Advisor system and method

• US 10,043,405 B1
• Filed: 03/14/2017
• Issued: 08/07/2018
• Est. Priority Date: 03/14/2017
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Architecture Technology Corporation
• Original Assignee: Architecture Technology Corporation
• Inventors: Chartier, Eric R., Eaves, Evan, Colligan, William, Sullivan, Andrew
• Primary Examiner(s): Aziz, Adnan
• Application Number:
  US15/458,052
• Time in Patent Office: 511 Days
• Field of Search: 340961, 340945, 340971, 340972, 340979, 340980, 34099517, 342 29- 30, 342 61, 342 63, 701 10, 701 13- 14, 701300-301
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 5/0008 with other aircraft
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 5/0013 with a ground station
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 5/0021 located in the aircraft
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 5/0026 located on the ground
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 5/0052 for cruising combined instruments indicating more than one navigational value G01C23/00
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 5/0065 for taking-off
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 5/0078 for monitoring traffic from the aircraft radar or analogous systems specially adapted for traffic control G01S13/91
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 5/0082 for monitoring traffic from a ground station radar or analogous systems specially adapted for traffic control G01S13/91
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 5/025 Navigation or guidance aids radar or analogous systems specially adapted for landing purposes G01S13/913
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 5/045 Navigation or guidance aids, e.g. determination of anti-collision manoeuvers radar or analogous systems specially adapted for anti-collision between aircraft G01S13/933
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 5/065 Navigation or guidance aids, e.g. for taxiing or rolling

Abstract

An advisor system includes a computer-readable storage medium having encoded thereon a program of instructions. Execution of the instructions causes a processor to determine a current state of a first aircraft operating on a movement area of an airport including determining a path vector for the first aircraft. The path vector includes a speed and direction of travel of the first aircraft and identification of a runway intersection the first aircraft is projected to enter. The processor processes a surveillance signal transmitted from a second aircraft operating on the movement area, including determining a quality of the surveillance signal. The processor further determines a movement vector of the second aircraft, and compares the path vector and the movement vector to identify possible interference. Finally, the processor provides an advisory at the first aircraft based on the compared path vector and the movement vector.

Claims

1. An airport movement surface advisor system, comprising:

a receiver, installed on a mobile first platform operating on the airport movement surface, that receives one or more signals from a signal source installed on a mobile second platform, the signals conforming to one or more types of surveillance signals;

a processor, coupled to the receiver, that processes a given signal of a given signal type from the signal source installed on the mobile second platform to produce signal data; and

a non-transitory computer-readable storage medium having encoded thereon a program of instructions, the instructions, when executed, causing the processor to;

determine a first path vector for the mobile first platform along the airport movement surface,

determine a quality factor associated with the given signal, comprising;

determining a frequency of reception of multiple instances of the given signal over time to determine if an error condition exists; and

comparing latitude and longitude of a source of each of the multiple instances of the given signal to determine each of the multiple instances of the given signal originates from the mobile second platform, and

based on the quality factor, analyze the signal data from the given signal to identify a threat to the mobile first platform, comprising the processor;

determining a second path vector for the mobile second platform;

identifying the second path vector along the airport movement surface within a minimum proximity value of the first path vector; and

providing an advisory to the mobile first platform.

2. The advisor system of claim 1, wherein the mobile first platform is a first aircraft and the mobile second platform is one of a second aircraft and a vehicle.

3. The advisor system of claim 1, further comprising a display coupled to a display driver, wherein the display driver provides the advisory to the display, and wherein the advisory comprises one or more of a text, an audio signal, a visual signal, and an airport moving map displaying the second path vector within the minimum proximity value of the first path vector.

4. The advisor system of claim 1, wherein the advisor system is implemented in an electronic flight bag (EFB).

5. The advisor system of claim 1, wherein the given signal is ADS-B data and the receiver comprises an ADS-B receiver.

6. The advisor system of claim 5, wherein to determine the quality factor of the given signal, the processor:

processes an error correction code included with each of the multiple instances of the given signal.

7. The advisor system of claim 6, wherein the processor provides an offline indication when the determined quality factor is below a threshold value and an online signal otherwise.

8. The advisor system of claim 1, wherein the given signal is an ADS-B signal and the receiver comprises a receiver chosen from a group consisting of a standard ADS-B In receiver and a software-defined radio.

9. The advisor system of claim 1, wherein the mobile first platform is a moving first platform, and wherein to determine the first path vector for the moving first platform, the processor accesses data output from a GPS receiver installed on the moving first platform and computes first moving platform position, velocity, and acceleration.

10. A mobile runway advisor (MoRA) system comprising a non-transitory, computer-readable storage medium having encoded thereon a program of instruction that when executed by a processor cause the processor to:

determine a current state of a first aircraft, operating on a movement area of an airport, including determining a path vector for the first aircraft, the path vector including a speed and direction of travel of the first aircraft on the movement area;

process a surveillance signal transmitted from a second aircraft operating on the movement area or on approach to land to determine a possible interference of the first aircraft by the second aircraft, comprising;

determining a quality of the surveillance signal, comprising;

determining a frequency of reception of multiple instances of the surveillance signal over time to determine if an error condition exists; and

comparing latitude and longitude of a source of each of the multiple instances of the surveillance signal to determine each of the multiple instances of the surveillance signal originates from the second aircraft,

based on the quality determination, determining a movement vector of the second aircraft, and

comparing the path vector and the movement vector to identify the possible interference; and

providing an advisory indicative of the possible interference at the first aircraft based on the compared path vector and the movement vector.

11. The MoRA system of claim 10, further comprising a display driver coupled to a display, wherein the display driver provides the advisory to the display, and wherein the advisory comprises one or more of a text, an audio signal, a visual signal, and an airport moving map displaying the path vector and the movement vector.

12. The MoRA system of claim 10, wherein the surveillance signal is an ADS-B signal and the MoRA system comprises an ADS-B receiver.

13. The MoRA system of claim 10, wherein to determine the quality of the surveillance signal, the processor:

determines quality factors derived from reception and processing of multiple instances of the surveillance signal over time; and

processes an error correction code included with each of the multiple instances of the surveillance signal.

14. The MoRA system of claim 10, wherein the surveillance signal comprises ADS-B data from one of an ADS-B aircraft, an ADS-B ground station, and an ADS-B satellite station and the MoRA system comprises a receiver implemented as a software-defined radio.

15. A computer-implemented runway advisory method, comprising:

receiving ownship data for a first aircraft operating on a movement area of an airport;

a processor computing a path vector for the first aircraft based on the received ownship data;

receiving data extracted from a surveillance signal, the data comprising position and velocity data related to a second aircraft;

the processor analyzing a portion of the extracted data to determine a quality of the surveillance signal, comprising;

determining a frequency of reception of multiple instances of the surveillance signal over time to determine if an error condition exists, and

comparing latitude and longitude of a source of each of the multiple instances of the surveillance signal to determine each of the multiple instances of the surveillance signal originates from the second aircraft;

based on the determined quality, the processor computing a movement vector for the second aircraft;

the processor comparing the path vector and the movement vector to determine an interference or other factors that may support a safety advisory at the first aircraft by interference with the second aircraft; and

based on the comparison, the processor generating an advisory signal indicative of the interference.

16. The method of claim 15, further comprising the processor:

determining one or more advisory types appropriate for display on the first aircraft;

associating the advisory signal with the determined advisory types; and

providing each of the determined advisory types for presentation on a cockpit display on the first aircraft.

17. The method of claim 15, further comprising the processor:

determining the surveillance signal is an ADS-B Out signal; and

determining the quality by processing parity bits extracted from the surveillance signal.

18. The method of claim 15, further comprising the processor displaying the path vector and the movement vector on a moving map of the airport.

19. The method of claim 15, further comprising receiving the surveillance signal from a surveillance system, the surveillance system consisting of systems chosen from a group consisting of multilateration systems, ADS-B systems, and radar-based systems.

20. The method of claim 15, the processor providing an indication of the advisory to the second aircraft.