Airport surface vehicle identification system and method
First Claim
1. An airport vehicle identification system for detecting and identifying vehicles on the surface of an airport, comprising:
- a ground surveillance radar which multiplexes and radiates both i) a conventional radar signal for detecting vehicles on the surface of the airport and ii) a beacon interrogation signal having a carrier signal frequency value f1, and which receives both a reflected skin return signal from a detected vehicle indicative of the vehicle'"'"'s position and an encoded ID signal indicative of the vehicle'"'"'s identity; and
a frequency translator located on the surface of the airport, includinga first channel including means for receiving said beacon interrogation signal, means for bandshifting said beacon interrogation signal to a carrier frequency value ft and for providing a bandshifted interrogation signal, and means for transmitting said bandshifted interrogation signal; and
a second channel including means for receiving an identification reply signal from a vehicle, means for bandshifting said identification reply signal to frequency value f1 and for providing a bandshifted reply signal indicative thereof, and means for transmitting said encoded ID signal to said ground surveillance radar.
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Accused Products
Abstract
An airport vehicle identification system for improving airport traffic management and collision avoidance, includes a ground surveillance radar and a plurality of low power frequency translators located in spaced relationship about the surface of the airport. The radar system transmits a conventional radar signal for target detection and a beacon interrogation signal for target detection. Each translator is designed to bandshift the interrogation signal to a frequency value compatible with the vehicle transponder, and transmit the bandshifted interrogation signal to the vehicle transponder. Each frequency translator is bi-directional and receives a transponder reply signal indicative of vehicle identity and bandshifts the reply signal to a frequency value compatible with the ground surveillance radar and transmits the bandshifted reply signal to the ground radar. This invention fills the critical void in airport traffic control of providing ground controllers with electronic airport ground surveillance data which includes both vehicle position and identity.
108 Citations
17 Claims
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1. An airport vehicle identification system for detecting and identifying vehicles on the surface of an airport, comprising:
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a ground surveillance radar which multiplexes and radiates both i) a conventional radar signal for detecting vehicles on the surface of the airport and ii) a beacon interrogation signal having a carrier signal frequency value f1, and which receives both a reflected skin return signal from a detected vehicle indicative of the vehicle'"'"'s position and an encoded ID signal indicative of the vehicle'"'"'s identity; and a frequency translator located on the surface of the airport, including a first channel including means for receiving said beacon interrogation signal, means for bandshifting said beacon interrogation signal to a carrier frequency value ft and for providing a bandshifted interrogation signal, and means for transmitting said bandshifted interrogation signal; and a second channel including means for receiving an identification reply signal from a vehicle, means for bandshifting said identification reply signal to frequency value f1 and for providing a bandshifted reply signal indicative thereof, and means for transmitting said encoded ID signal to said ground surveillance radar. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8)
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9. An airport surface vehicle detection and identification system, comprising:
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a ground surveillance radar comprising (i) a transmitter which multiplexes a pulsed electromagnetic waveform having a carrier frequency value fc and an interrogation waveform having a carrier frequency value f1 and transmits the resultant multiplexed electromagnetic signal, and (ii) a receiver including a radar receiver and a beacon receiver wherein said radar receiver detects backscattered electromagnetic energy at carrier frequency fc indicative of the range of the vehicle, and said beacon receiver detects a bandshifted reply signal and processes said bandshifted reply '"'"'signal to determine the identity of the source of said bandshifted reply signal; and a frequency translator having a first channel which includes an RF receiver for receiving said interrogation waveform and provides a received interrogation signal to a mixer which bandshifts said received interrogation signal to a carrier frequency ft compatible with the vehicle transponder and provides a bandshifted interrogation signal to an antenna which radiates said bandshifted interrogation signal to the vehicle transponder, and second channel which includes a second RF receiver which receives a reply signal from the vehicle transponder and provides a received reply signal to a mixer which bandshifts the received reply signal to a carrier signal value f1 compatible with the ground surveillance radar and provides a bandshifted reply signal to an antenna which radiates said bandshifted reply signal to the ground surveillance radar. - View Dependent Claims (10, 11)
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12. A bi-directional frequency translator for interfacing a ground surveillance radar and a vehicle mounted transponder, comprising
means for receiving-an interrogation signal having a carrier frequency signal value f1 from the ground surveillance radar; -
means for bandshifting said interrogation signal to a frequency value ft compatible with the vehicle mounted transponder and for providing a bandshifted interrogation signal; means for transmitting said bandshifted interrogation signal; means for receiving a reply signal from the vehicle mounted transponder, means for bandshifting the reply signal to a carrier frequency signal value f1 which is compatible with the ground surveillance radar system and for providing a bandshifted reply signal indicative thereof; and means for transmitting said bandshifted reply signal to the ground surveillance radar. - View Dependent Claims (13, 14, 15)
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16. A method of determining the position and identity of a vehicle equipped with a transponder operating on the surface of an airport, using a frequency translator to condition interrogation signals from a ground surveillance radar to the transponder and also to condition a reply signal from the vehicle transponder, comprising the steps of:
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transmitting an interrogation signal from the ground surveillance radar system; receiving said interrogation signal at the frequency translator; bandshifting the received interrogation signal to a carrier signal frequency value ft compatible with the operational frequency spectrum of the transponder and providing a bandshifted interrogation signal; and transmitting said bandshifted interrogation signal from the frequency translator to the transponder. - View Dependent Claims (17)
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Specification