Device for assisting the piloting of a rotorcraft, an associated display, and a corresponding method of assisting piloting
AssigneeAirbus Helicopters
InventorsFrancois-Xavier FILIAS, Pierre ZOPPITELLI, Nicolas BELANGER, Marc SALESSE-LAVERGNE
Life of this patent
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Abstract
A device for assisting the piloting of a rotorcraft in order to pilot a rotorcraft during an approach stage preceding a stage of landing on a rotorcraft landing area. Such a device includes in particular a camera for taking a plurality of images of the environment of the rotorcraft along a line of sight, looking at least along a forward direction Dx of the rotorcraft, and processor means for identifying in at least one image from among said plurality of images at least one looked-for landing area.
Claims20
A device for assisting the piloting of a rotorcraft in order to enable a rotorcraft to be piloted during an approach stage preceding a stage of landing on a rotorcraft landing area, wherein the device comprises:
- preselection means for preselecting a type of landing area to be looked for by the device, the preselection means being actuated by a crew member of the rotorcraft;
- at least one camera for taking a plurality of images of the environment of the rotorcraft along a line of sight, the line of sight pointing at least in a forward direction Dx of the rotorcraft;
- processor means for identifying in at least one image from among the plurality of images at least one looked-for landing area corresponding to the type of landing area preselected via the preselection means;
- a display member for at least displaying an image representative of the at least one looked-for landing area;
- selection means enabling the crew of the rotorcraft to select a desired landing area from among the at least one looked-for landing area;
- and
- a control unit for generating a control setpoint enabling the rotorcraft to be piloted automatically substantially horizontally towards the desired landing area.
A method of assisting the piloting of a rotorcraft, the method being performed during an approach stage preceding a stage of landing on a rotorcraft landing area, wherein the method comprises:
- a preselection step for preselecting a type of landing area to be looked for by the method, the preselection step being performed by a crew member of the rotorcraft actuating preselection means;
- an acquisition step for taking a plurality of images of the environment of the rotorcraft at least along a forward direction Dx of the rotorcraft;
- a processing step for identifying in at least one image of the plurality of images at least one looked-for landing area corresponding to the type of landing area preselected during the preselection step;
- at least one display step for at least displaying one image representative of the at least one looked-for landing area;
- at least one selection step performed by the crew of the rotorcraft at least to select one desired landing area among the at least one looked-for landing area;
- and
- at least one control step for at least generating a control setpoint enabling the rotorcraft to be piloted automatically substantially horizontally towards the desired landing area.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.