Aerodrome control support system

• US 6,144,915 A
• Filed: 03/25/1998
• Issued: 11/07/2000
• Est. Priority Date: 03/26/1997
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Electronic Navigation Research Institute, Independent Administrative Institution, OKI Electric Industry Company Limited, Kabushiki Kaisha Toshiba (Toshiba Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Director-General Ship Research Institute Ministry of Transport, OKI Electric Industry Company Limited, Kabushiki Kaisha Toshiba (Toshiba Corporation)
• Inventors: Tanaka, Seiichiro, Nakaue, Keiichiro, Oda, Etsuko, Shiomi, Kakuichi
• Primary Examiner(s): Chin, Gary
• Application Number:
  US09/047,310
• Time in Patent Office: 958 Days
• Field of Search: 701/15, 701/16, 701/120, 701/121, 701/122, 701/300, 701/301, 340/435, 340/903, 340/961, 342/29, 342/36-38, 342/454, 342/455, 342/456, 73/178 T
• US Class Current: 701/120
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 5/0082 for monitoring traffic from a ground station radar or analogous systems specially adapted for traffic control G01S13/91
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 5/065 Navigation or guidance aids, e.g. for taxiing or rolling

Abstract

In a path determining section, an optimum path is calculated based on detection/storage information of a position detector, airport surface information storage section, aircraft information storage section and knowledge information storage section according to an instruction request from a request information input section of an aircraft and is indicated by a path indicator of the aircraft. Further, a collision determining section calculates the possibility of collision on the optimum path obtained in the path determining section according to the coordinates and traveling directions of all of the aircraft based on the above detection/storage information and a warning is indicated by a warning indicator of the aircraft. Further, a control operation determining section monitors the maneuvering control operation on the aircraft side, determines whether or not the maneuvering control operation is erroneous by referring to the optimum path and the possibility of collision, and if it is determined that the maneuvering control operation is erroneous, the control operation is left to the automatic control section and the aircraft is decelerated or stopped. As a result, it becomes possible to efficiently and safely guide the aircraft to a target point according to the request.

Claims

1. An aerodrome control support system for supporting an operation of aircraft in an airport surface, comprising:

a position detector for detecting position information on all of aircraft using the airport;

an airport surface information storage section for storing airport surface information including positional information representing paths along which the aircraft are guided in the airport surface and intersections where the paths cross each other;

an aircraft information storage section for previously storing main attribute information on all of the aircraft using the airport as aircraft information, said main attribute information including weight information;

a path determining section for;

obtaining information on all paths along which aircraft under control can be guided from a present position to a target position, based on a predetermined rule by selectively deriving necessary information from said position detector, said airport surface information storage section, and said aircraft information storage section;

determining whether an obstacle is present or absent in said all paths;

calculating costs corresponding to said all paths in consideration of whether the obstacle is present or absent in said all paths;

comparing the costs with one another; and

selecting and determining a lowest-cost path as an optimum path; and

a path indicator for indicating the optimum path determined by said path determining section to the aircraft under control.

2. The aerodrome control support system according to claim 1, further comprising:

a collision determining section for selectively deriving necessary information from said position detector, said airport surface information storage section, and said aircraft information storage section and deriving the possibility of collision in the optimum path determined by said path determining section based on positions and traveling directions of all of the aircraft in the airport surface to ensure safety when the aircraft under control is guided; and

a warning indicator for recognizing information on the possibility of collision determined by said collision determining section and issuing warning information to the aircraft under control.

3. The aerodrome control support system according to claim 2, further comprising:

a control operation determining section for monitoring a maneuvering control operation performed by the aircraft under control and referring to information on the possibility of collision determined by said collision determining section and the optimum path determined by said path determining section so as to determine whether or not the maneuvering control operation is erroneous;

an automatic control section for decelerating or stopping the aircraft under control when said control operation determining section determines that the maneuvering control operation is erroneous; and

a control information display section for displaying an operation state of the aircraft under control, information input by a pilot on the aircraft under control, and information on the possibility of collision and path indicating information which are sent to the aircraft under control.

4. The aerodrome control support system according to claim 1, wherein said path determining section determines the optimum path by making a graph of the paths of the aircraft in the airport surface and the intersections of the path by using lines and points, effecting a searching operation on the graph, and assigning weight values determined in accordance with the presence or absence of the obstacle to the lines corresponding to paths searched for.

5. The aerodrome control support system according to claim 2, wherein said collision determining section receives information on the position and traveling direction of the aircraft under control and on the position and traveling direction of aircraft which becomes an obstacle to passage of the aircraft under control, derives the distance between the two aircraft and determines a strong possibility of collision when the distance is shorter than a reference value and the traveling directions thereof are opposite.

6. The aerodrome control support system according to claim 4, wherein said collision determining section determines a possibility of collision based on the cost corresponding to the paths on the graph created by said path determining section.

7. The aerodrome control support system according to claim 2, further comprising a request information input section for inputting an instruction request associated with guidance of the airport surface from aircraft in the airport surface, and in which said path determining section, said collision determining section and said path indicator provide information on the optimum path and the possibility of collision in response to said request from said request information inputting section.

8. The aerodrome control support system according to claim 2, further comprising:

a knowledge information storage section for storing knowledge information required for a determination made by said collision determining section; and

a knowledge input section for inputting said knowledge information into said knowledge information storage section.