Arrangement and Method for Flight Security and/or Air Traffic Control of Aircraft

• US 20110015852A1
• Filed: 01/10/2009
• Published: 01/20/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 03/10/2008
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Thales Alenia Space Deutschland GmbH (Thales SA)
• Original Assignee: Thales ATM GmbH
• Inventors: Blomenhofer, Helmut, Neufeldt, Holger
• Granted Patent: US 8,498,803 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 701/120
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 5/0013 with a ground station
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 5/0052 for cruising combined instruments indicating more than one navigational value G01C23/00
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 7/18508 with satellite system used as relay, i.e. aeronautical mobile satellite service
• CPC Class Codes: H04H 20/55 for traffic information
• CPC Class Codes: H04H 20/86 Arrangements characterised by the broadcast information itself

Abstract

The invention relates to an arrangement and a method for flight security and/or air traffic control of aircraft (1, 2). At least one transmission station (3, 4) in an aircraft (1, 2) to be securing and/or directed transmits a broadcast signal (5, 6) received by at least one of a plurality of receiving stations (20) at a distance from each other and further transmitting at least a part of the data contained in the broadcast signal (5, 6) to a flight security and/or air traffic control central station (11) or other organizations. In order to be able to implement a large-area, preferably all-encompassing, global airspace monitoring at the least possible effort and cost, the invention proposes that at least part of the receiving stations are designed as satellite receiving stations (20), wherein the broadcast signal (5, 6) transmitted by the at least one transmission station (3, 4) of the aircraft (1, 2) to be secured or directed is received by at least one of the satellite receiving stations (20) and at least part of the data contained in the broadcast signal (5, 6) is further transmitted via a radio transmission route (21; 25, 27) to a satellite ground control station (22) and further to the flight security and/or air traffic control central station (11) or another organization.

Claims

1. An air traffic management and/or flight control arrangement for aircraft (1, 2), comprising at least one transmitting station (3, 4) in an aircraft (1, 2) to be managed and/or to be controlled and/or to be controlled and a number of receiving stations (20) spaced apart from one another which are connected to an air traffic management and/or flight control center (11), wherein the at least one transmitting station (3, 4) of the aircraft (1, 2) to be managed and/or to be controlled and/or to be controlled transmits a broadcast signal (5, 6), at least one of the receiving stations (20) receives the broadcast signal (5, 6) and forwards at least a part of the data contained in the broadcast signal (5, 6) to the air traffic management and/or flight control center (11) or other organizations, characterized in that at least one part of the receiving stations (20) is configured in such a manner that they receive a 1090 MHz broadcast signal (5, 6) of a transmitting station (3, 4), configured as Mode S Extended Squitter, of an aircraft (1, 2) to be managed and/or to be controlled and/or to be controlled, and forward at least a part of the data contained therein via a radio transmission link (21;

25, 27) to a satellite ground control station and onward to the air traffic management and/or flight control center (11) or other organizations.

2. The arrangement as claimed in claim 1, characterized in that the satellite receiving stations (20) orbit the Earth in orbit of under 3000 km above the Earth'"'"'s surface (29).

3. The arrangement as claimed in claim 2, characterized in that the satellite receiving stations (20) are a component of Low Earth Orbit (LEO) satellites.

4. The arrangement as claimed in one of claims 1 to 3, characterized in that the satellite receiving stations (20) orbit the Earth in such a manner that their receiving areas at least temporarily cover geographic regions which are only covered inadequately with ground receiving stations (7, 8).

5. The arrangement as claimed in claim 4, characterized in that the satellite receiving stations (20) orbit the Earth in such a manner that their receiving areas cover sea, mountain, jungle and/or desert regions.

6. The arrangement as claimed in one of claims 1 to 5, characterized in that the satellite receiving stations (20) are configured in such a manner that they receive a 978 MHz Universal Access Transceiver signal.

7. The arrangement as claimed in one of claims 1 to 6, characterized in that the satellite receiving stations (20) are configured in such a manner that they receive a VHF Data Link Mode-4 signal within a frequency range of from 108 to 137 MHz.

8. The arrangement as claimed in one of claims 1 to 7, characterized in that the satellite receiving stations (20) have at least one transmitting unit which transmits a further broadcast signal with air traffic information of aircraft (1, 2).

9. The arrangement as claimed in claim 8, characterized in that the satellite receiving stations (20) have at least one transmitting unit which transmits a further broadcast signal with air traffic information of other, preferably ground-based surveillance units, especially a secondary radar or an ADS-B ground station (7, 8).

10. The arrangement as claimed in claim 8 or 9, characterized in that the air traffic information is position information of at least one aircraft (1, 2).

11. The arrangement as claimed in one of claims 1 to 10, characterized in that the satellite receiving stations (20) have means for decrypting a broadcast signal (5, 6) transmitted encrypted by the transmitting station (3, 4) of the aircraft (1, 2) to be managed and/or to be controlled and/or to be controlled.

12. The arrangement as claimed in one of claims 1 to 11, characterized in that the satellite receiving stations (20) have means for encrypting the data of the broadcast signal (5, 6) which are to be forwarded to the air traffic management and/or flight control center (11).

13. A method for air traffic management and/or flight control of aircraft (1, 2), wherein at least one transmitting station (3, 4) in an aircraft (1, 2) to be managed and/or to be controlled and/or to be controlled transmits a broadcast signal (5, 6) which is received by at least one of a number of receiving stations (20) spaced apart from one another which forwards at least a part of the data contained in the broadcast signal (5, 6) to an air traffic management and/or flight control center (11) or to other organizations, characterized in that at least a part of the receiving stations is configured as satellite receiving stations (20), wherein the 1090 MHz broadcast signal (5, 6) transmitted by at least one transmitting station (3, 4) configured as mode S Extended Squitter of the aircraft (1, 2) to be managed and/or to be controlled and/or to be controlled is received by at least one of the satellite receiving stations (20) and at least a part of the data contained in the broadcast signal (5, 6) is forwarded via a radio transmission link (21;

25, 27) to a satellite ground control station and onward to the air traffic management and/or flight control center (11) or to other organizations.

14. The method as claimed in claim 13, characterized in that the data contained in the broadcast signal (5, 6) received by the at least one of the satellite receiving stations (20) is provided to third parties, especially an airline of the aircraft (1, 2) to be managed and/or to be controlled and/or to be controlled, to air traffic management and/or flight control authorities and airports.