Method and onboard device to assist running in an airport

• US 7,589,644 B2
• Filed: 09/29/2006
• Issued: 09/15/2009
• Est. Priority Date: 09/30/2005
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Thales SA
• Original Assignee: Thales SA
• Inventors: Meunier, Hugues
• Primary Examiner(s): GOINS, DAVETTA WOODS
• Application Number:
  US11/529,313
• Publication Number:
  US 20070078590A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,082 Days
• Field of Search: 340/945, 340/933, 340/951, 340/953, 340/948, 340/961, 340/972, 340/988, 342/29, 342/36
• US Class Current: 340/945
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 5/0026 located on the ground
• 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 5/065 Navigation or guidance aids, e.g. for taxiing or rolling

Abstract

The invention relates to a method to help a person responsible for a vehicle on an airport to follow running procedures in the airport, the vehicle including a device for using the method, including: a database including: data modelling all or some of an airport environment; one or several acquisition devices for acquiring procedures applicable to the running operation on the airport; one or several devices configured to acquire and determine vehicle status information; calculation means using the database; graphic transcription means and warning means; means of generating sound and visual alarms; wherein the assistance method includes at least the following steps: determine applicable procedures; continuously calculate deviations between the behaviour of the vehicle and applicable procedures; graphic transcription of progress of the vehicle while running and deviations from applicable procedures; trigger visual and/or sound alerts when a predetermined deviation threshold is crossed.

Claims

1. A method to help a person responsible for a vehicle on an airport runway to follow runway running procedures, said method using a device comprising

a) a database, comprising:

i) data which model all or some of an airport environment;

ii) data which model characteristics of the vehicle such as the dimensions, weight, mobility characteristics,

iii) runway running predefined procedures such as running authorization onto a traffic way, taxiway, parking area, routing, compulsory transfer points;

b) first means for acquiring and determining vehicle status information;

c) second means for acquiring additional procedures supplied by the person responsible for the vehicle or by an airport supervisor;

d) third means for acquiring complementary information relative to said data which model all or some of the airport environment;

e) calculating means;

f) graphically displaying means;

g) sound and visual alarms generating means;

wherein said method comprises at least the following steps;

determining which procedures are applicable to the vehicle, among said additional procedures and said runway running predefined procedures;

continuously calculating deviations between the behaviour of the vehicle and applicable procedures;

graphic displaying progress of the vehicle while running and deviations from applicable procedures;

triggering visual and/or sound alerts in said sound and visual alarm generating means when a predetermined deviation threshold is crossed.

2. The method according to claim 1, wherein said graphically displaying means comprise an onboard screen on which all or some of the elements of the airport environment are displayed making use of data contained in the database and warning information in graphic and/or text form.

3. The method according to claim 1, wherein calculating means enable access to data, update these data when necessary, generate the display of the airport environment to be displayed and determine any information and/or warnings to be displayed.

4. The method of according to claim 1, wherein the status of the vehicle is defined particularly by its position, direction and/or its speed perceived by sensors built into this vehicle or received by external signals and is made available for use.

5. The method according to claim 1, wherein the runway running procedure to be followed and respected is displayed on an onboard screen on this vehicle.

6. The method according to claim 1, wherein respect of the runway running instructions is monitored by displaying information and warnings in graphic, symbol or text form on the onboard screen, possibly associated with appropriate sound warnings.

7. The method according to claim 1, wherein information and/or warnings are provided in advance particularly before a transfer point is crossed.

8. The method according to claim 1, wherein information about the applicable procedures is received by radio.

9. The method according to claim 1, wherein information about applicable procedures is obtained by an operator inserting data.

10. The method according to claim 1, wherein information about applicable procedures is predefined in the database.

11. The method according to claim 1, wherein monitoring that runway running authorizations are respected consists of the following steps:

use the database containing a description of different stop bars Sb predefined for the airport area, in addition to any other descriptive information about the airport environment, these stop bars Sb being represented by a vector defined by the geographic coordinates of the ends of the vector, or the original geographic coordinates and a length, and a direction Dr indicating the direction for which crossing of the stop bar is subject to authorization;

determine the position, direction and speed of displacement of the vehicle based on status information of the vehicle;

detect when a stop bar is crossed by calculation means when an aircraft passes from one side of the segment to the other.

12. The method according to claim 11, wherein the stop bar Sb is modelled by a vector V2 with a start point S1 and an end point S2, the geographic coordinates of the start point S1 and the end point S2 of each stop bar being memorised in the database of the device providing assistance in following runway running procedures.

13. The method according to claim 12, wherein crossing of a stop bar Sb by a vehicle is detected and determined by the change in the sign of the vector product

Pv=V1_Λ

V2, the start point of vector V1 being on the vehicle (A) and its end point on the start point S1 of vector V2.

14. The method according to claim 12, wherein crossing of the stop bar is detected by the change in the sign of sinφ

, φ

being the angle formed between the directions of the two vectors V1 and V2, vector V1 having its start point on the vehicle and its end point on the start point S1 of vector V2.

15. The method according to claim 14, wherein the method of detection of the aircraft crossing the stop bar includes the following steps:

determine the geographic position of the aircraft or the vehicle (A) at any time by device positioning means;

determine the direction of vector V1 by calculation;

determine the direction of vector V2 by calculation;

calculate sinφ

, where φ

is the angle formed between the directions of the two vectors V1 and V2, φ

being between 0 and π

.

detect a change in the sign of sinφ

.

16. The method according to claim 12, wherein the warning for a stop bar being crossed is disabled following prior reception of an authorization provided by control.

17. The method according to claim 15, wherein authorization for crossing a stop bar is entered in the device by the pilot following a prior instruction received orally or in writing.

18. The method according to claim 13, wherein crossing of a stop bar Sb is anticipated by calculating the rate of variation Tv of the vector product V1_Λ

V2 to trigger a warning.

19. The method according to claim 18, wherein a lower criticality alert is generated when the rate of variation Tv of the vector product Pv results in the stop bar being crossed within a predefined safety time.

20. The method according to claim 19, wherein this safety time may be of the order of 7 seconds, corresponding to an allowable time equal to the sum of the pilot'"'"'s reaction time and the vehicle stopping time.

21. The method according to claim 19, wherein the safety time is determined as a function of the vehicle speed.

22. The method according to claim 11, wherein the stop bars (Sb, Sb1, Sb2, . . . Sbn) towards which the vehicle (A, B, C) is running are identified by their presence in an aircraft advance cone (Cv, Ci) with a cone angle θ

.

23. The method according to claim 22, wherein the advance cone Cv has a cone angle θ

equal to 15 degrees and a radius with length R1, for example 100 meters.

24. The method according to claim 22, wherein the advance cone (Ci) is curved along the direction of the vehicle turn.

25. The method according to claim 1, wherein the onboard screen display may comprise several modes to present information in the most relevant manner;

orientation, scale, selection of displayed elements.

26. An onboard device for implementation of the method for providing assistance in following runway running procedures for an airport vehicle according to claim 1, wherein it includes:

a) a database comprising;

i) data which model all or some of an airport environment,

ii) data which model characteristics of the vehicle, such as the dimensions, weight, mobility characteristics;

iii) runway running predefined procedures on the airport such as running authorizations onto a traffic way, taxiway, parking area, routing, compulsory transfer points;

,

b) first means for acquiring and determining vehicle status information;

c) second means for acquiring additional procedures supplied by the person responsible for the vehicle or by an airport supervisor;

d) third means for acquiring complementary information relative to said data which model all or some of the airport environment;

e) calculation means;

f) graphical displaying means of progress of the vehicle while running and deviations from applicable procedures;

g) sound and visual alarms generating means.

27. The onboard device according to claim 26, wherein the device includes a database with:

a subset of data modelling the airport including geographic, topological or functional characteristics of airport elements, and particularly the runway access ways, runways, taxiways, stop bars.

28. The onboard device according to claim 26, wherein the device includes a database with:

a subset of data modelling the aircraft (vehicle) including relevant characteristics such as dimensions, weight, dynamics, etc., of the aircraft.

29. The onboard device according to claim 26, wherein the device includes a database with:

a subset including predefined running procedures applicable to the airport.