Aircraft Icing Hazard Management LIDAR for Take-Off and Landing Safety

There is a need for technologies focused on increasing the efficiency and safety of UAV operations for the first and last 50 feet, and under diverse weather conditions. UAV's are not typically equipped for icing avoidance and many have been lost close to airports when encountering icing hazards or un-forecasted weather conditions. Current aircraft weather radars that operate at X-band (8-12 GHz) have limited or no ability to help pilots detect and quantify icing potential due to atmospheric attenuation. Use of 3D LIDAR technology for ice and snow avoidance could significantly expand the mission envelope of aircraft and UAV's during cold weather operations. IDI is proposing development of a multi-channel 3D LIDAR that will identify low altitude cloud layers - as well as provide runway surface hazard information for UAV's. Unique wavelengths are chosen to identify both cloud moisture content and runway surface contaminates (ice, water, snow, slush) within the local surroundings of the aircraft. During the Phase I IDI will demonstrate a 3D scanning LIDAR in the icing chamber with multiple wavelengths and multiple channels. The LIDAR design will be optimized and packaged to meet the desired range and accuracy requirements during the Phase 2 program.

The proposed 3D LIDAR sensor will provide icing cloud imaging and ranging information for NASA's all weather UAV operations both in-flight and during take-off and landings. The LIDAR will identify cloud layer location at night to allow safe separation distances from icing clouds and identify clearings for safe decent and landing. The LIDAR also has the capability for ground obstacle avoidance and detecting hazardous surface conditions such as black ice that require increased stopping distance.

The proposed compact LIDAR instrument will have widespread application to aircraft that do not currently have certified on-board ice protection equipment, such as police, air ambulance, and search and rescue helicopters. The proposed LIDAR will augment standard cockpit radars and provide a new capability to locate hazardous icing cloud layers that are currently invisible to weather Radar. The product will find widespread applications to enhance General Aviation aircraft safety.

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