Airport guidance and safety system incorporating navigation and control using GNSS compatible methods

• US 6,182,005 B1
• Filed: 05/03/1999
• Issued: 01/30/2001
• Est. Priority Date: 10/09/1990
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Honeywell Intellectual Properties Incorporated (Honeywell International Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Harold Roberts Pilley
• Inventors: Pilley, Lois V., Pilley, Harold Robert
• Primary Examiner(s): Chin, Gary
• Application Number:
  US09/304,037
• Time in Patent Office: 638 Days
• Field of Search: 701/15, 701/16, 701/17, 701/117, 701/120, 701/121, 701/122, 701/213, 701/300, 701/301, 73/178 T, 340/903, 340/435, 340/961, 340/953, 342/29, 342/36, 342/37, 342/38, 342/454, 342/455
• US Class Current: 701/120
• CPC Class Codes: G01C 23/00 Combined instruments indicating more than one navigational value, e.g. for aircraft; Combined measuring devices for measuring two or more variables of movement, e.g. distance, speed or acceleration
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 1/047 Displays or indicators G01S1/06 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 19/07 providing data for correcting measured positioning data, e.g. DGPS [differential GPS] or ionosphere corrections
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 19/15 Aircraft landing systems
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 19/20 Integrity monitoring, fault detection or fault isolation of space segment
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 19/41 Differential correction, e.g. DGPS [differential GPS]
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 19/49 whereby the further system is an inertial position system, e.g. loosely-coupled
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 5/0009 Transmission of position information to remote stations involving assistance data G01S5/0236
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 5/0043 Traffic management of multiple aircrafts from the ground G08G5/003 takes precedence; data processing specially designed for resource management, e.g. scheduling or allocating time, human or machine resources G06Q10/06
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 5/0082 for monitoring traffic from a ground station radar or analogous systems specially adapted for traffic control G01S13/91

Abstract

An Airport Guidance System and Method which provides for GNSS compatible airport guidance capability is disclosed. The computer system provides automated navigation functions based upon GNSS based position and spatially compatible databases. The system and method utilize precise GNSS compatible zones, the Earth Centered Earth Fixed (ECEF) WGS-84 coordinate reference frame, GNSS compatible local coordinate frames such as local and state plane grids, zone-based automated airport control, travel path information management processes which allow for the intelligent control of airport traffic. True airport independent processing is achieved when the ECEF coordinate reference frame is utilized. The navigation methods and processes are applicable to vehicles and aircraft operating in a controlled airport space envelope as well as other remote user sites with or without the assistance of air traffic controller. The system utilizes broadcast Automatic Dependent Surveillance (ADS) information from participating aircraft and vehicles. Although the processing methods may be employed using other surveillance information derived from radar sources with some degradation in performance due to radar inaccuracies and inability to produce accurate 3-dimensional velocity. GNSS compatible guidance is provided by a GNSS compatible navigation capability utilizing GPS compatible mathematical processing. Guidance information is computed in the ECEF coordinate frame and displayed to the vehicle operator using a X,Y graticuled display indicating the current position with respect the true course. Other display formats involving the display of digital maps, and positions provide situational awareness. Situational awareness displays are supported with ECEF compatible incursion processing using GPS Position, Velocity and Time of applicability (PVT) information. The methods and processes employed provide a fundamental framework for increased airport safety, operational efficiency, energy savings and improved automation.

Claims

1. A GNSS compatible method for guidance using a GNSS receiver, a computer with display located in at least one vehicle, the vehicle selected from the group comprising aircraft and surface vehicles, said method comprising the steps of:

(a) adopting a coordinate system being Earth Centered Earth Fixed for computation using said computer;

(b) establishing waypoints in said coordinate system;

(c) determining the previous and next waypoints;

(d) determining a position of said at least one vehicle, in said coordinate system using said GNSS receiver;

(e) determining a true course line between said previous and next waypoints, where said previous waypoint is selected from the group comprising waypoint and said position;

(f) computing a cross track vector between said position and said true course line;

(g) computing a vertical unit vector at said position;

(h) computing a vertical deviation from said true course line, by projecting said cross track vector onto said vertical unit vector;

(i) computing a lateral unit vector at said position;

(j) computing a lateral deviation from said true course line by projecting said cross track vector onto said lateral unit vector;

(k) establishing a X-Y display, comprising a X display axis, representative of the lateral direction and used to indicate said lateral deviation, and a Y display axis, representative of the vertical direction and used to indicate said vertical deviation;

(l) defining a display axis intersection point for said X display axis and said Y display axis where said intersection point is selected from the group comprising a point representative of said position and a point representative of said true course line and;

(m) displaying on said X, Y display a symbol at an X-Y display location representing said lateral deviation and said vertical deviation from said true course line, thereby providing a visual representation of said lateral deviation and said vertical deviation from said true course line, thus providing visual guidance to follow said true course line.

2. A GNSS compatible method for guidance according to claim 1, further comprising the steps of:

(a) transmitting travel path data to said at least one vehicle in combination with GNSS differential corrections data broadcasts using a radio transmitter;

(b) receiving data comprising said travel path data and said GNSS differential corrections data at said at least one vehicle using a radio receiver;

(c) parsing said received data and determining waypoints in said coordinate system from said received travel path data and determining said GNSS differential corrections;

(d) determining a differentially corrected position in said coordinate system using said GNSS differential corrections by a differential GNSS receiver;

(e) determining the next and previous waypoints from said received travel path data;

(f) determining the true course line between said previous and next waypoints;

(g) computing the cross track vector between said differentially corrected position and said true course line;

(h) computing the vertical unit vector at said differentially corrected position;

(i) computing the vertical deviation from said true course line, by projecting said cross track vector on to said vertical unit vector and

(j) computing the lateral unit vector at said differentially corrected position and;

(k) computing the horizontal deviation from true course line by projecting said cross track vector on to said lateral unit vector.

3. An airport navigation system, providing lateral and vertical guidance in at least one vehicle selected from the group comprising aircraft and surface vehicles, the system comprising:

(a) a differential GNSS receiver connected to at least one antenna capable of receiving at least one satellite navigational signal, where said at least one satellite navigational signal includes navigational space satellite broadcasts and terrestrial satellite navigation broadcasts for use by said differential GNSS receiver;

(b) means in said Differential GNSS receiver to compute an earth centered earth fixed position;

(c) a processor, connected to said Differential GNSS receiver;

(d) a database containing earth centered earth fixed waypoints for use by said processor;

(e) means in said processor to select a next waypoint and a previous waypoint, where said previous waypoint is selected from the group consisting of waypoint and said earth centered earth fixed Position, to compute a true course line;

(f) means in said processor to compute using said position and said next and previous waypoints a cross track vector from said position to said true course line;

(g) means in said processor to compute a vertical unit vector at said position;

(h) means in said processor to compute a vertical deviation from said true course line by projecting said cross track vector onto said vertical unit vector;

(i) means in said processor to compute a lateral unit vector at said position;

(j) means in said processor to compute a lateral deviation from said true course line by projecting said cross track vector onto said lateral unit vector;

(k) a display connected to said processor,

(l) means in said processor to establish display lateral and vertical axes representative of distance in the lateral and vertical directions,

(m) means in said processor to compute X and Y display coordinates representative of said lateral deviation and said vertical deviation from said true course line and,

(n) means in said processor to output to said display a symbol at said X and Y display coordinates with respect to said true course line, hence providing lateral and vertical guidance to said vehicle.

4. An airport navigation system according to claim 3 further comprising:

(a) means in said processor to locate the intersection of said lateral and vertical axes at the physical center of said display and

(b) means in said processor to represent said physical center of said display as said position.

5. An airport navigation system according to claim 3 further comprising:

(a) means in said processor to locate the intersection of said lateral and vertical axes at the physical center of said display and

(b) means in said processor to represent said physical center of said display as said true course line.

6. An airport navigation system according to claim 3 further comprising:

(a) means to broadcast a message containing travel path information in combination with differential GNSS corrections using a radio transmitter;

(b) means to receive said message at said at least one vehicle and means to parse said messaze using a processor into a travel path element and into a differential GNSS corrections element and

(c) means to use said travel path element in determining said next waypoint and said previous waypoint and means within said differential GNSS receiver to use said differential corrections element in determining a differentially corrected GNSS position.

7. A method for GNSS compatible vehicle situational awareness and collision avoidance using a processor and display system, where said processor determines vehicle position in a digital map and performs collision detection processing between at least two vehicles of a plurality of vehicles, said plurality of vehicles selected from the group comprising aircraft and surface vehicles said method comprising the steps of:

(a) making said digital map compatible with the Earth Centered Earth Fixed coordinate reference system;

(b) selecting a geographical region for said situational awareness and collision avoidance, said selected geographical region contained in said digital map;

(c) establishing a vehicle database for said at least two vehicles containing identification, position, and velocity where said position and said velocity are GNSS referenced;

(d) determining a manner of movement and operation for said at least two vehicles, using information contained in said vehicle database;

(e) constructing for said at least two vehicles dynamic zones, wherein each of said dynamic zones is sized based on said identification and said manner of movement and operation of said at least two vehicles;

(f) generating time-based projected dynamic zones for said at least two vehicles using said vehicle database;

(g) determining when at least two of said projected dynamic zones intersect;

(h) setting a collision flag for at least one of said at least two vehicles having its projected dynamic zone intersect with at least one other projected dynamic zone;

(i) displaying said position of at least one of said at least two vehicles in said digital map and;

(j) controlling the display presentation of symbols representative of the position of said at least two vehicles based upon the setting of said collision flag.