Millimeter wave imager with visible or infrared overlay for brownout assist
An imaging system for a rotary aircraft having a millimeter wave imager with visible or infrared overlay. The system includes an active millimeter wave imaging system comprising a millimeter wave transmitter and a millimeter wave phased array receiver for producing millimeter wave images of a landing region, a second imaging system operating at visible or infrared wavelengths to produce visible or infrared images of the landing region, and a processor programmed with a see and remember algorithm for overlaying the visible or infrared images and the millimeter wave images and to save at least one good high-resolution visible or infrared image in case of a brownout event begins to obscuring the visible or infrared images wherein in case of the brownout event the millimeter wave images are overlaid on the at least one good visible or infrared image and not obscured visible or infrared images.
1. An imaging system for a rotary aircraft having a millimeter wave imager with visible or infrared overlay comprising:
A) an active millimeter wave imaging system comprising a millimeter wave transmitter and a millimeter wave phased array receiver for producing millimeter wave images of a landing region,
B) a second imaging system operating at visible or infrared wavelengths to produce visible or infrared images of the landing region,
C) a processor programmed with a see and remember algorithm for overlaying the visible or infrared images and the millimeter wave images and to save at least one good high-resolution visible or infrared image in case of a brown-out event begins to obscuring the visible or infrared images wherein in case of the brownout event the millimeter wave images are overlaid on the at least one good visible or infrared image and not obscured visible or infrared images.
2. The system as in claim 1 wherein said millimeter wave imaging system is a video rate imaging system.
3. The system as in claim 1 wherein said millimeter wave imaging system is adapted to operate in a frequency band chosen from the following bands: V-Band, E-Band, W-Band, D-Band and Y-band.
4. The system as in claim 1 wherein said millimeter wave imaging system is a three dimensional imaging system.
5. The system as in claim 1 wherein said millimeter wave imaging system comprises a frequency scanned, phased array antenna adapted to operate at video rates.