Method and a station for assisting the control of an aircraft

• US 7,262,730 B2
• Filed: 08/30/2005
• Issued: 08/28/2007
• Est. Priority Date: 08/31/2004
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Saab AB
• Original Assignee: Saab AB
• Inventors: Larsson, Stefan, Oehmichen, Fredrik, Weiland, Carleric
• Primary Examiner(s): Sotomayor; John B.
• Application Number:
  US11/162,121
• Publication Number:
  US 20060256000A1
• Time in Patent Office: 728 Days
• Field of Search: 342 29- 40, 342/63, 340/961, 701/301
• US Class Current: 342/29
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 5/0008 with other 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

Abstract

A station for assisting the control of an aircraft includes warning means (5) adapted to deliver an alert for avoiding a later collision when there is a risk that the predicted flight trajectory of the aircraft crosses any predicted flight path of another aircraft. An arrangement (4) is adapted to determine whether the aircraft carrying said station is within an airspace volume with defined geometrical dimensions and time of appearance and disappearance or not and make the function of the warning means dependent upon this comparison by, when located in said airspace volume, deactivating said warning means with respect to other aircraft of a predefined identity, and when not located in said airspace volume, activate or keep the function of said warning means activated with respect to aircraft of said predefined identity. (FIG. 1).

Claims

1. A method for assisting the control of an aircraft participating in an exercise with other aircraft of predefined identity comprising the steps:

broadcasting data associated with the position, the velocity and the identity of said aircraft,

receiving data associated with the position, the velocity and the identity of other aircraft,

processing said data broadcasted and received for determining whether there is a risk that the predicted flight trajectory of the aircraft cross any predicted flight path of a said other aircraft, and if so delivering an alert for avoiding a later collision,

wherein it also comprises the steps of;

determining whether the aircraft is within a predefined first airspace volume (1) or not, said airspace volume being defined by geometrical dimensions and time of appearance and disappearance, by comparing information about said airspace volume with the position of the aircraft,

making said delivering of an alert dependent upon this comparison by, when located in said airspace volume, not delivering any said alert with respect to other aircraft of said predefined identity, and when not located in said airspace volume, allowing said delivering of an alert with respect to aircraft of said predefined identity.

2. A method according to claim 1, wherein said delivering of an alert is allowed for other aircraft than those of said predefined identity when determined that the aircraft is within said airspace volume (1).

3. A method according to claim 1, wherein it comprises storing of information about a shell-like second airspace volume (7) surrounding said first airspace volume (1) and having an outer border (8) at a substantial distance from the outer border (9) of said first airspace volume and the same time of appearance and disappearance as the first airspace volume, that an alert is delivered when it is established that another aircraft than those of said predefined identity enters the second airspace volume, and that an alert is then sent to/created in said other aircraft.

4. A method according to claim 1, wherein an alert is delivered when the aircraft leaves said first airspace volume (1).

5. A method according to claim 1, wherein the control to not deliver any alert for avoiding a later collision as a consequence of said comparison is carried out by cancelling the collision risk determination through said processing for aircraft of said predefined identity.

6. A method according to claim 1, wherein the control to not deliver any alert for avoiding a later collision as a consequence of said comparison is carried out by preventing the delivering of an alert for aircraft of said predefined identity in spite of a determination of a collision risk through said processing.

7. A method according to claim 1, wherein it is carried out for an aircraft comprising an automatic collision avoiding system (12) adapted to select an automatic so-called fly-out of the aircraft for avoiding a collision with another aircraft coming close thereto, and that said automatic collision avoiding system is activated upon said determination that the aircraft enters said first airspace volume (1).

8. A method according to claim 7, wherein said automatic collision avoiding system (12) is deactivated upon determining that the aircraft is leaving said first airspace volume (1).

9. A method according to claim 7, wherein the control for deactivating said delivering of an alert for avoiding a later collision with respect to aircraft of said predefined identity is coordinated with the control of said automatic collision avoiding system (12) for then activating said automatic collision avoiding system and activate said alert delivering for avoiding a later collision with respect to these aircraft together with a deactivation of said automatic collision avoiding system.

10. A method according to claim 1, wherein aircraft are added to a list of said aircraft of said predefined identity during the flight of said aircraft.

11. A method according to claim 1, wherein it is carried out for a said first airspace volume (1) provided with a channel-like passage (16) for allowing aircraft being not of said predefined identity to pass therethrough without any said delivering of an alert for avoiding a later collision.

12. A computer program directly loadable into the internal memory of a digital computer, comprising program code for assisting the control of an aircraft participating in an exercise with other aircraft of predefined identity, wherein the program code comprises sets of instructions for:

broadcasting data associated with the position, the velocity and the identity of said aircraft;

receiving data associated with the position, the velocity and the identity of other aircraft;

processing said data broadcasted and received for determining whether there is a risk that the predicted flight trajectory of the aircraft cross any predicted flight path of a said other aircraft, and if so delivering an alert for avoiding a later collision;

determining whether the aircraft is within a predefined first airspace volume (1) or not, said airspace volume being defined by geometrical dimensions and time of appearance and disappearance, by comparing information about said airspace volume with the position of the aircraft; and

making said delivering of an alert dependent upon this comparison by, when located in said airspace volume, not delivering any said alert with respect to other aircraft of said predefined identity, and when not located in said airspace volume, allowing said delivering of an alert with respect to aircraft of said predefined identity.

13. A computer program product in a computer readable medium having computer program code recorded thereon, wherein the program code includes sets of instructions comprising:

first computer instructions for broadcasting data associated with the position, the velocity and the identity of said aircraft;

second computer instructions for receiving data associated with the position, the velocity and the identity of other aircraft;

third computer instructions for processing said data broadcasted and received for determining whether there is a risk that the predicted flight trajectory of the aircraft cross any predicted flight path of a said other aircraft, and if so delivering an alert for avoiding a later collision;

fourth computer instructions for determining whether the aircraft is within a predefined first airspace volume (1) or not, said airspace volume being defined by geometrical dimensions and time of appearance and disappearance, by comparing information about said airspace volume with the position of the aircraft; and

fifth computer instructions for making said delivering of an alert dependent upon this comparison by, when located in said airspace volume, not delivering any said alert with respect to other aircraft of said predefined identity, and when not located in said airspace volume, allowing said delivering of an alert with respect to aircraft of said predefined identity.

14. A station for assisting the control of an aircraft, said station being adapted to be arranged in said aircraft (14) and comprising:

a transmitter (2) adapted to broadcast data associated with the position, the velocity and the identity of said aircraft,

a receiver (3) adapted to receive data associated with the position, the velocity and the identity from such stations of other aircraft,

processing means (4) adapted to determine, based on said data broadcasted and received, whether there is a risk that the predicted flight trajectory of the aircraft cross any predicted flight path of a said other aircraft, and if so control warning means (5) to deliver an alert for avoiding a later collision,

wherein the station also comprises,

means (25) adapted to receive and store information about geometrical dimensions and time of appearance and disappearance of at least one predefined first airspace volume (1) as well as a list of aircraft of a predefined identity, and

an arrangement (6) adapted to determine whether the aircraft carrying said station is within said airspace volume or not, by comparing the information about said airspace volume with the position of the aircraft, and make the function of said warning means (5) dependent upon this comparison by, when located in said airspace volume, deactivating said warning means with respect to other aircraft of said predefined identity, and when not located in said airspace volume, activate or keep the function of said warning means activated with respect to aircraft of said predefined identity.

15. A station according to claim 14, wherein said warning means (5) is adapted to be active for other aircraft than those of said predefined identity when determined by said arrangement (6) that the station is within said airspace volume (1).

16. A station according to claim 14, wherein said storing means (25) is adapted to store information about a shell-like second airspace volume (7) surrounding said first airspace volume (1) and having an outer border (8) at a substantial distance from the outer border (9) of said first airspace volume and the same time of appearance and disappearance as the first airspace volume, that the station comprises means (10) adapted to deliver an alert when it is established that another aircraft than those of said predefined identity enters the second airspace volume (7), and that said transmitter (2) is adapted to then send an alert to said other aircraft.

17. A station according to claim 14, wherein it comprises means (11) adapted to deliver an alert when the aircraft leaves said first airspace volume (1).

18. A station according to claim 14, wherein said arrangement (6) is adapted to carry out said deactivation of the warning means (5) by switching off said determination function of said processing means (4) for aircraft of said predefined identity.

19. A station according claim 14, wherein said arrangement (6) is adapted to obtain said deactivation of the warning means (5) by preventing the warning means from delivering an alert for aircraft of said predefined identity in spite of a collision risk determined by said processing means (4).

20. A station according to claim 14, wherein it also comprises an automatic collision avoiding system (12) adapted to select an automatic so-called fly-out of the aircraft for avoiding a collision with another aircraft coming close thereto, and that it comprises control means (13) adapted to activate said automatic collision avoiding system upon determination by said arrangement that the aircraft enters said first airspace volume (1).

21. A station according to claim 20, wherein said system control means (13) is adapted to deactivate said automatic collision avoiding system (12) upon determination by said arrangement (6) that the aircraft is leaving said first airspace volume (1).

22. A station according to claim 20, wherein said system control means (13) is coordinated with the control of said warning means (5) so that deactivation of said warning means with respect to aircraft of said predefined identity results in an activation of said automatic collision avoiding system (12) and an activation of said warning means with respect to these aircraft results in a deactivation of said automatic collision avoiding system.

23. A station according to any of claim 14, wherein that it also comprises an automatic collision avoiding system (12) adapted to select an automatic so-called fly-out of the aircraft for avoiding a collision with another aircraft coming close thereto, and this automatic collision avoiding system is adapted to be continuously active when the aircraft is in the air.

24. A station according to claim 14, wherein said storing means (25) is able to add aircraft to the list of said aircraft of said predefined identity during the flight of said aircraft.

25. A station according to claim 14, wherein that said first airspace volume (1) is provided with a channel-like passage (16) for allowing aircraft being not of said predefined identity to pass therethrough without delivering any alert by said warning means (5).

26. A station according to claim 14, wherein said station is adapted to be arranged in an aircraft (14) in the form of a manned aircraft, especially a military aircraft, an unmanned air vehicle or an unmanned combat vehicle.