Fighter plane or helicopter pilots wear helmets with different built-in functions, including a display screen. This enables them to increase their reactivity and operational efficiency. So-called 'compliant' data, i.e., the data superposed on landscape features are the hardest to display in a helmet. "Creating compliant display requires knowing where the pilot turns his or her head. So, we have to have a HTS (Head Tracking System)," explained Lilian Lacoste, who is charge of innovation and advanced studies for helicopter and fighter plane applications at Thales Avionics. This need prompted the setup of the PLUS (French acronym for Single-source Laser Positioning) project.
The project has been certified by two competitive clusters, Aerospace Valley and Route des Lasers. The two-year project is jointly funded by the Fonds Unique Interministériel (FUI, government agency funding industrial R&D projects) and the Aquitaine Regional Council, and with local support from OSEO ANVAR. Three companies (Thales Avionics, Novalase, I2S, and IMS, the laboratory working on integrating materials into systems) are involved. The goal is to design a system that will then be tested on the Thales group test benches.
Based on an optical principle whose implementation is laser facilitated, the accurate system, which also withstands all aeronautic environments, will also be integrated. This means that it will be able to detect the slightest system disturbance. "Designing the system will be first step in replacing the Heads-Up Display (HUD) on with a data display in a new generation of helmet visors," said Lilian Lacoste.
Thales Avionics - Lilian Lacoste, in charge of innovation and advanced studies for helicopter and fighter plane applications - email: lilian.lacoste@fr.thalesgroup.com
