Method for determining conflicting paths between mobile airborne vehicles and associated system and computer software program product

Abstract

A method of determining conflicting flight paths between a first and a second airborne vehicle is provided, wherein each vehicle comprises an aircraft-to-aircraft navigational communication system having a navigational device. First, a position and a velocity vector are determined for each of the airborne vehicles. A cylindrical volume is then defined about the first airborne vehicle. A separation distance is then determined between the vehicles at a selected time and using a great circle earth model. An accuracy factor is thereafter determined for the position of each vehicle. The separation distance is then modified by the accuracy factor. A determination is then made as to whether the modified separation distance is within the cylindrical volume about the first airborne vehicle during a time range to thereby determine whether conflicting flight paths exist between the vehicles. An associated system and computer software program product are also provided.

Description

technical field [0001] The present invention relates to collision avoidance systems, and more particularly to methods, systems and computer software program products for determining collision paths between active aircraft. Background technique [0002] Air traffic continues to increase as the number of aircraft in service continues to grow. Trends in travel demand and air cargo have also increased the number of aircraft in the air. Therefore, mid-air collision avoidance between aircraft has become very important as the tracking of large amounts of air traffic becomes more and more difficult. The speed and size of modern aircraft are factors that affect the difficulty of the tracking process, especially when multiple aircraft are involved. As airspace becomes limited and as temporal distances and separation distances decrease, approximations may no longer be acceptable. Additionally, the proposal to replace the current air exchange control system with a "free flight" syste...

AI Technical Summary

Problems solved by technology

However, since the Earth is more spherical in shape, the magnitude of the error increases as latitude moves away from the equator

Thus, at or near the poles, flat ground models are inaccurate and generally cannot be used to calculate their horizontal spacing or horizontal distance

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