Close/intra-formation positioning collision avoidance system and method
First Claim
1. A passive close formation collision avoidance system for a host aircraft, the system comprising:
- data link transponder means, said transponder means generating and transmitting broadcast data, the broadcast data comprising aircraft position information of the host aircraft; and
traffic alert and collision avoidance system (TCAS) computer means in communication with said transponder means for receiving and processing broadcast data from a second data link transponder means located onboard other aircraft to determine relative aircraft position of the host aircraft with respect to the other aircraft.
0 Assignments
0 Petitions
Accused Products
Abstract
A passive Traffic Alert and Collision Avoidance System (TCAS) and method is based on receiving and processing Mode-S transponder messages without the TCAS computer having to interrogate the transponders of the respective aircraft flying in formation (i.e., a passive TCAS). A TCAS computer and Mode-S transponder are used to provide distributed intra-formation control among multiple cells of aircraft flying in formation or close-in. The Mode-S transponder provides ADS-B Global Positioning System (GPS) squitter data to the TCAS computer; the TCAS computer receives and processes the data without having to interrogate the transponders of the multiple cells of aircraft. The method and system allow a safe separation between 2 to 250 aircraft flying in formation at selectable ranges.
-
Citations
37 Claims
-
1. A passive close formation collision avoidance system for a host aircraft, the system comprising:
-
data link transponder means, said transponder means generating and transmitting broadcast data, the broadcast data comprising aircraft position information of the host aircraft; and
traffic alert and collision avoidance system (TCAS) computer means in communication with said transponder means for receiving and processing broadcast data from a second data link transponder means located onboard other aircraft to determine relative aircraft position of the host aircraft with respect to the other aircraft. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20, 21, 22, 23, 24, 25, 26, 27, 28, 29)
-
-
14. A passive intra-formation positioning collision avoidance system for a transponder-equipped host aircraft, the system comprising:
-
a data link transponder, said transponder generating broadcast data, the broadcast data comprising aircraft position; and
a traffic alert and collision avoidance system (TCAS) computer in communication with said transponder for receiving and processing the broadcast data from said transponder;
a mission computer unit in communication with said TCAS computer, wherein said mission computer unit receives the broadcast data from said TCAS computer and generates steering commands based on the broadcast data; and
a communication link in communication with said mission computer to transmit the steering commands to at least one other transponder-equipped aircraft for processing, the at least one other transponder-equipped aircraft being responsive to the steering commands to position itself with respect to the host aircraft.
-
-
30. A passive collision avoidance method for aircraft flying in formation with respect to one another, the method comprising the steps of:
-
providing a transponder, the transponder generating and transmitting broadcast data, the broadcast data comprising aircraft position; and
providing a traffic alert and collision avoidance system (TCAS) computer onboard a host aircraft, the TCAS being in communication with said transponder for receiving and processing the broadcast data from the transponder. - View Dependent Claims (31, 32, 33, 34, 35, 36, 37)
-
Specification