Technique of real-time tracking and management of land-based vehicles of the airport

• US 6,415,219 B1
• Filed: 11/01/2000
• Issued: 07/02/2002
• Est. Priority Date: 12/21/1999
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Zakrytoye Aktsionernoye Obschestvo East Line-Handling
• Original Assignee: Zakrytoye East Line-Handling
• Inventors: Degodyuk, Valeriy Vasilyevich
• Primary Examiner(s): Cuchlinski, Jr., William A.
• Assistant Examiner(s): To, Tuan C
• Application Number:
  US09/702,775
• Time in Patent Office: 608 Days
• Field of Search: 701/117, 701/120, 701/208, 701/200-207, 701/211, 342/357, 746/04, 175/298, 455/66, 455/430, 340/506, 340/539, 340/945, 340/825.72, 340/531, 340/990, 340/996, 340/995
• US Class Current: 701/117
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 1/20 Monitoring the location of vehicles belonging to a group, e.g. fleet of vehicles, countable or determined number of vehicles
• 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

The invention relates to the field of management of land-based vehicles on the airport territory using satellite positioning technologies.

The technique of real-time tracking and management of land-based vehicles of the airport includes creation of a geoinformation system of the airport territory, real-time determination of coordinates of vehicles using satellite positioning devices, control of speed and/or routes of vehicle movement and management of vehicle traffic. Additionally, state of vehicles and/or time of execution of works by each vehicle are controlled and movement of and execution of works by vehicles in accordance with time technological schedules of postflight servicing of aircrafts on the basis of daily plans of flights is handled. The geoinformation system of the airport territory is formed in the two-dimensional coordinates, and coordinates of vehicles are determined according to the relative geographic coordinates.

Claims

1. A method of real-time tracking and management of land-based vehicles (LBVs) of the airport, said method comprising:

forming of a geoinformation system of the airport territory that provides for reflection of at least one of current situation, real-time determination of coordinates of vehicles using satellite positioning devices, control of speed and routes of LBVs and arrangement of LBV traffic,

controlling of at least one of state of LBVs and time of execution of works by each vehicle and control of movement and execution of works by LBVs by at least one of transmitting messages from and to LBVs in at least one of an interactive mode and in a formalized mode in accordance with the time technological schedule of postflight servicing of aircrafts on the basis of the daily plan of flights, the geoinformation system of the airport territory being formed in two-dimensional coordinates, and vehicle coordinates being determined in relative geographic coordinates.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein control of at least one of state and determination of vehicle coordinates using satellite positioning devices is carried out by way of periodic inquiry, and data obtained are transferred to the central database of the dispatcher center for subsequent storage, analysis and process.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein control of state of vehicles includes at least one of turn-on/turn-off of ignition, opening/closing of doors, lifting/lowering of elevators to a predetermined height, cargo weight, AC board contact, entry/withdrawal from the works execution area, volume of fuel and water during fueling AC, contact of a LBV with the front leg of the undercarriage of an AC, crippling of vehicle-borne equipment of LBVs, distance to an object and integrity of cargo packing.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein there is additional control of an abnormal situation and reaction of at least one of drivers of and devices of vehicles.

5. The method of claim 4, wherein at least one breakdowns, fire and terrorist attacks are taken into account in controlling an abnormal situation.

6. The method of claim 2, wherein at least one transmission of messages from and to vehicles and receipt of data about at least one of state and coordinates of vehicles is carried out over a dedicated digital channel.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein the geoinformation system of the airport territory is formed in a multi-level structure.

8. The method of claim 7, wherein the multi-level structure of the geoinformation system of the airport territory includes the airport surface, underground communications, overground objects, scheme of arrangement and organization of traffic LBVS, special transports and carriers.

9. The method of claim 1, wherein the geoinformation system of the airport territory is represented as a digitalized map with scale change elements.

10. The method of claim 1, wherein while controlling vehicles, routes of vehicle movement are defined using heuristic methods with a possibility of their further optimization.

11. The method of claim 1, wherein location of vehicles on the geoinformation system of the airport territory is visualized by way of icons.

12. The method of claim 1, wherein at least one of the GPS and GLONASS systems are used as satellite positioning devices.

13. A method of real-time tracking and management of land-based vehicles (LBVs) of the airport, said method comprising:

forming of a geoinformation system of the airport territory that provides for reflection of at least one of current situation, real-time determination of coordinates of vehicles using satellite positioning devices, control of speed and routes of LBVs and arrangement of LBV traffic,

controlling of at least one of state of LBVs and time of execution of works by each vehicle and control of movement and execution of works by LBVs in accordance with time technological schedule of postflight servicing of aircrafts on the basis of the daily plan of flights, the geoinformation system of the airport territory being formed in two-dimensional coordinates, and vehicle coordinates being determined in relative geographic coordinates, and

controlling of state of vehicles includes at least one of control of turn-on/turn-off of ignition, opening/closing of doors, lifting/lowering of elevators to a predetermined height, cargo weight, AC board contact, entry/withdrawal from the works execution area, volume of fuel and water during fueling AC, contact of a LBV with the front leg of the undercarriage of an AC, crippling of vehicle-borne equipment of LBVs, distance to an object and integrity of cargo packing.

14. A method of real-time tracking and management of land-based vehicles (LBVs) of the airport, said method comprising:

forming of a geoinformation system of the airport territory that provides for reflection of at least one of current situation, real-time determination of coordinates of vehicles using satellite positioning devices, control of speed and routes of LBVs and arrangement of LBV traffic,

controlling of at least one of state of LBVs and time of execution of works by each vehicle and control of movement and execution of works by LBVs in accordance with time technological schedule of postflight servicing of aircrafts on the basis of the daily plan of flights, the geoinformation system of the airport territory being formed in two-dimensional coordinates, and vehicle coordinates being determined in relative geographic coordinates, and

forming the geoinformation system of the airport territory in a multi-level structure.

15. The method of claim 14, wherein the multi-level structure of the geoinformation system of the airport territory includes the airport surface, underground communications, overground objects, scheme of arrangement and organization of traffic LBVs, special transports and carriers.

16. A method of real-time tracking and management of land-based vehicles (LBVS) of the airport, said method comprising:

forming of a geoinformation system of the airport territory that provides for reflection of at least one of current situation, real-time determination of coordinates of vehicles using satellite positioning devices, control of speed and routes of LBVs and arrangement of LBV traffic,

controlling of at least one of state of LBVs and time of execution of works by each vehicle and control of movement and execution of works by LBVs in accordance with time technological schedule of postflight servicing of aircrafts on the basis of the daily plan of flights, the geoinformation system of the airport territory being formed in two-dimensional coordinates, and vehicle coordinates being determined in relative geographic coordinates, and

representing the geoinformation system of the airport territory as a digitalized map with scale change elements.

17. A method of real-time tracking and management of land-based vehicles (LBVs) of the airport, said method comprising:

forming of a geoinformation system of the airport territory that provides for reflection of at least one of current situation, real-time determination of coordinates of vehicles using satellite positioning devices, control of speed and routes of LBVs and arrangement of LBV traffic,

controlling of at least one of state of LBVs and time of execution of works by each vehicle and control of movement and execution of works by LBVs in accordance with time technological schedule of postflight servicing of aircrafts on the basis of the daily plan of flights, the geoinformation system of the airport territory being formed in two-dimensional coordinates, and vehicle coordinates being determined in relative geographic coordinates, and

defining, while controlling vehicles, routes of vehicle movement using heuristic methods with a possibility of their further optimization.