Incursion alerting system

• US 6,606,563 B2
• Filed: 03/06/2001
• Issued: 08/12/2003
• Est. Priority Date: 03/06/2001
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Corcoran Group Incorporated (Anywhere Real Estate Incorporated), Honeywell International Inc.
• Original Assignee: Honeywell International Inc.
• Inventors: Corcoran, James J. III
• Primary Examiner(s): Black, Thomas G.
• Assistant Examiner(s): To, Tuan C
• Application Number:
  US09/800,175
• Publication Number:
  US 20030033084A1
• Time in Patent Office: 889 Days
• Field of Search: 701/301, 701/3, 701/4, 701/206, 701/207, 701/120, 701/13, 701/14, 340/961, 340/933, 340/963, 340/979, 340/972, 340/435, 342/29, 342/36, 342/59, 342/455, 342/456, 342/37, 343/5
• US Class Current: 701/301
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 19/17 Emergency applications
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 19/51 Relative positioning
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 2013/916 Airport surface monitoring [ASDE]
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 1/207 with respect to certain areas, e.g. forbidden or allowed areas with possible alerting when inside or outside boundaries
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 5/045 Navigation or guidance aids, e.g. determination of anti-collision manoeuvers radar or analogous systems specially adapted for anti-collision between aircraft G01S13/933
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 5/065 Navigation or guidance aids, e.g. for taxiing or rolling

Abstract

A system for alerting the occupant of a vehicle that the vehicle is in or approaching a zone of awareness. For instance, the system may be used to alert the pilot or flight crew of an aircraft that the aircraft is on or approaching a runway, and may identify the specific runway. Thus, the invention also provides a method of reducing unintentional incursions of taxiing aircraft onto runways. The system generally includes a storage device or memory, a positioning system such as a GPS that typically repeatedly determines the location of the vehicle, an alerting device such as an alarm or display, and a processor, all of which are typically located on the vehicle. The processor typically compares the location of the vehicle with stored location information for various zones of awareness and initiates an alert when appropriate. The processor may take into consideration the velocity and direction of travel of the vehicle. Zones of awareness may be defined by coordinates, such as the end points of line segments. Audible alarms may include a voice warning, and may be able to be silenced until the vehicle leaves the zone of awareness. On aircraft, the system may reference the centerline of the runway, for example, alerting when the aircraft is within 150 feet of the centerline. The system may be disabled when the aircraft is in flight.

Claims

1. An alerting system for alerting an occupant of an aircraft on the ground that the aircraft is in or approaching a zone of awareness, the alerting system comprising:

a storage device located on the aircraft, said storage device being configured to store location information for a plurality of zones of awareness;

a positioning system located on the aircraft, said positioning system being configured to determine the aircraft location;

an alerting device located on the aircraft, said alerting device being configured to alert the occupant; and

a processor located on the aircraft, said processor being configured to calculate, the distance between said vehicle location and said location information and initiate the alerting device if said distance is between 100 and 200 feet when the aircraft is on the ground.

2. The alerting system according to claim 1, the processor being configured to take into consideration the velocity, direction of travel, or both of the aircraft when determining whether or not to initiate the alerting device.

3. The alerting system according to claim 1, the distance being approximately 150 feet.

4. The alerting system according to claim 1, said location information comprising the coordinates of the endpoints of line segments.

5. The alerting system according to claim 4, said coordinates being longitude and latitude.

6. The alerting system according to claim 1, said positioning system being a GPS.

7. The alerting system according to claim 6, said positioning system further comprising an augmentation system.

8. The alerting system according to claim 1, said alerting system comprising an audible alarm located in the aircraft.

9. The alerting system according to claim 8, the audible alarm comprising a voice warning.

10. The alerting system according to claim 8, further comprising a silencing system configured to allow the occupant to acknowledge and silence said audible alarm.

11. The alerting system according to claim 10, said processor being configured to rearm said audible alarm when the aircraft is no longer in the zone of awareness.

12. The alerting system according to claim 1, said alerting system comprising a visual indication.

13. The alerting system according to claim 12, said visual indication comprising a designation of a feature located within the zone of awareness.

14. The alerting system according to claim 13, the feature being a runway.

15. The alerting system according to claim 1, said alerting system being configured to alert an occupant of a vehicle that the aircraft is within a zone of awareness.

16. The alerting system according to claim 1, said alerting system being configured to alert an occupant of an aircraft that the aircraft is approaching a zone of awareness.

17. The alerting system according to claim 1, said alerting system being configured to alert an occupant of an aircraft that the aircraft is within a zone of awareness, and said alerting system being configured to alert an occupant of an aircraft that the aircraft is approaching a zone of awareness.

18. The alerting system according to claim 1 the zone of awareness comprising a hazard of a collision with an object, the object being configured to move at a high rate of speed.

19. An alerting system for alerting a pilot or flight crew of an aircraft that the aircraft is in or approaching a zone of awareness, the alerting system comprising:

a storage device located on the aircraft, said storage device being configured to store location information for a plurality of zones of awareness, at least a plurality of zones of awareness each substantially comprising a runway;

a positioning system located on the aircraft, said positioning system being configured to determine the aircraft location;

an alerting device located on the aircraft, said alerting device being configured to alert the pilot or flight crew; and

a processor located on the aircraft, said processor being configured to calculate the distance between said aircraft location and said location information and initiate the alerting device if said distance is between 100 and 200 feet.

20. The alerting system according to claim 19, said system being configured to alert said pilot or flight crew when said aircraft is on a runway.

21. The alerting system according to claim 20, said alert comprising a designation of said runway.

22. The alerting system according to claim 21, the processor being configured to adjust the aircraft location, the location of the reference, or the distance between the aircraft location and the location of the reference, according to the velocity or direction of travel of the aircraft.

23. The alerting system according to claim 19, the distance being approximately 150 feet.

24. The alerting system according to claim 21, the plurality of zones of awareness comprising substantially all runways at least 3000 feet long that the aircraft is authorized to use.

25. The alerting system according to claim 21, said location information comprising the centerlines of runways.

26. The alerting system according to claim 21 the alerting device comprising an audible alarm.

27. The alerting system according to claim 21, the audible alarm comprising a voice warning.

28. The alerting system according to claim 19 further comprising an enablement system configured to enable at least some features of said alerting system when the aircraft is on the ground.

29. An alerting system for alerting a pilot or flight crew of an aircraft that the aircraft is in or approaching a zone of awareness, the alerting system comprising:

a storage device located on the aircraft, said storage device being configured to store location information for a plurality of zones of awareness, at least a plurality of the zones of awareness each substantially comprising a runway, said location information comprising the coordinates of the endpoints of line segments;

a positioning system located on the aircraft, said positioning system being configured to determine the aircraft location;

an alerting device located on the aircraft, said alerting device being configured to alert the pilot or flight crew when said aircraft is approaching said runway, when said aircraft is on said runway, and the designation of said runway; and

a processor located on the aircraft, said processor being configured to provide controlling input to the alerting device based on said aircraft location and said location information.

30. An alerting system for alerting a pilot or flight crew of an aircraft that the aircraft is in or approaching a zone of awareness, the alerting system comprising;

a storage device located on the aircraft, said storage device being configured to store location information for a plurality of zones of awareness, at least a plurality of the zones of awareness each substantially comprising a runway, said location information comprising the coordinates of the ends of runways;

a positioning system located on the aircraft, said positioning system being configured to determine the aircraft location;

an alerting device located on the aircraft, said alerting device being configured to alert the pilot or flight crew when said aircraft is approaching a runway, when said aircraft is on a runway, and the designation of said runway; and

a processor located on the aircraft, said processor being configured to provide controlling input to the alerting device based on said aircraft location and said location information.

31. An alerting system for alerting a pilot or flight crew of an aircraft if the aircraft is in or approaching a zone of awareness, the alerting system comprising:

a storage device located on the aircraft, said storage device being configured to store location information for a plurality of zones of awareness, at least a plurality of the zones of awareness each substantially comprising a runway, the location information being updated a first time, the location being updated a second time, the second time being no more than 28 days after the first time, the location being updated at least a third time, the third time being no more than 28 days after the second time;

a positioning system located on the aircraft, said positioning system being configured to determine the aircraft location;

an alerting device located on the aircraft, said alerting device being configured to alert the pilot or flight crew; and

a processor located on the aircraft, said processor being configured to provide control input to the alerting device based on said aircraft location and said location information.

32. A method of reducing unintentional incursions of vehicles into zones of awareness, the aircraft having human occupants, said method comprising the steps of:

storing within the aircraft the position of a plurality of references, each reference corresponding to a zone of awareness;

at least a plurality of the zones of awareness comprising a hazard of a collision with a moving object;

repeatedly determining the position of the aircraft;

calculating the distance between the aircraft and at least one reference; and

alerting the occupant if said distance is within 100 and 200 feet.

33. The method according to claim 32, the alerting comprising an audible alarm, the method further comprising the step of the occupant manually acknowledging and quieting the alarm.

34. The method according to claim 33 further comprising the step of re-enabling a quieted alarm when or after the distance between the aircraft and the reference exceeds a predetermined value.

35. The method according to claim 32 further comprising the step of providing to the occupant the designation of the zone of awareness, or of a feature within the zone of awareness, that the aircraft is in or near.

36. The method according to claim 32 further comprising after alerting, the step of the occupant reevaluating the course of the aircraft.

37. The method according to claim 32 used to reduce unintentional incursions of aircraft onto runways, the zones of awareness comprising runways.

38. The method according to claim 37 the references essentially comprising the centerlines of runways.

39. The method according to claim 37 the occupants being the pilots or flight crew of the aircraft.

40. The method according to claim 39 further comprising the step of determining whether the aircraft is on the ground.

41. The method according to claim 39 the alerting comprising an audible alarm, the method further comprising the step of the pilot or flight crew manually acknowledging and quieting the alarm.

42. The method according to claim 32 further comprising the step of providing to the pilot or flight crew the designation of the runway that the aircraft is on or approaching.

43. The method according to claim 32 further comprising after alerting, the step of the pilot or flight crew contacting an air traffic controller for instructions.

44. The method according to claim 32 wherein at least one zone of awareness comprises an area that is closed for maintenance.