PILOT DATA SYSTEM

• US 3,750,166 A
• Filed: 06/11/1971
• Issued: 07/31/1973
• Est. Priority Date: 06/11/1971
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: James Slocum Dearth
• Original Assignee: James Slocum Dearth
• Inventors: Dearth, James Slocum
• Primary Examiner(s): Borchelt, Benjamin A.
• Assistant Examiner(s): Montone, G. E.
• Application Number:
  US05/152,201
• Time in Patent Office: 781 Days
• Field of Search: 343/6TV,6.5R
• US Class Current: 342/30
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 13/78 discriminating between different kinds of targets, e.g. IFF-radar, i.e. identification of friend or foe G01S13/75, G01S13/79 take precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 13/933 of aircraft or spacecraft
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 5/0009 Transmission of position information to remote stations involving assistance data G01S5/0236
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 5/14 Determining absolute distances from a plurality of spaced points of known location

Abstract

This Pilot Data System is capable of automatically providing the pilot of a vehicle continuous, immediate, information on the geographic position of his vehicle, the geographic position and movement of other craft, the location and height of natural and man-made obstacles, and other pertinent data. This system is primarily intended for use by aircraft, but is not restricted to any specific type of vehicle. When used for aircraft, this system automatically determines all aircraft positions within its coverage area by a combination of low-cost aircraft data link and a ground station. It sorts aircraft by altitude, generates synthetic displays for increments of altitude, together with map underlays on which the aircraft appear, and transmits the resulting displays for pilot use. Each display gives the pilot a continuous, dynamic, geographically correct, picture of all air traffic at the altitude he selects. His own aircraft, suitably identified, appears on the display increment for his altitude. The system also provides a '"'"''"'"''"'"''"'"'Search and Rescue'"'"''"'"''"'"''"'"' system.

Claims

1. A pilot data system comprising, a master station consisting of a position-determining network to provide a digital communications link with electromagnetic means suitable for obtaining the three-dimensional position of all aircraft within the system area coverage, circuitry to present said threedimensional data in digital form and to route it to a digital programmed computer, said computer determining each aircraft'"'"''"'"'s three-dimensional position, display generating equipment capable of generating maps showing topographic detail, cities, and airports, displayed for each of a number of altitude increments, circuitry to mix dynamic data on aircraft positions with the fixed map data on the displays, electromagnetic means, separate from the digital communications link, to broadcast all the resulting altitude increment displays simultaneously from an omni-directional antenna, and aboard each aircraft, a data link with circuitry to receive messages from the master station and to transmit upon interrogation aircraft identification, altitude, and other messages, and also aboard the aircraft, a display receiver capable of receiving and displaying individually all of the displays transmitted from the master station, with additional circuitry to generate an identifying circle and polar grid, each of which is driven by phase-lock-loop circuitry to follow the symbol on the display which represents the aircraft in which installed.

2. A pilot data system comprising, a master station consisting of a position-determining network to provide a digital communication link with digital message encoding and decoding circuitry, transmitting equipment which transmits the encoded messages, at least three slave receiving stations to provide alternate electromagnetic paths for communication between the aircraft and the master station, receiving equipment to receive the aircraft reporting messages, circuitry to measure the time differential between signals traversing the alternate electromagnetic paths and to route the data to a digital programmed computer, said computer determining each aircraft'"'"''"'"'s three-dimensional position, display generating equipment consisting of video recordings of maps showing topographic detail, cities, and airports, displayed for each of a number of altitude increments, circuitry to mix dynamic data on aircraft positions with the fixed map data on the displays, television means, separate from the digital communications link, to broadcast all the resulting altitude increment displays simultaneously from an omni-directional antenna, and aboard each aircraft, a data link with circuitry to receive messages from the master station and to transmit upon interrogation aircraft identification, altitude, and other messages, and also aboard the aircraft, a display receiver capable of receiving and displaying individually all of the displays transmitted from the master station, with additional circuitry to generate an identifying circle and polar grid, each of which is driven by phase-lock-loop circuitry to folLow the symbol on the display which represents the aircraft in which installed.

3. A pilot data system, as claimed in claim 2 above, in which the position-determining network, consisting of circuitry for digitally encoding and decoding messages, electromagnetic transmitting and receiving equipment, at least three slave receiving stations to provide alternate paths for communications between the aircraft and position-determining network, circuitry to measure the time differential between signals traversing the alternate electromagnetic paths via the slave stations, and a digital programmed computer, interrogates all aircraft, receives their reports and routes the data to the digital computer which computes each aircraft'"'"''"'"'s three-dimensional position, sorts the aircraft by altitude and further routes the data on each aircraft to the correct altitude increment display.

4. A pilot data system, as claimed in 2 above, in which the slave stations are synchronous satellites.

5. A pilot data system, as claimed in 2 above, in which a digital data link, consisting of circuitry to digitally encode and decode messages, transmitting and receiving equipment, an altimeter with continuous automatic digital readout to the data link transmitter and to the pilot, circuitry to provide continuous automatic aircraft identification in digital form to the data link transmitter, circuitry for automatic actuation of the data link upon engine start-up and automatic entry into the communications system, circuitry to provide a pilot-actuated emergency signal, circuitry to automatically provide a message to the master station when the flight is completed to remove the aircraft from the system and to de-activate the data link, automatically energizes upon engine start-up, automatically transmits a message for entry into the system, reports automatically via the slave stations when interrogated by the master station, performs its emergency function at pilot command, and automatically transmits a flight-completed message and shuts off after a pre-set interval.

6. A pilot data system, as claimed in 2 above, in which a digital programmed computer receives the data on each aircraft in the system from the position-determining network, computes the three-dimensional position of each aircraft, sorts the aircraft by altitude, routes the bearing and distance from the master station of each aircraft to the correct altitude increment display, provides three-dimensional information and emergency symbol display command on non-report-aircraft and aircraft experiencing an in-flight emergency, provides for aircraft entering and leaving the system normally, and provides a keyboard for manual input to the displays.

7. A pilot data system, as claimed in 2 above, in which display generating equipment provides, by previously recorded colored video recordings of colored topographic maps, maps showing topography, cities, airports and obstructions, for a number of altitude increments corresponding to the FAA altitude route structure, provides circuitry to produce alpha-numeric and special symbols as required by the system for display as directed by the computer, and provides circuitry to combine for each altitude increment display the dynamic information on the aircraft with the fixed map information.

8. A pilot data system, as claimed in 2 above, in which the display transmitting equipment simultaneously transmits north-oriented, all the altitude increment displays by a method compatible with the aircraft display receiver and provides means for the display increment for each altitude increment to be selected and displayed individually by the aircraft display receiver.

9. A pilot data system, as claimed in 2 above, in which the aircraft display receiver includes circuitry to individually select and display each of the transmitted altitude increment displays, circuitry to generate alpha-numeric and special symbols for own aircraft identification, a polar grid, and messages, circuitry for the pilot to move thEse symbols on the display, phase-lock-loop circuitry to drive the said symbols superimposed around the own aircraft symbol on the display, circuitry to permit the pilot to select from several range scales, circuitry to permit the display to be oriented to the aircraft heading, circuitry to permit own aircraft symbol to be placed and remain near the center of the display, circuitry to expand each selected area to fill the entire display at the scale selected, and a computer to provide collision avoidance instructions and REST computations.

10. A pilot data system, as claimed in 2 above, in which the display receiver provides, circuitry which permits the pilot to select and display a square symbol representing an area at the range scale he has selected and to move this symbol to any area of the display he wishes to examine, circuitry for activation which places time-controlled delays into the vertical and horizontal sweeps of the received display resulting in display of only the desired portion of the full received display, and expanded-sweep circuitry to cause the desired area to fill the entire area of the display receiver.

11. A pilot data system, as claimed in 2 above, in which the aircraft display receiver provides, circuitry to generate a circle symbol to identify own aircraft and an optionally selectable polar grid symbol for detecting relative motion of other aircraft, circuitry to enable the pilot to position these symbols, and phase-lock-loop circuitry to drive, after original positioning by the pilot, these symbols superimposed around the symbol on the display denoting own aircraft.

12. A pilot data system, as claimed in 2 above, in which the aircraft display receiver provides circuitry to insert by pilot adjustment a change in time delay corresponding to the north/south, east/west components of the aircraft ground speed, and from sweep to sweep, into the horizontal and vertical trigger delay pulses, resulting in the own aircraft symbol remaining in a fixed position on the display and the full received display appearing to move under the aircraft.

13. A pilot data system, as claimed in 2 above, in which the aircraft display receiver provides means by which the display may be rotated to coincide with the aircraft heading by synthetic rotation of the yoke deflection coil or the deflection plates.

14. A pilot data system, as claimed in 2 above, in which the aircraft display receiver provides means by which the display may be rotated to coincide with aircraft heading by physical rotation of the yoke deflection coil or deflection plates.

15. A pilot data system, as claimed in 2 above, in which the aircraft display receiver is integrated with, a computer and its associated program, circuitry to generate alpha-numeric and special symbols, phase-lock-loop circuitry to lock on and track one or more targets, and an input keyboard, to provide read-out instructions on the display for avoidance of collision with targets being tracked, and read-out of solutions to standard aircraft problems of range, endurance, speed and time.