REMOTE AIR TRAFFIC SURVEILLANCE DATA COMPOSITING BASED ON DATALINKED RADIO SURVEILLANCE

• US 20160035225A1
• Filed: 08/01/2014
• Published: 02/04/2016
• Est. Priority Date: 08/01/2014
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Honeywell International Inc.
• Original Assignee: Honeywell International Inc.
• Inventors: Berckefeldt, Richard
• Granted Patent: US 9,685,087 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 5/0008 with other aircraft
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 5/0013 with a ground station
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 5/0021 located in the aircraft
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 5/0078 for monitoring traffic from the aircraft radar or analogous systems specially adapted for traffic control G01S13/91
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 5/04 Anti-collision systems

Abstract

In one example, a method for combining radio surveillance data includes receiving air traffic surveillance data from one or more aircraft via one or more remotely operable data link systems. The method further includes combining the air traffic surveillance data from the one or more aircraft into a composite air traffic surveillance data set. The air traffic surveillance data is based at least in part on radio surveillance messages received by the one or more aircraft from additional aircraft.

Claims

1. A method for combining radio surveillance data, the method comprising:

receiving air traffic surveillance data from one or more aircraft via one or more remotely operable data link systems; and

combining the air traffic surveillance data from the one or more aircraft into a composite air traffic surveillance data set,

wherein the air traffic surveillance data is based at least in part on radio surveillance messages received by the one or more aircraft from additional aircraft.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the radio surveillance messages comprise automatic dependent surveillance-broadcast (ADS-B) messages received by the one or more aircraft from the additional aircraft.

3. The method of claim 1, further comprising communicating the composite air traffic surveillance data set to one or more recipients.

4. The method of claim 3, wherein the one or more recipients comprise one or more recipient aircraft.

5. The method of claim 4, further comprising combining the air traffic surveillance data from the one or more aircraft into the composite air traffic surveillance data set and communicating the composite air traffic surveillance data set to the one or more recipients within a nominal latency of receiving the air traffic surveillance data from the one or more aircraft.

6. The method of claim 4, wherein the one or more aircraft are reporting aircraft, wherein the one or more recipient aircraft comprise at least one of the reporting aircraft.

7. The method of claim 4, wherein the one or more aircraft are reporting aircraft, wherein the one or more recipient aircraft do not comprise at least one of the reporting aircraft.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein the one or more remotely operable data link systems comprise a satellite configured to provide a communicative channel with at least one of the one or more aircraft.

9. The method of claim 1, wherein the air traffic surveillance data comprises at least one of:

a latitude, a longitude, a flight identifier (ID), a range, a bearing, a ground track, a ground speed, or an altitude for at least one of the additional aircraft.

10. The method of claim 1, wherein the one or more aircraft are reporting aircraft, the method further comprising generating the composite air traffic surveillance data set showing air traffic surveillance data for a minimum radius around each of the reporting aircraft.

11. The method of claim 10, wherein the minimum radius around each of the reporting aircraft is at least 150 nautical miles.

12. The method of claim 1,

wherein receiving the air traffic surveillance data from the one or more aircraft via the one or more remotely operable data link systems comprises receiving the air traffic surveillance data from two or more aircraft via the one or more remotely operable data link systems,

wherein combining the air traffic surveillance data from the one or more aircraft into the composite air traffic surveillance data set comprises combining the air traffic surveillance data from the two or more aircraft into the composite air traffic surveillance data set, and

wherein the air traffic surveillance data is based at least in part on radio surveillance messages received by the two or more aircraft from the additional aircraft.

13. The method of claim 1 further comprising:

sending a request for updated air traffic surveillance data to one or more of the one or more aircraft.

14. A system for combining radio surveillance data, the system comprising:

a transceiver configured to receive air traffic surveillance data from one or more aircraft via one or more remotely operable data link systems; and

a processor configured to combine the air traffic surveillance data from the one or more aircraft into a composite air traffic surveillance data set,

wherein the air traffic surveillance data is based at least in part on radio surveillance messages received by the one or more aircraft from additional aircraft.

15. The system of claim 14, wherein the transceiver is further configured to communicate the composite air traffic surveillance data set o one or more recipients.

16. The system of claim 15, wherein the one or more recipients comprise one or more recipient aircraft, the processor further being configured to combine the air traffic surveillance data from the one or more aircraft into the composite air traffic surveillance data set, and the transceiver further being configured to communicate the composite air traffic surveillance data set to the one or more recipients within a nominal latency of receiving the air traffic surveillance data from the one or more aircraft.

17. The system of claim 14, wherein the one or more remotely operable data link systems comprise a satellite configured to provide a communicative channel with at least one of the one or more aircraft.

18. The system of claim 14, wherein the air traffic surveillance data comprises at least one of:

a latitude, a longitude, a flight identifier (ID), a range, a bearing, a ground track, a ground speed, or an altitude for at least one of the additional aircraft.

19. The system of claim 14, wherein the one or more aircraft are reporting aircraft, the processor further being configured to generate the composite air traffic surveillance data set showing air traffic surveillance data for a minimum radius around each of the reporting aircraft.

20. A system for combining surveillance data, the system comprising:

means for receiving condensed traffic data from one or more vehicles via one or more remotely operable data link systems; and

means for combining the condensed traffic data from the one or more vehicles into a composite traffic data set,

wherein the condensed traffic data is based at least in part on surveillance messages received by the one or more vehicles from additional vehicles.

21. The system of claim 20, further comprising means for communicating the composite traffic data set to one or more recipients.

22. A method for combining radio surveillance data comprising:

receiving radio surveillance messages comprising aircraft data from one or more aircraft;

converting the aircraft data from the radio surveillance messages to air raffle surveillance data; and

transmitting the air traffic surveillance data via a remotely operable data link system to an air traffic surveillance data compositing system.

23. The method of claim 22, wherein the radio surveillance messages comprise automatic dependent surveillance-broadcast (ADS-B) messages received by the one or more aircraft from the additional aircraft.

24. The method of claim 22, wherein the one or more remotely operable data link systems comprise a satellite configured to provide a communicative channel with at least one of the one or more aircraft.

25. The method of claim 22, wherein the air traffic surveillance data comprises air traffic situational awareness (ATSA) surveillance data.

26. The method of claim 22, wherein the air traffic surveillance data comprises at least one of a latitude, a longitude, a flight identifier (ID), a range, a bearing, a ground track, a ground speed, or an altitude for at least one of the additional aircraft.

27. The method of claim 22, wherein the method is performed by an aircraft system aboard a reporting aircraft, wherein the air traffic surveillance data includes at least partial coverage for a minimum radius around the reporting aircraft.