Aircraft systems and methods to monitor proximate traffic

• US 9,530,323 B1
• Filed: 07/15/2015
• Issued: 12/27/2016
• Est. Priority Date: 07/15/2015
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Honeywell International Inc.
• Original Assignee: Honeywell International Inc.
• Inventors: Maji, Sanjib Kumar, Kar, Satyanarayan, Chakraborty, Sandeep, Agarwal, Jitender Kumar
• Primary Examiner(s): Zanelli, Michael J
• Application Number:
  US14/800,179
• Publication Number:
  US 20170018194A1
• Time in Patent Office: 531 Days
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 13/06 Systems determining position data of a target
• 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

Abstract

An aircraft system for an own-ship aircraft includes an ADS-B unit configured to receive ADS-B messages with flight information from other aircraft over a plurality of time periods, the other aircraft including a first aircraft. The system further includes a database configured to store at least a portion of the flight information associated with the other aircraft over the plurality of time periods. The system further includes a processing unit configured to compare the flight information for a current time period to the flight information for a previous time period to identify missing flight information from the current time period relative to the previous time period, the missing flight information including the flight information associated with the first aircraft, and initiate an annunciation to an operator of the own-ship aircraft based on the missing flight information associated with the first aircraft.

Claims

1. An aircraft system for an own-ship aircraft, comprising:

an Automatic Dependent Surveillance-Broadcast (ADS-B) unit configured to receive ADS-B messages with flight information from other aircraft over a plurality of time periods, the other aircraft including a first aircraft;

a database coupled to the ADS-B unit and configured to store at least a portion of the flight information associated with the other aircraft over the plurality of time periods;

a processing unit coupled to the ADS-B unit and the database and configured to

compare the flight information for a current time period to the flight information for a previous time period to identify missing flight information from the current time period relative to the previous time period, the missing flight information including the flight information associated with the first aircraft, wherein the flight information in the ADS-B messages include, for each of the other aircraft, an aircraft identification, a position, an altitude, and a time stamp to identify the respective time period, and

initiate an annunciation to an operator of the own-ship aircraft based on the missing flight information associated with the first aircraft,

wherein the processing unit is configured to identify the missing flight information associated with the first aircraft when a time elapsed between the time stamp associated with the most recently received ADS-B message from the first aircraft and the current time period exceeds a predetermined threshold; and

a display device coupled to the processing unit and configured to display the annunciation, wherein the processing unit is configured to evaluate the flight information for the current time period to identify proximate aircraft from the other aircraft and to display a traffic display on the display device with the annunciation that includes at least first icons representing the proximate aircraft, wherein the annunciation includes a text annunciation associated with the first aircraft, and

wherein the text annunciation associated with the first aircraft includes the aircraft identification, the position, and the altitude from the most recently received ADS-B message from the first aircraft, the text annunciation further including the time elapsed between the time stamp associated with the most recently received ADS-B message from the first aircraft and the current time period.

2. The aircraft system of claim 1,

wherein the processing unit is configured to

determine an estimated current position of the first aircraft based on the position of the first aircraft from the most recently received ADS-B message from the first aircraft,

compare the estimated current position of the first aircraft to an intended flight path of the own-ship aircraft, and

display, when the estimated current position of the first aircraft is proximate to the intended flight path of the own-ship aircraft, a second icon representing the estimated current position of the first aircraft on the traffic display.

3. The aircraft system of claim 2, wherein the processing unit is further configured to determine a level of an uncertainty associated with the estimated current position of the first aircraft and to display an outline of a zone area surrounding the second icon on the traffic display that is sized based on the level of uncertainty.

4. The aircraft system of claim 2, further comprising sensors coupled to the processing unit and configured to collect data about the first aircraft in a flight environment, and

wherein the processing unit is configured to estimate the position of the first aircraft based on the data from the sensors.

5. An aircraft system for an own-ship aircraft, comprising:

an Automatic Dependent Surveillance-Broadcast (ADS-B) unit configured to receive ADS-B messages with flight information from other aircraft over a plurality of time periods, the other aircraft including a first aircraft;

a database coupled to the ADS-B unit and configured to store at least a portion of the flight information associated with the other aircraft over the plurality of time periods;

a processing unit coupled to the ADS-B unit and the database and configured to

compare the flight information for a current time period to the flight information for a previous time period to identify missing flight information from the current time period relative to the previous time period, the missing flight information including the flight information associated with the first aircraft, wherein the flight information in the ADS-B messages include, for each of the other aircraft, an aircraft identification, a position, an altitude, and a time stamp to identify the respective time period, and

initiate an annunciation to an operator of the own-ship aircraft based on the missing flight information associated with the first aircraft,

wherein the processing unit is configured to identify the missing flight information associated with the first aircraft when a time elapsed between the time stamp associated with the most recently received ADS-B message from the first aircraft and the current time period exceeds a predetermined threshold; and

a display device coupled to the processing unit and configured to display the annunciation, wherein the processing unit is configured to evaluate the flight information for the current time period to identify proximate aircraft from the other aircraft and to display a traffic display on the display device that includes at least first icons representing the proximate aircraft,

wherein the processing unit is configured to

determine an estimated current position of the first aircraft based on the position of the first aircraft from the most recently received ADS-B message from the first aircraft,

compare the estimated current position of the first aircraft to an intended flight path of the own-ship aircraft, and

display, when the estimated current position of the first aircraft is proximate to the intended flight path of the own-ship aircraft, a second icon representing the estimated current position of the first aircraft on the traffic display.

6. The aircraft system of claim 5, wherein the processing unit is further configured to determine a level of an uncertainty associated with the estimated current position of the first aircraft and to display an outline of a zone area surrounding the second icon on the traffic display that is sized based on the level of uncertainty.

7. The aircraft system of claim 6,

wherein the processing unit is configured to generate a message requesting updated information for the first aircraft, and

wherein the aircraft system further comprises a communication unit coupled to the processing unit and configured to send the message to air traffic control.

8. The aircraft system of claim 7,

wherein the communication unit is configured to receive the updated information from air traffic control,

wherein the processing unit is configured to update a position of the second icon on the traffic display based on the updated information, and

wherein the processing unit is further configured to update or remove the outline of the zone area surrounding the second icon on the traffic display.

9. The aircraft system of claim 5, further comprising sensors coupled to the processing unit and configured to collect data about the first aircraft in a flight environment, and

wherein the processing unit is configured to estimate the position of the first aircraft based on the data from the sensors.

10. The aircraft system of claim 5, wherein the processing unit is configured to display the annunciation with the traffic display.

11. The aircraft system of claim 10, wherein the annunciation includes a text annunciation associated with the first aircraft.

12. The aircraft system of claim 11, wherein the text annunciation associated with the first aircraft includes the aircraft identification, the position, and the altitude from the most recently received ADS-B message from the first aircraft, the text annunciation further including the time elapsed between the time stamp associated with the most recently received ADS-B message from the first aircraft and the current time period.

13. A method for monitoring aircraft traffic on an own-ship aircraft, comprising the steps of:

receiving first messages with flight information from other aircraft during a first time period;

evaluating the flight information to identify proximate aircraft from the other aircraft relative to the own-ship aircraft;

displaying symbology representing at least the proximate aircraft on a traffic display of a display device;

storing the flight information for each of the proximate aircraft;

receiving second messages with flight information from at least a portion of the other aircraft during a second time period;

comparing the flight information from the second messages with the flight information from the first messages to identify missing flight information in the second time period, the missing flight information being associated with at least a first aircraft of the other aircraft; and

generating an annunciation based on the missing flight information for the first aircraft,

wherein the generating step includes generating a warning when a time elapsed between the second time period and the first time period is greater than a predetermined threshold, and

wherein the generating step includes generating the annunciation as a text annunciation that includes a first aircraft identification, a first aircraft position, and a first aircraft altitude from the first messages and the time elapsed.

14. The method of claim 13, further comprising

estimating a current position of the first aircraft,

comparing a flight path of the own-ship aircraft to the estimated current position of first aircraft, and

displaying symbology on the traffic display representing the estimated current position of the first aircraft when the estimated current position of the first aircraft conflicts with the flight path of the own-ship aircraft.

15. The method of claim 14, further comprising

determining a level of uncertainty associated with the estimated current position of the first aircraft, and

wherein the displaying step includes displaying the symbology with an outline of a zone area on the traffic display that is sized based on the level of uncertainty.

16. The method of claim 15, further comprising

generating a message requesting updated information for the first aircraft;

sending the message to air traffic control;

receiving the updated information from the air traffic control; and

updating the symbology based on the updated information, including updating or removing the outline of the zone area.

17. The method of claim 14, further comprising

collecting updated information about the first aircraft with a sensor;

and

updating the symbology based on the updated information about the first aircraft.