Smart airport automation system

• US 7,385,527 B1
• Filed: 08/23/2005
• Issued: 06/10/2008
• Est. Priority Date: 05/06/2003
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Architectural technology Inc.
• Original Assignee: Sensis Pty Limited (Telstra Group Ltd.)
• Inventors: Clavier, Odile H, Davis, Paul C, Sorensen, John A, Houck, Sharon W, Hunter, Cornelius G, Schleicher, David R
• Primary Examiner(s): Crosland; Donnie L.
• Application Number:
  US11/209,473
• Time in Patent Office: 1,022 Days
• Field of Search: 340/945
• US Class Current: 340/945
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 5/0013 with a ground station
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 5/0026 located on the ground
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 5/0065 for taking-off
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 5/0082 for monitoring traffic from a ground station radar or analogous systems specially adapted for traffic control G01S13/91
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 5/0091 for monitoring atmospheric conditions radar or analogous systems specially adapted for meteorological use G01S13/95; meteorology G01W
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 5/025 Navigation or guidance aids radar or analogous systems specially adapted for landing purposes G01S13/913

Abstract

A smart airport automation system gathers and reinterprets a wide variety of aircraft and airport related data and information around unattended or non-towered airports. Data is gathered from many different types of sources, and in otherwise incompatible data formats. The smart airport automation system then decodes, assembles, fuses, and broadcasts structured information, in real-time, to aircraft pilots. The fused information is also useful to remotely located air traffic controllers who monitor non-towered airport operations. The system includes a data fusion and distribution computer that imports aircraft position and velocity, weather, and airport specific data. The data inputs are used to compute safe takeoff and landing sequences, and other airport advisory information for participating aircraft.

Claims

1. A smart airport automation system for managing the operation of a plurality of vehicles on an airport surface or in the surrounding airspace, comprising:

a plurality of data inputs containing aircraft and airport-related information for an airport from a plurality of sources and in a plurality of different data formats;

at least one processor for decoding, assembling, associating, correlating and fusing said plurality of data inputs into structured data, and for distributing said structured data in real-time, wherein said at least one processor computes vehicle position data for vehicles on or near said airport surface in real-time, projects vehicle trajectories or movements, and identifies or predicts unsafe conditions from said projected vehicle trajectories or movements;

a vehicle sequence determination system that uses the projected vehicle trajectories to compute a desired sequence among vehicles, and

a communications system that transmits in real-time said structured data and advisories comprising sequence advisories containing said desired sequence among vehicles to vehicles on or near said airport surface.

2. The smart airport automation system of claim 1, wherein said data inputs for computing aircraft position data comprises at least one of surveillance radar, multilateration, ADS-B or other transponder-based surveillance systems.

3. The smart airport automation system of claim 1, wherein said at least one communications system transmits said structured data over a voice communications system.

4. The smart airport automation system of claim 3, wherein said communications system uses synthesized voice technology to generate said messages for broadcast over a voice communications system.

5. The smart airport automation system of claim 1, wherein said at least one communications system transmits said structured data over a data link as digital data and graphics for display.

6. The smart airport automation system of claim 1, wherein said at least one communications system transmits said structured data over a data link as digital data and graphics for display, for aircraft suitably equipped, or over a voice communications system.

7. The smart airport automation system of claim 1, further comprising an interface for activating and deactivating airport lighting automatically based upon current aircraft position, projected trajectory and intent information.

8. The smart airport automation system of claim 1, wherein said communications system further comprises a communications link to air traffic control facilities.

9. The smart airport automation system of claim 1, wherein said communications system further comprises a communications link to airport safety and security facilities.

10. A smart automation system for managing the operation of a plurality of vehicles on an airport surface or in the surrounding airspace, comprising:

an advisory subsystem that determines the active runway or runways in use and their utility for safe landing and takeoff operations;

a vehicle locating subsystem that determines the current position and velocities for vehicles on or near said airport surface in real-time;

a trajectory estimation system that projects and predicts the trajectories of a plurality of vehicles based upon current and historical state and status data extracted from vehicle surveillance sources, vehicle performance capabilities, intent, and stored local surface and air traffic pattern data;

a vehicle sequence determination system that uses projected trajectories to compute a desired sequence among vehicles; and

a communication system that transmits structured data comprising airport information, vehicle location and intent, and advisories comprising sequence advisories containing said desired sequence among vehicles to vehicles on or near said airport surface.

11. The smart airport automation system of claim 10, further comprising a vehicle conflict detection system that identifies or predicts unsafe condition from projected trajectories and generates advisories for identified or predicted unsafe conditions.

12. The smart airport automation system of claim 10, wherein the communication system utilizes synthesized voice messages transmitted over a voice communication system.

13. The smart airport automation system of claim 10, wherein the communication system is a digital data link.

14. The smart airport automation system of claim 11, wherein the communication system transmits digital data and graphics over a data link, for vehicles suitably equipped, or transmits synthesized voice messages over a voice communication system.

15. The smart airport automation system of claim 11, further comprising an airport lighting control system that automatically turns on and off airfield lighting for safe night and low visibility operations.

16. The smart airport automation system of claim 11, wherein the conflict detection system identifies or predicts that a loss of acceptable safe separation will occur.

17. The smart airport automation system of claim 11, wherein the conflict detection system identifies or predicts that a vehicle is in risk of upset due to wake vortex phenomena.

18. The smart airport automation system of claim 11, wherein the conflict detection system identifies or predicts a vehicle'"'"'s potential collision with an obstruction based on the vehicle'"'"'s trajectory, airport configuration and local terrain.

19. The smart airport automation system of claim 11, wherein the conflict detection system identifies or predicts a runway incursion.

20. The smart airport automation system of claim 11, wherein the conflict detection system identifies or predicts a vehicle is intending to use the wrong runway because of unsafe wind or surface conditions.

21. The smart airport automation system of claim 11, further comprising a processor that generates and communicates safety and status messages to inform authorities of airport status.

22. A smart airport automation system for use at unattended or non-towered airports comprising:

means for receiving airport-related information from one or more airport-related information systems using one or more data formats;

means for generating airport specific data;

means for determining in real-time the position of low altitude aircraft in the vicinity of said airport and aircraft or vehicles on the surface of said airport from sources using one or more data formats;

means for fusing, organizing and distributing said aircraft and vehicle position data, airport-related information and airport specific data from said one or more airport-related information systems using one or more data formats into structured data in a single format in real-time;

means for predicting vehicle trajectories and movements based upon at least one of current and historical position data, vehicle performance capabilities, intent, and stored local surface and air traffic pattern data;

means for predicting and detecting potential vehicle conflicts based on predicted trajectories, intentions and vehicle movements;

a means for determining a desired vehicle sequence based on at least projected trajectories and movements of vehicles on or near said airport surface; and

means for communicating said structured data and advisories comprising sequence advisories containing said desired vehicle sequence in real-time to vehicles in the vicinity or on the surface of said airport.

23. The smart airport automation system of claim 22, wherein said means for organizing and distributing said structured data comprises generating formatted messages comprising airport advisory information, runway sequence advisories, conflict detection advisories and position data and intentions of other proximate vehicle traffic on or near said airport surface.

24. The smart airport automation system of claim 22, wherein said means for predicting and detecting potential vehicle conflicts monitors aircraft separation and separation distance thresholds between sequential vehicles on or near said airport surface.

25. The smart airport automation system of claim 22, further comprising a means for activating and deactivating airport lighting automatically based upon current aircraft position, projected trajectory and intent information.

26. A smart airport automation system advisory generation system for use at unattended or non-towered airport, comprising:

an airport advisory subsystem that receives weather and airport configuration data, determines the active runway(s) in use, its utility for conducting safe flight operations;

an aircraft trajectory estimation system to predict each aircraft'"'"'s future unconstrained trajectory (a) from position and velocity data extracted from aircraft surveillance sources, (b) known flight intent, (c) recent aircraft trajectory histories, and (d) stored local air traffic pattern data;

a takeoff and landing sequence determination system that uses projected unconstrained aircraft trajectories and aircraft takeoff and landing intentions to compute a desirable runway usage sequence among aircraft and generates a runway sequence advisory message;

an aircraft conflict detection system that uses aircraft projected trajectories and intentions to compute potentially unsafe conditions and loss of desired aircraft separations within a runway usage sequence;

wherein said aircraft conflict detection system generates a conflict detection advisory message upon occurrence or prediction of unsafe conditions or loss of acceptable safe separation;

an airport communications system which transmits at least said runway sequence advisory messages and said conflict detection advisory messages to aircraft in the vicinity of the airport as digital data and graphics over a data link, for aircraft suitably equipped, and over a voice communications system; and

an airport lighting control system that uses the current aircraft position, projected trajectory and intent information to automatically turn on and off runway and taxiway lighting, as appropriate, for safe night and low visibility operations.

27. A smart airport automation system of claim 26, wherein said aircraft conflict detection system identifies or predicts (a) loss of sufficient separation for wake vortex safety, or (b) a landing will take place on a runway occupied by another aircraft.

28. A smart airport automation system of claim 26, wherein said airport communications system broadcasts said auditory messages to aircraft using voice synthesis technology and the common terminal advisory frequency (CTAF).

29. The smart airport automation system of claim 26, further comprising a processor for organizing information for graphical display and for generating computer-synthesized voice and digital messages for their transmission to local aircraft.

30. The smart airport automation system of claim 26, further comprising a communications link to air traffic control facilities to provide ATC a means for monitoring remote unattended airports.

31. The smart airport automation system of claim 26, further comprising a communications link to airport safety and security facilities.

32. The smart airport automation system of claim 31, wherein said communications link for transmitting said structured data to airport security is a data network connection.

33. The smart airport automation system of claim 32, wherein said data network connection uses the Internet.

34. The smart airport automation system of claim 26, wherein said data network connection can be used to automatically turn on and turn off special airport lighting systems.

35. A smart airport automation system for use at unattended or non-towered airports comprising:

means for receiving airport-related information from one or more airport-related information systems using one or more data formats;

means for generating airport specific data;

means for determining the position of low altitude aircraft in the vicinity of said airport and aircraft on the surface of said airport from surveillance sources using one or more data formats;

means for fusing said aircraft position data, said airport-related information and said airport specific data into structured data in a single format that is organized and packaged for graphical display, which includes takeoff and landing sequences for aircraft;

means for predicting vehicle trajectories and movements based upon at least one of current and historical position data, vehicle performance capabilities, intent, and stored local surface and air traffic pattern data;

means for detecting potentially unsafe conditions and loss of desired aircraft separation based on aircraft projected trajectories and intentions, and generating a conflict advisory if unsafe conditions or loss of desired aircraft separation is predicted or occurs;

means for determining a desirable vehicle sequence based on at least projected trajectories and movements of vehicles on or near said airport surface;

means for distributing and transmitting said structured data to aircraft and vehicles in the vicinity or on the surface of said airport; and

means for automatically turning on and off runway and taxiway lighting using current aircraft position, projected trajectory and intent information for safe night and low visibility operations.

36. A smart airport automation system of claim 35, wherein said means for detecting potentially unsafe conditions predicts at least loss of sufficient separation for wake vortex safety, or a landing will take place on a runway occupied by another aircraft.

37. The smart airport automation system of claim 35, wherein said means for transmitting said structured data is a data link.

38. The smart airport automation system of claim 35, wherein said means for transmitting said structured data is a voice communications system.