Vehicle collision shield
First Claim
1. A method of avoiding collisions between a ground vehicle and a stationary aircraft, the vehicle including movable elements that change an outer geometry of the vehicle, the method comprising:
- changing the outer geometry of the vehicle;
sensing the proximity of the aircraft to the vehicle;
utilizing a digital map of three-dimensional outer dimensions of the ground vehicle, the map changing to describe the changes in the geometry of the vehicle, wherein utilizing the map includes comparing the dimensions in the map to the proximity of the aircraft to determine when the aircraft is within a predetermined envelope around the outer dimensions of the ground vehicle; and
activating a brake mechanism to automatically engage a ground vehicle brake when the aircraft is within the predetermined envelope.
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Accused Products
Abstract
A method for avoiding collisions with an aircraft ground-services vehicle includes using a proximity sensor attached to the ground-services vehicle to generate a proximity signal, and using a processor that stores a three-dimensional map of the ground-services vehicle'"'"'s outer geometry. The three-dimensional map is modifiable upon in-use changes to the 3-D geometry of the ground-services vehicle. The processor uses the three-dimensional map and the proximity signal to determine whether a predetermined 3-D envelope around the vehicle has been breached, and notifies the vehicle of a breach.
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Citations
10 Claims
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1. A method of avoiding collisions between a ground vehicle and a stationary aircraft, the vehicle including movable elements that change an outer geometry of the vehicle, the method comprising:
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changing the outer geometry of the vehicle; sensing the proximity of the aircraft to the vehicle; utilizing a digital map of three-dimensional outer dimensions of the ground vehicle, the map changing to describe the changes in the geometry of the vehicle, wherein utilizing the map includes comparing the dimensions in the map to the proximity of the aircraft to determine when the aircraft is within a predetermined envelope around the outer dimensions of the ground vehicle; and activating a brake mechanism to automatically engage a ground vehicle brake when the aircraft is within the predetermined envelope. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5)
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6. A method for avoiding collisions with an aircraft ground-services vehicle, the method comprising:
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using a proximity sensor attached to the ground-services vehicle to generate a proximity signal; and using a processor that stores a three-dimensional map of the ground-services vehicle outer geometry, the three-dimensional map modifiable upon in-use changes to the 3-D geometry of the ground-services vehicle; wherein the processor uses the three-dimensional map and the proximity signal to determine whether a predetermined 3-D envelope around the vehicle has been breached, and notifies the vehicle of a breach. - View Dependent Claims (7, 8, 9, 10)
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Specification