Airplane collision avoidance

• US 9,783,320 B2
• Filed: 09/07/2016
• Issued: 10/10/2017
• Est. Priority Date: 03/17/2014
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Dm3 Aviation LLC
• Original Assignee: Dm3 Aviation LLC
• Inventors: Barnes, Megan D., Delk, Michael W., Tutwiler, Richard L., Durkin, John R., Barnes, Jr., David E.
• Primary Examiner(s): ANTONUCCI, ANNE MARIE
• Application Number:
  US15/258,913
• Publication Number:
  US 20170200380A1
• Time in Patent Office: 398 Days
• Field of Search: 701301
• CPC Class Codes: B64D 2205/00 Aircraft with means for ground manoeuvring, such as taxiing, using an auxiliary thrust system, e.g. jet-engines, propellers or compressed air
• CPC Class Codes: B64D 47/08 Arrangements of cameras
• CPC Class Codes: B64F 1/225 Vehicles specially adapted therefor, e.g. aircraft tow tractors
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 5/0021 located in the aircraft
• 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

A collision avoidance system for an airplane under tow may include a sensing device configured to capture image data of at least a portion of the airplane and an object while the airplane is being towed. The sensing device may be located remotely to both the airplane and the object. Positions of two or more features of the airplane may be determined based on the image data. A bounding box encompassing the airplane may be generated based, at least in part, on the positions of the two or more features. Additionally, based on a comparison of the position of an object relative to the bounding box, it may be determined whether the object is within a predetermined distance from the airplane.

Claims

1. A collision avoidance system, comprising:

one or more sensing devices configured to capture image data of at least a portion of an airplane and an object while the airplane is being towed, wherein the one or more sensing devices are located remotely to the airplane, wherein the portion of the airplane is located within a field of view of at least one of the sensing devices, and wherein the at least one sensing device is rotationally mounted to a towing vehicle; and

a processing device communicatively coupled to the one or more sensing devices and configured to;

determine a position of the portion of the airplane based on the captured image data;

determine a position of the object based on the captured image data;

determine an angle of incidence between the airplane and the towing vehicle based on the capture image data; and

vary the field of view of the at least one sensing device based, at least in part, on a comparison of the position of the object relative to the position of the portion of the airplane, wherein the processing device is configured to vary the field of view during a turning operation of the airplane under tow by rotating the at least one sensing device in order to maintain both the object and the portion of the airplane within the field of view, and wherein the at least one sensing device is rotated, relative to the towing vehicle, to match the angle of incidence during the turning operation.

2. The system of claim 1, wherein the processing device is configured to vary the field of view by enlarging the field of view of the at least one sensing device in order to maintain both the object and the portion of the airplane within the field of view.

3. The system of claim 2, wherein the processing device is configured to determine a wingspan of the airplane, and wherein the field of view is enlarged in response to determining the wingspan.

4. A collision avoidance system, comprising:

one or more sensing devices configured to capture image data of at least a portion of an airplane and an object while the airplane is being towed, wherein the one or more sensing devices are located remotely to the airplane, and wherein the portion of the airplane is located within a field of view of at least one of the sensing devices; and

a processing device communicatively coupled to the one or more sensing devices and configured to;

determine a position of the portion of the airplane based on the captured image data;

determine a position of the object based on the captured image data;

vary the field of view of the at least one sensing device based, at least in part, on a comparison of the position of the object relative to the position of the portion of the airplane, wherein the at least one sensing device and the processing device are both located on a towing vehicle configured to tow the airplane, and wherein a second sensing device is located within an airplane hanger; and

combine image data captured by the second sensing device with image data captured by the at least one sensing device for purposes of comparing the position of the object relative to the position of the portion of the airplane.

5. The system of claim 4, wherein the object comprise a portion of the airplane hangar, and wherein the processing device is configured to compare a position of the portion of the hangar relative to the position of the portion of the airplane in response to the airplane being towed into the airplane hangar.

6. The system of claim 4, wherein the second sensing device is associated with a second field of view, wherein the portion of the airplane is captured in an overlapping field of view of both the at least one sensing device and the second sensing device, and wherein the processing device is further configured to generate combined image data by overlaying the portion of the airplane captured in the overlapping field of view to determine the position of the object relative to the position of the portion of the airplane based on the combined image data.

7. A collision avoidance system, comprising:

one or more sensing devices configured to capture image data of at least a portion of an airplane while the airplane is being towed by a towing vehicle, wherein the one or more sensing devices are located remotely to the airplane, wherein at least one of the one or more sensing devices is mounted to the towing vehicle at an elevated position to provide a line of sight, over a fuselage of the airplane, between the at least one sensing device and a tail of the airplane, and wherein the portion of the airplane is located within a field of view of at least one of the sensing devices; and

a processing device communicatively coupled to the one or more sensing devices and configured to modify the field of view of the at least one sensing device based, at least in part, on a change in position of the portion of the airplane relative to the at least one sensing device during a turning operation.

8. The system of claim 7, wherein the processing device is further configured to determine that the airplane is turning based, at least in part, on a change in angular position of the tail with respect to the at least one sensing device, and wherein the field of view is modified to maintain the tail within the modified field of view.

9. The system of claim 7, wherein the at least one sensing device is mounted to the towing vehicle by an adjustable vertical member to adjust the elevated height of the at least one sensing device in order to maintain the line of sight to the tail of the airplane.

10. The system of claim 7, wherein a second sensing device is located remotely to both the airplane and the towing vehicle, wherein the processing device is configured to generate combined image data from the at least one sensing device and the second sensing device, and wherein the change in position of the portion of the airplane is determined based, at least in part, on the combined image date.

11. The system of claim 10, wherein the one or more sensing devices are configured to capture additional image data of a first wingtip of the airplane and a second wingtip of the airplane, and wherein the processing device is configured to determine a wingspan of the airplane based on the additional image data in order to determine a make of the airplane.

12. The system of claim 11, wherein the processing device is configured to access a database comprising dimensional data associated with the make of the airplane, and wherein the field of view is modified based, at least in part, the dimensional data associated with the make of the airplane.

13. The system of claim 12, wherein the processing device is configured to modify the field of view to include one or both of the first wing tip and the second wingtip of the airplane during the turning operation.

14. The system of claim 7, wherein the at least one sensing device comprises a LIDAR camera that emits light photons over the field of view and produces pixels indicating a distance to the portion of the airplane relative to one or more obstacles.