Arrangement and method for air traffic management and/or flight control of aircraft

• US 8,498,803 B2
• Filed: 01/10/2009
• Issued: 07/30/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 03/10/2008
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Thales Alenia Space Deutschland GmbH (Thales SA)
• Original Assignee: Thales Alenia Space Deutschland GmbH (Thales SA)
• Inventors: Blomenhofer, Helmut, Neufeldt, Holger
• Primary Examiner(s): Nguyen, Kim T
• Application Number:
  US12/921,438
• Publication Number:
  US 20110015852A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,662 Days
• Field of Search: 701/2, 701/3, 701/13, 701/120, 701/412, 701/484, 701/531
• US Class Current: 701/120
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 5/0013 with a ground station
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 5/0052 for cruising combined instruments indicating more than one navigational value G01C23/00
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 7/18508 with satellite system used as relay, i.e. aeronautical mobile satellite service
• CPC Class Codes: H04H 20/55 for traffic information
• CPC Class Codes: H04H 20/86 Arrangements characterised by the broadcast information itself

Abstract

The invention relates to an air traffic control of aircraft. At least one transmission station in an aircraft transmits a broadcast signal received by at least one receiving station and further transmits at least a part of the data contained in the broadcast signal to a central station or other organizations. At least part of the receiving stations are designed as satellite receiving stations, wherein the broadcast signal transmitted by the at least one transmission station to be secured is received by at least one of the satellite receiving stations and at least part of the data contained in the broadcast signal is further transmitted via a radio transmission route to a satellite ground control station and further to the air traffic control central station or another organization.

Claims

1. An air traffic management and/or flight control arrangement for aircraft, comprising;

at least one transmitting station in an aircraft to be managed; and

a number of receiving stations spaced apart from one another which are connected to an air traffic management and/or a flight control center;

wherein the at least one transmitting station of the aircraft to be managed and/or to be controlled transmits a broadcast signal, at least one of the receiving stations receives the broadcast signal and forwards at least a part of the data contained in the broadcast signal to the air traffic management and/or the flight control center or other organizations, characterized in that at least some of the receiving stations are configured as satellite receiving stations in such a manner that they receive a 1090 MHz broadcast signal of a transmitting station, configured as Mode S Extended Squitter, of the aircraft to be managed, and forward at least a part of the data contained in the broadcast signal via a radio transmission link to a satellite ground control station and onward to the air traffic management and/or the flight control center or other organizations.

2. The arrangement as claimed in claim 1, characterized in that the satellite receiving stations orbit the Earth in orbit of under 3000 km above the Earth'"'"'s surface.

3. The arrangement as claimed in claim 2, characterized in that the satellite receiving stations are a component of Low Earth Orbit (LEO) satellites.

4. The arrangement as claimed in claim 1, characterized in that the satellite receiving stations orbit the Earth in such a manner that receiving areas of the receiving stations at least temporarily cover geographic regions which are only covered inadequately with ground receiving stations.

5. The arrangement as claimed in claim 4, characterized in that the satellite receiving stations orbit the Earth in such a manner that the receiving areas of the receiving stations cover sea, mountain, jungle and/or desert regions.

6. The arrangement as claimed in claim 1, characterized in that the receiving stations are configured in such a manner that the receiving stations receive a 978 MHz Universal Access Transceiver signal.

7. The arrangement as claimed in claim 1, characterized in that the satellite receiving stations are configured in such a manner that they receive a VHF Data Link Mode-4 signal within a frequency range of from 108 to 137 MHz.

8. The arrangement as claimed in claim 1, characterized in that the satellite receiving stations have at least one transmitting unit which transmits a further broadcast signal with air traffic information of the aircraft.

9. The arrangement as claimed in claim 8, characterized in that the satellite receiving stations have at least one transmitting unit which transmits a further broadcast signal with air traffic information of ground-based surveillance units, especially a secondary radar or an ADS-B ground station.

10. The arrangement as claimed in claim 9, characterized in that the air traffic information is position information of at least one aircraft.

11. The arrangement as claimed in claim 8, characterized in that the air traffic information is position information of at least one aircraft.

12. The arrangement as claimed in claim 1, characterized in that the satellite receiving stations have means for decrypting a broadcast signal transmitted encrypted by the transmitting station of the aircraft to be managed and/or to be controlled.

13. The arrangement as claimed in claim 1, characterized in that the satellite receiving stations have means for encrypting the data of the broadcast signal which are to be forwarded to the air traffic management and/or the flight control center.

14. A method for air traffic management and/or flight control of aircraft,

wherein at least one transmitting station in an aircraft to be managed and/or to be controlled transmits a 1090 MHz broadcast signal which is received by at least one of a number of receiving stations spaced apart from one another which forwards at least a part of the data contained in the broadcast signal to an aircraft management and/or flight control center or to other organizations, characterized in that some of the receiving stations are configured as satellite receiving stations, wherein a 1090 MHz broadcast signal transmitted by at least one transmitting station, configured as mode S Extended Squitter, of the aircraft to be managed and/or to be controlled is received by at least one of the satellite receiving stations and at least a part of the data contained in the broadcast signal is forwarded via a radio transmission link to a satellite ground control station and onward to the air traffic management and/or flight control center or to other organizations.

15. The method of claim 14, characterized in that the data contained in the broadcast signal received by the at least one of the satellite receiving stations is provided to third parties, including at least an airline of the aircraft to be managed and/or to be controlled, to the air traffic management and/or flight control authorities and airports.

16. One of a number of receiving stations of an aircraft management and/or flight control arrangement for aircraft, the receiving stations being spaced apart from one another and connected to an aircraft management and/or flight control center, the one receiving station being embodied as a satellite-based receiving station and adapted to receive a 1090 MHz broadcast signal of a transmitting station of an aircraft to be managed and/or to be controlled, the broadcast signal being configured as Mode S Extended Squitter, the one receiving station being further adapted to forward at least a part of the data contained in the received broadcast signal via a radio transmission link to a satellite ground control station and onward to the air traffic management and/or the flight control center or other organizations.