Docking system for airport terminals

• US 6,542,086 B2
• Filed: 01/08/2001
• Issued: 04/01/2003
• Est. Priority Date: 09/22/1997
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: ADB Airfield Solutions GmbH & Co. KG
• Original Assignee: Siemens AG
• Inventors: Baumgartner, Klaus, Brennfleck, Martin, Konerth, John, Link, Norbert
• Primary Examiner(s): SWARTHOUT, BRENT
• Application Number:
  US09/755,096
• Publication Number:
  US 20020030609A1
• Time in Patent Office: 813 Days
• Field of Search: 340/958, 340/945, 340/506, 731/28.R, 244/114.R, 342/23, 356/401, 382/104, 382/216, 701/3, 701/120, 701/121, 455/431, 348/143
• US Class Current: 340/958
• CPC Class Codes: B64F 1/002 Taxiing aids

Abstract

A docking system for airport terminals has a docking station subsystem and a docking station for each gate. The docking station subsystem is connected via a communication network to a central working position. The docking station subsystem includes an airfield situation monitoring and processing segment ASMPS, at least one advisor and guidance display segment AGDS, a data and status handler segment DSHS having at least one video camera (9, 10) for each center line of the gate, and at least one ground operation panel segment GOPS. The docking station subsystem has an auxiliary subsystem connected to it, by which information relating to aircraft models and the gate can be entered in the docking station subsystem. A docking guidance system is connected to other systems of an airport and includes a docking guidance subsystem for each gate of the airport.

Claims

1. A docking system for airport terminals, comprising:

a central control device;

a communication network; and

a docking station subsystem per gate connected via the communication network to the central control device;

the docking station subsystem having

an airfield situation monitoring and processing segment,

at least one advisor and guidance display segment,

a data and status handler segment having at least one video camera for each center line of the gate,

at least one gate operator panel segment, and

an auxiliary subsystem connected to the docking station subsystem to enter information relating to aircraft models and the gate into the docking station subsystem.

2. The docking system as claimed in claim 1 wherein the docking station subsystem comprises the advisor and guidance display segment for each center line of its gate.

3. The docking system as claimed in claim 1 wherein each of the advisor and guidance display segments has a microprocessor which controls display elements and converts display commands into displays.

4. The docking system as claimed in claim 1 wherein the data and status handler segment runs on the same hardware as the airfield situation monitoring and processing segment, which provides communication between the docking station subsystem and the central control device via the communication network, and coordinates processes within the docking station subsystem.

5. The docking system as claimed in claim 1 wherein the data and status handler segment and the airfield situation monitoring and processing segment are arranged in one housing.

6. The docking system as claimed in claim 5 wherein the data and status handler segment and the airfield situation monitoring and processing segment run on a hardware basis comprising a PC motherboard and video signal processing equipment.

7. The docking system as claimed in claim 5 wherein the advisor and guidance display segment is also arranged in the housing.

8. The docking system as claimed in claim 1 wherein the docking station subsystem is designed such that the docking station subsystem allows the advisor and guidance displays to be transmitted to a screen in the cockpit of the aircraft.

9. The docking system as claimed in claim 1 wherein the airfield situation monitoring and processing segment is arranged in a housing together with the video camera.

10. The docking system as claimed in claim 9 wherein a digital signal processor is provided for transmission of data between the airfield situation monitoring and processing segment and the data and status handler segment.

11. The docking system as claimed in claim 1 wherein the auxiliary subsystem comprises:

an aircraft model output;

a gate installation planner;

a calibration unit; and

a validation and diagnosis tool.

12. The docking system as claimed in claim 1 wherein the communication network is a high-speed network using an asynchronous transmission mode ATM for transmitting originally digital signals and originally analog signals converted into digital signals.

13. The docking system as claimed in claim 12 wherein the digital signals are video signals.

14. The docking system as claimed in claim 12 wherein the ATM high-speed network comprises at least one network adapter in the form of a SICAN-ATMax 155-PM2.

15. The docking system as claimed in claim 1 wherein the docking station subsystem is systematically broken down into a ground area monitoring and processing segment, a gate area control segment, a gate schedule segment and a gate data handler segment.

16. The docking system as claimed in claim 15 wherein the ground area monitoring and processing segment comprises an airfield monitor and an airfield situation processor connected by an interface to the gate schedule segment.

17. The docking system as claimed in claim 15 wherein the gate area control segment comprises:

an airfield ground lighting system;

an advisor and guidance display;

a ground operator panel;

a luxometer; and

a gate area processor which runs on a PC platform to which the airfield ground lighting system, the advisor and guidance display, the ground operator panel and the luxometer are connected, and which is connected by an interface to the gate schedule segment.

18. The docking system as claimed in claim 15 wherein the gate data handler segment comprises a calibration support and a static data handler, each of which being connected to the gate schedule segment by an interface and running on a PC platform.

19. The docking system as claimed in claim 15 wherein the gate schedule segment comprises a gate management and a watchdog.

20. The docking system as claimed in claim 1, comprising:

a video device that detects an aircraft and outputs detection data;

a data storage location that stores a plurality of template sets, each template set corresponding to one of a plurality of different aircraft types and including at least three stored profiles corresponding to the one aircraft type; and

an evaluation unit that receives the detection data, generates actual feature profiles from the detection data, and compares the actual feature profiles with the stored profiles, for each of the template sets, to produce an evaluation result.

21. The docking system as claimed in claim 20 wherein each template set contains five stored profiles for each aircraft type.

22. The docking system as claimed in claim 20 wherein the profiles include data relating to at least one of a template or an outline section corresponding to the one aircraft type.

23. The docking system as claimed in claim 20 wherein the detection data includes data relating to at least one of a form of the aircraft and movement of the aircraft.

24. The docking system as claimed in claim 20 wherein trajectories of the actual feature profiles are used as a basis to determine the present position of the aircraft.

25. The docking system as claimed in claim 20 wherein the video device is a monochrome camera.

26. The docking system as claimed in claim 20 wherein the video device has an objective focal length of 16 mm.

27. The docking system as claimed in claim 20 wherein the video device has an objective focal length of 25 mm.

28. The docking system as claimed in claim 20 wherein the video device is approximately aligned with a center line of the gate.

29. The docking system as claimed in claim 28 wherein the video device is approximately aligned with the center line of the gate at a height of approximately 9 m.

30. The docking system as claimed in claim 20 wherein a sequence of individual gray tone images is read into the evaluation unit that are spatially filtered in order to extract gray tone edges, and that are filtered in the time domain in order to produce moving images used to produce a mask to define areas for subsequent segmentation.

31. The docking system as claimed in claim 30 wherein the evaluation unit comprises a Sobel filter to spatially filter the individual gray tone images, and to filter the gray tone images in the time domain.