a flight path processor configured to: receive the projected flight path of the aircraft and the bird detection signal; process data that indicates the projected flight path of the aircraft and data from the bird detection signal that indicates the predicted flight paths for each bird to determine w

Assignees

• Gulfstream Aerospace Corp

Inventors

• Palfreyman Gary

Classifications

• G01S7/415 Primary

  Identification of targets based on measurements of movement associated with the target · CPC title

• G01S13/5242

  with means for platform motion or scan motion compensation, e.g. airborne MTI · CPC title

• G01S13/66

  Radar-tracking systems; Analogous systems · CPC title

• G01S13/933

  of aircraft or spacecraft · CPC title

• G01S13/426

  Scanning radar, e.g. 3D radar (G01S13/66 takes precedence) · CPC title