Ground operations and advanced runway awareness and advisory system

• US 7,890,248 B2
• Filed: 06/25/2009
• Issued: 02/15/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 03/06/2001
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Honeywell International Inc.
• Original Assignee: Honeywell International Inc.
• Inventors: Poe, John J., Gremmert, Scott R., Conner, Kevin J
• Primary Examiner(s): To; Tuan C
• Application Number:
  US12/491,987
• Publication Number:
  US 20090265090A1
• Time in Patent Office: 600 Days
• Field of Search: 701/301, 701/120, 701/211, 701/207, 342/65, 340/945, 340/961, 340/972, 345/650, 345/661, 345/676
• US Class Current: 701/120
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 5/0008 with other aircraft
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 5/0013 with a ground station
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 5/0078 for monitoring traffic from the aircraft radar or analogous systems specially adapted for traffic control G01S13/91
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 5/025 Navigation or guidance aids radar or analogous systems specially adapted for landing purposes G01S13/913
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 5/065 Navigation or guidance aids, e.g. for taxiing or rolling

Abstract

A device, method and computer program product for locating aircraft with respect to airport runways and taxiways, determining if a conflict exists between an aircraft having operating the invention and another aircraft, and generating and annunciating conflict awareness advisories as a function of determining that a conflict exists.

Claims

1. An airport conflict awareness method comprising:

receiving samples of one or more signals reporting position data of an installation aircraft;

receiving samples of one or more signals reporting position data of an aircraft external to the installation aircraft;

retrieving runway survey data from a database;

determining simultaneous operation of the installation aircraft and the external aircraft on a common runway based on the position data of the installation aircraft, the position data of the external aircraft, and the runway survey data;

generating conflict awareness advisory based on the determined simultaneous operation of the installation aircraft and the external aircraft on a common runway; and

generating a graphical depiction for display on a cockpit display screen based on one or more of the installation aircraft position data and the retrieved runway survey data, further comprising;

retrieving at least a portion of the runway survey data based on the installation aircraft position data;

generating a graphical depiction of the retrieved runway survey data; and

generating a graphical depiction of the installation aircraft position data relative to the graphical depiction of the retrieved runway survey data.

2. The method of claim 1, further comprising generating on a cockpit audio device an annunciation signal representative of the conflict awareness advisory.

3. The method of claim 1, further comprising generating a radio frequency broadcast of one or more signals reporting the position data of the installation aircraft.

4. The method of claim 1, further comprising generating a graphical depiction of the external aircraft position data relative to the graphical depiction of the retrieved runway survey data.