Patent ID: 8467037
Filing Date: 2013-06-18
Classification: G01P

Abstract:
1. A method for optimizing the orientation of a laser anemometer which is mounted on an aircraft and which is intended for measuring the wind, said laser anemometer comprising at least three laser axes in relation to which measurements are carried out, and each of which is individually orientable, according to which method the following series of successive steps is carried out in an automatic manner on the aircraft which is on the ground: a) for one of said laser axes of the laser anemometer, termed the master axis, a measurement of the speed of the wind on the ground in relation to this master axis is carried out each time for a plurality of different orientations of this master axis, the norm of the wind speed vector ({right arrow over (Vp)}) projected onto this master axis is determined each time on the basis of this measurement, the norms obtained on the basis of the measurements carried out for said plurality of different orientations are compared with one another, and the orientation for which the corresponding norm of the speed vector exhibits the highest value is selected as orientation of said master axis; b) the orientations of at least two other laser axes of said laser anemometer are determined by selecting orientations which are symmetric with said orientation selected for the master axis, relative respectively to two predetermined reference planes which are defined in relation to the structure of the aircraft; and c) the orientations of the laser axes of the laser anemometer are fixed at said orientations thus selected, along which the laser anemometer can then carry out measurements of the wind.