System and method for aligning aircraft and runway headings during takeoff roll

• US 8,868,265 B2
• Filed: 11/30/2011
• Issued: 10/21/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 11/30/2011
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Honeywell International Inc.
• Original Assignee: Honeywell International Inc.
• Inventors: Koukol, Ondrej, Beda, Tomas, Lukas, Jan
• Primary Examiner(s): Shaawat, Mussa A
• Application Number:
  US13/307,621
• Publication Number:
  US 20130138273A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,056 Days
• Field of Search: None
• US Class Current: 701/15
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 5/0021 located in the aircraft
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 5/0065 for taking-off

Abstract

An aircraft system and method provide visual input to a pilot during takeoff roll. A runway centerline line vector is determined from a captured image, a displacement of the aircraft from the centerline line vector and an aircraft line vector are determined from the image based on the knowledge of sensor characteristics. The runway centerline line vector and the aircraft line vector are displayed to indicate a direction in which the pilot may change heading to maintain the aircraft on the runway.

Claims

1. An aircraft vision system in an aircraft taking off on a runway, the aircraft vision system comprising:

a sensor configured to capture an image of the runway;

a processor coupled to the navigation system and the sensor and configured to;

determine a centerline line vector of the runway from the image using dedicated feature detection algorithms;

determine a position and heading of the aircraft;

determine a runway heading from the centerline line vector based on features determined by the dedicated feature detection algorithms;

determine deviation of the aircraft heading from the runway heading; and

create an aircraft line vector representing the aircraft position and heading; and

a display coupled to the processor and configured to display the centerline line vector and the aircraft line vector, thereby providing an indication of a direction the aircraft should be turned to maintain the aircraft in the center of the runway.

2. The aircraft vision system of claim 1 wherein the processor is further configured to detect left and right edges of the runway from the image and the centerline line vector is determined by interpolating between the left and right edges.

3. The aircraft vision system of claim 1 wherein the processor is further configured to detect lighting along the left and right edges of the runway from the image and the centerline line vector is determined by interpolating between lighting along the left and right edges.

4. The aircraft vision system of claim 1 wherein the processor is further configured to detect lighting along a centerline of the runway from the image and the centerline vector is determined from the detected lighting.

5. The aircraft vision system of claim 4 wherein the display is further configured to display the runway heading.

6. The aircraft vision system of claim 4 wherein the sensor comprises an infrared camera.

7. The aircraft vision system of claim 4 wherein the sensor comprises one of the sensors selected from the group consisting of a millimeter-wave imager or a millimeter-wave radar.

8. The aircraft vision system of claim 1 wherein the display is further configured to display the angular deviation of the aircraft heading from the centerline line vector as a first portion, and a second portion aligned with, and spaced from the first portion, and the inner part aligned between the first and second portion for the visualization of the aircraft position offset from the runway heading.

9. The aircraft vision system of claim 1 wherein the processor is further configured to enhance the image prior to determining the centerline line vector.

10. The aircraft vision system of claim 1 wherein Hough Transform is used in the process of determining the centerline vector of the runway.

11. The aircraft vision system of claim 1 wherein the processor is further configured to:

determine a position offset of the aircraft from the runway centerline; and

wherein the display is further configured to;

display the position offset.

12. An aircraft vision system for maintaining aircraft positioning on a runway during takeoff, the aircraft vision system comprising:

a sensor configured to capture an image of the runway including at least one of runway edges, runway edge lights, and runway centerline lights;

a processor coupled to the navigation system and the sensor and configured to;

determine a centerline line vector of the runway from the image using dedicated feature detection algorithms and based on the one of runway edges, runway edge lights, and runway centerline lights;

determine a position and heading of the aircraft;

determine a runway heading from the centerline line vector based on features determined by the dedicated feature detection algorithms; and

create an aircraft vector representing the aircraft position and heading; and

a display coupled to the processor and configured to display the centerline line vector and the aircraft line vector, thereby providing an indication of a direction the aircraft should be turned to maintain the aircraft in the center of the runway.

13. The aircraft vision system of claim 12 wherein the sensor comprises an infrared camera.

14. The aircraft vision system of claim 12 wherein the sensor comprises one of the sensors selected from the group consisting of a millimeter-wave imager or a millimeter-wave radar.

15. The aircraft vision system of claim 12 wherein the display is further configured to display the centerline line vector as a first portion, and a second portion aligned with, and spaced from the first portion, and the aircraft line vector aligned between the first and second portion when the aircraft heading equals the runway heading, and to one side or the other of the runway centerline line vector when the heading differs from the runway heading.

16. The aircraft vision system of claim 12 wherein the processor is further configured to:

determine a position offset of the aircraft from the runway centerline; and

wherein the display is further configured to;

display the position offset.

17. A method for displaying an aircraft runway environment in an aircraft, comprising:

capturing an image of the runway having left and right edges by a sensor;

determining a centerline line vector of the runway from the image by a processor using dedicated feature detection algorithms;

determine a position and heading of the aircraft;

determining a runway heading from the centerline line vector based on features determined by the dedicated feature detection algorithms;

determining a deviation of the aircraft heading from the runway heading by the processor;

creating an aircraft line vector representing the aircraft position and heading by the processor; and

displaying the centerline line vector and the aircraft line vector by a display, thereby providing an indication of a direction the aircraft should be turned to maintain the aircraft in the center of the runway.

18. The method of claim 17 further comprising detecting by the processor the left and right edges of the runway from the image and the centerline line vector is determined by interpolating between the left and right edges.

19. The method of claim 17 further comprising detecting by the processor lighting along the left and right edges of the runway from the image and the centerline line vector is determined by interpolating between lighting along the left and right edges.

20. The method of claim 17 further comprising detecting by the processor lighting along a centerline of the runway from the image and the centerline vector is determined from the detected lighting.

21. The method of claim 17 wherein the capturing step comprises using an infrared camera.

22. The aircraft vision system of claim 17 wherein the sensor comprises one of the sensors selected from the group consisting of a millimeter-wave imager or a millimeter-wave radar.

23. The method of claim 17 wherein the displaying step displays the centerline line vector as a first portion, and a second portion aligned with, and spaced from the first portion, and the aircraft line vector aligned between the first and second portion when the aircraft heading equals the runway heading, and to one side or the other of the runway centerline line vector when the heading differs from the runway heading.

24. The method of claim 17 further comprising enhancing by the processor the image prior to determining the centerline line vector.

25. The method of claim 17 further comprising:

determining by the processor a position offset of the aircraft from the runway centerline and displaying the position offset.