• 专利附录
  • 专利说明
  • 权利要求
  • 类似技术
  • 同族专利
  • 引用文献
  • 法律状态
  • 优先权
    • 专利摘要:
    The invention relates to a method for automatically supporting the landing of an aircraft (1) on a landing platform (2) by means of a tether (3) connecting the aircraft (1) to the landing platform (2) and a winch (4) the tether (3) can be automatically rolled up and unrolled. The invention also relates to a computer program with program code means set up to carry out a method of the aforementioned type when the computer program is executed on a computer. The invention also relates to a system for automatically assisting the landing of an aircraft (1) on a landing platform (2) by means of a tether (3), the system comprising at least one control device (5), a sensor (6) and one of the control device ( 5) controllable winch (4), on which the tether (3) is motorized and unrolled.
    公开号:CH714861A2
    申请号:CH00360/19
    申请日:2019-03-20
    公开日:2019-09-30
    发明作者:Voigt Andreas；Krause Stefan
    申请人:Deutsch Zentr Luft & Raumfahrt；
    IPC主号:
    专利说明:

    The invention relates to a method for automatically supporting the landing of an aircraft on a landing platform by means of a tether that connects the aircraft to the landing platform, and a winch with which the tether can be automatically rolled up and unrolled. The invention also relates to a computer program with program code means set up to carry out a method of the aforementioned type when the computer program is executed on a computer. The invention also relates to a system for automatically supporting the landing of an aircraft on a landing platform by means of a tether, the system having at least one control device, a sensor system and a cable winch that can be controlled by the control device, on which the tether can be rolled up and unrolled by motor.
    Landing an aircraft on a landing platform can be particularly difficult in certain situations, e.g. if the landing platform is on a high-rise building and strong and possibly gusty winds are present. Another difficult landing situation occurs when the aircraft is on a landing platform on a ship, e.g. to land on a ship deck. The landing can be particularly difficult due to high seas and strong and changeable winds.
    In the field of manned helicopters, the Recovery Assist, Secure and Traverse System (RAST) from Curtiss-Wright is known. With this system, the pilot first performs a normal approach to the landing platform on a ship and then changes to a hovering state. A pilot rope is lowered from the helicopter to the landing platform and connected to a main tether of the ship by personnel on the ship. The main tether is then pulled up to the helicopter using the pilot rope and locked there. As soon as a phase of slight ship movements occurs, the pilot requests the personnel on board the ship to tighten the main tether. The pilot then controls the further landing approach to the landing platform, the main tether being kept under tension by manual operation of the system by the personnel on board the ship. This whole process requires considerable manual effort.
    The invention has for its object to improve the landing of an aircraft on a landing platform by means of a tether so that the method can be carried out largely automatically and accordingly fewer or no manual intervention is required. In particular, the method should also be suitable for landing operations of unmanned or autonomous aircraft.
    This object is achieved by a method of the type mentioned at the outset, with one or both of the following steps a), b):
    a) performing position control of the aircraft, in which an actual position of the aircraft is regulated based on at least one signal from a sensor system to a target position relative to the landing platform,
    b) Carrying out an attitude adjustment control, by means of which the current attitude of the aircraft is regulated to a desired position relative to the landing platform, based on signals from the sensor system characterizing the actual position of the landing platform.
    The inventive method has the advantage that the aircraft is stabilized by the tensile force exerted mechanically by the tether on the aircraft. In addition, the effective rotor thrust of the aircraft is increased, whereby the aircraft is exposed to gusts and wake effects of objects located in the environment, such as e.g. Buildings or ship superstructures. The tether restricts and centers the aircraft with regard to changes in position. The possible degrees of freedom of the aircraft are limited by the tether, so that a restoring force in the direction of the anchor point of the tether at which the tether is attached to the landing platform is generated as soon as a lateral or longitudinal displacement of the aircraft relative to the landing platform occurs.
    By carrying out the position control of the aircraft, additional stabilization of the aircraft with respect to the landing platform can be achieved. The position control minimizes deviations in the position of the aircraft from the target position. The target position can e.g. be the anchor point of the tether. The position control can be carried out, for example, on the basis of sensor signals. A position signal can generally be detected on board the aircraft, e.g. by optical detection of markings on the landing platform or by measuring the cable force vector, or sensors arranged on the landing platform, such as e.g. Laser scanners, sonar distance sensors or radar sensors, through which the aircraft can be detected. The position control further promotes the stabilizing function of the tether and protects the tether from excessive fluctuations in the load.
    The cable winch can be arranged on the aircraft and / or on the landing platform. A regulation in the sense of the present application is understood to be a regulation in which at least one variable to be regulated is regulated on the basis of one or more sensed sensor signals in relation to a target value, such that the control deviation between the actual value of the variable to be regulated and the target value is minimized ideally or is zero.
    CH 714 861 A2 According to an advantageous development of the invention, it is provided that the position control is carried out on the basis of a signal from the sensor system which represents the rope force of the tether. The signal representing the rope force of the tether is thus at least one input variable of the position control. In this way, a constant load on the tether can be promoted by the position control.
    According to an advantageous development of the invention, it is provided that the position control is carried out based on an angle signal from the sensor system, which represents a rope angle of the tether relative to the aircraft and / or a rope angle of the tether relative to the landing platform. Accordingly, the angle signal can be at least one input variable for position control. Since the orientation of the tether relative to the aircraft and / or relative to the landing platform is an indicator of the deviation of the actual position of the aircraft from the target position, a suitable input variable for position control can be obtained in this way with little effort.
    In addition, the remaining rope length of the tether, which is a measure of the distance between the aircraft and the landing platform, can be used in addition. The position of the aircraft relative to the landing platform can also be determined by taking such sensor signals into account. This eliminates the need for complex instrumentation of the landing deck or data transmission systems with which data can be exchanged between the aircraft and the landing platform. The rope angle of the tether relative to the aircraft or relative to the landing platform can in particular comprise two spatial components, for example a longitudinal and a lateral component of the rope angle.
    The aircraft is reliably guided to the landing platform by means of the tether. The tether increasingly limits the degrees of freedom of the aircraft as the aircraft approaches the landing platform. This allows the deviation of the aircraft with respect to the landing position to be checked. In addition, due to the rope angle, a restoring force is applied to the aircraft.
    In contrast to the RAST system, which is designed for manned helicopters, the present invention can also be used for landing unmanned and / or autonomous aircraft. Based on the detected sensor signals that can be measured by the tether, it is possible to provide a controller that holds the relative position of the aircraft to the anchor point on the landing platform and can regulate a sinking speed of the aircraft taking into account the stroke of the landing platform.
    It is advantageous to combine the method according to the invention with a regulation of the rope force of the tether, for example in such a way that the rope force of the tether is regulated to a predetermined rope force setpoint, based on at least one input signal from the sensor system. The corresponding input signal from the sensor system can e.g. be carried out by measuring the current rope force, for example by means of a force sensor or a tension sensor. In this way, not only an undesired sagging of the tether can be detected or avoided in advance. In addition, the aircraft can be reliably brought closer to the landing platform, e.g. through a force sequence control. As an alternative or in addition, it is advantageous to use a tether with sufficient elasticity, so that undesired sagging of the rope can additionally be avoided by stretching effects of the tether.
    The aforementioned attitude adjustment control makes it possible to adjust the attitude of the aircraft to the existing position of the landing platform, which is particularly important in ship deck landings in high seas. This makes it possible to align the landing gear of the aircraft parallel to the landing platform, in particular at the end of the landing process, and thus to be able to land safely even when the landing platform is at a steep incline. The invention makes it possible to achieve a better adaptation of its position to the position of the landing platform by limiting the range of motion of the aircraft. This means that helicopters, for example, can land on significantly sloping ground than before, because this can significantly reduce the mast moments on the rotor mast. This is an important contribution to the all-weather ability for ship deck landings.
    The attitude adjustment control can be carried out, for example, during the entire landing process of the aircraft supported by the tether.
    According to an advantageous development of the invention, it is provided that the attitude adjustment control is activated if, after performing a rolling operation of the tether by the cable winch, the distance between the aircraft and the landing platform falls below a minimum value. Accordingly, the attitude adjustment control is not permanently active during the landing process of the aircraft guided by the tether, but only in an end phase of the landing approach, in which the aircraft is already relatively close to the landing platform. For this purpose, a certain rolling-in process of the tether must first be carried out, for example halving compared to the initial rope length. Then the attitude adjustment control is activated. The activation criterion for the attitude adjustment control, namely falling below a minimum value of the distance between the aircraft and the landing platform, can be determined on the basis of different sensor-recorded data. For example, the distance can be determined by the remaining rope length of the tether. Alternatively or additionally, aircraft sensors can be used for this, e.g. Distance sensors on the aircraft, such as laser scanners, So
    CH 714 861 A2 nar range sensors, radar sensors. Alternatively or additionally, sensors can be used on the landing platform, for example sensors of a comparable type, as mentioned above.
    According to an advantageous development of the invention it is provided that the position control is switched off when the attitude adjustment control is activated, or the position control is hidden when the attitude adjustment control is activated. This avoids a possible conflict between the position control and attitude adjustment control systems. The transition between the position control and the attitude adjustment control can occur abruptly by switching over, or with a smooth transition, namely by the aforementioned hiding of the position control. At the same time, the attitude adjustment regulation can be shown.
    According to an advantageous development of the invention it is provided that the aircraft has an attitude controller, which is set up to automatically keep the aircraft in the horizontal flight position. This is particularly advantageous for unmanned and / or autonomous aircraft. The aircraft is automatically stabilized in the horizontal flight position by the flight attitude controller.
    According to an advantageous development of the invention, it is provided that the rope force of the tether is regulated to a predetermined rope force setpoint based on at least one input signal from the sensor system. The input signal can be the measured actual rope force of the tether. In this way, sagging of the tether can be avoided and a uniform approach of the aircraft to the landing platform can be achieved. For example, the tether is pulled in continuously, so that the distance between the aircraft and the landing platform is steadily reduced on average. The rope force setpoint can be determined, for example, on the basis of the maximum load of the aircraft (payload), e.g. than a third of the payload.
    If such a regulation of the rope force is carried out, the actual rope force detected by the sensor system can also be used as an input variable for the position regulation. Here, the position control can be designed as a higher-level control for rope force control, i.e. the cable force control is subordinate to the position control.
    According to an advantageous development of the invention, it is provided that the aircraft is an unmanned and / or a vertical-capable aircraft and / or the landing platform is located on a watercraft at sea. The aircraft can e.g. a helicopter or any other type of vertical landing aircraft. The watercraft can be, for example, a ship or, particularly in the case of smaller unmanned aerial vehicles, a buoy.
    According to an advantageous development of the invention, it is provided that at least part of the sensor system is arranged on the landing platform, with the sensor signals required in the aircraft being automatically transmitted from the landing platform to the aircraft via wireless communication in order to automatically support the landing. In this way, the data exchange can be further optimized to support the automatic landing of the aircraft. For example, the aircraft and the landing platform can each have a wireless communication device, e.g. for communication via radio signals or optical signals.
    The above-mentioned object is also achieved by a computer program with program code means, set up to carry out a method of the type explained above, when the computer program is executed on a computer. The computer can e.g. be a microcontroller or microprocessor, for example a computer of a control device of the system explained below. The computer program can be stored in a data carrier, e.g. in a memory of the system explained below. The advantages explained above can also be realized in this way.
    The above-mentioned object is also achieved by a system for automatically supporting the landing of an aircraft on a landing platform by means of a tether, the system having at least one control device, a sensor system and a cable winch which can be controlled by the control device and on which the tether is motorized can be rolled up and unrolled, the control device being set up to automatically carry out one, several or all steps of a method of the type explained above. The advantages explained above can also be realized in this way.
    [0026] According to an advantageous development of the invention, it is provided that the sensor system has one, several or all of the following sensors:
    a) laser scanner on the aircraft and / or on the landing platform,
    b) inertial sensors on the landing platform,
    c) sonar distance sensors on the aircraft and / or on the landing platform,
    d) radar sensors on the aircraft and / or on the landing platform,
    e) rope force sensor for detecting the rope force of the tether,
    CH 714 861 A2
    f) angle measuring device on the aircraft for determining the rope angle of the tether relative to the aircraft and / or an angle measuring device on the landing platform for detecting the rope angle of the tether relative to the landing platform,
    g) a camera or multi-camera on the aircraft and / or on the landing platform
    h) rope length meter to record the remaining rope length between the aircraft and the landing platform.
    In this way, the system can be adapted to the prevailing requirements for supporting the landing of the aircraft.
    The implementation of the attitude adjustment regulation requires that the actual position of the landing platform is determined. This can be done, for example, by inertial sensors that are installed on or on the landing platform and transmit the current actual position of the landing platform to the aircraft via wireless communication. Alternatively or additionally, sensors installed on the aircraft can also be used, e.g. by taking several non-contact distance measurements, e.g. at least three spatially distributed distance measurements, the actual position of the landing platform is recorded from the aircraft. For example, scanning and flashing laser scanners, multi-camera systems, sonar distance sensors and radar sensors can be used for this purpose. The actual position of the landing platform can be recorded continuously while the attitude adjustment regulation is being carried out.
    The invention is explained in more detail below using an exemplary embodiment using drawings.
    It shows [0030]
    Fig. 1 shows a landing process of an aircraft in a first landing phase and
    Fig. 2 shows the landing process of the aircraft in a second landing phase.
    The reference symbols used in the drawings have the following meaning:
    aircraft
    landing platform
    tether
    winch
    control device
    sensors
    Funicular
    anchor point
    Spherical surface segment α rope angle [0032] FIG. 1 shows an aircraft 1 which is to carry out a landing operation on a landing platform 2 which is shown obliquely in this case. The aircraft 1 has a system for automatically supporting the landing on the landing platform 2 by means of a tether 3. The system has a control device 5, a sensor system 6 and a cable winch 4 which can be controlled by the control device. In the illustrated embodiment, the cable winch 4 is arranged on the aircraft 1, alternatively the cable winch 4 can also be arranged on the landing platform 2.
    1 shows a state in which the tether 3 is already attached to the landing platform 2 at an anchor point 8. As a result, the possible freedom of movement of the aircraft 1 is limited to a spherical surface segment 9. At least the rope force 7 occurring in the tether 3 and the rope angle α of the tether are determined via the sensor system 6. In the first landing phase shown in FIG. 1, the aircraft 1 is still relatively far away from the landing platform 2. By rolling the tether 3 by means of the winch 4, this distance is reduced. In the first landing phase shown in FIG. 1, position control of the aircraft 1 relative to the landing platform 2 is first carried out in such a way that the aircraft 1 is stabilized vertically as precisely as possible above the anchor point 8.
    CH 714 861 A2 FIG. 2 shows the landing of the aircraft in a second landing phase that follows the first landing phase. The aircraft 1 is now significantly closer to the landing platform 2, i.e. the remaining rope length of the tether 3 is significantly less. In this second landing phase, the aforementioned position control is no longer carried out. Instead, an attitude adjustment regulation is carried out, by means of which the aircraft is now regulated parallel to the landing platform 2. If the actual position of the landing platform 2 changes, the attitude of the aircraft is also automatically adapted to it by the attitude adjustment regulation.
    The entire landing process of the aircraft 1 on the landing platform 2 can, for example, take place in the following phases:
    1. The aircraft 1 approaches the landing platform 2 with conventional navigation, e.g. through autonomous control with simultaneous attitude control, which automatically holds the aircraft 1 in the horizontal attitude.
    2. Unrolling the tether 3 by means of the cable winch 4 and fastening the tether 3 at the anchor point 8, or alternatively on a cable winch located on the landing platform 2.
    3. Continuous rolling of the tether 3 by means of the winch 4 while performing the position control of the aircraft 1, if necessary additionally by a horizontal position control of the aircraft 1 by the attitude controller.
    4. Transition from the position control to the attitude adjustment control when the aircraft 1 is in the second landing phase (according to FIG. 2), e.g. if the distance between the aircraft 1 and the landing platform 2 is less than a minimum value. In this case, the attitude controller is also switched off, since the attitude adjustment control aligns the attitude of the aircraft 1 parallel to the landing platform 2.
    claims
    权利要求:
    Claims (13)
    [1]
    1. A method for automatically supporting the landing of an aircraft (1) on a landing platform (2) by means of a tether (3) that connects the aircraft (1) to the landing platform (2) and a cable winch (4) with which Tether (3) can be rolled up and unrolled automatically, characterized by:
    - Carrying out a position control of the aircraft (1), in which an actual position of the aircraft (1) is regulated based on at least one signal from a sensor system (6) to a target position relative to the landing platform (2).
    [2]
    2. The method according to claim 1, characterized by:
    - Carrying out an attitude adjustment control, by means of which the current attitude of the aircraft (1) is regulated to a desired position relative to the landing platform (2), based on signals from the sensor system (6) characterizing the actual position of the landing platform (2).
    [3]
    3. The method according to any one of the preceding claims, characterized in that the position control is carried out based on a signal of the sensor system (6) representing the cable force (7) of the tether (3).
    [4]
    4. The method according to any one of the preceding claims, characterized in that the position control is carried out based on an angle signal from the sensor system (6), which is a rope angle (a) of the tether (3) relative to the aircraft (1) and / or a rope angle ( a) of the tether (3) relative to the landing platform (2) represents.
    [5]
    5. The method according to any one of the preceding claims, characterized in that the attitude adjustment control is activated if after performing a rolling-in of the tether (3) by the cable winch (4) the distance between the aircraft (1) and the landing platform (2) falls below a minimum value.
    [6]
    6. The method according to any one of the preceding claims, characterized in that the position control is switched off when the attitude adjustment control is activated, or the position control is hidden when the attitude adjustment control is activated.
    [7]
    7. The method according to any one of the preceding claims, characterized in that the aircraft (1) has an attitude controller, which is set up to automatically hold the aircraft (1) in the horizontal flight position.
    [8]
    8. The method according to any one of the preceding claims, characterized in that a regulation of the rope force (7) of the tether (3) to a predetermined rope force setpoint is carried out based on at least one input signal of the sensor system (6).
    [9]
    9. The method according to any one of the preceding claims, characterized in that the aircraft (1) is an unmanned and / or a vertically landable aircraft (1) and / or the landing platform (2) is on a watercraft at sea.
    CH 714 861 A2
    [10]
    10. The method according to any one of the preceding claims, characterized in that at least a part of the sensor system (6) is arranged on the landing platform (2), the signals of the sensor system (6) required in the aircraft (1) being used to automatically support the landing wireless communication from the landing platform (2) to the aircraft (1) is transmitted.
    [11]
    11. Computer program with program code means, set up to carry out a method according to one of the preceding claims, when the computer program is executed on a computer.
    [12]
    12. System for automatically supporting the landing of an aircraft (1) on a landing platform (2) by means of a tether (3), the system comprising at least one control device (5), a sensor system (6) and one that can be controlled by the control device (5) Cable winch (4) on which the tether (3) can be rolled up and unrolled by a motor, characterized in that the control device (5) is set up to automatically carry out one, several or all steps of a method according to one of Claims 1 to 10.
    [13]
    13. System according to claim 12, characterized in that the sensor system (6) has one, several or all of the following sensors:
    a) laser scanner on the aircraft (1) and / or on the landing platform (2),
    b) inertial sensors on the landing platform (2),
    c) sonar distance sensors on the aircraft (1) and / or on the landing platform (2),
    d) radar sensors on the aircraft (1) and / or on the landing platform (2),
    e) rope force sensor for detecting the rope force (7) of the tether (3),
    f) Angle measuring device on the aircraft (1) for determining the rope angle (a) of the tether (3) relative to the aircraft (1) and / or an angle measuring device on the landing platform (2) for detecting the rope angle (a) of the tether (3) relative to the landing platform (2),
    g) a camera or multi-camera on the aircraft (1) and / or on the landing platform (2),
    h) rope length meter to record the remaining rope length between the aircraft (1) and the landing platform (2).
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    引用文献:
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    法律状态:
    优先权:
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