Uninterruptable ADS-B system for aircraft tracking
First Claim
1. An aircraft surveillance system for broadcasting information related to an aircraft, said aircraft surveillance system comprising:
- a housing defining an interior portion; and
an aircraft information broadcasting system disposed within said interior portion of said housing, said aircraft information broadcasting system being configured for broadcasting flight-related information from said aircraft while said aircraft is in flight, said flight-related information being related to a current flight of said aircraft, and said housing being configured for restricting access to said aircraft information broadcasting system while said aircraft is in flight.
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Abstract
An aircraft surveillance system that includes an uninterruptible aircraft information broadcasting system (such as an ADS-B system) for transmitting flight information from an aircraft, and one or more ground stations for receiving the broadcast flight information. The flight information preferably includes the aircraft'"'"'s aircraft ID, current three-dimensional position, and intended path. Optional components according to the invention include a system and method for validating messages received from the aircraft, and an alternative system and method for determining the aircraft'"'"'s position if a primary navigation aid, such as GPS, is not available. In one embodiment of the invention, the system includes a transmitter and an uninterruptible power supply that are disposed within a secure housing within the aircraft. This serves to prevent passengers and crew members from disabling the system.
32 Citations
60 Claims
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1. An aircraft surveillance system for broadcasting information related to an aircraft, said aircraft surveillance system comprising:
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a housing defining an interior portion; and
an aircraft information broadcasting system disposed within said interior portion of said housing, said aircraft information broadcasting system being configured for broadcasting flight-related information from said aircraft while said aircraft is in flight, said flight-related information being related to a current flight of said aircraft, and said housing being configured for restricting access to said aircraft information broadcasting system while said aircraft is in flight. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20, 21, 22, 23, 24, 25, 26, 27, 28, 29, 30, 31, 32, 33, 34, 35, 36, 37, 38, 39)
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40. An aircraft surveillance system for tracking an aircraft, said aircraft surveillance system comprising:
an aircraft information broadcasting system disposed within said aircraft, said aircraft information broadcasting system being configured for broadcasting flight-related information in a substantially uninterruptible manner while said aircraft is in flight, said flight-related information being related to a current flight of said aircraft. - View Dependent Claims (41, 42, 43, 44, 45, 46)
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47. A method of broadcasting information related to an aircraft, said method comprising the steps of:
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providing a housing defining an interior portion, said housing being configured for restricting access to said interior portion while said aircraft is in flight;
providing an aircraft information broadcasting system, said aircraft information broadcasting system being configured for broadcasting flight-related information from said aircraft while said aircraft is in flight;
positioning said aircraft information broadcasting system within said interior portion of said housing; and
using said aircraft information broadcasting system to broadcast said flight-related information from said aircraft while said aircraft information broadcasting system is disposed within said interior portion of said housing and while said housing is restricting access to said interior portion. - View Dependent Claims (48, 49, 50, 51, 52, 53, 54, 55, 56, 57)
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58. A method of tracking an aircraft comprising the steps of:
providing an aircraft with an information broadcasting system, said aircraft information broadcasting system being configured for broadcasting information related to a current flight of said aircraft in a substantially uninterruptible manner while said aircraft is in flight. - View Dependent Claims (59, 60)
Specification