Tracking air and ground vehicles

• US 8,138,964 B2
• Filed: 10/08/2009
• Issued: 03/20/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 10/10/2008
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Raytheon Company (Rtx Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Raytheon Company (Rtx Corporation)
• Inventors: Donovan, Timothy P.
• Primary Examiner(s): SOTOMAYOR, JOHN B
• Application Number:
  US12/575,591
• Publication Number:
  US 20100090891A1
• Time in Patent Office: 894 Days
• Field of Search: 342 29- 37, 342 38- 40, 340/961
• US Class Current: 342/29
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 5/06 for control when on the ground

Abstract

In one aspect, an air and ground vehicle tracking system includes a base station configured to transmit locations of air vehicles to a radio and a GPS receiver disposed in a ground vehicle and configured to derive a location of the ground vehicle. The radio is configured to receive locations of air vehicles, receive locations of other ground vehicles and broadcast a location of the ground vehicle to the base station. The system also includes a display configured to render locations of the air and ground vehicles.

Claims

1. An air and ground vehicle tracking system comprising:

a base station configured to transmit locations of air vehicles to a radio disposed in a ground vehicle; and

a GPS receiver disposed in the ground vehicle and configured to derive a location of the ground vehicle;

the radio configured to;

receive the locations of air vehicles from the base station;

receive locations of other ground vehicles;

broadcast a location of the ground vehicle to the base station; and

a display configured to render the locations of the air and ground vehicles at an airport,

wherein the display is disposed at one of the ground vehicle, the other ground vehicles or a control tower at the airport.

2. The system of claim 1 wherein the radio broadcasts using at least one of Ultra High frequency (UHF), WI-FI, Worldwide Interoperability for Microwave Access (WIMAX), Evolution-Data Optimized (EVDO) or High-Speed Downlink Packet Access (HSDPA) wireless links.

3. The system of claim 1 wherein the base station is further configured to transmit the locations of the air vehicles derived from at least one of Automatic Dependant Surveillance-Broadcast (ADS-B), Air Surveillance Radar (ASR) and Airport Surface Detection Equipment (ASDE).

4. The system of claim 1 wherein the display is further configured to identify the air and ground vehicles.

5. The system of claim 1 wherein the GPS receiver is a Wide Area Augmentation Services (WAAS) enabled Global Positioning System (GPS) radio.

6. A method to track vehicles comprising:

determining a location of a first ground vehicle;

broadcasting the location of the first ground vehicle from the first ground vehicle to other ground vehicles using a radio disposed at the first ground vehicle;

receiving locations of air vehicles from a base station using the radio;

receiving locations of the other ground vehicles from the other ground vehicles; and

rendering the locations of the air vehicles and the ground vehicles at an airport on a display disposed at one of the first ground vehicle, the other ground vehicles or a control tower at the airport.

7. The method of claim 6 wherein broadcasting the location of the first ground vehicle comprises broadcasting the location of the first ground vehicle using at least one of Ultra High frequency (UHF), WI-FI, Worldwide Interoperability for Microwave Access (WIMAX), Evolution-Data Optimized (EVDO) or High-Speed Downlink Packet Access (HSDPA) wireless links.

8. The method of claim 6 wherein receiving locations of air vehicles comprises receiving locations of air vehicles derived from at least one of Automatic Dependant Surveillance-Broadcast (ADS-B), Air Surveillance Radar (ASR) and Airport Surface Detection Equipment (ASDE).

9. The method of claim 6 wherein rendering the locations of the air vehicles and the other ground vehicles comprises rendering the locations of the air vehicles and the ground vehicles using a geographical display disposed at the first ground vehicle.

10. The method of claim 6, further comprising transmitting an identification of the first ground vehicle.

11. The method of claim 6, further comprising receiving identifications and locations of the other ground vehicles.

12. The method of claim 6 wherein receiving the locations of the other ground vehicles comprises receiving broadcasts of locations of other ground vehicles sent by the other ground vehicles.

13. The method of claim 6 wherein receiving a location of a first ground vehicle comprises receiving a location of the first ground vehicle using a global positioning system (GPS) receiver disposed at the first ground vehicle.

14. An article comprising:

a non-transitory machine-readable medium that stores executable instructions to track vehicles, the instructions causing a machine to;

determine a location of a first ground vehicle;

broadcast the location of the first ground vehicle from the first ground vehicle to other ground vehicles using a radio disposed at the first ground vehicle;

receive locations of air vehicles from a base station;

receive locations of the other ground vehicles from the other ground vehicles; and

render the locations of the air vehicles and the other ground vehicles in and around an airport on a display disposed at the first ground vehicle.

15. The article of claim 14 wherein the instructions to broadcast the location of the first ground vehicle comprises instructions to broadcast the location of the first ground vehicle using at least one of Ultra High frequency (UHF), WI-FI, Worldwide Interoperability for Microwave Access (WIMAX), Evolution-Data Optimized (EVDO) or High-Speed Downlink Packet Access (HSDPA) wireless links.

16. The article of claim 14 wherein the instructions to receive locations of air vehicles comprises instructions to receive locations of air vehicles derived from at least one of Automatic Dependant Surveillance-Broadcast (ADS-B) and Air Surveillance Radar (ASR) and Airport Surface Detection Equipment (ASDE).

17. The article of claim 14 wherein the instructions to render the locations of the air vehicles and the other ground vehicles comprises instructions to render the locations of the air vehicles and the other ground vehicles using a geographical display disposed at the first ground vehicle.

18. The article of claim 14, further comprising instructions to:

transmit an identification of the first ground vehicle; and

receive identifications and locations of the other ground vehicles.

19. The article of claim 14 wherein instructions to receive the locations of the other ground vehicles comprises instructions to receive broadcasts of locations of other ground vehicles sent by the other ground vehicles.

20. The article of claim 14 wherein the instructions to receive a location of a first ground vehicle comprises instructions to receive a location of the first ground vehicle using a global positioning system (GPS) receiver disposed at the first ground vehicle.