Observability of unmanned aircraft and aircraft without electrical systems

• US 20100283661A1
• Filed: 01/16/2008
• Published: 11/11/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 01/16/2007
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Mitre Corporation
• Original Assignee: Mitre Corporation
• Inventors: Strain, Robert C., Moody, John C., DeGarmo, Matthew T.
• Application Number:
  US12/007,872
• Publication Number:
  US 20100283661A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 342/30
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 13/765 with exchange of information between interrogator and responder
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 13/933 of aircraft or spacecraft
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 5/0072 Transmission between mobile stations, e.g. anti-collision systems
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 5/0008 with other aircraft

Abstract

The present invention relates to a lightweight beacon system, affixable, for example, to UAS, aircraft without electrical systems, airport surface vehicles, skydivers, gliders, and/or balloons. The lightweight beacon system uses a small, low-powered, portable radio beacon to broadcast the location of the aircraft, vehicle, or person to which the beacon system is attached. The lightweight beacon system is compatible with the FAA'"'"'s Automatic Dependent Surveillance-Broadcast (ADS-B) service, thereby providing a means for unmanned aircraft systems (UAS), aircraft without electrical systems, airport surface vehicles, or persons to be observable to other general aviation aircraft operating in their proximity.

Claims

1. A lightweight beacon system affixable to an aircraft system, comprising:

a Global Positioning System (GPS) receiver that receives a state vector associated with an aircraft system, wherein said state vector includes positional and velocity attributes of said aircraft system;

a controller that processes said state vector and generates an Automatic Dependent Surveillance-Broadcast (ADS-B) message based on said state vector; and

an ADS-B compatible transceiver configured to broadcast said ADS-B message.

2. The beacon system of claim 1, wherein said controller generates additional positional attributes associated with said aircraft system and includes said additional positional attributes within said ADS-B message.

3. The beacon system of claim 1, wherein said beacon system further comprises a barometric pressure sensor, wherein said barometric pressure sensor periodically communicates current pressure altitude measurements to said controller, and wherein said controller includes said pressure altitude measurements within said ADS-B message.

4. The beacon system of claim 1, wherein said beacon system further comprises a temperature sensor, wherein said temperature sensor periodically communicates ambient temperature measurements to said controller, and wherein said controller includes said ambient temperature measurements within said ADS-B message.

5. The beacon system of claim 1, wherein said controller generates said ADS-B message as a Universal Access Transceiver (UAT) ADS-B message or a 1090 MHz Extended Squitter (1090ES) ADS-B message.

6. The beacon system of claim 1, wherein said GPS receiver receives wide area, regional, and/or local correction information from a GPS augmentation system.

7. The beacon system of claim 1, wherein said GPS receiver is shared with other avionics systems of said aircraft system.

8. The beacon system of claim 1, wherein said ADS-B compatible transceiver includes an ADS-B compatible transmitter, capable of transmitting at least one of an Universal Access Transceiver (UAT) ADS-B message and a 1090ES ADS-B message.

9. The beacon system of claim 1, wherein said ADS-B compatible transceiver includes an ADS-B compatible transceiver, capable of receiving at least one of an Universal Access Transceiver (UAT) ADS-B message and a 1090ES ADS-B message.

10. The beacon system of claim 1, further comprising a communications interface, wherein said communications interface communicates with an external system or user to receive configuration commands from and/or send events to said external system or user.

11. The beacon system of claim 1, wherein said beacon system receives information from an external system via said communications interface and broadcasts said information using said ADS-B compatible transceiver, thereby acting as a broadcast repeater.

12. The beacon system of claim 11, wherein said external system includes a Unmanned Aircraft System (UAS) ground control station.

13. The beacon system of claim 11, wherein said information is other than an ADS-B message and includes operation-specific information directed to other aircraft systems.

14. The beacon system of claim 1, wherein said controller processes ADS-B messages received by said ADS-B compatible transceiver from other airspace users and generates positional attributes and status information associated with said other airspace users.

15. The beacon system of claim 1, wherein said controller processes messages, other than ADS-B messages, received by said ADS-B compatible transceiver from one or more ground stations to determine the location of the aircraft system.

16. The beacon system of claim 1, further comprising antenna circuitry.

17. The beacon system of claim 1, further comprising power supply circuitry.

18. The beacon system of claim 17, wherein said power supply circuitry includes one or more batteries.

19. The beacon system of claim 17, wherein said power supply circuitry derives power from an external source.

20. The beacon system of claim 1, wherein said beacon system is integrated within a single portable unit.

21. The beacon system of claim 1, wherein said beacon system is affixable to unmanned aircraft systems, aircraft without electrical systems, airport surface vehicles, skydivers, gliders, and/or balloons.

22. The beacon system of claim 1, wherein said beacon system is integrated within an electronic avionics system of the aircraft.

23. A method for enhancing aviation safety in the presence of unmanned aircraft, aircraft without electrical systems, and/or airport surface vehicles, comprising:

affixing a lightweight beacon system to an unmanned aircraft, aircraft without electrical systems, and/or airport surface vehicle;

receiving state vector information associated with said unmanned aircraft, aircraft without electrical systems, and/or airport surface vehicle by said lightweight beacon system;

generating an Automatic Dependent Surveillance-Broadcast (ADS-B) message based on said state vector information by said lightweight beacon system; and

broadcasting said ADS-B message by lightweight beacon system.

24. The method of claim 23, wherein said aircraft without electrical systems include one of a skydiver, a glider, and/or an air balloon.

25. The method of claim 23, further comprising:

receiving said ADS-B message; and

detecting the presence of said unmanned aircraft, aircraft without electrical systems, and/or airport surface vehicle, thereby reducing a risk of collision with said unmanned aircraft, aircraft without electrical systems, and/or airport surface vehicle.

26. The method of claim 23, further comprising:

communicating with an external system or user to receive configuration commands from and/or to send events to said external system or user.

27. The method of claim 23, further comprising:

receiving information from an external system; and

broadcasting said received information by said lightweight beacon system.

28. The method of claim 27, wherein said external system includes an Unmanned Aircraft System (UAS) ground control station.

29. The method of claim 27, wherein said information is other than an ADS-B message and includes operation-specific information directed to other aircraft systems.

30. The method of claim 23, wherein said generating step comprises generating a Universal Access Transceiver (UAT) ADS-B message or a 1090ES ADS-B message.