Helicopter Flight Evaluations of High-Voltage Power Lines Detection Based on 76 GHz Circular Polarized Millimeter-Wave Radar System

An obstacle detection forward-looking 76 GHz millimeter-wave system for civil helicopters is developed and evaluated by flight experiments. The purpose of the radar system is to detect high-voltage power lines. Firstly, characteristics of the developed 76 GHz millimeter-wave radar system, which has a transmitting power of 10 dBm, a circular polarized antenna and real-time signal processing, are discussed. Then, the results of ground experiments to obtain a static reflection from the target high-voltage power lines reveal a signal-to-noise ratio of approximately 20 dB at a distance around 1,430 m. Finally, flight experiments are conducted using the developed radar and an obstacle mapping system. The measured maximum detection distance of the power pylons and the high-voltage power lines is approximately 1,970 m and 1,570 m, respectively.