Aircraft avoidance system for prohibiting an aircraft from entering an exclusion zone

• US 7,256,728 B1
• Filed: 03/17/2004
• Issued: 08/14/2007
• Est. Priority Date: 09/17/2001
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Craig Anthony Kenny, Gary John Rushton, Gregory John Litster
• Original Assignee: Craig Anthony Kenny, Gary John Rushton, Gregory John Litster
• Inventors: Litster, Gregory John, Kenny, Craig Anthony, Rushton, Gary John
• Primary Examiner(s): Gregory; Bernarr E.
• Application Number:
  US10/801,953
• Time in Patent Office: 1,245 Days
• Field of Search: 342 29- 51, 342 61- 65, 342/175, 342/195, 342165-174, 340/945, 340963-981, 701 1- 18, 701120-122, 701/200, 701207-223, 701/300, 701/301
• US Class Current: 342/36
• CPC Class Codes: B64D 45/0031 means for overriding or restricting access to flight controls
• CPC Class Codes: B64D 45/0034 by ground-control override
• CPC Class Codes: G05D 1/0061 for transition from automatic pilot to manual pilot and vice versa
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 5/006 in accordance with predefined flight zones, e.g. to avoid prohibited zones
• CPC Class Codes: H04K 2203/22 for communication related to vehicles
• CPC Class Codes: H04K 3/22 including jamming detection and monitoring
• CPC Class Codes: H04K 3/90 related to allowing or preventing navigation or positioning, e.g. GPS

Abstract

The present invention relates to an avoidance system and method for directing an aircraft away from an exclusion zone. The exclusion zone may be any three dimensional space for example about a building or city. The avoidance system uses a constant signal from a ground based transmitter and an aircraft'"'"'s receiver which receives and processes the signal and activates the avoidance system by engaging the flight director system or autopilot to steer away from the exclusion zone.

Claims

1. An avoidance system for steering an aircraft away from an exclusion zone including

transmitter means for transmitting a signal to the aircraft, said signal includes transmitter means identification and exclusion zone information;

aircraft receiver means for receiving and processing said signal, said aircraft receiver means being operationally associated with a flight director system which is programmed to control and steer the aircraft; and

a self checking means including a low power beacon installed on the aircraft

wherein when a transmitter means signal is received and processed by the aircraft receiver means, the flight director system is engaged in accordance with said aircraft'"'"'s flight profile and processed exclusion zone information to control and steer the aircraft away from the exclusion zone;

wherein the self checking means periodically transmits a signal to the aircraft receiver means, and has means for receiving and processing said signals to determine operational state of the avoidance system.

2. An avoidance system as claimed in claim 1, wherein when a transmitter means signal is received by the receiver means, an alert signal is transmitted from the aircraft to the relevant authorities.

3. An avoidance system as claimed in claim 2, wherein said alert signal includes the aircraft identification, transmitter means identification and exclusion zone information for the transmitter means.

4. An avoidance system as claimed in claim 1, wherein when a transmitter means signal is received by the receiver means, an alert signal is transmitted from the aircraft to the relevant authorities and wherein when a signal is transmitted from the beacon and the receiver means fails to receive or process the signal, an alert signal is transmitted from the aircraft to the relevant authorities.

5. An avoidance system as claimed in claim 4, wherein the avoidance system remains activated until the signal from the transmitter means is no longer received by the aircraft receiver means.

6. An avoidance system as claimed in claim 1, wherein the avoidance system remains activated until the signal from the transmitter means is no longer received by the aircraft receiver means.

7. An avoidance system as claimed in claim 1, wherein the exclusion zone has one or more outer warning zones where an alarm is activated when the aircraft enters the warning zone.

8. An avoidance system as claimed in claim 1, wherein the aircraft receiver means engages the flight director system to take suitable action when the transmitter means signal is not recognized, partially received or jammed.

9. An avoidance system as claimed in claim 1, wherein the aircraft receiver means includes an avoidance program with protocols where the avoidance system is not operational.

10. An avoidance system as claimed in claim 1, wherein the aircraft receiver means includes an avoidance program with protocols where the avoidance system is not operational and wherein the protocols include coordinate information of airports, runways and other suitable areas for the landing and departure of the aircraft.

11. An avoidance system as claimed in claim 10, wherein the coordinate information can be amended and updated and the coordinate information is checked as part of the initializing of the avoidance system during the preparation for flight.

12. An avoidance system as claimed in claim 1, wherein the flight director system can directly receive registered exclusion zone parameters from a satellite based system for updating purposes or when there is a receiving means failure.

13. An avoidance system as claimed in claim 1, wherein a preflight check is used to determine the operational status of the avoidance system and when the receiving means fails to receive and process a preflight check signal, an alert signal is transmitted from the aircraft to alert the relevant authorities and the flight director system is engaged to prevent the aircraft from taking off.

14. An avoidance system as claimed in claim 1, wherein the flight director system is engaged at a time and position determined by the flight profile and exclusion zone information.

15. An avoidance system as claimed in claim 1, wherein the flight director system controls the upward direction of the aircraft while providing the pilot with limited sideways maneuverability.