Methods and systems for taxiway traffic alerting

• US 9,082,299 B2
• Filed: 06/26/2012
• Issued: 07/14/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 06/26/2012
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Honeywell International Inc.
• Original Assignee: Honeywell International Inc.
• Inventors: Kabrt, Tomas, Marczi, Tomas, Glover, J. Howard, Dusik, Matej
• Primary Examiner(s): To, Tuan C.
• Assistant Examiner(s): Hilgendorf, Dale W
• Application Number:
  US13/533,394
• Publication Number:
  US 20130345906A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,113 Days
• Field of Search: 701/3, 701/117, 701/120, 701/121, 701/301
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: B60Q 9/008 for anti-collision purposes
• CPC Class Codes: B64F 1/002 Taxiing aids
• CPC Class Codes: G05D 1/0083 to help an aircraft pilot in the rolling phase
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 1/16 Anti-collision systems road vehicle drive control systems for predicting or avoiding probable or impending collision otherwise than by control of a particular sub-unit B60W30/08
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 5/0008 with other aircraft
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 5/0021 located in the aircraft
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 5/0078 for monitoring traffic from the aircraft radar or analogous systems specially adapted for traffic control G01S13/91
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 5/045 Navigation or guidance aids, e.g. determination of anti-collision manoeuvers radar or analogous systems specially adapted for anti-collision between aircraft G01S13/933
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 5/065 Navigation or guidance aids, e.g. for taxiing or rolling

Abstract

Systems and methods for providing the crew of a vehicle with a potential collision alert. The alert is based on presumed flight-crew action and reaction times, ownship speed, and required distance to safely stop the ownship before intersection with traffic. An exemplary system located aboard an ownship includes a communication device that receives information from a ground traffic; a memory device that stores ownship information and predefined constants; and a processing device that determines a distance to the traffic when the traffic passes the ownship after the ownship stops at a estimated full-stop location, based on the received ownship information and the predefined constants, determines distance to the ground traffic vehicle, based on the determined point in time, and generates a potential collision alert if the determined distance is less than a predefined safe distance value. An exterior lighting device outputs a visual illumination after the potential collision alert is generated.

Claims

1. A method performed by a system located on an ownship, the method comprising:

at a processing device,

determining whether the ownship is on the ground based upon a weight-on-wheels signal;

determining, in response to determining that the ownship is on the ground, whether the ownship is in motion;

receiving, in response to determining that the ownship is in motion, information from a ground traffic vehicle;

receiving, in response to determining that the ownship is in motion, ownship information;

determining a distance by which the ground traffic vehicle will pass the ownship after reaching an estimated full-stop location of the ownship based on the received ownship information and one or more predefined constants, the predefined constants comprising a flight crew reaction time and a flight crew action time;

generating a potential collision alert if the determined distance is less than a predefined safe distance value, the safe distance value calculated based upon a wingspan of the ownship and a wingspan of the ground traffic vehicle; and

at an exterior lighting device, providing illumination towards the ground traffic vehicle after generation of the potential collision alert.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the safe distance value, D_safe, is calculated based upon the equation:

3. The method of claim 2, wherein the predefined safe distance value is based on the wingspan information of the ownship and the ground traffic vehicle, wherein the one or more predefined constants comprises a crew reaction time constant, a crew action time constant and an ownship rate of deceleration value.

4. The method of claim 1, at the processing device, determining that the potential collision alert continues to exist after a delay, and altering, in response to the determining that the potential collision alert continues to exist after the delay, the illumination provided by the exterior lighting device to indicate that a collision between the ownship and the ground based vehicle is imminent.

5. The method of claim 4, wherein altering comprises altering an intensity.

6. The method of claim 4, wherein altering comprises altering a flash rate.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein the exterior lighting device comprises two or more lights, wherein the illumination comprises altering illumination between two or more lights.

8. A system located aboard an ownship, the system comprising:

a communication device configured to receive information from a ground traffic vehicle;

a memory device configured to store ownship information and one or more predefined constants, the predefined constants comprising a flight crew reaction time and a flight crew action time;

a processing device in signal communication with the communication device and the memory device, the processing device configured to;

determine whether the ownship is on the ground based upon a weight-on-wheels signal;

determine, in response to determining that the ownship is on the ground, whether the ownship is in motion;

determine, in response to determining that the ownship is in motion, a distance by which the ground traffic vehicle will pass the ownship at an estimated full-stop location of the ownship based on the received ownship information and one or more predefined constants;

generate a potential collision alert if the determined distance is less than a predefined safe distance value, the safe distance value calculated based upon a wingspan of the ownship and a wingspan of the ground traffic vehicle; and

an exterior lighting device configured to provide illumination towards the ground traffic vehicle after generation of the potential collision alert.

9. The system of claim 8, wherein the received information from the ground traffic vehicle comprises speed, heading, location, and size information for the ground traffic vehicle, wherein the memory device comprises wingspan information for the ownship and the various sized vehicles, wherein the processor retrieves wingspan information for the ground traffic vehicle from the memory device based on the size information.

10. The system of claim 9, wherein the predefined safe distance value is based on the wingspan information of the ownship and of the ground traffic vehicle.

11. The system of claim 9, wherein the processing device is further configured to:

determine a minimum distance between the ownship and the ground traffic vehicle based on current speed and heading information for both vehicles;

determine if a potential collision condition exists based on the determined minimum distance; and

suspend generation of the potential collision alert operation if the potential collision condition is not determined to exist.

12. The system of claim 8, wherein the one or more predefined constants comprises a crew reaction time constant, a crew action time constant and an ownship rate of deceleration value.

13. The system of claim 8, wherein the processing device alters the illumination provided by the exterior lighting device.

14. The system of claim 13, wherein the processing device alters an intensity.

15. The system of claim 13, wherein the processing device alters a flash rate.

16. The system of claim 8, wherein the exterior lighting device comprises two or more lights, wherein the illumination comprises altering illumination between two or more lights.

17. The system of claim 8, wherein the exterior lighting device comprises at least one landing light.

18. A system located on an ownship, the system comprising:

a means for determining whether the ownship is on the ground, the means generating a weight-on-wheels signal;

a means for determining, in response to determining that the ownship is on the ground, whether the ownship is in motion;

a means for receiving information, in response to determining that the ownship is on motion, from a ground traffic vehicle;

a means for receiving ownship information;

a means for determining a distance by which the ground traffic vehicle will pass the ownship at an estimated full-stop location of the ownship based on the received ownship information and one or more predefined constants, the predefined constants comprising a flight crew reaction time and a flight crew action time;

a means for generating a potential collision alert if the determined distance is less than a predefined safe distance value, the safe distance value calculated based upon a wingspan of the ownship and a wingspan of the ground traffic vehicle; and

a means for directing a visual illumination toward the ground traffic vehicle after generation of the potential collision alert.

19. The system of claim 18, further comprising:

a means for determining a minimum distance between the ownship and the ground traffic vehicle based on current speed and heading information for both vehicles;

a means for determining if a potential collision condition exists based on the determined minimum distance; and

a means for suspending operation of the means for generating the potential collision alert, if the potential collision condition is not determined to exist.