METHOD AND DEVICE FOR DETECTING AN ENVIRONNING AIRCRAFT

• US 20090212992A1
• Filed: 02/23/2009
• Published: 08/27/2009
• Est. Priority Date: 02/25/2008
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Airbus Operations SAS (Airbus SE)
• Original Assignee: Airbus France
• Inventors: FOUET, Guillaume
• Granted Patent: US 7,855,675 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 342/38
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 5/0021 located in the aircraft
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 5/045 Navigation or guidance aids, e.g. determination of anti-collision manoeuvers radar or analogous systems specially adapted for anti-collision between aircraft G01S13/933

Abstract

The device (1) comprises a radar (2) which is able to detect any nearby aircraft and means (7) for presenting to a pilot an indication indicating, as appropriate, such a detection.

Claims

1. A method of detecting nearby aircraft, intended for an aircraft (A) situated on or close to an airport, according to which:

A/ a detection mode is activated that is implemented by at least one radar (2) which is on board the aircraft (A), which is capable of performing a scan of the surrounding space, and which can detect, in said detection mode, a moving nearby aircraft; and

B/ when a detection mode of the radar (2) is activated, the following operations are performed automatically;

a) a scan area (ZB) is determined which depends on a runway (P2) of the airport;

b) scan commands for the radar (2) are determined that make it possible to have said radar (2) scan said scan area (ZB);

c) these scan commands are transmitted to said radar (2) so that it performs a scan of all of said scan area (ZB), and does so in said detection mode; and

d) if said radar (2) detects, in this scan, the presence of at least one nearby aircraft, a corresponding indication is presented to a pilot of the aircraft (A),

wherein;

said radar (2) is an air-air mode radar which is capable of detecting a nearby aircraft that is in flight; and

said scan area (ZB) comprises at least one vertical area (Z1) of space that is situated to one side of the runway (P2), and the positioning of which is defined relative to the center line (L2) of the runway (P2).

2. The method as claimed in claim 1,

whereby the activation of said detection mode of the radar (2) is performed manually by a pilot of the aircraft (A).

3. The method as claimed in claim 1,

whereby, in the step A/, the following operations are performed automatically:

α

) characteristics of at least one runway (P2) of the airport are received, making it possible to determine a characteristic position of this runway (P2);

β

) the current position of the aircraft (A) is determined;

γ

) this current position is compared to said characteristic position; and

δ

) if said comparison reveals that the aircraft (A) is located close to said runway (P2), said detection mode is activated.

4. The method as claimed in claim 1,

whereby said scan area (ZB) comprises two vertical areas (Z1) of space that are situated either side of the runway (P2), and the positionings of which are defined relative to the center line (L2) of the runway (P2).

5. The method as claimed in claim 1,

whereby, in the step B/b):

the heading of the aircraft (A), the positions of the thresholds (S1, S2) of the runway (P2), and the orientation of the runway (P2) are determined;

from the preceding information, and from predetermined vertical and horizontal angles of an approach center line of the runway (P2) and from a predetermined length of the edges of the area to be scanned, the maximum relative bearing, the minimum relative bearing, the maximum elevation, the minimum elevation (R1) and the slant range (RS, RT) for scanning said scan area (Z1) are determined; and

the latter information is used to determine the scan commands enabling the radar (2) to scan said scan area (Z1).

6. The method as claimed in claim 1,

whereby:

a second radar (2) is used, said radar being provided with a Doppler processing function which is capable of detecting nearby aircraft taxiing on the ground and of determining the speed of the latter relative to the aircraft implementing said method; and

said scan area comprises a horizontal area that encompasses at least the surface of said runway (P2).

7. The method as claimed in claim 1,

whereby, in the step B/d), an alert is emitted if a nearby aircraft is detected.

8. The method as claimed in claim 1,

whereby, in the step B/d), if a nearby aircraft is detected, a characteristic symbol (S1, S2, S3) which illustrates the current position of the nearby aircraft, together with an auxiliary symbol (I1, I2, I3) which indicates its current altitude, are presented on an airport map (27) which is displayed on at least one display screen (26).

9. The method as claimed in claim 1,

whereby, in the step B/d):

for each detected nearby aircraft, a danger level is determined; and

for each detected nearby aircraft, an indication highlighting the corresponding danger level is presented.

10. A device for detecting nearby aircraft, which is on board an aircraft (A) situated on or close to an airport,

which comprises:

at least one radar (2) which is capable of performing a scan of space and which is able to detect, in a detection mode, a moving nearby aircraft;

activation means (3) which are capable of activating a detection mode that has to be implemented by said radar (2);

means (5) for determining a scan area (ZB) which depends on a runway (P2) of the airport;

means (5) for determining scan commands for the radar, which make it possible to have said radar (2) scan said scan area (ZB), said scan commands being transmitted to said radar (2) in order for it to perform a scan of all of said scan area (ZB) in said detection mode; and

means (7) for presenting, as appropriate, an indication to a pilot of the aircraft, indicating detection by the radar (2) of at least one nearby aircraft,

whereby;

said radar (2) is an air-air mode radar which is capable of detecting a nearby aircraft that is in flight; and

said means (5) determine a scan area (ZB) which comprises at least one vertical area (Z1) of space that is situated to one side of the runway (P2), and the positioning of which is defined relative to the center line (L2) of the runway (P2).