×

Automatic real-time air traffic control system and method for maximizing landings / takeoffs capacity of the airport and minimizing aircrafts landing times

  • US 10,037,704 B1
  • Filed: 02/01/2017
  • Issued: 07/31/2018
  • Est. Priority Date: 02/01/2017
  • Status: Active Grant
First Claim
Patent Images

1. An air traffic control automated method for maximizing airport landing and takeoff capacity by generating an optimized landings and takeoffs queue and schedule for a plurality of aircrafts located in a vicinity of a specific airport through queuing the said aircrafts and determining an optimal four dimensional (4D) trajectory for efficient landing/takeoff sequence and time schedule, the method comprising the steps of:

  • a. establishing a centralized processor server unit for each airport air traffic control entity;

    b. receiving and storing, at a centralized processor server, a schedules data on landings and takeoffs for a specific airport;

    c. receiving and storing, at the said server, current location data and flight path data from all airplanes scheduled to land and takeoff at the said airport;

    receiving and storing FAA (Federal Aviation Administration) flight safety regulations criteria data security regulations or EASA (European Aviation Safety Agency) security regulations, if the landing is performed in European airport;

    wherein a landing and takeoffs optimization is performed considering the abovementioned safety regulations criteria data, according to the steps mentioned below;

    d. defining a special system of four dimensional coordinates (X,Y,Z,T) pertaining to the method, wherein the final approach point is defined as an origin of such system of coordinates, wherein X defines longitude, Y defined latitude, Z defines height, and T defines time;

    e. defining, individually for each particular airport, an aerial sector for landings, and an aerial sector for takeoffs in such a way that there is a safety distance interval between them to comply with FAA (Federal Aviation Administration) security regulations or EASA (European Aviation Safety Agency) security regulations, if the landing is performed in European airport;

    f. building a virtual arc-shaped line near the airport, called an identification arc, such identification arc comprises a variety of identification points;

    g. obtaining geographical coordinates and speed of each landing aircraft entering the identification arc area by checking if the aircraft is closer to the identification arc then a user predetermined tolerance level collecting landing aircrafts location and speed data;

    h. determining, independently for each landing aircraft, an individual arc-shaped boundary line for that particular aircraft, called starting points line, such a line will be determined in such a way that landing time duration from that line until the end of landing will be identical for all landing aircrafts;

    i. if two or more aircrafts arrive at the same time to the identification line, adjusting the trajectory on a segment between the identification line and a starting points'"'"' line by calculating the starting points lines for those particular aircrafts in such a way that they will arrive to the starting points line with the certain time difference larger than a predetermined safety time interval, wherein the aircraft will fly on this segment with constant speed and vertical position, while taking into consideration safety regulations and FAA/EASA regulatory distances and intervals;

    j. determining, individually for each landing aircraft, its landing slope percentage based on trajectory starting point and current speed, under minimal and maximal speed and slope FAA/EASA requirements;

    k. checking, individually for each aircraft, entering the starting points arc location area, a list of possible safe landing trajectories from the point on that arc to the parking area, while taking in consideration another landing aircrafts possible landing trajectories, safe distances between them and FAA/EASA landings safety regulations and distances, wherein a trajectory is defined as a sequence of four-dimensional positions that an aircraft follows, such a landing trajectory being determined in such a way that being divided into the five segments;

    1) from the identification line to the starting points'"'"' line, such a trajectory will be determined with constant speed and vertical position;

         2) from the starting points'"'"' arc point to the start of descending, such a trajectory will be determined with constant speed and vertical position;

         3) from the start of descending until a final approach point with constant descent slope and constant deceleration, wherein such a trajectory is in the arc form;

         4) from the start of the final approach to a touchdown point with constant deceleration and the slope of descent, as a succession of straight line segments;

         5) runway segment, from the touchdown point, through the runway to a passengers sleeve location or bus location with constant speed, deceleration and vertical position, as a succession of straight line segments;

    l. periodically checking for each landing aircraft, if the distance from the aircraft current location to the nearest vertex in the arc-shaped boundary line from which all landing trajectories will start, is less than a user-determined tolerance level, until determining that such a distance is less than the abovementioned user-determined tolerance level;

    m. sending four-dimensional safe landing trajectory to the aircraft;

    and, n. checking if the aircraft has deviated from the above provided four-dimensional safe landing trajectory, and, if distance from the said safe trajectory to the real time aircraft location is more than deviation tolerance, sending to the aircraft an instruction to return to the nearest available point of predefined trajectory above.

View all claims
  • 0 Assignments
Timeline View
Assignment View
    ×
    ×