METHOD, SYSTEM, AND PROGRAM PRODUCT FOR AIRPORT TRAFFIC MANAGEMENT

• US 20090150013A1
• Filed: 12/07/2007
• Published: 06/11/2009
• Est. Priority Date: 12/07/2007
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Original Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Inventors: Finn, Peter G., Hamilton, Rick A. II, Seaman, James W., Gusler, Carl P.
• Granted Patent: US 7,979,197 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 701/11
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 5/0026 located on the ground
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 5/0082 for monitoring traffic from a ground station radar or analogous systems specially adapted for traffic control G01S13/91
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 5/065 Navigation or guidance aids, e.g. for taxiing or rolling

Abstract

Airport ground traffic management methods, program products and systems provided for a plurality of tags or tag readers distributed throughout an airport each spaced greater than a tag reader scanning distance. A traveling apparatus brings a tag proximate to a tag reader and a traffic manager in communication with the tag reader receives tag data and determines an apparatus location characteristic and formats the characteristic into a presentation provided to an apparatus operator or an airport ground traffic controller. Campus regions are identified in response to an airport campus function characteristic, and an apparatus location is plotted within a region on a graphic representation. In response to location, speed, historic data, data from other read tag and the location of another apparatus, a determined course of action is determined including entering a movement directive into an auto-pilot component.

Claims

1. A method for managing ground traffic in an airport, comprising:

distributing a spaced plurality of tags or tag readers throughout an airport campus, the tag readers configured to read data from each of the tags located within a tag reader scanning distance, each of the distributed plurality of tags or tag readers spaced from adjacent tags or tag readers at least a spacing distance greater than the tag reader scanning distance;

an apparatus traveling through the airport campus and;

bringing an attached first one of the tag readers proximate to a first one of the distributed airport campus area tags within the tag reader scanning distance, or

bringing an attached first one of the tags proximate to a first one of the distributed airport campus area tag readers within the tag reader scanning distance;

the first tag reader reading tag data from the first tag;

a traffic manager in communication with the first tag reader receiving the read tag data and determining an airport campus location characteristic for the apparatus;

the traffic manager formatting the airport campus location characteristic into a presentation; and

the traffic manager providing the presentation to an apparatus operator or an airport ground traffic controller.

2. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

identifying primary and secondary airport campus regions in response to an airport campus function characteristic;

deploying each of a primary regional plurality of the distributed airport campus tags or the distributed airport campus tag readers throughout the primary airport campus region in a first regional distribution array by spacing each from an adjacent other of the first regional plurality by a first regional spacing dimension; and

deploying each of a secondary regional plurality of the distributed airport campus tags or the distributed airport campus tag readers throughout the secondary airport campus region in a secondary regional distribution array by spacing each from an adjacent other of the second regional plurality by a second regional spacing dimension greater than the first regional spacing dimension;

wherein determining an airport campus location characteristic comprises identifying an associated one of the primary and the secondary airport campus regions in response to the read tag data.

3. The method of claim 2, wherein formatting the presentation comprises:

constructing a graphic representation of the airport campus comprising a plurality of campus location points, each point correlated to at least one of the distributed plurality of tags or the distributed plurality of tag readers, the graphic representation comprising a first graphic area visually representative of the primary region and a second graphic area visually representative of the secondary region and visually distinctive relative to the first region graphic area; and

plotting an apparatus location on the airport campus graphic representation within the first graphic area or the second graphic area and proximate to a first campus location point correlated with the read tag data.

4. The method of claim 3, wherein determining the airport campus location characteristic comprises processing at least one of historic data read from the tag or other tag data read from another tag.

5. The method of claim 4, further comprising the traffic manager issuing a unique directive to the apparatus operator or the airport ground traffic controller in response to unique tag data read from the first tag by the first tag reader, wherein the unique tag data is divergent from tag data encoded in a tag adjacent to the read tag.

6. The method of claim 5 wherein the tags are RFID tags and the tag readers are RFID tag readers.

7. The method of claim 6 further comprising the traffic manager determining a course of action for the apparatus in response to the determined airport campus location characteristic and to at least one of the group comprising a determined speed of the apparatus, the historic read data, the other tag read data and a determined location of another apparatus within the airport campus;

and

the traffic manager providing a ground traffic control directive to the apparatus operator or the airport ground traffic controller in response to the determined course of action.

8. The method of claim 7 wherein providing the ground traffic control directive comprises entering an apparatus movement directive into an apparatus auto-pilot control component;

and

further comprising the auto-pilot component causing movement of the apparatus in response to the apparatus movement directive.

9. A method for deploying an application for managing ground traffic in an airport campus, comprising:

providing a computer infrastructure being operable to;

receive tag data read from a first tag by a first tag reader;

determine an airport campus location characteristic for an apparatus traveling through the airport campus from the read data;

format the airport campus location characteristic into a presentation; and

provide the presentation to an apparatus operator or an airport ground traffic controller;

wherein a spaced plurality of tags or tag readers are distributed throughout the airport campus, the tag readers configured to read data from each of the tags located within a tag reader scanning distance, each of the distributed plurality of tags or tag readers spaced from adjacent tags or tag readers at least a spacing distance greater than the tag reader scanning distance; and

the read tag data is provided by the apparatus;

bringing an attached first one of the tag readers proximate to a first one of the distributed airport campus area tags within the tag reader scanning distance, or

bringing an attached first one of the tags proximate to a first one of the distributed airport campus area tag readers within the tag reader scanning distance.

10. The method of claim 9, the computer infrastructure being further operable to format the presentation by:

constructing a graphic representation of the airport campus comprising a plurality of campus location points, each point correlated to at least one of the distributed plurality of campus tags or the distributed plurality of campus tag readers, the graphic representation comprising a first graphic area visually representative of the primary region and a second graphic area visually representative of the secondary region and visually distinctive relative to the first region graphic area; and

plotting an apparatus location on the airport campus graphic representation within the first graphic area or the second graphic area and proximate to a first campus location point correlated with the read tag data.

11. The method of claim 10, the computer infrastructure being further operable to issue a unique directive to the apparatus operator or the airport ground traffic controller in response to unique tag data read from the first tag by the first tag reader, wherein the unique read tag data is divergent from tag data encoded in a tag adjacent to the read tag.

12. The method of claim 11, the computer infrastructure being further operable to:

determine a course of action for the apparatus in response to the read tag data and to at least one of the group comprising historic read tag data, other tag data read from another tag, a determined speed of the apparatus and a determined location of another apparatus within the airport campus; and

provide a ground traffic control directive in response to the determined course of action.

13. The method of claim 12, the computer infrastructure being further operable to enter the ground traffic control directive directly into an apparatus auto-pilot control component.

14. A method, comprising:

producing computer executable program code;

storing the code on a computer readable medium; and

providing the program code to be deployed and executed on a computer system;

the program code comprising instructions which, when executed on the computer system, cause the computer system to;

receive tag data read from a first tag by a first tag reader;

determine an airport campus location characteristic for an apparatus traveling through the airport campus from the read data;

format the airport campus location characteristic into a presentation; and

provide the presentation to an apparatus operator or an airport ground traffic controller;

wherein a spaced plurality of tags or tag readers are distributed throughout the airport campus, the tag readers configured to read data from each of the tags located within a tag reader scanning distance, each of the distributed plurality of tags or tag readers spaced from adjacent tags or tag readers at least a spacing distance greater than the tag reader scanning distance; and

the read tag data is provided by the apparatus;

bringing an attached first one of the tag readers proximate to a first one of the distributed airport campus area tags within the tag reader scanning distance, or

bringing an attached first one of the tags proximate to a first one of the distributed airport campus area tag readers within the tag reader scanning distance.

15. The method of claim 14, the program code instructions, when executed on the computer system, further causing the computer system to determine the airport campus location characteristic by identifying an associated one of a primary and a secondary airport campus region in response to the read tag data;

wherein each of a primary regional plurality of the distributed airport campus tags or the distributed airport campus tag readers are deployed throughout the primary airport campus region in a first regional distribution array by spacing each from an adjacent other of the first regional plurality by a first regional spacing dimension; and

each of a secondary regional plurality of the distributed airport campus tags or the distributed airport campus tag readers are deployed throughout the secondary airport campus region in a secondary regional distribution array by spacing each from an adjacent other of the second regional plurality by a second regional spacing dimension greater than the first regional spacing dimension.

16. The method of claim 15, the program code instructions, when executed on the computer system, further causing the computer system to format the presentation by:

constructing a graphic representation of the airport campus comprising a plurality of campus location points, each point correlated to at least one of the distributed plurality of tags or the distributed plurality of tag readers, the graphic representation comprising a first graphic area visually representative of the primary region and a second graphic area visually representative of the secondary region and visually distinctive relative to the first region graphic area; and

plotting an apparatus location on the airport campus graphic representation within the first graphic area or the second graphic area and proximate to a first campus location point correlated with the read tag data.

17. The method of claim 16, the program code instructions, when executed on the computer system, further causing the computer system to:

determine the airport campus location characteristic by processing at least one of historic data read from the tag or other tag data read from another tag.

18. The method of claim 17, the program code instructions, when executed on the computer system, further causing the computer system to:

determine a course of action for the apparatus in response to the determined airport campus location characteristic and to at least one of the group comprising the historic read data, the other tag read data, a determined speed of the apparatus and a determined location of another apparatus within the airport campus; and

provide a ground traffic control directive to the apparatus operator or the airport ground traffic controller in response to the determined course of action.

19. The method of claim 18, wherein the ground traffic control directive is an apparatus movement directive;

and

the program code instructions, when executed on the computer system, further causing the computer system to enter the apparatus movement directive directly into an apparatus auto-pilot control component.

20. A system, comprising:

a processing means configured to receive tag data read from a tag by a tag reader;

a spaced plurality of tags or tag readers distributed throughout an airport ground campus, the tag readers in communication with the processing means and configured to read data from each of the tags located within a tag reader scanning distance, each of the distributed plurality of tags or tag readers spaced from adjacent tags or tag readers at least a spacing distance greater than the tag reader scanning distance; and

an apparatus tag or tag reader deployed on an apparatus wherein travel of the apparatus along the ground campus brings;

the apparatus tag reader proximate to a first one of the distributed airport campus area tags within the tag reader scanning distance, or

the apparatus tag proximate to a first one of the distributed airport campus area tag readers within the tag reader scanning distance;

wherein the processing means is further configured to determine an airport campus location characteristic for the apparatus relative to the airport campus from data read from the tag by the proximate tag reader;

format the airport campus location characteristic into a presentation; and

provide the presentation to an apparatus operator or an airport ground traffic controller.

21. The system of claim 20, wherein the processing means is further configured to determine the airport campus location characteristic by identifying an associated one of the primary and the secondary airport campus regions in response to the read tag data;

wherein each of a primary regional plurality of the distributed airport campus tags or the distributed airport campus tag readers are deployed throughout the primary airport campus region in a first regional distribution array by spacing each from an adjacent other of the first regional plurality by a first regional spacing dimension; and

each of a secondary regional plurality of the distributed airport campus tags or the distributed airport campus tag readers are deployed throughout the secondary airport campus region in a secondary regional distribution array by spacing each from an adjacent other of the second regional plurality by a second regional spacing dimension greater than the first regional spacing dimension.

22. The system of claim 21, wherein the processing means is further configured to format the presentation by:

constructing a graphic representation of the airport campus comprising a plurality of campus location points, each point correlated to at least one of the distributed plurality of tags or the distributed plurality of tag readers, the graphic representation comprising a first graphic area visually representative of the primary region and a second graphic area visually representative of the secondary region and visually distinctive relative to the first region graphic area; and

plotting an apparatus location on the airport campus graphic representation within the first graphic area or the second graphic area and proximate to a first campus location point correlated with the read tag data.

23. The system of claim 22 wherein the tags are RFID tags, and wherein the tag readers are RFID tag readers.

24. The system of claim 23, wherein the processing means is further configured to determine a course of action for the apparatus in response to the read tag data and to at least one of the group comprising historic read tag data, other tag data read from another tag, a determined speed of the apparatus and a determined location of another apparatus within the airport campus;

and

provide a ground traffic control directive in response to the determined course of action.

25. The system of claim 27, wherein the ground traffic control directive is an apparatus movement directive;

and wherein the processing means is further configured to enter the apparatus movement directive directly into an apparatus auto-pilot control component.