GB2049596A

GB2049596A - An aircraft having a sensor device

Info

Publication number: GB2049596A
Application number: GB8013666A
Authority: GB
Original assignee: Vereinigte Flugtechnische Werke Fokker GmbH
Current assignee: Vereinigte Flugtechnische Werke Fokker GmbH
Priority date: 1979-04-27
Filing date: 1980-04-25
Publication date: 1980-12-31
Also published as: FR2454962B1; DE2917096A1; DE2917096C2; FR2454962A1; GB2049596B

Abstract

An aircraft such as an RPV has a nose 2 which is rotatable about the longitudinal axis of the aircraft, the nose having a tip 3 which is rotatable relative to the nose about a transverse axis, the tip 3 carrying one or more sensor devices 4, 5, e.g. cameras or laser rangefinders, for reconnaissance of terrain. The underside of the nose is provided with a viewing zone 18 which permits a wide-angle rearward field of view. The nose 2 comprises a forked-member rotatable about a shaft 8, and tip 3 is rotatably mounted on the arms 11, 12 of the fork. Servomotors 19 and 21 are provided for positioning the nose 2 and its tip 3, and respective position sensors 20, 22 are also provided. The tip 3 also carries rate gyros 23, 24 for the pitch and roll axes. <IMAGE>

Description

SPECIFICATION An aircraft having a sensor device This invention relates to an aircraft having a sensor device for reconnaissance of a landscape or terrain over which the aircraft is flying, more particularly reconnaissance of an area subject to a military operation.

It is known to use aircraft with sensor devices for reconnaissance of areas subject to military operations and also for fire control of laser-controlled weapons. Thus information may be obtained from an area over which an aircraft has flown and this information may be used to introduce defence measures either after direct evaluation or, after long-range transmission to a control station or the information may be used to carry out attacks in cooperation with the positions of weapons. Television cameras and/or infra-red cameras as well as target tracking equipment, e.g. so-cal led trackers and lasers, may be used as sensor devices; which of these is used depends on the respective deployment conditions and/orthe mission which is to be carried out.

Reconnaissance of areas subject to military operations and fire control of laser-controlled weapons often require deployment over the enemy territory so that relatively small remote controlled aircraft are preferred for this purpose. In addition it is possible to remotely guide these aircraft from a control position or to make them follow a prescribed desired flight path. Because of the remote control of these aircraft they are called "RPVs" which stands for "Remotely Piloted Vehicle".

The object underlying the invention is to provide an aircraft the construction of which facilitates reconnaissance of landscapes or terrain and fire control of laser-controlled weapons.

According to the present invention there is provided an aircraft having a sensor device for reconnaissance of terrain over which the plane is flying, wherein the aircraft has a nose rotatable about the longitudinal axis of the aircraft, the nose having a tip supporting the sensor device and pivotable about a transverse axis, the underside of the nose being provided with a viewing zone for wide-angle rearward reconnaissance.

The nose of the aircraft preferably comprises a forked member rotatable on the fuselage by a shaft in a bearing device, the aerodynamic cladding of the fork member being interrupted on the underside in order to form the viewing compartment. It is also preferred to provide bearing bores in the forward tongue sections of the forked member, the bearing bores serving to accommodate bearing pins of an annular support supporting the sensor device.

In a preferred refinement of the invention a servomotor for positioning the annular support is provided on the bearing bore of one of the tongue sections and a position sensor for determining the position is provided on the bearing bore of the other tongue section. It is also preferred to provide a ser vomotorfor positioning the forked member and a position sensor for determining the position on the bearing device for the shaft of the forked member.

This measure makes it possible to stabilize the platform and/or to track the sensor device thus making alignment of the sensor device extremely accurate and fault-free.

A preferred embodiment of the present invention will now be described by way of example only with reference to the accompanying drawings, of which: Figure 1 shows a sectional side view of the nose of an aircraft in accordance with the present invention; Figure 2 shows a front view in section of the aircraft of Figure 1; and Figure 3 shows a plan view of the aircraft of Figure 1.

The embodiment shown in Figures 1 to 3 shows the nose of an aircraft 1 having a sensor device 4, 5 arranged in the nose tip 3. The nose 2 comprises a forked member 6 provided with a cladding 7 which forked member is rotatable on the conical fuselage 10 of the aircraft 1 by a hollow shaft 8 on a bearing device 9. A bearing bore 13, 14 respectively is provided in the forward tongue sections 11, 12 of the forked member 6, the bearing bore serving to accommodate the bearing pins 16, 17 of an annular support structure 15 supporting the sensor device 4, 5.The sensor device 4, 5 which is directed towards the front may therefore pivot with the annular support structure 15 about the transverse axis which passes through the bearing pins 16, 17 and thus cover a range which starts on the one hand from the longitudinal axis of the aircraft and extends rearwardly up to an angle of minus 160 . This is possible because of a viewing zone or compartment 18 provided on the underside of the nose 2, which is provided in the cladding 7.

By pivoting the annular support structure 15 in the nose tip 3 and rotating the nose 2 with the aid of the hollow shaft 8 of the forked' member 6 it is possible to change the viewing direction and the viewing angle and thus to reconniotre those areas of operation for example military operation which would otherwise be difficult to view. Thus a servo motor 19 for positioning the annular support structure 15 is provided on the tongue section 11 of the forked member 6, while a position sensor 20 for determining the position of the annular support structure 15 is incorporated in the tongue section 12. The bearing device 9 on the fuselage 10 is also provided with a servdmotor 21 and a position sensor 22 for adjusting or determining the position of the nose 2 with respect to the longitudinal axis of the aircraft.

Besides the position sensors, tachogenarators for optimum control of the speed' may also be incorpo rated. The cladding on the nose 2 is so arranged that it moves with the nose during any displacement, more particularly any rotation, and thus does not restrict the viewing zone 18 with respect to recon naissance rearwardly. The conical fuselage 10 therefore improves the rear view while the extended cladding 7 inhibits aerodynamic disturbance.

Infra-red cameras 4 or television cameras 4 and laser illuminators or rangefinder 5 are used for the sensor device. Two rate gyros 23, 24 are aslo built into the annular support structure 15. The rate gyro 23 is provided for the pitch axis which coincides with the pivot axis of the annular support structure 15, while the rate gyro 24 is provided for the roll axis, which passes through the hollow shaft 8 and the longitudinal axis of the aircraft. Therefore it is also possible to undertake stabilization of the platform with the aid of known electronic devices besides pos itioning of the sensor device 4, 5. The nose tip 3 is provided with a thin-walled spherical hood 25 consisting of two halves for the protection of the sensor device 4, 5.In each half of the hood there is provided a window 26, 27 respectively made from suitable materials for the surreying cameras 4 or the laser 5, the window for laser 5 and the television cameras 4 comprising acrylic glass for example, while the window for an infra-red camera is manufactured from germanium. The subdivision of the hood 25 into two halves has the advantage that only one half of the hood has to be exchanged each time the surveying camera is exchanged.

The aircraft is able to reconnoitre a terrain over which the aircraft is flying from almost every direction and viewing angle and target tracking and fire control are permitted rearwardly of the aircraft.

The aircraft is highly suitable for reconnaissance of terrain over which the aircraft has flown because of its construction and is also highly suitable for fire control of laser-controlled weapons, known remote control devices being able to be used for guidance.

The hollow shaft 8 bv means of which the forked member 6 is mounted on the fuselage 10 in the bearing device 9 thus makes it possible for signals to pass between the fuselage 10 and the sensor device 4.

Claims

1. An aircraft having a sensor device for reconnaissance of terrain over which the plane is flying, wherein the aircraft has a nose rotatable about the longitudinal axis of the aircraft, the nose having a tip supporting the sensor device and pivotable about a transverse axis, the underside of the nose being provided with a viewing zone for wide-angle rearward reconniassance.

2. An aircraft according to Claim 1, wherein the nose comprises a forked' member rotatable on the fuselage of the aircraft by means of a shaft in a bearing device.

3. An aircraft according to claim 2 wherein the forked member has aerodyramic cladding which is interrupted on the underside in order to form the viewing zone.

4. An aircraft according to claim 2, wherein front tongue sections of the forked member are provided with bearing bores which serve to accommodate bearing pins of an annular support supporting the sensor device.

5. An aircraft according to Claim 4, wherein a servomotor for positioning the annular support is provided on the bearing bore of one of the tongue sections and a position sensor for determining the position of the annular support is provided on the bearing bore of the other tongue section.

6. An aircraft according to any of Claims 2 to 5 wherein the bearing device for the shaft has a servomotor for positioning the forked member and a position sensor for determining the position thereof.

7. An aircraft according to any preceding claim wherein the sensor device comprises a surveying camera and/or a laser rangefinder.

8. An aircraft according to any of the preceding Claims, wherein the sensor device has a first rate gyro for the roll axis and a second rate gyro for the pitch axis.

9. An aircraft according to claims 4 and 8, wherein the rate gyros are provided in said annular support.

10. An aircraft having a sensor device substantially as herein described with reference to the accompanying drawings.