Multisource target correlation

• US 7,043,355 B2
• Filed: 08/28/2004
• Issued: 05/09/2006
• Est. Priority Date: 07/10/2000
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Garmin AT, Inc. (Garmin Limited)
• Original Assignee: Garmin AT, Inc. (Garmin Limited)
• Inventors: Lai, Chih
• Primary Examiner(s): Hernandez, Olga
• Application Number:
  US10/928,039
• Publication Number:
  US 20060030994A1
• Time in Patent Office: 619 Days
• Field of Search: 701/120, 701/1, 340/945, 340/500, 340/970, 340/971, 340/973, 244/1.R
• US Class Current: 701/120
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 5/0008 with other aircraft
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 5/0013 with a ground station
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 5/0078 for monitoring traffic from the aircraft radar or analogous systems specially adapted for traffic control G01S13/91

Abstract

An improved method for correlating between targets in an air traffic control system. A methods or systems according to the invention compare selected components of a first target report to the components of a second target report, produce a confidence level on each component comparison, and determine whether to declare the targets similar based on the confidence level on each component compared. The first and second target reports may include ADS-B target reports and TIS target reports. The individual components of the reports may be range, bearing, track angle, and relative altitude. The methods or systems may use a fuzzy logic probability model to produce a continuous confidence level on each component comparison.

Claims

1. A method for target correlation between target information in an air traffic control system, the method comprising:

electronically comparing selected components of a first target report associated with a first target surveillance service and a first target to selected components of a second target report associated with a second target surveillance service and a second target;

electronically producing a confidence level for each component comparison; and

electronically determining whether the first target of the first target report and the second target of the second target report represent the same target based on the confidence level for each component compared.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein comparing selected components of a first target report associated with a first target surveillance service further comprises comparing selected components of a first target report associated with an Automatic Dependent Surveillance-Broadcast (ADS-B) target surveillance service.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein comparing selected components of a first target report associated with a first target surveillance service further comprises comparing selected components of a first target report associated with a Traffic Information Service (TIS) target surveillance service.

4. The method of claim 1, further comprising combining the confidence levels to produce a total confidence level and comparing selected components of a TIS target report when comparing selected components of a second target report.

5. The method of claim 4, wherein determining whether the first target of the first target report and the second target of the second target report represent the same target based on the confidence level for each component compared further comprises determining whether the first target of the first target report and the second target of the second target report represent the same target based on the total confidence level.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein comparing the selected components further comprises selecting at least one component chosen from the group consisting of range, bearing, relative altitude and track angle.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein comparing the selected components further comprises comparing at least range, bearing, relative altitude and track angle components.

8. A computer system correlating between target information from different sources in an air traffic control system, the computer system programmed to perform the steps of:

electronically comparing selected components of a first target report associated with a first target surveillance service and a first target to selected components of a second target report associated with a second target surveillance service and a second target, wherein the first target surveillance service is associated with an Automatic Dependent Surveillance-Broadcast target surveillance service and the second target report is associated with a Traffic Information Service target surveillance service;

electronically producing a confidence level for each component comparison; and

electronically determining that the first target and the second target represent the same target based on the confidence level for each component comparison.

9. The computer system of claim 8, wherein the computer system is further programmed to perform the step of combining the confidence levels to produce a total confidence level.

10. The computer system device of claim 9, wherein determining that the first target and the second target represent the same target based on the confidence level for each component comparison further comprises determining that the first target and the second target represent the same target based on the total confidence level.

11. The computer system of claim 8, wherein the selected components of the first and second target reports comprise at least range, bearing, relative altitude and track angle.

12. The computer system of claim 8, wherein the computer system is programmed to perform the steps of implementing fuzzy logic probability modules to compare selected components of the first and second target reports, producing a confidence level for each component comparison, and combining the confidence levels to produce a total confidence level.

13. An air traffic control system comprising a computer system programmed to:

electronically compare selected components of a first target report associated with a first target surveillance service and a first target to selected components of a second target report associated with a second target surveillance service and a second target, wherein the second target surveillance service is different than the first target surveillance service;

electronically determine a confidence level for each component comparison by executing an algorithm having a predetermined target surveillance service component as a variable; and

electronically determine whether the first target of the first target report and the second target of the second target report represent the same target based on a comparison of the confidence levels for each component.

14. A system in accordance with claim 13 wherein said computer system is further programmed to:

determine similarity values for respective combinations of a first group of targets reporting from the first target surveillance service and a second group of targets reporting from the second target surveillance service utilizing a probability model function on target information received from the first target surveillance service and the second target surveillance service; and

store the similarity values in a correlation array.

15. A system in accordance with claim 14 wherein to determine similarity values for respective combinations of a first group of targets said computer system is further programmed to determine similarity values for respective combinations of a first group of targets from an Automatic Dependent Surveillance-Broadcast target surveillance service and a second group of targets from a Traffic Information Service target surveillance service utilizing a fuzzy logic function.

16. A system in accordance with claim 13 wherein said computer system is further programmed to correlate a first target with a second target that is similar based on a predetermined correlation parameter.

17. A system in accordance with claim 13 wherein to correlate a first target with a second target that is similar based on a predetermined correlation parameter said computer system is further programmed to correlate a first target with a second target that is similar based a range.

18. A system in accordance with claim 13 wherein said computer system is further programmed to combine the confidence levels to determine a total confidence level.

19. A system in accordance with claim 16 wherein said computer system is further programmed to determine whether the first target of the first target report and the second target of the second target report represent the same target based on the total confidence level.

20. A system in accordance with claim 16 wherein to compare selected components of a first target report associated with a first target surveillance service and a first target to selected components of a second target report said computer is further programmed to compare at least one of range, bearing, relative altitude, and track angle.