CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

This application claims priority to, and the benefit of, India Patent Application No. 202041016488, filed Apr. 16, 2020 and titled “AIRCRAFT SEARCH LIGHT SYSTEM,” which is incorporated by reference herein in its entirety for all purposes.

FIELD

The present disclosure generally relates to the field of aircraft and, more particularly, to the control of aircraft search lights.

BACKGROUND

The helicopter search light is a device which can project a powerful beam of light of parallel rays and in a particular direction. Search lights are used in military and policing applications for night attacks, night-time defense, festival surveillance, object searching, object tracking, and rescue missions, including in difficult geographical terrains and/or adverse weather conditions. The search light may be a dimmable and moveable device for white light and infrared light which can be mounted on the belly or the nose of the helicopter. Rotation of the search light head can be performed with DC motors and a differential gear box, in which light head extraction and retraction can be achieved by rotating the motors in the same direction and in which search light head rotation can be achieved by rotating the motors in different directions.

Existing helicopter search lights have different modes of operation and different light output depending on multiple manual switch inputs by the crew. The crew has individual switches for each functionality to control the search light, functionality like controlling the head light position left, right, up or down, rotating the light head to a predefined position, different light output like IR or white light (focus light or flood light), and controlling the intensity of the light. The main purpose of the helicopter search light is to provide a moveable light source for searching for objects from the helicopter. Currently, all the functionalities of the helicopter search light have to be controlled manually by the helicopter crew. If the crew wants to make the light source focus on a particular object and track the movement of this object, they must manually control the switches according to the object movement and all while continuing to operate the helicopter.

SUMMARY

An aircraft search light system is presented herein. Both the configuration of such an aircraft search light system and the operational characteristics/operation/assembly/manufacture of such an aircraft search light system are within the scope of this Summary.

An aircraft search light system may include a search light, an actuator system interconnected with a search light, a camera and a controller that is operatively interconnected with both the actuator system (e.g., to control a position of the search light) and the camera (e.g., to use image data acquired by the camera to control the position of the search light).

One or more audio input devices may be interconnected with the controller. Aircraft personnel may provide audio/voice commands, through an audio input device, to control one or more aspects of the aircraft search light system. One or more audio output devices may be interconnected with the controller. Audio messages from the controller may be conveyed through one or more of the audio output devices.

The controller may include/utilize a database or other data structure to store predetermined audio/voice commands, along with the corresponding task/function. The aircraft search light system may be configured such that only audio/voice commands that are stored in relation to the controller may be used to control operation of the camera, search light, or both.

The controller may include/utilize a database or other data structure to store predetermined objects. The aircraft search light system may be configured such that the controller will only attempt to identify objects in the image data that are stored in in this database/data structure. This may reduce the imaging processing requirements of the aircraft search light system.

Objects that are identified by the controller (in the image data provided by the camera) may be audibly conveyed to aircraft personnel, for instance through one or more audio output devices. This audio message may summarize the objects that were identified in the image data (e.g., a number of detected objects; a number of detected objects in each class or type of detected object), may provide at least one characteristic or feature particular of each detected object, or both. Aircraft personnel may provide an audio/voice command through an audio input device to initiate an audio response from the aircraft search light system in accordance with the foregoing.

An audio/voice command through an audio input device may be input to the controller to select a particular object or objects in the image data for tracking purposes—such that the position of the search light is controlled (by the controller) to illuminate the selected object. The aircraft search light system may use image data to account for movement of the selected object with the field of view of the camera/search light, for instance to maintain the selected object within a predetermined region of the field of view of the camera/search light.

Various aspects are also addressed by the following paragraphs and in the noted combinations:1. An aircraft search light system, comprising:

a search light;

an actuator system interconnected with said search light, wherein said actuator system is configured to move said search light in at least one dimension;

a camera configured to acquire image data; and

a controller operatively interconnected with said actuator system and said camera.2. The aircraft search light system of paragraph 1, wherein said controller is configured to control movement of said search light, through said actuator system, based upon at least one voice command, said image data from said camera, or both.3. The aircraft search light system of paragraph 1, wherein said controller is configured to control movement of said search light, through said actuator system, based upon at least one voice command, a movement of a detected and selected object in said image data from said camera, or both.4. The aircraft search light system of any of paragraphs 1-3, wherein said actuator system is configured to move said search light in multiple dimensions.5. The aircraft search light system of any of paragraphs 1-4, wherein said camera is a video camera.6. The aircraft search light system of any of paragraphs 1-5, wherein said search light comprises said camera.7. The aircraft search light system of any of paragraphs 1-6, wherein said camera is mounted to said search light.8. The aircraft search light system of any of paragraphs 1-7, further comprising: at least one audio input device operatively interconnected with said controller.9. The aircraft search light system of paragraph 8, wherein said at least one audio input device is selected from the group consisting of at least one microphone, a pilot/co-pilot headset, an external microphone, or the like.10. The aircraft search light system of any of paragraphs 1-9, further comprising: an audio input to said controller.11. The aircraft search light system of any of paragraphs 1-10, further comprising:

at least one audio output device operatively interconnected with said controller.12. The aircraft search light system of paragraph 11, wherein said at least one audio output device is selected from the group consisting of a speaker, headphones, an earphone, a pilot/co-pilot headset, or the like.13. The aircraft search light system of any of paragraphs 1-12, further comprising:

an audio output from said controller.14. The aircraft search light system of any of paragraphs 1-13, further comprising:

an object detection module operatively interconnected with said controller, wherein said image data from said camera is provided to said object detection module.15. The aircraft search light system of paragraph 14, wherein said object detection module is configured to only identify a plurality of predetermined objects in said image data from said camera.16. The aircraft search light system of paragraph 15, wherein said plurality of predetermined objects is selected from the group consisting of humans, vehicles, trees, roads, streets, emergency vehicles, fire trucks, or the like.17. The aircraft search light system of any of paragraphs 15-16, wherein said controller is configured to generate one or more audio outputs that encompass each of said plurality of predetermined objects that are identified by said object detection module.18. The aircraft search light system of paragraph 17, wherein said controller is configured to generate said one or more audio outputs in response to receipt of a predetermined audio command.19. The aircraft search light system of any of paragraphs 17-18, wherein said controller is configured such that said one or more audio outputs include at least one characteristic of a corresponding said object.20. The aircraft search light system of paragraph 19, wherein said at least one characteristic is selected from the group consisting of object type, object color, object size, and object position information.21. The aircraft search light system of any of paragraphs 1-20, wherein said controller is configured to provide an object detection function on a single object in said image data from said camera in response to receipt of object selection data.22. The aircraft search light system of paragraph 21, wherein said object selection data is an object selection voice command provided to said controller.23. The aircraft search light system of any of paragraphs 1-22, further comprising:

an audio input command database comprising a plurality of predetermined audio input commands for said controller, wherein said controller is configured to only respond to each predetermined audio input command of said plurality of predetermined audio input commands.24. The aircraft search light system of paragraph 23, wherein said plurality of predetermined audio input commands are selected from the group consisting of a start detection command, a describe detected objects command, a lock object command, a stop detection command, a track object command, a first search light movement command that controls a direction of searchlight movement, and a second search light movement command that controls an amount of search light movement.25. An aircraft comprising the aircraft search light system of any of paragraphs 1-24.26. The aircraft of paragraph 25, wherein said aircraft is a helicopter.27. A method of controlling a search light on an aircraft, comprising:

acquiring image data using a camera;

detecting a first object in said image data using a processor system comprising at least one processor; and

controlling movement of said search light, relative to said aircraft, using a controller, based upon said first object from said detecting, and receipt of at least one voice command provided to said controller.28. The method of paragraph 27, wherein said acquiring comprises said camera being mounted on said search light.29. The method of any of paragraphs 27-28, wherein said detecting is initiated in response to receipt of a detect object voice command by said controller.30. The method of paragraph 29, further comprising:

identifying a plurality of objects in said image data using said at least one processor, wherein said plurality of objects in said image data comprises said first object.31. The method of paragraph 30, further comprising:

providing a describe objects voice command to said controller; and

outputting an audio object description of each object of said plurality of objects from said identifying and in response to said describe objects voice command.32. The method of paragraph 31, wherein said audio object description is selected from the group consisting of object type, object color, object size, object position information, and any combination thereof.33. The method of any of paragraphs 30-32, wherein said controlling is based upon receipt of a select first object voice command.

