Annunciation of the distance to a target position in a global positioning system landing system

• US 6,801,158 B2
• Filed: 09/19/2002
• Issued: 10/05/2004
• Est. Priority Date: 09/20/2001
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Honeywell International Inc.
• Original Assignee: Honeywell International Inc.
• Inventors: Doyle, Robert S., Snodgrass, Ken L., Howell, John A. III
• Primary Examiner(s): Issing, Gregory C.
• Application Number:
  US10/251,454
• Publication Number:
  US 20030052816A1
• Time in Patent Office: 747 Days
• Field of Search: 342/357.08, 342/357.03, 342/357.09, 340/947, 340/951, 340/972, 340/980, 340/435, 340/686.6
• US Class Current: 342/357.53
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 11/02 using radio waves G01S19/00 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 19/13 Receivers
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 19/15 Aircraft landing systems
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 19/51 Relative positioning
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 5/0284 Relative positioning
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 5/0008 with other aircraft
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 5/0013 with a ground station
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 5/0021 located in the aircraft
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 5/025 Navigation or guidance aids radar or analogous systems specially adapted for landing purposes G01S13/913
• CPC Class Codes: H01H 2217/022 Part of keyboard not operable
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 7/18506 Communications with or from aircraft, i.e. aeronautical mobile service
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 7/18508 with satellite system used as relay, i.e. aeronautical mobile satellite service
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 12/40019 Details regarding a bus master
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 12/40032 Details regarding a bus interface enhancer
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 12/413 with random access, e.g. carrier-sense multiple-access with collision detection [CSMA-CD]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 2012/4028 the transportation system being an aircraft
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/12 specially adapted for proprietary or special-purpose networking environments, e.g. medical networks, sensor networks, networks in vehicles or remote metering networks
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 69/329 in the application layer [OSI layer 7]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 9/40 Network security protocols
• CPC Class Codes: H04R 3/00 Circuits for transducers , loudspeakers or microphones
• CPC Class Codes: Y04S 40/18 : Network protocols supporting networked applications, e.g. including control of end-device applications over a network

Abstract

A system for providing distance information to the pilot of an aircraft utilizing a GPS Landing System (GLS) Local Area Augmentation System (LAAS) as a navigation and landing aid for the aircraft is provided, which includes a radio receiver adapted to receive signals from a ground-based radio transmitter associated with the LAAS, the signals including signals representing the location of the LAAS. A Global Positioning System (GPS) receiver adapted to receive position signals from GPS satellites and for producing signal representing the location of the aircraft is also provided, as is a controller coupled to the radio receiver and to the GPS receiver for receiving the signals representing the locations of the LAAS and of the aircraft, respectively, and for calculating the distance of the aircraft from the LAAS. A signaling mechanism coupled to the controller provides to the pilot of the aircraft with information representing the distance of the aircraft to the end of the runway.

Claims

1. A system for providing distance information to the pilot of an aircraft utilizing a Local Area Augmentation System (LAAS) as a navigation and landing aid for the aircraft, comprising:

a radio receiver adapted to receive signals from a ground-based radio transmitter associated with the LAAS, the signals including signals representing the location of the LAAS and the end of a runway served by the LAAS;

a Global Positioning System (GPS) receiver adapted to receive position signals from GPS satellites and for producing signal representing the location of the aircraft;

a controller coupled to the radio receiver and to the GPS receiver for receiving the signals representing the locations of the end of the runway and of the aircraft, respectively, and for calculating the distance of the aircraft from the end of the runway; and

a signaling mechanism coupled to the controller for providing to the pilot of the aircraft the distance of the aircraft to the end of the runway.

2. A system as set forth in claim 1 wherein the signaling mechanism produces a visual display.

3. A system as set forth in claim 2 wherein the visual display indicates the distance of the aircraft from the end of the runway.

4. A system as set forth in claim 1 wherein the signaling mechanism produces an aural signal.

5. A system as set forth in claim 4 wherein the aural signal indicates the distance of the aircraft from the end of the runway.

6. A system as set forth in claim 2 wherein the controller calculates the difference between the position of the aircraft and the end of the runway.

7. A system as set forth in claim 4 wherein the controller calculates the difference between the position of the aircraft and the end of the runway.

8. A system for providing distance information to the pilot of an aircraft utilizing a Local Area Augmentation System (LAAS) as a navigation and landing aid for the aircraft, comprising a radio receiver adapted to receive signals from a ground-based radio transmitter associated with the LAAS, the signals including signals representing the location of the end of the runway with which the LAAS is associated, a Global Positioning System (GPS) receiver adapted to receive position signals from GPS satellites and for producing signal representing the location of the aircraft, a controller coupled to the radio receiver and to the GPS receiver for receiving the signals representing the locations of the end of the runway and of the aircraft, respectively, the method comprising:

utilizing the signals representing the locations of the aircraft and of the LAAS to calculate the distance of the aircraft from the end of the runway; and

providing to the pilot of the aircraft the distance of the aircraft to the end of the runway.

9. The method as set forth in claim 8 wherein the distance of the aircraft to the end of the runway is provided by a visual display.

10. The method as set forth in claim 8 wherein the distance of the aircraft to the end of the runway is provided by an aural signal.