Traffic control service assist system

• US 5,941,929 A
• Filed: 03/28/1997
• Issued: 08/24/1999
• Est. Priority Date: 03/29/1996
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Electronic Navigation Research Institute, Independent Administrative Institution, Kabushiki Kaisha Toshiba (Toshiba Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Director-General Ship Research Institute Ministry of Transport, Kabushiki Kaisha Toshiba (Toshiba Corporation)
• Inventors: Kusui, Yoichi, Shiomi, Kakuichi, Tanaka, Seiichiro
• Primary Examiner(s): Zanelli, Michael J.
• Application Number:
  US08/828,365
• Time in Patent Office: 879 Days
• Field of Search: 701/120, 342/36, 340/989, 340/990
• US Class Current: 701/120
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 5/0026 located on the ground
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 5/0095 Aspects of air-traffic control not provided for in the other subgroups of this main group

Abstract

A plurality of control terminals are arranged to a plurality of control sections. Flight plan data of each control target aircraft is stored in a flight plan data management unit. The present positions of the control target aircraft are checked and acquired by an aircraft position information acquisition unit. The control states of the control target aircraft are managed by a control progress information management unit. The history of control of each control target aircraft is stored in a control progress information storage unit. A control target aircraft prediction unit predicts control target aircraft after a predetermined time on the basis of the control progress information and flight plan information. A control terminal assignment processing unit increases/decreases the number of control terminals on the basis of the prediction result and determines a control terminal for controlling control target aircraft. A data link transmission/reception unit forms a data link between the control target aircraft and the corresponding control terminal to assist transmission/reception of information. A control adjustment processing unit adjusts control progresses of the control terminals. With this arrangement, flexible traffic control can be performed in accordance with the traffic of control target aircraft.

Claims

1. A traffic control service assist system comprising:

a plurality of control terminals arranged to control consoles to input/output control information;

control target assignment means for identifying control targets, assigning said control targets to said plurality of control terminals, and providing operation information of said control targets;

communication channel formation means for forming communication channels between said control targets and said control terminals assigned by said control target assignment means;

position information providing means for acquiring position information of said control targets and providing the position information to said corresponding control terminals; and

control progress situation providing means for determining control progress situation of all of said control targets on the basis of contents of communication between said control targets and said corresponding control terminals and providing information of the control progress situation of said control targets assigned to said control terminals,

wherein one control terminal corresponds to at least one control target.

2. A system according to claim 1, wherein said control target assignment means predicts control targets after a predetermined time, collates a prediction result with present control target information, and increases/decreases the number of control terminals after the predetermined time in accordance with a collation result.

3. A system according to claim 1, wherein said control progress situation providing means has means for performing mutual situation determination on the basis of the control progress situation of all of said control targets and notifying said control terminals of a determination result to perform adjustment among said control terminals.

4. A traffic control service assist system for identifying control targets and assisting traffic control of controllers for said control targets, comprising:

a plurality of control terminals arranged to control sections to present control information and input/output data;

an operation plan data management unit for storing data associated with operation plans filed in advance in units of said control targets;

a control target position information acquisition unit for checking and acquiring present positions of said control targets;

a control progress information management unit for managing control states of said control targets;

a control progress information storage unit for storing histories of control of said control targets;

a control target prediction unit for fetching the control progress information and operation plan information to predict control targets after a predetermined time;

a control terminal assignment processing unit for increasing/decreasing the number of said control terminals on the basis of a prediction result from said prediction unit and determining a control terminal for controlling a control target;

a data link transmission/reception unit for forming a data link between said control target and the assigned control terminal to assist transmission/reception of information; and

a control adjustment processing unit for adjusting control progresses of said plurality of control terminals.

5. A system according to claim 4, wherein said control target prediction unit comprises:

first means for acquiring the operation plan data from said operation plan data management unit to search for a target to be newly controlled at a present point;

second means for checking a presence of the new control target for information acquired by said control target position information acquisition unit; and

third means, when the presence of the new control target is determined by the second means, for notifying said control terminal assignment processing unit of the new control target at the present point which is obtained by the first means, and

wherein said first, second and third means repeat said acquiring, checking, and notifying, respectively until control processing is ended.

6. A system according to claim 4, wherein said control target prediction unit comprises:

first means for searching for a control target for which control is ended from present control targets in said control progress information storage unit; and

second means, when it is determined by the first means that said control target for which control is ended is present, for notifying said control terminal assignment processing unit of said control target for which control is ended, and

wherein said first means and said second means repeat said searching and said notifying, respectively, until control processing is ended.

7. A system according to claim 5, wherein said control terminal assignment processing unit comprises:

fourth means for determining presence/absence of notification of the presence of the new control target from said control target prediction unit;

fifth means, when it is determined by the fourth means that notification of the new control target is present, for determining presence/absence of control terminals in said plurality of control terminals, for which the number of control targets has not reached a maximum value;

sixth means, when it is determined by the fifth means that said control terminals for which the number of control targets has not reached the maximum value are present, for assigning the new control target to a control terminal having the smallest number of control targets; and

seventh means, when it is determined by the fifth means that said control terminals for which the number of control terminals has not reached the maximum value is not present, for increasing the number of control terminals and assigning the new control target, and

wherein said fourth, fifth, sixth and seventh means repeat their respective processing functions until control processing is ended.

8. A system according to claim 6, wherein said control terminal assignment processing unit comprises:

third means for determining presence/absence of notification of the presence of said control target for which control is ended from said control target prediction unit;

fourth means, when it is determined by the third means that said control target for which control is ended is present, for determining whether the number of control targets of a control terminal which has controlled said control target becomes zero; and

fifth means, when it is determined by the fourth means that the number of control targets of said control terminal becomes zero, closing said control terminal; and

wherein said third, fourth and fifth means repeat their respective processing functions until control processing is ended.