Process and device for automatically supported guidance of aircraft to a parking position

• US 6,362,750 B1
• Filed: 04/06/2000
• Issued: 03/26/2002
• Est. Priority Date: 10/06/1997
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Siemens AG
• Original Assignee: Siemens AG
• Inventors: Castor, Robert
• Primary Examiner(s): Tweel, John A.
• Application Number:
  US09/544,569
• Time in Patent Office: 719 Days
• Field of Search: 340/958, 340/945, 340/971, 340/932.2, 244/114.R, 342/66, 342/23, 348/117
• US Class Current: 340/958
• CPC Class Codes: B64F 1/002 Taxiing aids
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 11/12 using electromagnetic waves other than radio waves
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 5/16 using electromagnetic waves other than radio waves
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 5/065 Navigation or guidance aids, e.g. for taxiing or rolling

Abstract

A process and a device for automatically supported guidance of aircraft to a parking position permitting a required increase in safety and organized and largely centralized monitoring and control. This process automatically transmits correction instructions for direction and speed to a control of an aircraft. An aircraft located at a parking position situated within a detection area of at least one video camera is detected by the video camera. The signals supplied by the video camera are processed in an evaluation unit to determine the current position of the aircraft and the correction instructions to reach a predefined position. The signals are also processed into video sequences. The correction instructions are transmitted to the aircraft control. The video sequences are made available for integrated display on a control monitor together with additional monitoring data. The video sequences are stored on a storage medium so as to be recallable.

Claims

1. A process for automatically guiding an aircraft to a parking position in a parking zone, comprising:

(a) detecting the aircraft by at least one video camera and outputting video signals;

(b) supplying the video signals from the at least one video camera to an evaluation unit;

(c) in the evaluation unit, determining the current position of the aircraft from the video signals;

(d) in the evaluation unit, determining correction instructions for direction and speed of the aircraft from the video signals;

(e) transmitting the correction instructions to the aircraft;

(f) processing the video signals into video sequences;

(g) storing the video sequences on a storage medium;

(h) displaying the correction instructions and the video sequences on a control monitor of a ground control together with additional monitoring data; and

(i) calling up the video sequences and the additional monitoring data on the control monitor of the ground control.

2. The process as claimed in claim 1 wherein the processing of the video signals into video sequences in the processing step (f) is performed in the evaluation unit.

3. The process as claimed in claim 1, further comprising compressing the video sequences prior to the storing step (g).

4. The process as claimed in claim 1 wherein the video sequences are stored on mobile storage units in the storing step (g).

5. The process as claimed in claim 1 wherein two video cameras with substantially identical detection areas detect the aircraft in the detecting step (a).

6. The process as claimed in claim 1 wherein, in the processing step (f), the video signals are digitized and processed into digital sequences, which are subsequently processed to provide the video sequences.

7. The process as claimed in claim 6, further comprising positioning the display of the video sequences on the control monitor in the displaying step (h) in accordance with an operator input command.

8. The process as claimed in claim 6, further comprising adjusting the display of the video sequences on the control monitor with respect to size in the displaying step (h) in accordance with an operator input command.

9. The process as claimed in claim 6, further comprising zooming the display of the video sequences on the control monitor in the displaying step (h) in accordance with an operator input command.

10. A device for automatically guiding an aircraft to a parking position in a parking zone, comprising:

at least one video camera located in the parking zone to detect the aircraft and to output video signals;

at least one evaluation unit connected with the at least one video camera to determine correction instructions for direction and speed of the aircraft and to provide video sequences from the video signals;

a signal transmission unit to transmit the correction instructions to the aircraft;

a video sequence transmission unit to make the video sequences and additional monitoring data available for call-up by ground control personnel; and

at least one storage unit to store the video sequences.

11. The device as claimed in claim 10 wherein the storage unit comprises a disk unit.

12. A system to operate an automatically supported guidance of aircraft to parking positions at an airport, comprising:

a plurality of subsystems, each subsystem being located at a respective gate of the airport and having;

two video cameras located in a parking zone of the respective gate to detect the aircraft and to output video signals;

an evaluation unit connected with the two video cameras to determine correction instructions for direction and speed of the aircraft and to provide video sequences from the video signals;

a display panel to transmit the correction instructions to the aircraft; and

an operator panel connected to the display panel to allow an operator to issue manual correction instructions to the aircraft if the two video cameras are not used;

a communications network connected to the plurality of subsystems to exchange data among the plurality of subsystems;

a video network connected to the plurality of subsystems to exchange video sequences among the plurality of subsystems; and

a gate-planning station having;

a computer workstation to process and call-up the video sequences and additional monitoring data by a controller for planning assignments of the aircraft to the gates and controlling the guidance of the aircraft to the parking positions at the gates; and

a monitor to display the video sequences and the additional monitoring data to the controller.

13. The system as claimed in claim 12, further comprising a storage unit which is connected to the computer workstation.