Ground based navigation aid equipment for aircraft safety

• US 10,147,328 B2
• Filed: 10/20/2016
• Issued: 12/04/2018
• Est. Priority Date: 10/22/2015
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Thales USA Incorporated (Thales SA)
• Original Assignee: Thales USA Incorporated (Thales SA)
• Inventors: Mullin, Richard
• Primary Examiner(s): Sood, Anshul
• Application Number:
  US15/299,128
• Publication Number:
  US 20170116865A1
• Time in Patent Office: 775 Days
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 13/767 Responders; Transponders teaching or practice apparatus for gun-aiming or gun-laying using reflecting targets or active targets F41G3/26
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 13/785 Distance Measuring Equipment [DME] systems
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 7/4052 by simulation of echoes
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 7/4078 involving an integrated reference reflector or reference transponder
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 5/0047 Navigation or guidance aids for a single aircraft details of equipment G08G5/0017

Abstract

A method, system, and computer-readable medium for performing a hazard analysis of navigation aid equipment using an external safety monitor. Aspects include monitoring performance of the navigation aid equipment. In addition, determination is made if an improper performance of the navigation aid equipment is detected. Furthermore, removal of a signal from an antenna of the navigation aid equipment may occur when improper performance of the navigation aid equipment is detected.

Claims

1. A method of performing a hazard analysis of navigation aid equipment using an external safety monitor, the method comprising:

monitoring performance of the navigation aid equipment by interrogating the navigation aid equipment with a first sequence of signal pulses;

receiving, from the navigation aid equipment, a reply including a second sequence of signal pulses;

determining if the performance includes any improper performance of the navigation aid equipment by determining whether any time delay in the second sequence of pulses received from the navigation aid equipment is outside of a tolerance range; and

removing a signal from an antenna of the navigation aid equipment when any improper performance of the navigation aid equipment is determined.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein determining if the performance includes any improper performance of the navigation aid equipment further comprises:

determining if an internal clock of the navigation aid equipment is inaccurate based on any time delay of the second sequence of signal pulses received from the navigation aid equipment.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the determining if the performance includes any improper performance of the navigation aid equipment further comprises:

determining if a reply to the first sequence of signal pulses is not received from the navigation aid equipment.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the signal from the antenna of the navigation aid equipment is removed using a redundant transfer device.

5. The method of claim 4, wherein the redundant transfer device includes at least one switching circuit.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein the signal is removed from the antenna of the navigation aid equipment such that the signal is not transmitted to an aircraft.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein the navigation aid equipment is part of a distance Measurement equipment (DME) ground system, a TACtical Air Navigation (TACAN) system, a Very high frequency Omni-directional Range (VOR) system, an Instrument Landing System (ILS), Marker Beacon (MB), and Non-Directional Beacons (NDB) in communication with an aircraft.

8. The method of claim 1 wherein removing the signal from the antenna of the navigation aid equipment when any improper performance of the navigation aid equipment is determined comprises preventing any reply outside of the tolerance range to an aircraft interrogation signal from being transmitted.

9. The method of claim 1 further comprising:

determining if any reply from the navigation aid equipment to an aircraft interrogation signal is outside of the tolerance range; and

preventing any reply from the navigation aid equipment to an aircraft interrogation signal that is outside of the tolerance range from being transmitted by the antenna.

10. An external apparatus for performing a hazard analysis of navigation aid equipment, the apparatus comprising:

a memory; and

a processing system coupled to the memory and configured to;

monitor performance of the navigation aid equipment by interrogating the navigation aid equipment with a first sequence of pulses;

receive, from the navigation aid equipment, a reply based on the interrogation, wherein the reply includes a second sequence of signal pulses;

determine if the performance includes any improper performance of the navigation aid equipment by determining if any time delay in the second sequence of signal pulses received from the navigation aid equipment is outside of a tolerance range; and

remove a signal from an antenna of the navigation aid equipment when any improper performance of the navigation aid equipment is determined.

11. The external apparatus of claim 10, wherein the processing system is further configured to determine if the performance includes any improper performance of the navigation aid equipment by:

determining if an internal clock of the navigation aid equipment is inaccurate based on the time delay of the second sequence of signal pulses received from the navigation aid equipment.

12. The external apparatus of claim 10, wherein the processing system is further configured to determine if the performance includes any improper performance of the navigation aid equipment by:

determining if a reply to the first sequence of signal pulses is not received from the navigation aid equipment.

13. The external apparatus of claim 10, wherein:

the signal from the antenna of the navigation aid equipment is removed using a redundant transfer device;

the redundant transfer device comprises at least one switching circuit; and

the signal is removed from the antenna of the navigation aid equipment such that the signal is not transmitted to an aircraft.

14. The external apparatus of claim 10, wherein the navigation aid equipment is part of a distance measurement equipment (DME) ground system, a TACtical Air Navigation (TACAN) system, a Very high frequency Omni-directional Range (VOR) system, an instrument Landing System (ILS), Marker Beacon (MB), and Non-Directional Beacons (NDB) in communication with an aircraft.

15. The external apparatus of claim 10 wherein to remove the signal from the antenna of the navigation aid equipment when any improper performance of the navigation aid equipment is determined, the processing system is further configured to prevent any reply outside of the tolerance range to an aircraft interrogation signal from being transmitted.

16. The external apparatus of claim 10 wherein the processing system is further configured to:

determine if any reply from the navigation aid equipment to an aircraft interrogation signal is outside of the tolerance range; and

prevent any reply from the navigation aid equipment to an aircraft interrogation signal that is outside of the tolerance range from being transmitted by the antenna.

17. A non-transitory computer-readable medium storing computer executable code for performing a hazard analysis of navigation aid equipment using an external safety monitor, comprising code for:

monitoring a performance of the navigation aid equipment by interrogating the navigation aid equipment with a first sequence of signal pulses;

receiving, from the navigation aid equipment, a reply including a second sequence of signal pulses;

determining if an improper performance of the navigation aid equipment is detected by determining whether any time delay in the second sequence of pulses received from the navigation aid equipment is outside of a tolerance range; and

removing a signal from an antenna of the navigation aid equipment when improper navigation aid equipment performance is detected.

18. The computer-readable medium of claim 17, wherein the navigation aid equipment is part of a distance measurement equipment (DME) ground system, a TACtical Air Navigation (TACAN) system, a Very high frequency Omni-directional Range (VOR) system, an Instrument Landing System (ILS), Marker Beacon (MB), and Non-Directional Beacons (NDB) in communication with an aircraft.

19. The computer-readable medium of claim 17 wherein removing the signal from the antenna of the navigation aid equipment when any improper performance of the navigation aid equipment is determined comprises preventing any reply outside of the tolerance range to an aircraft interrogation signal from being transmitted.

20. The computer-readable medium of claim 17, comprising further code for:

determining if any reply from the navigation aid equipment to an aircraft interrogation signal is outside of the tolerance range; and

preventing any reply from the navigation aid equipment to an aircraft interrogation signal that is outside of the tolerance range from being transmitted by the antenna.