Stationary early warning system for bird strike prevention in aviation

Abstract

In case bird migration routes cross approach corridors near airports bird strike prevention with thermal imaging systems has advantages compared to others technologies i.e. RADAR systems. In our case a stereoscopic thermal imaging system sensitive in the mid wavelength range (3 - 5 μm) with high geometrical (640 × 512 pixel) and high thermal resolution (< 20 mK) measures in real time the swarm size, direction and velocity with high accuracy in order to give an early warning under all relevant weather conditions during day, night and twilight. The system is self-calibrating to keep the relative position of the paired stereoscopic thermal imagers in the sub-pixel range under all environmental conditions. The stereoscopic systems are placed in a sufficient distance to the crossing with the take-off or landing path to enable warning times of several minutes. Moreover the risk potential of the swarm is determined by taking the size of a single bird as well as the number of birds in the swarm into account. By using this information an arrival time of the swarm at the crossing point is determined and provided to the air security controllers together with the risk potential of the swarm.