Aircraft docking guidance system which takes position reference in anti-collision light of aircraft

• US 5,166,746 A
• Filed: 05/23/1991
• Issued: 11/24/1992
• Est. Priority Date: 05/25/1990
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Toshiba Electronic Systems Company Limited (Toshiba Corporation)
• Original Assignee: ANA Motor Service Co., Ltd., Toshiba Electronic Systems Company Limited (Toshiba Corporation)
• Inventors: Muranaka, Susumu, Sato, Tetsuo
• Primary Examiner(s): Buczinski, Stephen C.
• Application Number:
  US07/704,937
• Time in Patent Office: 551 Days
• Field of Search: 340/958, 340/961, 358/103, 356/4, 356/141, 356/152
• US Class Current: 356/141.2
• CPC Class Codes: B64F 1/002 Taxiing aids
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 11/12 using electromagnetic waves other than radio waves
• CPC Class Codes: G05D 1/0083 to help an aircraft pilot in the rolling phase
• CPC Class Codes: G05D 1/0225 involving docking at a fixed facility, e.g. base station or loading bay parking aids B62D15/027

Abstract

A plurality of image pickup devices are set on the ground to pick up images of an anti-collision light located on an aircraft to be guided. A position reference producing section produces a signal representing a position reference of the aircraft in accordance with picked-up image signals from the plurality of image pickup devices. A display data producing section produces at least one of direction information and distance information as guidance information to be provided to pilots of the aircraft in accordance with the signal representing the position reference of the aircraft which is supplied from the position reference producing section. A display unit displays at least one of the direction information and distance information from the display data producing section at a position on the ground where the pilots can see and recognize the information.

Claims

1. An aircraft docking guidance apparatus comprising:

a plurality of image pickup devices, set on the ground, for picking up images of an anti-collision light located on an aircraft to be guided;

position reference producing means for producing a signal representing a position reference of the aircraft in accordance with picked-up image signals from said plurality of image pickup devices;

display data producing means for producing at least one of direction information and distance information as guidance information to be provided to pilots of the aircraft in accordance with the signal representing the position reference of the aircraft which is supplied from said position reference producing means; and

a display unit for displaying at least one of the direction information and distance information from said display data producing means at a position on the ground where the pilots can see and recognize the information.

2. An apparatus according to claim 1, wherein said plurality of image pickup devices include at least one CCD camera.

3. An apparatus according to claim 2, wherein said CCD camera includes means for imaging a red flash from the anti-collision light located on an upper fuselage of the aircraft.

4. An apparatus according to claim 3, wherein said position reference producing means includes an extractor for extracting only a red image in accordance with a picked-up image signal from said CCD camera and a tracker for tracking a color extraction image from said extractor, obtaining the center of gravity of the anti-collision light, and producing a position reference of the aircraft by three-dimensional measurement.

5. An apparatus according to claim 4, wherein said display data producing means includes an arithmetic processing unit for calculating a difference between the anti-collision light and an approach line in the horizontal direction as the direction information in accordance with aircraft type data input from an operation unit and position measurement data from said tracker, and calculating a distance from a parking spot on the approach line to a nose gear of the aircraft as the distance information.

6. An apparatus according to claim 5, wherein said display unit includes a display lamp for displaying at least one of the direction information and the distance information calculated by said arithmetic processing unit.

7. An aircraft docking guidance apparatus comprising:

a direction measuring image pickup device, installed in a forward direction of an aircraft which is approaching an apron in an airport, for picking up an image of an anti-collision light located on the aircraft which is approaching the apron;

a distance measuring image pickup device, installed in a direction to face a side surface of an aircraft which is approaching the apron, for picking up an image of the anti-collision light located on the aircraft which is approaching the apron;

a measuring device for extracting an anti-collision light image from picked-up image outputs from said distance measuring image pickup device and said direction measuring image pickup device, calculating a difference between the center of the anti-collision light image and an aircraft approach line to obtain direction information, and calculating a distance from the center of the anti-collision light to a parking spot for the aircraft to obtain distance information; and

a display unit for receiving and displaying the direction information and the distance information from said measuring device.

8. A method for providing a docking guidance to an aircraft, said method comprising the steps of:

picking up images of an anti-collision light located on an aircraft by using a plurality of image pickup devices;

producing a position reference of the aircraft on the basis of picked-up image signals from said plurality of image pickup devices; and

producing at least one of direction information and distance information as the docking guidance in accordance with the position reference of the aircraft and providing the information to the aircraft through a display unit on the ground.