System and method for airside activity management using video analytics

• US 9,950,812 B2
• Filed: 07/30/2015
• Issued: 04/24/2018
• Est. Priority Date: 08/08/2014
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Airbus Group India Private Limited
• Original Assignee: Airbus Group India Private Limited
• Inventors: Agrawal, Ashutosh
• Primary Examiner(s): Aghevli, Reza
• Application Number:
  US14/813,152
• Publication Number:
  US 20160039534A1
• Time in Patent Office: 999 Days
• Field of Search: None
• CPC Class Codes: B64D 47/08 Arrangements of cameras
• CPC Class Codes: G06V 20/52 Surveillance or monitoring of activities, e.g. for recognising suspicious objects recognising microscopic objects G06V20/69
• CPC Class Codes: G06V 20/54 of traffic, e.g. cars on the road, trains or boats
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 1/04 using optical or ultrasonic detectors
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 5/0026 located on the ground
• 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 5/065 Navigation or guidance aids, e.g. for taxiing or rolling
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 7/00 Traffic control systems for simultaneous control of two or more different kinds of craft
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 7/183 for receiving images from a single remote source

Abstract

A system and method for airside activity management using video analytics are disclosed. In one embodiment, video data of a survey area is obtained, in real time, from one or more video cameras. Further, time stamps associated with one or more airside activities of an aircraft from touchdown to takeoff are determined by applying video analytics on the obtained video data to manage the one or more airside activities.

Claims

1. A method for airside activity management using video analytics, comprising:

obtaining, in real time, video data of a survey area from at least one video camera; and

determining time stamps associated with one or more airside activities of an aircraft from touchdown to takeoff by applying video analytics on the obtained video data to manage the one or more airside activities, wherein the airside activities comprise ground handling activities, and wherein determining time stamps associated with one or more of the ground handling activities of the aircraft comprises;

identifying the aircraft and one or more ground handling vehicles by applying the video analytics on the obtained video data, wherein each of the one or more ground handling vehicles is associated with a ground handling activity;

creating a bounding box around the identified aircraft and each of the one or more ground handling vehicles;

tracking movements of at least one of the aircraft and the one or more ground handling vehicles using the created bounding boxes; and

determining start and stop time stamps associated with the one or more of the ground handling activities based on distance between the aircraft and each of the one or more ground handling vehicles.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the at least one video camera is arranged in the survey area of an airport such that the at least one video camera captures the video data of the aircraft from touchdown to takeoff.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein determining the start and stop time stamps associated with the one or more ground handling activities based on the distance between the aircraft and each of the one or more ground handling vehicles comprises:

computing distance between a center of bounding box associated with the aircraft and a center of bounding box associated with each of the one or more ground handling vehicles; and

determining the start and stop time stamps associated with the one or more ground handling activities based on the distance between the center of the bounding boxes associated with the aircraft and each of the one or more ground handling vehicles.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the ground handling vehicles comprise a cargo van, a catering truck, a fuel truck, an airport sky bridge and an aircraft staircase.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein the ground handling activities comprise airport sky bridge movement, aircraft staircase movement, cargo activity, refueling activity and catering activity.

6. A method for airside activity management using video analytics, comprising:

obtaining, in real time, video data of a survey area from at least one video camera; and

determining time stamps associated with one or more airside activities of an aircraft from touchdown to takeoff by applying video analytics on the obtained video data to manage the one or more airside activities, wherein the airside activities comprise aircraft activities, and wherein determining time stamps associated with the aircraft activities by applying the video analytics on the obtained video data, comprises;

identifying the aircraft and a runway by applying the video analytics on the obtained video data during landing and takeoff;

creating a bounding box around the identified aircraft and the runway;

tracking movements of the identified aircraft using the created bounding box;

computing distance between the bounding box associated with the aircraft and the bounding box associated with the runway; and

determining the time stamps associated with the aircraft activities based on the computed distance.

7. The method of claim 6, further comprising:

determining location information associated with the identified aircraft based on the obtained video data;

detecting a risk of collision of the aircraft in the identified runway based on the determined location information and time stamps; and

issuing an alert, in real-time, in response to detecting the risk of collision of the aircraft.

8. The method of claim 6, wherein the aircraft activities comprise aircraft touchdown and aircraft takeoff.

9. A system comprising:

at least one video camera; and

a computing system coupled to the at least one video camera, wherein the computing system comprises a video analytics tool to;

obtain, in real time, video data of a survey area from the at least one video camera; and

determine time stamps associated with one or more airside activities of an aircraft from touchdown to takeoff by applying video analytics on the obtained video data to manage the one or more airside activities, wherein the airside activities comprise ground handling activities, and wherein the video analytics tool is to;

identify the aircraft and one or more ground handling vehicles by applying the video analytics on the obtained video data, wherein each of the one or more ground handling vehicles is associated with a ground handling activity;

create a bounding box around the identified aircraft and each of the one or more ground handling vehicles;

track movements of at least one of the aircraft and the one or more ground handling vehicles using the created bounding boxes; and

determine start and stop time stamps associated with one or more of the ground handling activities based on distance between the aircraft and each of the one or more ground handling vehicles.

10. The system of claim 9, wherein the at least one video camera is arranged in the survey area of an airport such that the at least one video camera captures the video data of the aircraft from touchdown to takeoff.

11. The system of claim 9, wherein the video analytics tool is configured to:

compute distance between a center of bounding box associated with the aircraft and a center of bounding box associated with each of the one or more ground handling vehicles; and

determine the start and stop time stamps associated with the one or more ground handling activities based on the distance between the center of the bounding boxes associated with the aircraft and each of the one or more ground handling vehicles.

12. The system of claim 9, wherein the ground handling vehicles comprise a cargo van, a catering truck, a fuel truck, an airport sky bridge and an aircraft staircase.

13. The system of claim 9, wherein the ground handling activities comprise airport sky bridge movement, aircraft staircase movement, cargo activity, refueling activity and catering activity.

14. A system comprising:

at least one video camera; and

a computing system coupled to the at least one video camera, wherein the computing system comprises a video analytics tool to;

obtain, in real time, video data of a survey area from the at least one video camera; and

determine time stamps associated with one or more airside activities of an aircraft from touchdown to takeoff by applying video analytics on the obtained video data to manage the one or more airside activities, wherein the airside activities comprise aircraft activities, and wherein the video analytics tool is configured to;

identify the aircraft and a runway by applying the video analytics on the obtained video data during landing and takeoff;

create a bounding box around the identified aircraft and the runway;

track movements of the identified aircraft using the created bounding box;

compute distance between the bounding box associated with the aircraft and the bounding box associated with the runway; and

determine the time stamps associated with the aircraft activities based on the computed distance.

15. The system of claim 14, wherein the video analytics tool is further configured to:

determine location information associated with the identified aircraft based on the obtained video data;

detect a risk of collision of the aircraft in the identified runway based on the determined location information and time stamps; and

issue an alert, in real-time, in response to detecting the risk of collision of the aircraft.

16. The system of claim 14, wherein the aircraft activities comprise aircraft touchdown and aircraft takeoff.

17. A non-transitory computer readable storage medium including instructions that are configured, when executed by a computing device, for airside activity management using video analytics, the method comprising:

obtaining, in real time, video data of a survey area from at least one video camera; and

determining time stamps associated with one or more airside activities of an aircraft from touchdown to takeoff by applying video analytics on the obtained video data to manage the one or more airside activities, wherein the airside activities comprise ground handling activities, and wherein determining the time stamps associated with one or more of the ground handling activities of the aircraft comprises;

identify the aircraft and one or more ground handling vehicles by applying the video analytics on the obtained video data, wherein each of the one or more ground handling vehicles is associated with a ground handling activity;

create a bounding box around the identified aircraft and each of the one or more ground handling vehicles;

track movements of the at least one of the aircraft and the one or more ground handling vehicles using the created bounding boxes; and

determine start and stop time stamps associated with the one or more of the ground handling activities based on distance between the aircraft and each of the one or more ground handling vehicles.

18. The non-transitory computer readable storage medium of claim 17, wherein the at least one video camera is arranged in the survey area of an airport such that the at least one video camera captures the video data of the aircraft from touchdown to takeoff.

19. The non-transitory computer readable storage medium of claim 17, wherein determining the start and stop time stamps associated with the one or more ground handling activities based on the distance between the aircraft and each of the one or more ground handling vehicles comprises:

computing distance between a center of bounding box associated with the aircraft and a center of bounding box associated with each of the one or more ground handling vehicles; and

determining the start and stop time stamps associated with the one or more ground handling activities based on the distance between the center of the bounding boxes associated with the aircraft and each of the one or more ground handling vehicles.

20. The non-transitory computer readable storage medium of claim 17, wherein the ground handling vehicles comprise a cargo van, a catering truck, a fuel truck, an airport sky bridge and an aircraft staircase.

21. The non-transitory computer readable storage medium of claim 17, wherein the ground handling activities comprise airport sky bridge movement, aircraft staircase movement, cargo activity, refueling activity and catering activity.

22. A non-transitory computer readable storage medium including instructions that are configured, when executed by a computing device, for airside activity management using video analytics, the method comprising:

obtaining, in real time, video data of a survey area from at least one video camera; and

determining time stamps associated with one or more airside activities of an aircraft from touchdown to takeoff by applying video analytics on the obtained video data to manage the one or more airsick activities, wherein the airside activities comprise aircraft activities, and wherein determining time stamps associated with aircraft activities by applying video analytics on the obtained video data comprises;

identifying the aircraft and a runway by applying the video analytics on the obtained video data during landing and takeoff;

creating a bounding box around the identified aircraft and the runway;

tracking movements of the identified aircraft using the created bounding box;

computing distance between the bounding box associated with the aircraft and the bounding box associated with the runway; and

determining the time stamps associated with the aircraft activities based on the computed distance.

23. The non-transitory computer readable storage medium of claim 22, further comprising:

determining location information associated with the identified aircraft based on the obtained video data;

detecting a risk of collision of the aircraft in the identified runway based on the determined location information and time stamps; and

issuing an alert, in real-time, in response to detecting the risk of collision of the aircraft.

24. The non-transitory computer readable storage medium of claim 22, wherein the aircraft activities comprise aircraft touchdown and aircraft takeoff.