Modulation of aircraft guidance lights

• US 7,679,528 B1
• Filed: 07/28/2006
• Issued: 03/16/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 07/28/2006
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Rockwell Collins, Inc. (Rtx Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Rockwell Collins, Inc. (Rtx Corporation)
• Inventors: Breiholz, Arlen E., Etherington, Timothy J.
• Primary Examiner(s): Previl; Daniel
• Application Number:
  US11/494,939
• Time in Patent Office: 1,327 Days
• Field of Search: 340/945, 340/947, 340951-956, 701/1, 701/120, 434/30, 434/38, 434/41, 434/42, 342/36, 342/29, 342/410
• US Class Current: 340/945
• CPC Class Codes: B64F 1/20 Arrangement of optical beacons
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 1/7034 Mounting or deployment thereof
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 1/7038 Signal details
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 2201/06 Aircraft navigation
• 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

Abstract

An aircraft landing and/or taxiing system has a plurality of landing zone, runway, and/or taxiway lights capable of receiving information signals and transmitting optically signals representative of the information signals. A processing system for providing the information signals to the plurality of lights is also used. The system also comprises a sensor tuned to receive light of a specific range of wavelengths, the light being emitted from the lights. Also, a processing system coupled to the sensor and configured with software to interpret signals received by the sensor is used. Program code runs on the processing system. The program code is configured to determine the location of an aircraft on the taxiway based on the light signal received from one or more of the taxiway lights. Also, the aircraft landing and/or taxiing system utilizes modulated lights to provide information pertinent to aircraft landing and/or taxiing operations.

Claims

1. An aircraft, comprising:

a sensor tuned to receive light of a specific range of wavelengths, the light being emitted by one or more taxiway lights and the light from the taxiway lights having an informational signal modulated thereon the informational signal providing the locations of the taxiway lights;

a processing system coupled to the sensor and configured with software to interpret the informational signal received by the sensor; and

program code running on the processing system, the program code configured to determine the location of the aircraft on the taxiway based on the informational signal associated with the light received by the sensor from one or more of the taxiway lights, wherein the program code is configured to conformally map a representation of an outside boundary of a taxiway on a combiner of a HUD to line up closely with an outside view through the combiner the locations of the taxiway lights being used to ensure registration of the representation of the outside boundary with the taxiway lights.

2. The aircraft of claim 1, wherein the taxiway lights comprise LED lights.

3. The aircraft of claim 1, wherein the taxiway lights emit light in the near infrared spectrum.

4. The aircraft of claim 1, wherein the light from the taxiway lights is modulated with a pseudorandom code signal.

5. The aircraft of claim 1, wherein the light from the taxiway lights is modulated with a position identification signal.

6. The aircraft of claim 1, wherein the taxiway lights may be used to identify at least one aircraft movement command.

7. The aircraft of claim 1, further comprising:

a display displaying a representation of the taxiway to the pilot.

8. The aircraft of claim 7, wherein the display is part of the HUD.

9. The aircraft of claim 8, wherein the representations are triangles having a vertex pointing in an up direction.

10. An aircraft taxiing system for a HUD providing an image on a combiner and for use with light being emitted by one or more taxiway lights and the light from the taxiway lights having an information signal modulated thereon, the information signal providing the locations of the taxiway lights, the aircraft taxiing system comprising:

a sensor located on an aircraft and tuned to receive a specific range of wavelengths, wherein the sensor receives the light being emitted from the taxiway lights;

a processing system coupled to the sensor and configured with software to interpret data related to the information signal associated with the light received by the sensor; and

program code running on the processing system, the program code configured to conformally map a representation of an outside boundary of a taxiway on the combiner to line up with an outside view through the combiner using the locations of the taxiway lights determined from the data.

11. The aircraft taxiing system of claim 10, wherein the information signal is modulated with a pseudorandom code signal.

12. The aircraft taxiing system of claim 10, wherein the information signal is modulated with a position identification signal.

13. The aircraft taxiing system of claim 10, wherein the information signal may be used to identify at least one of hold short and runway clear signals.

14. The aircraft taxiing system of claim 10, further comprising:

a display displaying a representation of the taxiway to the pilot.

15. The aircraft taxiing system of claim 14, wherein the representation of the outside boundary include a triangles.

16. The aircraft taxiing system of claim 15, wherein the triangles are registered with the taxiway.