Integrated surveillance display

• US 6,683,562 B2
• Filed: 01/11/2002
• Issued: 01/27/2004
• Est. Priority Date: 07/20/2001
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: L-3 Communications Corporation (L3Harris Technologies, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Aviation Communications And Surveillance Systems, LLC
• Inventors: Troxel, James R., Ybarra, Kathryn W., Stayton, Greg T.
• Primary Examiner(s): Gregory, Bernarr E.
• Application Number:
  US10/044,734
• Publication Number:
  US 20030016158A1
• Time in Patent Office: 746 Days
• Field of Search: 701/200, 701/300, 701/301, 701/302, 701/117, 342/29-51, 342/175-186, 342/195, 340/945, 340/961, 340/971-980
• US Class Current: 342/182
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 5/0008 with other aircraft
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 5/0021 located in the aircraft
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 5/0052 for cruising combined instruments indicating more than one navigational value G01C23/00
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 5/0078 for monitoring traffic from the aircraft radar or analogous systems specially adapted for traffic control G01S13/91

Abstract

A display system is disclosed for displaying air traffic symbology from a plurality of different types of air traffic surveillance systems on a single monitor. A display device includes a processor for generating display symbology from TCAS, SKE and ADS-B information, and a monitor for displaying the generated symbology in a uniform format.

Claims

1. A method for displaying traffic information relating to TCAS and SKE data on a single display device, the method comprising:

generating non-formation aircraft display symbology based on a first type of surveillance data;

generating formation aircraft display symbology based on a second type of surveillance data; and

displaying both the generated non-formation display aircraft symbology and the generated formation aircraft display symbology on the single display device.

2. The method of claim 1 wherein the first type of surveillance data comprises TCAS data.

3. The method of claim 1 wherein the second type of surveillance data comprises SKE data.

4. The method of claim 1 wherein the first type of surveillance data comprises TCAS data and the second type of surveillance data comprises at least two of TCAS, SKE and ADS-B data.

5. The method of claim 1 further comprising:

distinguishing, on the single display device, between the displayed non-formation aircraft display symbology and the displayed formation aircraft display symbology.

6. The method of claim 5 further comprising:

displaying a data tag proximate each formation and non-formation aircraft display symbology for identifying aircraft represented by the display symbology.

7. A system for displaying formation and non-formation aircraft, the system comprising:

a processing unit operative to generate air traffic display symbology based on information from a plurality of different types of air traffic surveillance systems; and

a monitor operative to display the air traffic display symbology generated by the processing unit.

8. The system of claim 7 wherein the plurality of different types of air traffic surveillance systems comprises TCAS and SKE systems.

9. The system of claim 8 wherein the plurality of different types of air traffic surveillance systems further comprises an ADS-B system.

10. The system of claim 8 wherein the air traffic display symbology is generated to be displayed in a uniform format.

11. The system of claim 8 wherein the generated air traffic display symbology distinguishes between formation aircraft and non-formation aircraft when displayed on the monitor.

12. The system of claim 11 wherein the displayed air traffic display symbology includes information relating to proximate aircraft including:

an identification, a range, a bearing, and an altitude for each aircraft displayed on the monitor.

13. The system of claim 12 wherein the displayed air traffic display symbology includes information relating to velocity vectors, cross track error and acceleration for at least one of the aircraft displayed on the monitor.

14. The system of claim 7 wherein the processing unit comprises a TCAS receiver/transmitter unit.

15. The system of claim 7 wherein the processing unit comprises an SKE processor.