Helicopter rotorblade radar system
US6054947A · kind A · utility
Inventor
Key dates
| Filing date | Aug 28, 1998 |
| Grant date | Apr 25, 2000 |
| Priority date | — |
| Expiry date | Aug 28, 2018 |
Classification
- Technology area (CPC G)Physics
- CPC primaryG01S7/032
- WIPO fieldMeasurement
- WIPO sectorInstruments
Abstract
A radar system for a helicopter having a mast and a plurality of blades coupled to the mast by shaft portions of the blades includes a transmitter and a receiver respectively transmitting and receiving a pulsed radar beam through a feed horn, a generator for generating the radar beam energy for transmission by the transmitter, a processor, a display, and a passive reflectarray deposited on the underside of at least one blade of the helicopter. The reflectarray is a preferably flat array of passive microstrip elements which can impart a phase to the radar beam. A typical microstrip element is a patch whose dimensions may be controlled, and the size of which determines the phase for the location within the array of that element. The reflectarray is provided with a pattern which is designed to scatter the radar beam in a desired shape and direction to produce uniform mapping of the terrain over which the helicopter travels. According to another embodiment, a passive reflectarray is provided to the underside of at least one blade, while another passive reflect is provided to the topside of at least one blade, thereby permit both terrain and sky mapping. The radar system of the inventio…
Source: USPTO / EPO open patent data. Objective bibliographic and citation counts.