Air turbulence has become a major cause of significant injuries and aircraft damages. Timely advanced warning of turbulence ahead of an aircraft may allow pilots to take appropriate action to minimize potential damage, such as reducing speed and securing passengers and unsecured objects, or to avoid the turbulence altogether. The aim of our research is to develop a practical, onboard, Lidar-based proactive sensor that will detect air turbulence in clear air at a range of 5 n miles (9.3 km) at cruising altitudes. In February 2007 we successfully measured wind speeds approximately 3 n miles (5.6 km) ahead of an aircraft in low-altitude flight experiments, and in a subsequent experiment in July of the same year, we succeeded in detecting air turbulence before encountering it. An upgraded 5-n-mile Lidar for low altitudes was developed in fiscal year 2007, and has successfully measured wind speeds at ranges up to 5 n miles in ground tests. This paper describes the master development plan of our Lidar turbulence sensor and the results of basic flight and ground experiments.
An 1.5 micron pulsed Coherent Doppler LIDAR system using all fiber optical components has attracted attention for remote wind sensing application because of its eye-safety, reliability and easy deployment. We report on our key technologies such as fiber based MOPA (Master Oscillator Power Amplification) transmitter, high peak power optical amplification and a real-time signal processing. Some performance results and applications are also provided.
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