Low cost wire detection system

Abstract

Power lines have always been of primary concern to helicopter pilots. In the past laser based systems have been built to alert the pilot to power lines in the flight path. These systems were heavy, required high power, suffered from high false alarm rates and were not considered cost effective even for military helicopters. Using a simple CW diode laser with a unique range determination system and a novel filtering algorithm, we have developed a system that is suitable as a stand-alone system for even the cost sensitive civil market.