Correlation of flight track data with other data sources

• US 7,612,716 B2
• Filed: 06/05/2007
• Issued: 11/03/2009
• Est. Priority Date: 03/05/1999
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Harris Corporation (L3Harris Technologies, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: ERA Systems Corporation (General Dynamics Corporation)
• Inventors: Cohen, Bennett, Smith, Alexander E.
• Primary Examiner(s): PHAN, DAO LINDA
• Application Number:
  US11/758,072
• Publication Number:
  US 20080036659A1
• Time in Patent Office: 882 Days
• Field of Search: 342/450, 342/454, 342/455, 342/456, 701/14, 701/120, 340/947, 340/948
• US Class Current: 342/454
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 13/765 with exchange of information between interrogator and responder
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 13/91 for traffic control G01S13/93 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 5/0013 with a ground station
• 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 5/0095 Aspects of air-traffic control not provided for in the other subgroups of this main group

Abstract

A method and apparatus for providing live display of aircraft flight information obtains aircraft data from at least two data sources selected from aircraft position and flight information from an ASDI (aircraft situational awareness display to industry) data source, aircraft location and identification from multilateration of an aircraft transponder data source, flight information from an ACARS (Aircraft Communications Addressing and Reporting System) data source, and flight information from an airline flight information system data source. The data is then fused together to integrate aircraft information from at least two of the data sources to produce integrated aircraft information, and providing a real-time display of the integrated aircraft flight information over a network, a physically connected display, a cockpit display, or an airport ground vehicle display.

Claims

1. A method for providing live display of in-flight aircraft position and flight information based on multilateration of aircraft radio signals, the method comprising the steps of:

obtaining aircraft location and identification from multilateration of an aircraft transponder data source,

obtaining aircraft data from at least one data source selected from;

aircraft position and flight information from an ASDI (aircraft situational awareness display to industry) data source,

flight information from an ACARS (Aircraft Communications Addressing and Reporting System) data source, and

flight information from an airline flight information system data source,

correlating aircraft data to integrate aircraft information from at least two of the data sources by correlating at least one non-position indicia from multilateration of the aircraft transponder data source with at least one non-position indicia from the at least one data source to produce integrated aircraft information, and

providing a real-time display of the integrated aircraft flight information.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein said step of providing a live display comprises the step of providing a live display over a network.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein said step of providing a live display comprises the step of providing a live display via at least one physically connected display.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein said step of providing a live display comprises the step of providing a live display via at least one cockpit display.

5. The method of claim 1, further comprising the steps of:

providing in at least one airport ground vehicle, a means for reporting identification,

determining position and identification of the at least one airport ground vehicle,

fusing airport ground vehicle identification and position data with the integrated aircraft information, and

displaying position of the at least one airport ground vehicle on the display.

6. An apparatus for providing live display of aircraft flight information based on enhanced multilateration data, the apparatus comprising:

a multilateration system for calculating aircraft location and identification from multilateration of aircraft transponder 1090 MHz transmissions,

means for obtaining aircraft data from at least one data source selected from;

aircraft position and flight information from ASDI (aircraft situational awareness display to industry), and

flight information from ACARS ()Aircraft Communications Addressing and Reporting System);

means for correlating aircraft data to integrate aircraft information from at least two data sources by correlating at least one non-position indicia from multilateration of the aircraft transponder 1090 MHz transmissions with at least one non-position indicia from the at least one data source to produce integrated aircraft information; and

a display for displaying the integrated aircraft flight information in real-time.

7. The apparatus of claim 6, wherein the display comprises a display coupled to a network.

8. The apparatus of claim 6, wherein the display comprises at least one physically connected display.

9. The apparatus of claim 6, wherein the display comprises at least one cockpit display.

10. The system of claim 6, further comprising:

means for reporting identification of at least one airport ground vehicle;

means for determining position and identification of the at least one airport ground vehicle; and

means for combining airport ground vehicle identification and position data with the integrated aircraft information,

wherein the position of the at least one airport ground vehicle is displayed on the display.