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'SkyBlaze' Search System

searchlight follows the camera and piggybacks on the camera's stabilisation while compensating for pitch and roll

Designed for SAR helicopters and demonstrated on the AW189-SW

Permissions
You're very welcome to use this system however you want on whatever you want, but please give appropriate credit and link in the description of your creation :)

How does it work?
Controller calculates the 3D coordinates of the searchlight and receives target coordinates from the camera, it then calculates the correct inputs for the searchlight's pivots to point at the target while compensating for the pitch and role of the airframe.

Features
- Camera controls dampened when zoomed in
- Relative heading indicator on camera screen (shows direction you're looking relative to front of aircraft)
- Target HDD readout
- Target distance readout
- Zoom meter
- 360 degree stabilised searchlight slaved to camera

Limitations
- Due to the target HDG, target distance and relative heading readouts being driven by the target coordinates, they will all freeze when the camera to pointed towards the Sky
- For the same reason, the searchlight will freeze when the camera is pointed towards the sky.
- Searchlight will seem slightly off when aimed towards the sea because the camera's laser impacts the seabed, not the sea surface.
- Due to using the robotic pivot, the searchlight will 'flip' when crossing the +-90 degree points, it will catch up with the camera again in less than 2 seconds. Demoed in the 'ground demo' video and shown in flight during the role test in the 'airborne demo' video.
- There is a second component of the pitch/roll It doesn't compensate for, which is only noticable at extreme values when the searchlight is pointed away from the axis, I have not done this yet due to lack of time and it not being useful for helicopter use. I may refine it in the future.

1. Place the Stabilised camera searchlight (with pivot) and sensors on your craft in the orientation shown.
2. Ensure all the sensor inputs are hooked up
3. Measure the forward, side and z offsets from the block on you click on to place your GPS sensor to the central block of the searchlights 3x3 volume This allows the controller to calculate the position of the spotlight in 3D space.
- Light foward of GPS: +ve, further back -ve, further right: +ve, further left: -ve, further up: +ve, futher down: -ve
- Measurements are shown as coloured pipes in the demo rig (this is a creation file, not a MC one)
- Check your values are correct: by pointing your camera straight at the middle of the searchlight, it should point straight back towards the camera (demoed in the 'ground demo' video as being slightly off - the searchlight doesn't point straight back)

Any questions, please post below.

Planning an independent 'SeaBlaze' for ship-borne use. The mechanism behind the Sky type won't work brilliantly when used at ground level against the sea. (although it's compact and aesthetic for a helicopter) But no time the next few months now.