Uncertainty Analysis of a Multi-Sensor Fusion Measurement Chain for Blade Collision Warning in Coaxial Twin-Rotor Helicopters

Zheng, W ORCID: 0009-0006-2950-0780, Qiu, Z ORCID: 0000-0002-6219-7158, Dong, Z ORCID: 0000-0002-8942-1076, Hu, W, Qiu, Y ORCID: 0000-0003-0266-1294 and Qiu, Z ORCID: 0000-0003-0919-0480 (2026) Uncertainty Analysis of a Multi-Sensor Fusion Measurement Chain for Blade Collision Warning in Coaxial Twin-Rotor Helicopters. Sensors, 26 (17). ISSN 1424-8220

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Abstract

A coaxial twin-rotor helicopter features a compact structure by eliminating the tail rotor. Although offering advantages in lift capability and maneuverability, the design presents challenges from its mechanical complexity and the aerodynamic interference between the counter-rotating rotors. During blade intersection, the collision risk of the blades depends not only on the blade-tip distance, but also on the intersection phase and the blade-tip position. In our study, we defined a blade collision warning parameter, d, to represent a fused safety clearance in coaxial twin-rotor helicopters, and proposed a correlated uncertainty propagation model for the measurement chain. The proposed model incorporates uncertainty sources from radar ranging, phase determination, geometric consistency, phase-synchronized triggering, sensor-point substitution, and model discrepancy through covariance terms. Experimental validation is performed on a single-rotor blade-intersection platform under controlled conditions. With the simulated blade rotated at 420 r/min, the combined standard uncertainty ranges from 0.677 to 0.996 mm over the reference warning parameter range of 99–990 mm. The event-level residual-compatibility rate is 86.8%, with localized non-compatibility observed at several reference points. Additional tests at 300 and 600 r/min demonstrated millimeter-level stability. Our uncertainty analysis identified radar ranging as the dominant contributor, followed by model discrepancy and sensor-point substitution uncertainty.

Item Type:	Article
Uncontrolled Keywords:	coaxial twin-rotor helicopter; blade collision warning parameter; multi-sensor fusion; correlated uncertainty propagation; blade collision warning parameter; coaxial twin-rotor helicopter; correlated uncertainty propagation; multi-sensor fusion; 40 Engineering; 4001 Aerospace Engineering; 0301 Analytical Chemistry; 0502 Environmental Science and Management; 0602 Ecology; 0805 Distributed Computing; 0906 Electrical and Electronic Engineering; Analytical Chemistry; 3103 Ecology; 4008 Electrical engineering; 4009 Electronics, sensors and digital hardware; 4104 Environmental management; 4606 Distributed computing and systems software
Subjects:	T Technology > TA Engineering (General). Civil engineering (General)
Divisions:	Engineering and Built Environment
Publisher:	MDPI AG
Date of acceptance:	26 August 2026
Date of first compliant Open Access:	8 October 2026
Date Deposited:	08 Oct 2026 12:57
Last Modified:	08 Oct 2026 12:57
DOI or ID number:	10.3390/s26175426
URI:	https://researchonline.ljmu.ac.uk/id/eprint/29634

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