Honeywell International Inc.

Matthew Wiebold

Xiao Zhu Fan

Grant Lodden

Lee R Wienkes

Jason Garde

Timothy A Peterson

Jane Pavlich

David Michael Zuk

David Keith Johnson

Dominique Claire Fourguette

Thomas Dobbins

Karl F Roenigk

David Johnson

David Zuk

An adaptive airdrop system for an aircraft includes a wind measurement system and a processing system. The wind measurement system measures at least atmospheric wind velocity and supplies wind velocity data representative thereof. The processing system is configured to adaptively sample the wind velocity data, implement a computer aided release point (CARP) model, and iteratively process the adaptively sampled wind velocity data to calculate, using the CARP model, a precision release point for a payload.

Adaptive airdrop system and method

A system includes a light detection and ranging (LiDAR) unit comprising an atmospheric characterization transceiver module. The LiDAR unit is configured to transmit light into an external interaction air region, and collect scattered portions of the transmitted light from the external interaction air region. A robotic arm is operatively coupled to the atmospheric characterization transceiver module. A processor is in operative communication with the robotic arm. The processor is configured to control the robotic arm to position and point the atmospheric characterization transceiver module in a direction of interest to interrogate the external interaction air region.

System and method for using an industrial manipulator for atmospheric characterization lidar optics positioning

In an embodiment, a method is provided. The method comprises selecting at least one set of line of sight (LOS) vectors oriented in one or more directions outward from a vehicle; determining at least one air data solution based on the at least one set of LOS vectors; adjusting at least one value of an air vector equation based on a predetermined quantity; upon adjusting the at least one value, then determining at least one modified air data solution, wherein the at least one modified air data solution is determined based on the at least one set of LOS vectors and the at least one value; and comparing a difference between the at least one air data solution and the at least one modified air data solution to a threshold value, wherein the threshold value is indicative of error with respect to the at least one set of LOS vectors.

Vector air data dynamic constraining and self-checking systems and methods

A system comprises an optical air data system that measures aerosol and molecular scattering of light, and an optical instrument that measures aerosol and/or molecular scattering of light. A processor receives data from the air data system and from the optical instrument. The processor performs one or more signal analysis and data fusion methods comprising: (a) determining aerosol and/or molecular concentration from the received data, modifying a data analysis algorithm to optimize any remaining unknown parameters, and outputting enhanced air data parameters; (b) determining aerosol concentration from the received data, dynamically optimizing hardware settings in the air data system to enhance a signal level and avoid system saturation, and outputting enhanced air data parameters; or (c) determining aerosol and/or molecular concentration from the received data, estimating a confidence level of an air data algorithm, verifying optical health of the air data system, and reporting the optical health to a user.

Optical air data system fusion with remote atmospheric sensing

A system comprises a particle sensor assembly, which includes a light source that transmits a light beam into an external interrogation air region; a set of receive optics that provides a receive channel, the receive optics configured to collect a scattered portion of the light beam from a particle in the interrogation air region; and an optical detector that receives the collected scattered portion. The optical detector measures a signal intensity as a function of time from the scattered portion, with the signal intensity indicating a particle size and a signal duration indicating motion of the particle through the interrogation air region. A processor is in communication with the optical detector and is operative to determine a transit time of the particle through the interrogation air region based on the signal duration, and compute an airspeed based on parameters comprising the transit time and a size of the light beam.

System and method for deriving airspeed from a particle sensor

A particle detection system is provided. The particle detection system comprises at least one transmitter; at least one receiver; a first interrogation volume formed by a first intersection of a first pair of a transmitter beam of a transmitter and a receiver field of view of a receiver; and a second interrogation volume formed by a second intersection of a second pair of a transmitter beam of a transmitter and a receiver field of view of a receiver.

Apparatus and method for increasing dynamic range of a particle sensor

A system for obtaining air data for a vehicle comprises a laser device that emits laser light pulses, and transmit optics that transmits the light pulses into an external air volume adjacent to the vehicle. The system also includes receive optics that collects scattered portions of the light pulses from the external air volume, and a whispering gallery mode (WGM) frequency discriminator that receives the scattered portions of the light pulses from the receive optics. The WGM frequency discriminator includes at least one WGM resonator that outputs a selected portion of the light pulses at one or more optical signal frequencies via tuning the WGM resonator other than by an electro-optic effect. An optical detector samples the selected portion of the light pulses from the WGM frequency discriminator, and converts the sampled light pulses to scalar values. A processing unit receives and records the scalar values from the optical detector.

Whispering gallery mode based range-resolved air data system

An air data system comprises an optical air data sensor onboard a vehicle, and includes an optical transceiver at a first location that is spaced apart from a second location on the vehicle corresponding to the vehicle center of gravity. The optical transceiver has at least one line-of-sight that is fixed relative to body axes of the vehicle, transmits light along the line-of-sight into an external interaction air region, and collects a scattered portion of the transmitted light. The system also includes onboard inertial sensors configured to measure rotation rates of the vehicle and generate rotation rate data. An onboard processor communicates with the air data sensor and the inertial sensors. The processor computes at least one line-of-sight velocity based on the collected scattered portion of the transmitted light, corrects the line-of-sight velocity for rotation rate induced bias, and computes air data parameters based on the corrected line-of-sight velocity.

Compensation of an optical air data system using inertial aiding

In one embodiment, a method of determining the onset of a stall condition in a vehicle is provided. The method comprises: measuring, with a stall detection system, data which would indicate the presence of turbulent fluid flowing proximate to a foil; determining from the data whether an onset of a stall condition has occurred; and upon determining the onset of the stall condition, performing at least one of: issuing an alert, and causing the vehicle to avoid or exit the stall condition, and cease such activity when the onset of the stall condition no longer exists.

Growing community of inventors

Northfield, MN, United States of America

Matthew Wiebold