Independent instrument landing system monitor

• US 9,269,272 B2
• Filed: 03/27/2014
• Issued: 02/23/2016
• Est. Priority Date: 03/27/2014
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Honeywell International Inc.
• Original Assignee: Honeywell International Inc.
• Inventors: Koukol, Ondrej, He, Gang, Innocent, Simon
• Primary Examiner(s): Alharbi, Adam
• Application Number:
  US14/227,613
• Publication Number:
  US 20160012735A1
• Time in Patent Office: 698 Days
• Field of Search: None
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: B64D 45/04 Landing aids; Safety measures to prevent collision with earth's surface
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 1/022 Means for monitoring or calibrating
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 1/024 of beacon transmitters
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 1/14 using amplitude comparison of signals transmitted simultaneously from antennas or antenna systems having differently oriented overlapping directivity-characteristics
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 19/15 Aircraft landing systems
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 19/42 Determining position
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 5/02 Automatic approach or landing aids, i.e. systems in which flight data of incoming planes are processed to provide landing data landing aids fitted in or to aircraft B64D45/04; visual or acoustic landing aids B64F1/18

Abstract

A system and method of monitoring received instrument landing system (ILS) signals onboard an aircraft includes performing a pre-approach sampling of the received ILS signals to thereby generate pre-approach phase ILS data. A statistical approach course of the aircraft is determined based at least in part on the pre-approach phase ILS data. A determination is made as to when the aircraft is below a predetermined activation altitude and, when it is, approach sampling of the received ILS signals is performed to generate approach phase ILS data. The approach phase ILS data is compared to the statistical approach course to determine a course deviation. An alert signal is selectively generated when the course deviation exceeds a predetermined magnitude.

Claims

1. A method of monitoring received instrument landing system (ILS) signals onboard an aircraft, the method comprising the steps of:

performing, with a processor, a pre-approach sampling of the received ILS signals to thereby generate pre-approach phase ILS data;

determining, in the processor, a statistical approach course of the aircraft based at least in part on the pre-approach phase ILS data;

determining, in the processor, when the aircraft is below a predetermined activation altitude; and

when the aircraft is below the predetermined activation altitude;

performing, with the processor, approach sampling of the received ILS signals to generate approach phase ILS data;

comparing, in the processor, the approach phase ILS data to the statistical approach course to determine a course deviation;

determining, in the processor, when the course deviation exceeds a predetermined magnitude for a predetermined time period; and

selectively generating, with the processor, an alert signal when the course deviation exceeds the predetermined magnitude for the predetermined time period.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the step of determining the statistical approach course comprises:

determining a desired approach course based on the pre-approach sampled ILS signals; and

determining deviation of the aircraft from the desired approach course.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the step of determining the statistical approach course comprises:

using separate signal sources to determine if the pre-approach ILS data is to be used to determine the statistical course generating process.

4. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

determining, in the processor, actual position of the aircraft; and

determining the statistical approach course based additionally on the determined position.

5. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

generating an alert stimulus using the alert signal.

6. The method of claim 5, wherein the alert stimuli is selected from the group consisting of an aural alert, a visual alert, a haptic alert, and a combination of two or more of an aural alert, visual alert, and haptic alert.

7. A system for independently monitoring received instrument landing system (ILS) signals onboard an aircraft, comprising:

an ILS receiver adapted to receive and demodulate ILS signals;

an altimeter configured to sense aircraft altitude and supply altitude data representative of the sensed aircraft altitude; and

a processor in operable communication with the localizer receiver and the altimeter, the processor configured, in response to the altitude data, to determine when the aircraft is in pre-approach phase and when the aircraft is in an approach phase, the processor further configured to;

sample, during the pre-approach phase, the ILS signals demodulated by the localizer receiver to thereby generate pre-approach phase ILS data;

determine a statistical approach course of the aircraft based at least in part on the pre-approach phase ILS data;

sample, during the approach phase, the ILS signals demodulated by the localizer receiver to thereby generate approach phase ILS data;

compare the approach phase ILS data to the statistical approach course to determine a course deviation;

determine when the course deviation exceeds the predetermined magnitude for a predetermined time period; and

selectively generate an alert signal when the course deviation exceeds a predetermined magnitude for the predetermined time period.

8. The system of claim 7, wherein the processor is further configured to:

determine a desired approach course based on the pre-approach phase ILS data;

determine deviation of the aircraft from the desired approach course; and

determine the statistical approach course based on the desired approach and the deviation.

9. The system of claim 7, further comprising:

a global positioning system (GPS) receiver configured to determine aircraft position and supply an aircraft position data representative thereof to the processor,

wherein the processor is further configured, in response to the aircraft position data, to determine actual aircraft position and determine the statistical approach course based additionally on the determined aircraft position.

10. The system of claim 7 further comprising:

an alert device coupled to receive the alert signal and configured, in response thereto, to generate an alert stimulus.

11. The system of claim 10, wherein the alert device is selected from the group consisting of an aural alert device, a visual alert device, a haptic alert device, and a combination of two or more of an aural alert device, visual alert device, and haptic alert device.

12. A system for independently monitoring received instrument landing system (ILS) signals onboard an aircraft, comprising:

an ILS receiver adapted to receive and demodulate ILS signals;

a global positioning system (GPS) receiver configured to determine aircraft position and supply aircraft position data representative thereof to the processor,

an altimeter configured to sense aircraft altitude and supply altitude data representative of the sensed aircraft altitude; and

a processor in operable communication with the localizer receiver, the GPS receiver, and the altimeter, the processor configured, in response to the aircraft position data, to determine actual aircraft position, the processor configured, in response to the altitude data, to determine when the aircraft is in a pre-approach phase and when the aircraft is in an approach phase, and the processor further configured to;

sample, during the pre-approach phase, the ILS signals demodulated by the localizer receiver to thereby generate pre-approach phase ILS data;

determine a statistical approach course of the aircraft based on the determined aircraft position and the pre-approach phase ILS data;

sample, during the approach phase, the ILS signals demodulated by the localizer receiver to thereby generate approach phase ILS data;

compare the approach phase ILS signals to the statistical approach course to determine a course deviation;

determine when the course deviation exceeds a predetermined magnitude for a predetermined time period; and

generate an alert signal when the course deviation exceeds the predetermined magnitude for the predetermined time period.

13. The system of claim 12, wherein the processor is further configured to:

determine a desired approach course based on the determined aircraft position and the pre-approach phase ILS data;

determine deviation of the aircraft from the desired approach course; and

determine the statistical approach course based on the desired approach and the deviation.

14. The system of claim 12, further comprising:

an alert device coupled to receive the alert signal and configured, in response thereto, to generate an alert stimulus.

15. The system of claim 14, wherein the alert device is selected from the group consisting of an aural alert device, a visual alert device, a haptic alert device, and a combination of two or more of an aural alert device, visual alert device, and haptic alert device.