Air traffic control assistance system, air traffic control assistance method, and storage medium

• US 9,520,067 B2
• Filed: 03/27/2014
• Issued: 12/13/2016
• Est. Priority Date: 03/29/2013
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: NEC Corporation
• Original Assignee: NEC Corporation
• Inventors: Teramoto, Sachio, Ando, Tomohito, Tagato, Hiroki, Kida, Koji
• Primary Examiner(s): Wong, Yuen
• Application Number:
  US14/780,867
• Publication Number:
  US 20160042647A1
• Time in Patent Office: 992 Days
• US Class Current: 1/1
• 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
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 5/0082 for monitoring traffic from a ground station 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

Abstract

Provided is an air traffic control assistance system whereby it is possible to display the reliability of an avoidance recommendation over time in a manner which is easily understood by an air traffic controller. For each combination of link information of an aircraft of interest and link information of an aircraft in the vicinity thereof, a graphic identification unit identifies a graphic which represents a prescribed range which is defined by the aircraft in the vicinity thereof, in a plane which includes a three-dimensional vector which is represented by the link information of the aircraft of interest and which is perpendicular to the x-y plane. When transforming a two-dimensional vector in an x-y plane from one fix of the aircraft of interest to the next fix to align in order along the x-axis, a transform matrix computation unit computes, for each two-dimensional vector, a transform matrix which represents a transform from a plane which contains the two-dimensional vector and is perpendicular to the x-y plane to a plane which is defined by the x-axis and a time axis. A display processing unit transforms the graphic, and displays a line which joins the fix and a point which is determined by the time whereat the aircraft of interest transects the fix, and the transformed graphic.

Claims

1. An air traffic control assistance system comprising:

a figure specifying unit including a processor which determines, as a set of interval information between passing points of a moving object expressed by a set of three-dimensional coordinates using, as coordinate values, an x coordinate and a y coordinate of a passing point determined as a position where the moving object passes and passing time of the moving object, a set of interval information of an aircraft of interest as one of moving objects when a state of the aircraft of interest as a moving object as a target of a state change by an avoidance proposal for a near miss between the moving objects is changed based on the avoidance proposal and interval information of an aircraft in vicinity as one of the moving objects other than the aircraft of interest, and specifies a figure expressing a predetermined range defined by the aircraft in vicinity in a plane including a three-dimensional vector expressed by the interval information of the aircraft of interest and perpendicular to an xy plane for each of sets of the interval information of the aircraft of interest and the interval information of the aircraft in vicinity;

a transformation matrix calculating unit including the processor, which calculates, for each two-dimensional vector, a transformation matrix expressing a transformation from a plane including the two-dimensional vector and perpendicular to the xy plane to a plane defined by an x axis and a time axis when transforming two-dimensional vectors in the xy plane extending from a passing point of the aircraft of interest toward a next passing point so as to be arranged in order along the x axis; and

a display processing unit including the processor which applies, to the figure specified by the figure specifying unit, the transformation matrix corresponding to the interval information of the aircraft of interest used to specify the figure, transforms the figure to the plane defined by the x axis and the time axis, and displays a line connecting points each determined by a passing point and time when the aircraft of interest passes through the passing point and the transformed figure together with the x axis and the time axis,

wherein the figure specifying unit determines, when a list of avoidance proposals for the near miss between the moving objects is inputted, a set of the interval information of the aircraft of interest and the interval information of the aircraft in vicinity for each of aircrafts of interest corresponding to each of the avoidance proposals, and figures expressing the predetermined range defined by each of a plurality of aircrafts in vicinity for each determined set of the interval information are specified,

the transformation matrix calculating unit calculates transformation matrices for each of the aircrafts of interest corresponding to each of the avoidance proposals, and

the display processing unit, by applying the transformation matrices corresponding to the interval information of the aircrafts of interest used to specify figures to the figures specified by the figure specifying unit for each of the aircrafts of interest corresponding to each of the avoidance proposals, transforms the figures to the plane defined by the x axis and the time axis and displays the list of the avoidance proposals while varying display modes of the avoidance proposals in accordance with a number of the figures existing in the predetermined range in the plane.

2. The air traffic control assistance system according to claim 1, wherein the figure specifying unit specifies the figure corresponding to an intersection part between a column body defined by moving a circle parallel to the xy plane and whose radius is a constant along the three-dimensional vector expressed by the interval information of the aircraft in vicinity and the plane including the three-dimensional vector expressed by the interval information of the aircraft of interest and perpendicular to the xy plane.

3. The air traffic control assistance system according to claim 1, wherein the figure specifying unit calculates time when the aircraft of interest passes through the passing point when travelling at a upper limit speed and time when the aircraft of interest passes through the passing point when travelling at a lower limit speed, and

the display processing unit displays a line connecting points each determined by the passing point and time when the aircraft of interest passes through the passing point when traveling at the upper limit speed and a line connecting points each determined by the passing point and time when the aircraft of interest passes through the passing point when travelling at the lower limit value.

4. An air traffic control assistance method, the method comprising:

determining, by a processor, as a set of interval information between passing points of a moving object expressed by a set of three-dimensional coordinates using, as coordinate values, an x coordinate and a y coordinate of a passing point determined as a position where the moving object passes and passing time of the moving object, a set of interval information of an aircraft of interest when the state of the aircraft of interest as a moving object as a target of a state change by an avoidance proposal for a near miss between moving objects is changed based on the avoidance proposal and interval information of an aircraft in vicinity as one of the moving objects other than the aircraft of interest, and specifying a figure expressing a predetermined range defined by the aircraft in vicinity in a plane including a three-dimensional vector expressed by the interval information of the aircraft of interest and perpendicular to an xy plane for each of sets of the interval information of the aircraft of interest and the interval information of the aircraft in vicinity;

calculating, by the processor, for each two-dimensional vector, a transformation matrix expressing a transformation from a plane including the two-dimensional vector and perpendicular to the xy plane to a plane defined an x axis and a time axis when transforming two-dimensional vectors in the xy plane extending from a passing point of the aircraft of interest toward a next passing point so as to be arranged in order along the x axis;

applying, by the processor, to the specified figure, the transformation matrix corresponding to the interval information of the aircraft of interest used to specify the figure, thereby transforming the figure to the plane defined by the x axis and the time axis, and displaying a line connecting points each determined by a passing point and time when the aircraft of interest passes through the passing point and the transformed figure together with the x axis and the time axis;

determining, by the processor, when a list of avoidance proposals for the near miss between the moving objects is inputted, a set of the interval information of the aircraft of interest and the interval information of an aircraft in vicinity for each of aircrafts of interest corresponding to each of the avoidance proposals, and figures expressing the predetermined range defined by each of a plurality of aircrafts in vicinity for each determined set of the interval information are specified;

calculating, by the processor, transformation matrices for each of the aircrafts of interest corresponding to each of the avoidance proposals; and

by applying the transformation matrices corresponding to the interval information of the aircrafts of interest used to specify figures to the figures specified by the figure specifying unit for each of the aircrafts of interest corresponding to each of the avoidance proposals, transforming, by the processor, the figures to the plane defined by the x axis and the time axis and displays the list of the avoidance proposals while varying display modes of the avoidance proposals in accordance with a number of the figures existing in the predetermined range in the plane.

5. A non-transitory readable storage medium containing instructions, that when executed by a processor, cause the processor to execute a method, the method comprising:

determining, as a set of interval information between passing points of a moving object expressed by a set of three-dimensional coordinates using, as coordinate values, an x coordinate and a y coordinate of a passing point determined as a position where the moving object passes and passing time of the moving object, a set of interval information of an aircraft of interest as one of moving objects when the state of the aircraft of interest as a moving object as a target of a state change by an avoidance proposal for a near miss between the moving objects is changed based on the avoidance proposal and interval information of an aircraft in vicinity as one of the moving objects other than the aircraft of interest, and specifies a figure expressing a predetermined range defined by the aircraft in vicinity in a plane including a three-dimensional vector expressed by the interval information of the aircraft of interest and perpendicular to an xy plane for each of sets of the interval information of the aircraft of interest and the interval information of the aircraft in vicinity;

calculating, for each two-dimensional vector, a transformation matrix expressing a transformation from a plane including the two-dimensional vector and perpendicular to the xy plane to a plane defined by an x axis and a time axis when transforming two-dimensional vectors in the xy plane extending from a passing point of the aircraft of interest toward a next passing point so as to be arranged in order along the x axis;

applying, to the figure specified by the figure specifying process, the transformation matrix corresponding to the interval information of the aircraft of interest used to specify the figure, transforms the figure to the plane defined by the x axis and the time axis, and displays a line connecting points each determined by a passing point and time when the aircraft of interest passes through the passing point and the transformed figure together with the x axis and the time axis;

determining when a list of avoidance proposals for the near miss between the moving objects is inputted, a set of the interval information of the aircraft of interest and the interval information of an aircraft in vicinity for each of aircrafts of interest corresponding to each of the avoidance proposals, and figures expressing the predetermined range defined by each of a plurality of aircrafts in vicinity for each determined set of the interval information are specified;

calculating transformation matrices for each of the aircrafts of interest corresponding to each of the avoidance proposals; and

by applying the transformation matrices corresponding to the interval information of the aircrafts of interest used to specify figures to the figures specified by the figure specifying unit for each of the aircrafts of interest corresponding to each of the avoidance proposals, transforming the figures to the plane defined by the x axis and the time axis and displays the list of the avoidance proposals while varying display modes of the avoidance proposals in accordance with a number of the figures existing in the predetermined range in the plane.