Potential Low-Cost Option For Hover-Hold And SAR Missions

Bell Helicopter, working in cooperation with Esterline CMC Electronics, has developed and flight tested a new generation GPS sensor to replace existing high-cost Doppler or inertial velocity sensors used in automated approach-to-hover and hover-hold systems.

This new product is anticipated to be available for installation on the Bell 412EP within the next 12-months with plans to expand availability to other models.

"The CMC GPS solution proved more responsive in flight test than both the legacy Doppler and any of the GPS-aided inertial solutions being examined when tied to the existing 412EP autopilot, but this is not just for SAR and hover-hold," said Bell's chief technology officer, Nick Lappos. "We see this technology and the capability it brings as a means to improve safety in low-speed operations in general as well as reduce the cost of SAR operations."

The Bell-CMC ground velocity sensor is designed to work with the existing autopilot systems the Bell-CMC ground velocity sensor provides law enforcement and emergency medical service (EMS) operators with significant SAR safety enhancements at an affordable price.

Bell 412 File Photo

This new offering will provide immediate benefit for Bell 412EP operators by reducing weight, minimizing installation requirements, and improving stabilized hover-hold performance. Unaffected by glassy water, tall grass, under-slung objects or other situations, the new Bell-CMC sensor avoids many operational constraints that have traditionally challenged the performance of Doppler systems.

Established as a stand-alone software upgrade to the Esterline CMC Electronics CMA-5024 satellite based augmentation systems (SBAS) GPS receiver, the new Bell-CMC low-cost ground velocity sensor processes a specific property of the raw GPS signals to produce an actual velocity measurement versus reporting changes in GPS positions over time.

Taking advantage of the processing power and high-update rate of the CMA-5024, and not being limited to WAAS/SBAS coverage, the system's ground velocity function is usable world-wide.

FMI: www.bellhelicopter.com