Triggering an identification signal broadcast of a first navigational aid equipment using a tone in the voice band transmitted by a second navigational aid equipment

• US 10,432,430 B2
• Filed: 07/05/2017
• Issued: 10/01/2019
• Est. Priority Date: 07/08/2016
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Thales USA Incorporated (Thales SA)
• Original Assignee: Thales USA Incorporated (Thales SA)
• Inventors: Mullin, Richard
• Primary Examiner(s): Shah, Tanmay K
• Application Number:
  US15/641,909
• Publication Number:
  US 20180013589A1
• Time in Patent Office: 818 Days
• Field of Search: 341173
• CPC Class Codes: B64D 45/04 Landing aids; Safety measures to prevent collision with earth's surface
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 1/042 Transmitters
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 1/16 Azimuthal guidance systems, e.g. system for defining aircraft approach path, localiser system
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 1/18 Elevational guidance systems, e.g. system for defining aircraft glide path
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 5/0013 with a ground station
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 5/0026 located on the ground
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 5/025 Navigation or guidance aids radar or analogous systems specially adapted for landing purposes G01S13/913
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 15/04 Apparatus or circuits at the transmitting end
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/12 specially adapted for proprietary or special-purpose networking environments, e.g. medical networks, sensor networks, networks in vehicles or remote metering networks

Abstract

Aspects of the present invention relate to methods, systems, and computer-readable media for triggering an identification signal broadcast of a first navigational aid equipment using a tone in the voice band transmitted by a second navigational aid equipment. Aspects include receiving, at the first navigational aid equipment, a tone in a voice band of second navigational aid equipment. Aspects also include transmitting, by the first navigational aid equipment, the identification associated with the first navigational aid equipment identification when the tone is received.

Claims

1. A method performed by a first navigational aid equipment, comprising:

receiving, at the first navigational aid equipment, a triggering tone in a voice band of second navigational aid equipment, the triggering tone comprising a tone that causes the first navigational aid equipment to broadcast a synchronization identification signal; and

responsive to receiving the triggering tone, broadcasting, by the first navigational aid equipment, the synchronization identification signal associated with the first navigational aid equipment in the voice band, wherein the synchronization identification signal comprises a coded identification of the first navigational aid equipment, and wherein the triggering tone does not include an identification of the second navigation aid equipment.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the first navigational aid equipment is collocated with the second navigational aid equipment.

3. The method of claim 2, wherein the first navigational aid equipment is a distance measuring equipment (DME).

4. The method of claim 3, wherein the second navigational aid equipment is a localizer.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein the second navigation aid equipment is located remote from the first navigational aid equipment.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein the triggering tone is received at a first predetermined time during a predetermined interval in the voice band of the second navigational aid equipment.

7. The method of claim 6, wherein broadcasting the synchronization identification signal comprises broadcasting the synchronization identification signal at a second predetermined time during the predetermined interval in the voice band of the second navigational aid equipment.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein the coded identification of the first navigational aid equipment is a Morse Code identification of the first navigation aid equipment.

9. The method of claim 6, the method further comprising:

receiving, by the first navigation aid equipment, a Morse Code identification from the second navigation aid equipment in the voice band prior to receiving the triggering tone at the first predetermined time.

10. An apparatus comprising a first navigational aid equipment, the apparatus further comprising:

a memory; and

one or more processors coupled to the memory and configured to;

receive, at the first navigational aid equipment, a triggering tone in a voice band of second navigational aid equipment, the triggering tone comprising a tone that causes the first navigational aid equipment to broadcast a synchronization identification signal; and

broadcast, by the first navigational aid equipment, the synchronization identification signal associated with the first navigational aid equipment in the voice band responsive to the reception of the triggering tone, wherein the synchronization identification signal comprises a coded identification of the first navigational aid equipment, and wherein the triggering tone does not include an identification of the second navigation aid equipment.

11. The apparatus of claim 10, wherein the first navigational aid equipment is collocated with second navigational aid equipment.

12. The apparatus of claim 11, wherein the first navigational aid equipment is a distance measuring equipment (DME).

13. The apparatus of claim 12, wherein the second navigational aid equipment is a localizer.

14. The apparatus of claim 10, wherein the second navigation aid equipment is located remote from the first navigational aid equipment.

15. The apparatus of claim 10, wherein the triggering tone is received at a first predetermined time during a predetermined interval in the voice band of the second navigational aid equipment.

16. The apparatus of claim 15, wherein the one or more processors are further configured to broadcast the synchronization identification signal by broadcasting the synchronization identification signal at a second predetermined time during the predetermined interval in the voice band of the second navigational aid equipment.

17. The apparatus of claim 10, wherein the coded identification of the first navigational aid equipment is a Morse Code identification of the first navigational aid equipment.

18. An apparatus comprising a first navigational aid equipment, the apparatus configured to:

receive, at the first navigational aid equipment, a triggering tone in a voice band of second navigational aid equipment, the triggering tone comprising a tone that causes the first navigational aid equipment to broadcast a synchronization identification signal; and

broadcast, by the first navigational aid equipment, the synchronization identification signal associated with the first navigational aid equipment in the voice band responsive to the reception of the triggering tone, wherein the synchronization identification signal comprises a coded identification of the first navigational aid equipment, and wherein the triggering tone does not include an identification of the second navigation aid equipment.

19. A computer-readable medium storing computer executable code embodied on a non-transitory computer-readable medium of a first navigational aid equipment, the computer-readable medium comprising executable code for:

receiving, at the first navigational aid equipment, a triggering tone in a voice band of second navigational aid equipment, the triggering tone comprising a tone that causes the first navigational aid equipment to broadcast a synchronization identification signal; and

responsive to receiving the triggering tone, broadcasting, by the first navigational aid equipment, the synchronization identification signal associated with the first navigational aid equipment in the voice band, wherein the synchronization identification signal comprises a coded identification of the first navigational aid equipment, and wherein the triggering tone does not include an identification of the second navigation aid equipment.