Method for the prediction of air traffic events, especially for assistance in decison-making for airlines airports

• US 20040039518A1
• Filed: 03/11/2003
• Published: 02/26/2004
• Est. Priority Date: 03/13/2002
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Thales SA
• Original Assignee: Thales SA
• Inventors: Jasselin, Philippe
• Granted Patent: US 7,151,995 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 701/120
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/06 Resources, workflows, human or project management; Enterprise or organisation planning; Enterprise or organisation modelling

Abstract

In a method for the prediction of air-traffic events, with sending means being distributed on the sites of the air-traffic actors, and with data-processing means communicating with these sending means through at least one communications network, an event is predicted by the processing means as a function of information distributed to the different sites and sent out by the sending means. The method can be applied especially to the optimizing of the management of air traffic, especially during the approach phase and in airports.

Claims

1. A method for the prediction of air-traffic events wherein, with sending means being distributed on the sites of the air-traffic actors, and with data-processing means communicating with these sending means through at least one communications network, an event is predicted by the processing means as a function of information distributed to the different sites and sent out by the sending means.

2. A method according to claim 1, wherein with a same piece of information (Inf.A) on an event being sent by different sending means in the form of data (Inf.A1, . . . Inf.Ak, . . . Inf.AN) to the information-processing means, these means assign a quality indicator to the received data (Inf.A1, . . . Inf.Ak, . . . Inf.AN), the prediction of the event being a function of the quality indicator.

3. A method according to claim 2, wherein the quality indicator comprises an index I₁ as a function of the data itself.

4. A method according to claim 3, wherein the index I₁ is a function of the age of the data, the older the data the lower being the index.

5. A method according to any of the claims 3 or 4, wherein the index I₁ is a function of the stability of the data as a function of the time.

6. A method according to any of the claims 2 to 5, wherein the quality indicator comprises an index I₂ as a function of the set of data (Inf.A1, . . . Inf.Ak, . . . Inf.AN), of different origins, which define a same piece of information.

7. A method according to claim 6, wherein the index I₂ is a function of correlation of the data (Inf.A1, . . . Inf.Ak, . . . Inf.AN).

8. A method according to any of the claims 2 to 7, wherein the quality indicator comprises an index I₃ as a function of the flight environment.

9. A method according to claim 8, wherein the index I₃ is a function of the flight phase.

10. A method according to any of the claims 8 or 9, wherein the index I₃ is a function of the source of the data (Inf.A1, . . . Inf.Ak, . . . Inf.AN).

11. A method according to the claims 9 and 10 wherein, for a piece of data, the index I₃ is a function of the pair of pieces of information on flight phase and origin of the data.

12. A method according to any of the claims 2 to 11 wherein the prediction chosen for an piece of information (Inf.A) is the received data defining this information which comprises the best quality indicator.

13. A method according to any of the claims 2 to 11, wherein the prediction chosen for a piece of information (Inf.A) is the sum of the data received (Inf.A1, . . . Inf.Ak, . . . Inf.AN) defining this information weighted by their quality indicators.

14. A method according to any of the above claims, wherein an alarm is generated in the event of inconsistency of the received data (Inf.A1, . . . Inf.Ak, . . . Inf.AN) pertaining to a same piece of information.

15. A method according to claim 14, wherein the alarm is generated in the event of low correlation of the data received.

16. A method according to any of the above claims, wherein the processing means are distributed in one or more servers.

17. A method according to any of the above claims, wherein the sending means are data-extraction mechanisms or customer stations.

18. A method according to any of the above claims, wherein the communications network is an Internet type network.

19. A method according to claim 18, wherein the data exchanges are done according to the XML/HTTP standard.

20. A method according to any of the above claims, wherein the prediction is made by the processing means.

21. A method according to any of the claims 1 to 19, wherein the prediction is decentralized and made by processing means decentralized at the sites.