Laser-radar based obstacle avoidance system for helicopters

Helicopters in low-level flight are endangered by power lines or telephone wires, especially when flighing at night and under poor visibility conditions. Existing night vision equipment cannot provide safe detection of these dangerous objects. From this reason there has been a widely accepted need for a reliable means of detecting such obstacles under all possible conditions for some time. Solutions to this problem have been proposed based on millimeter wave technology and other types of active systems. As an alternative to these systems, Dornier Luftfahrt GmbH has developed a Laser Radar Sensor which has shown good capabilities to solve this task without many of the shortcomings of other radar systems. After a short technology overview, this paper presents the operating concept of the new sensor system together with ground test results which have been achieved so far. System and integration concepts for display and warning functions are discussed which take into consideration the different requirements for various military and civil operations.