Airport takeoff window

• US 20020077743A1
• Filed: 09/14/2001
• Published: 06/20/2002
• Est. Priority Date: 09/15/2000
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Harry P. Schmidt
• Original Assignee: AeroAnalysis, Inc.
• Inventors: Schmidt, Harry P.
• Granted Patent: US 6,571,167 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 701/120
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 5/0026 located on the ground
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 5/0043 Traffic management of multiple aircrafts from the ground G08G5/003 takes precedence; data processing specially designed for resource management, e.g. scheduling or allocating time, human or machine resources G06Q10/06

Abstract

An airport control system including a sensing mechanism for sensing a plurality of target conditions, a processing mechanism electronically connected to the sensing mechanism for calculating an optimum time to initiate a takeoff sequence based upon the target conditions, a status indicator for providing runway status information, and a control mechanism in electronic communication with the calculating mechanism and the status indicator for controlling the operation of the status indicator in response to receiving the optimum time.

Claims

1. A system for controlling airport ground traffic comprising:

sensing means for sensing a plurality of target conditions;

processing means for calculating an optimum time to initiate a takeoff sequence based upon said target conditions, said processing means including an input device for receiving the target conditions from said sensing means, and an output device for transmitting an electronic signal representing said optimum time;

a plurality of status indicators in electronic communication with said processing means for providing runway status information;

control means in electronic communication with said means for calculating for controlling the operation of said status indicators,

wherein said status indicator includes a plurality of lights for generating visual signals in response to said control means, said visual signals causing to direct at least a ground vehicle and an aircraft to either stop or proceed through an active runway.

2. The system of claim 1, wherein said status indicators comprises a plurality of runway light displays, control tower displays and taxiway light displays, said runway light displays and taxiway light displays lights being positioned adjacent the surface of the airport runway.

3. The system of claim 2, wherein said status indicators include a red light signal which may be continuously illuminated to indicate that movement on the runway is prohibited.

4. The system of claim 3, wherein said status indicators include a yellow light which may be continuously illuminated to indicate that a takeoff clearance is expected at a first predetermined time interval.

5. The system of claim 4, wherein said first predetermined time interval is approximately 20 sec.

6. The system of claim 5, wherein said yellow light may be intermittently illuminated to indicate that the takeoff clearance is expected at a second predetermined time interval.

7. The system of claim 6, wherein said second predetermined time interval is approximately 10 sec.

8. The system of claim 7, wherein said status indicators include a green light which may be intermittently illuminated to indicate that the takeoff clearance is expected at a third predetermined time interval.

9. The system of claim 8, wherein said third predetermined time interval is less than 10 sec.

10. The system of claim 9, wherein said green light may be continuously illuminated to indicate that the aircraft and the ground objects may proceed through an active runway and that an outbound aircraft may initiate takeoff from the airport runway.

11. The system of claim 2, wherein said taxiway display lights includes a yellow light which indicates an imminent crossing permission.

12. The system of claim 11, wherein said taxiway lights includes a green light which indicates clearance to cross an active runway.

13. The system of claim 12, wherein said taxiway lights includes a red light to which indicates the non-entry into an active runway.

14. The system of claim 1, wherein said target conditions comprise at least one of a position and velocity of inbound aircraft, a time from start of roll to the time of clearing an intersection of the aircraft awaiting takeoff, inbound and outbound aircraft model, temperature, visibility conditions, wake turbulence conditions, wind direction, wind velocity, barometric pressure, runways in use, and the distance from holding area to the intersecting runway.

15. The system of claim 1, wherein said processing means includes a manual override function that permits a control tower at the airport to disregard the transmitted electronic signal from the processing means.

16. The system of claim 1, wherein said sensing means comprises a land-based surveillance system, an air-based surveillance system, or an on-board navigation system.

18. The system of claim 17, wherein said status indicators comprises a plurality of runway light displays, control tower displays and taxiway light displays, said runway light displays and taxiway light displays lights being positioned adjacent the surface of the airport runway.

19. The system of claim 18, wherein said status indicators include a red light signal which may be continuously illuminated to indicate movement on the runway is prohibited.

20. The system of claim 19, wherein said status indicators include a yellow light which may be continuously illuminated to indicate that a takeoff clearance is expected at a first predetermined time interval.

21. The system of claim 20, wherein said first predetermined time interval is approximately 20 sec.

22. The system of claim 21, wherein said yellow light may be intermittently illuminated to indicate that the takeoff clearance is expected at a second predetermined time interval.

23. The system of claim 22, wherein said second predetermined time interval is between approximately 10-19 sec.

24. The system of claim 23, wherein said status indicators include a green light which may be intermittently illuminated to indicate that the takeoff clearance is expected at a third predetermined time interval.

25. The system of claim 24, wherein said third predetermined time interval is less than 10 sec.

26. The system of claim 25, wherein said green light may be continuously illuminated to indicate that the aircraft and the ground objects may proceed through an active runway and that an outbound aircraft may initiate takeoff from the airport runway.

27. The system of claim 18, wherein said taxiway display lights includes a yellow light which indicates an imminent crossing permission.

28. The system of claim 27, wherein said taxiway lights includes a green light which indicates clearance to cross an active runway.

29. The system of claim 28, wherein said taxiway lights includes a red light to which indicates the non-entry into an active runway.

30. The system of claim 29, wherein said target conditions comprise at least one of a position and velocity of inbound aircraft, a time from start of roll to the time of clearing an intersection of the aircraft awaiting takeoff, inbound and outbound aircraft model, temperature, visibility conditions, wake turbulence conditions, wind direction, wind velocity, barometric pressure, runways in use, and the distance from holding area to the intersecting runway.

31. The system of claim 17, wherein said processing mechanism includes a manual override function that allows a control tower to disregard the outputted signal from the processing mechanism.

32. The system of claim 17, wherein said sensing mechanism comprises a land-based surveillance system, an air-based surveillance system, or an on-board navigation system.

17. A system for controlling airport ground traffic comprising:

a sensing mechanism including a plurality of sensors adapted to sense a plurality of target conditions;

a processing mechanism adapted to calculate an optimum time to initiate a takeoff sequence based upon said target conditions, said processing mechanism including an input device for receiving the sensed target conditions from said sensing mechanism, and an output device for transmitting an electronic signal representing said optimum time;

a plurality of status indicators in electronic communication with said processing mechanism for providing status information to at least aircraft and ground objects on the runway;

a control mechanism in electronic communication with said processing mechanism for controlling the operation of said status indicators,

wherein said status indicator includes a plurality of lights adapted to generate a plurality of visual signals in response to said control mechanism, said visual signals causing to direct at least the aircraft and the ground objects to either stop or proceed through an active runway, said visual signals also indicated to an outbound aircraft an estimated optimum time in which to takeoff from an airport runway.

33. A method for controlling airport ground traffic on an airport runway in which an outbound aircraft awaits takeoff on a runway and an inbound aircraft attempts to land on an intersecting runway, said method comprising the steps of:

sensing a plurality of target conditions corresponding to at least one of the airport, the inbound aircraft and the outbound aircraft;

calculating an optimum time in which to initiate a takeoff sequence based upon said target conditions;

indicating status information to said outbound aircraft regarding whether to stop, proceed through an active runway, or to initiate takeoff from the airport runway.

34. The method of claim 33, wherein said calculating step includes calculating an estimated time remaining before touchdown of the inbound aircraft based upon said sensed target conditions.

35. The method of claim 34, wherein said calculating step includes calculating a first time interval representing a time remaining before touchdown of the inbound aircraft.

36. The method of claim 35, wherein said calculating step includes calculating a second time interval representing a projecting time from touchdown that it takes the second aircraft to cross through the intersection.

37. The method of claim 35, wherein said calculating step includes calculating an estimated time of when the landing aircraft will cross the intersection based on said first and second time intervals.

38. The method of claim 37, wherein said calculating step includes calculating a time interval representing an appropriate takeoff roll time for the next takeoff to cross through the intersection.

39. The method of claim 38, wherein said calculating step includes calculating calculating a time interval during the landing of the inbound aircraft in which the first aircraft can be cleared for takeoff.

40. The method of claim 39, wherein said calculating step includes calculating an estimated time in which the inbound aircraft lands to thereby ensure that takeoff of the first aircraft will have a minimum time interval before the next landing.

41. The method of claim 33, wherein said sensing step includes sensing when a previous takeoff on the runway has occurred in order to ensure that clearance for takeoff of the first aircraft does not conflict within at least a predetermined time interval.

42. The method of claim 41, wherein said sensing step includes sensing whether takeoff of the outbound aircraft is restricted by any in-trail restrictions relative to a previous takeoff.

43. The method of claim 42, wherein said sensing step includes sensing whether takeoff the landing aircraft has exited the landing runway.