Air traffic control

• US 8,306,724 B2
• Filed: 06/29/2007
• Issued: 11/06/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 06/30/2006
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: NATS Limited (NATS Holdings Limited)
• Original Assignee: NATS Limited (NATS Holdings Limited)
• Inventors: Price, Adrian John, Casey, William
• Primary Examiner(s): Camby, Richard M.
• Application Number:
  US12/306,916
• Publication Number:
  US 20100030457A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,957 Days
• Field of Search: 701120-122, 701/300, 701/301, 701 14- 16, 701/4, 701/10, 701/11, 701/408, 701/422, 701/428, 701/436
• US Class Current: 701/120
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 5/0013 with a ground station
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 5/0026 located on the ground
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 5/0043 Traffic management of multiple aircrafts from the ground G08G5/003 takes precedence; data processing specially designed for resource management, e.g. scheduling or allocating time, human or machine resources G06Q10/06

Abstract

An air traffic control system, for use by a controller controlling a plurality of aircraft held vertically separated in a stack, the system comprising at least one processor; a display device for the control generating a display controlled by said at least one processor, and at least one device for selectively receiving, from said aircraft, an indication of their intended future altitudes; in which said processor is arranged to receive such intended altitude data; to compare said intended altitude data with current altitude and/or intended altitude data of other aircraft; and to generate said display on said display device so as to list said plurality of aircraft, to highlight a first part of the display relating to a first aircraft whose intended altitude overlaps with the current or intended altitude of at least one said second aircraft, and to highlight also a second part of the display relating to said second aircraft.

Claims

1. An air traffic control system, for use by a controller controlling a plurality of aircraft held vertically separated in a stack, the system comprising

at least one processor;

a display device for the control generating a display controlled by said at least one processor, and

at least one device for selectively receiving, from said aircraft, an indication of their intended future altitudes;

characterised in that said processor is arranged to

receive such intended altitude data;

to compare said intended altitude data with current altitude and/or intended altitude data of other aircraft; and

to generate said display on said display device so as to list said plurality of aircraft, to highlight a first part of the display relating to a first aircraft whose intended altitude overlaps with the current or intended altitude of at least one said second aircraft, and to highlight also a second part of the display relating to said second aircraft.

2. A system according to claim 1 in which, when the intended altitude of said first aircraft overlaps with altitudes of a plurality of said second aircraft, said processor is arranged to selectively highlight only a subset of said second aircraft.

3. A system according to claim 2 in which the processor is arranged to highlight only a single said second aircraft or, where a plurality of said second aircraft occupy a single unique altitude, all of said second aircraft occupying said single altitude.

4. A system according to claim 1, wherein said aircraft are displayed in a vertical list on said display device, ranked according to their current altitudes.

5. A system according to claim 1 in which said display indicates a plurality of flight levels as a plurality of slots each for accommodating an aircraft separated from its neighbours by a minimum height spacing.

6. A system according to claim 5 in which said slots define a height spacing of 1000 feet.

7. A system according to claim 1 further comprising at least one radar station equipped with a transponder for interrogating each said aircraft.