Aircraft Landing Guidance Assistance System and Aircraft Landing Comprehensive Assistance System Comprising the Same

Abstract

The present invention provides an aircraft landing guidance assistance system that can be introduced accurately and at a lower cost, and an aircraft landing comprehensive assistance system including the aircraft landing guidance assistance system. Furthermore, when an aircraft flying in the air is in an emergency, after confirming a safe landing touchdown point, it can set the landing touchdown point and guide the best landing approach path. This aircraft landing guidance assistance system has: a calibration GPS mobile station; and an information processing device that has a display unit and processes the RTK-GPS signal received from the calibration GPS mobile station and performs a predetermined display on the display unit. In addition, this aircraft landing comprehensive assistance system has: a calibration GPS reference station, a pseudo-GPS signal transmitter, and an aircraft landing guidance assistance system. The information processing device included in the aircraft landing guidance assistance system stores a computer program that causes the information processing device to function as the following units: a unit that records landing path data including landing path information; a unit that records current position information data including current position information based on the RTK-GPS signal; and a unit that displays the landing path data and the current position information on the display unit of the information processing device.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention relates to an aircraft landing guidance assistance system and an aircraft landing integrated assistance system including the aircraft landing guidance assistance system. Background Art

[0002] In the takeoff and landing of an aircraft, an Instrument Landing System (hereinafter referred to as "ILS") is usually introduced in many cases. ILS is a system that transmits induction radio waves from facilities near the airport where the aircraft lands. The aircraft to land receives the induction radio waves from the ILS, analyzes the received induction radio waves, grasps the position and orientation of the own aircraft relative to the landing point at that moment, and can finally land safely on the runway of the airport.

[0003] As a technology related to ILS, its structure is shown in the following Non-Patent Document 1, for example. Specifically, in ILS, a guidance radio wave called a Localizer (LOC) for indicating the approach direction (course) and a guidance radio wave called a Glide Slope (GS) for indicating the approach angle (path) are transmitted. Then, the aircraft to enter the runway receives these guidance signals, determines the current approach direction and approach angle of the own aircraft based on these signals, judges how much it deviates from the appropriate approach direction and approach angle, and performs the landing operation while adjusting it in the case of deviation. It should be noted that in ILS, it is further configured to arrange internal markers, intermediate markers, external markers, etc. on the ground inside or near the airport, and transmit guidance radio waves in a direction perpendicular to the ground from each marker, so that the aircraft receives the guidance radio waves, thereby being able to notify the distance from the aircraft to the predetermined landing point.

[0004] On the other hand, an aircraft landing guidance system using GPS is disclosed in the following Patent Document 1 and Non-Patent Document 2.

[0005] In addition, a system (Ground-Based Augmentation System: GBAS) for transmitting enhancement signals for improving the accuracy and safety of GPS, aircraft approach and descent path information, and guiding the aircraft to the runway is described in the following Non-Patent Document 3.

[0006] Prior Art Documents

[0007] Patent Documents

[0008] Patent Document 1: US Patent Application Publication No. 2004 / 0225432

[0009] Non-Patent Documents

[0010] Non-Patent Document 1: https: / / www.mlit.go.jp / koku / 15_bf_000401.html

[0011] Non-Patent Document 2: https: / / japan.cnet.com / article / 35139919 /

[0012] Non-Patent Document 3: https: / / www.soumu.go.jp / main_content / / 000548510.pdf Summary of the Invention

[0013] Technical Problem

[0014] However, the above ILS needs to accurately transmit the guiding radio wave to a distance, so its maintenance and management costs become huge. In particular, in the case of setting signs such as internal signs, the costs become even huger. Therefore, although it can be introduced at international airports where a large number of passenger planes take off and land, etc., there is a problem that it is not at all the cost scale that can be introduced at small airports mainly for the takeoff and landing of small passenger planes and about several light aircraft. In addition, on the aircraft side, there is also a problem that it is not easy to introduce equipment corresponding to ILS from the viewpoints of equipment setting and cost.

[0015] In addition, in the above Patent Document 1 and Non-Patent Document 2, there are still problems in terms of their accuracy, specifically in terms of the accuracy of their altitude. If it is explained more specifically, the geodetic height of the earth ellipsoid is usually used in the positioning in the altitude direction in GPS positioning. However, the surface of the earth is not a standard ellipse, and the gravity of the earth is not uniform, and there is a geoid height on the surface of the earth. Without correcting this geoid height, if the ellipsoid surface of the earth ellipsoid model GRS80 is used as a reference, there is a maximum protrusion of about 85 m and a depression of about 105 m. That is, there is a problem in directly using the conventional GPS positioning in the landing of an aircraft that requires extremely high safety and reliability, but no research on this has been carried out in the above documents.

[0016] However, the largest error factor in the above GPS positioning is the ionospheric error. The ionospheric monitor exists in the GBAS of the above Non-Patent Document 3 and the above Patent Document 1 for this reason. However, based on past observation data, in the case of an ionospheric storm, the positioning error sometimes reaches 10 m. There is a problem in terms of safety in making the aircraft land in this environment, and the response in this environment should also be considered.

[0017] Therefore, in view of the above problems, the object of the present invention is to provide an aircraft landing guidance assistance system that can be introduced accurately, at a lower cost, and more simply, and an aircraft landing integrated assistance system including the aircraft landing guidance assistance system. In addition, the object of the present invention is also to provide a system that can set a landing touchdown point and guide the best landing approach path after confirming a safe landing location even when an aircraft flying in the air becomes emergency.

[0018] Technical solution

[0019] Regarding the above problems, the present inventor has conducted in-depth research and found that: compared with DGPS (Differential Global Positioning System) used for GPS positioning in the experimentally applied GBAS (Ground-Based Augmentation System), RTK-GPS (Real Time Kinetic-Global Positioning System) can also measure an error of about several centimeters in terms of positioning accuracy. Focusing on the fact that this RTK-GPS can be accurately and simply applied to a system for aircraft landing, the problems required for aircraft landing are further extracted and solved, and further optimized, thus completing the present invention.

[0020] In addition, regarding the concept of the present invention, the present inventor adds a pseudo-GPS signal transmission function to the ground station (reference station) in the aircraft landing integrated assistance system. By positioning the pseudo-GPS signal including the ground height information considering the geoid height from the station near the landing touchdown point by the aircraft in the air, the GPS signal transmitted by the satellite only needs to perform positioning in latitude and longitude. Using the pseudo-GPS signal transmitted from the ground, the positioning accuracy in the height direction is improved, and the aircraft obtains accurate ground height information. It should be noted that when there are three or more reference stations with pseudo-GPS signal transmission functions on the ground, the aircraft in the landing state can obtain a landing guidance path with less error through accurate positioning without being affected by ionospheric and / or tropospheric errors and ephemeris errors only by using the positioning of the ground pseudo-GPS signal.

[0021] That is, an aircraft landing guidance assistance system according to an aspect of the present invention includes: a calibration GPS mobile station including a GPS receiver and an RTK-GPS receiver; and an information processing device having a display unit, which processes the GPS signal and the RTK-GPS signal received by the calibration GPS mobile station and performs predetermined display on the display unit. The information processing device stores a computer program that causes the information processing device to function as the following units: a unit for recording landing path data including landing path information; a unit for recording current position information data including current position information based on the GPS signal and the RTK-GPS signal; and a unit for displaying the landing path data and the current position information on the display unit of the information processing device, where the current position information data includes altitude data corrected by geoid height correction.

[0022] In addition, in this aspect, although not limited, it is preferable that the calibration GPS mobile station includes a pseudo GPS receiver, and the information processing device processes the pseudo GPS signal and performs predetermined display on the display unit.

[0023] Furthermore, an aircraft landing integrated assistance system according to another aspect of the present invention includes: a calibration GPS reference station having an RTK-GPS transmitter; and an aircraft landing guidance assistance system. The aircraft landing guidance assistance system includes: a calibration GPS mobile station including a GPS receiver and an RTK-GPS receiver; and an information processing device having a display unit, which processes the GPS signal and the RTK-GPS signal received by the calibration GPS mobile station and performs predetermined display on the display unit. The information processing device also stores a computer program that causes the information processing device to function as the following units: a unit for recording landing path data including landing path information; a unit for recording current position information data including current position information based on the GPS signal and the RTK-GPS signal; and a unit for displaying the landing path data and the current position information on the display unit of the information processing device, where the current position information data includes altitude data corrected by geoid height correction.

[0024] In addition, in this aspect, although not limited, it is preferable that the calibration GPS mobile station includes a pseudo GPS receiver, and the information processing device processes the pseudo GPS signal and performs predetermined display on the display unit.

[0025] Advantages of the Invention

[0026] As described above, according to the present invention, it is possible to provide an aircraft landing guidance assistance system that can be introduced accurately and at a lower cost, and an aircraft landing integrated assistance system including the aircraft landing guidance assistance system. Brief Description of the Drawings

[0027] Figure 1It is a diagram showing an overview of the aircraft landing comprehensive assistance system of the embodiment.

[0028] Figure 2 It is a diagram showing an image of the geoid height correction of the aircraft landing guidance assistance system of the embodiment.

[0029] Figure 3 It is a diagram showing an image of the position acquisition based on the pseudo GPS signal of the aircraft landing guidance assistance system of the embodiment.

[0030] Figure 4 It is a diagram showing the functional blocks of the aircraft landing guidance assistance system of the embodiment.

[0031] Figure 5 It is a diagram showing an example of an image of the landing path of the embodiment.

[0032] Figure 6 It is a diagram showing an example of an image of the landing path of the embodiment.

[0033] Figure 7 It is a diagram showing an example of a screen displayed on the display unit of the aircraft landing guidance assistance system of the embodiment.

[0034] Figure 8 It is a diagram showing another example of an image of the landing path of the embodiment. Detailed Embodiment

[0035] Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the drawings. However, the present invention can be implemented in a variety of different ways, and furthermore, for the specific examples described in the following embodiments and examples, appropriate changes and adjustments can also be made, and it is not limited thereto.

[0036] (Embodiment 1)

[0037] Figure 1It is a schematic diagram showing the aircraft landing integrated assistance system (hereinafter referred to as "this integrated assistance system") S of this embodiment. As shown in this figure, this integrated assistance system S includes: a calibration GPS reference station 1, an aircraft landing guidance assistance system 2 including a calibration GPS mobile station 21 (the aircraft equipped with this system is shown in this figure), and an aircraft control system 3. Compared with the conventional ILS, this integrated assistance system becomes a simpler system without the need for equipment that emits strong induction radio waves. In particular, on the side of the landing aircraft (the aircraft landing guidance assistance system side), there is no need to purchase expensive equipment for receiving ILS guidance radio waves, and high-performance landing assistance can be received only by installing a calibration GPS mobile station and a device such as an information processing device connected to this calibration GPS mobile station. Hereinafter, each component of this integrated assistance system will be described.

[0038] First, as described above, in this integrated system S, there is a calibration GPS reference station 1. The calibration GPS reference station 1 is fixed at a position on the earth where the coordinates are known, and uses its coordinates to perform geoid height correction to obtain an accurate elevation. And preferably, the calibration GPS reference station 1 is a device that can record the information related to this position as fixed position coordinates, and additionally receive GPS signals from GPS satellites G and calculate GPS position coordinates based on this, generate difference information based on the fixed position coordinate data and the GPS position coordinates, and output this difference information as an RTK-GPS signal. In addition, a pseudo GPS transmitter is attached to the calibration GPS reference station 1, and it has the substitute function of a radio altimeter, and can receive information at an altitude of 2500 feet or less and obtain an accurate ground height. It should be noted that the "elevation" refers to the distance from the geoid at this position.

[0039] The configuration of the calibration GPS reference station 1 only needs to have the above functions and is not limited. Specifically, as can also be seen from the figures described later, it is preferably configured to include a GPS receiver 11, an RTK-GPS transmitter 12, a pseudo-GPS transmitter 13, and an information processing device 14 that can be connected to them and perform predetermined data processing. Further, it is preferably that the information processing device 14 includes an electronic circuit or a recording medium storing a program. The electronic circuit or program can record fixed position coordinate data including information related to the above fixed position coordinates, convert the GPS signal from the GPS satellite into data that can be processed electronically (GPS signal data), and then create and record GPS position coordinate data including information related to the position coordinates obtained based on this data. And based on this fixed position coordinate data and GPS position coordinate data, it records RTK-GPS signal data including the difference information between the coordinates and data (pseudo-GPS signal data) including information of the fixed position coordinates after geoid height correction. Of course, it is preferably that the RTK-GPS signal data includes information of the coordinates (altitude) after geoid height correction.

[0040] With the above configuration, the calibration GPS reference station 1 can continuously send at any time the difference information between the GPS position coordinates obtained from the actual GPS signal and the pre-determined fixed position coordinates, and the information including the accurate elevation obtained by geoid height correction. Usually, there are various factors for the deviation between the GPS signal and the actual position, but the deviation caused by the GPS signal itself is very large. Therefore, it is presumed that the deviation contained in the GPS signal itself is the same within a certain range centered on the calibration GPS reference station. By canceling this deviation, more accurate position coordinates can be obtained. In addition, since the GPS signal itself does not contain information related to the geoid height, not considering this situation may bring serious consequences to the safe landing of the aircraft. Therefore, performing this correction is important. More specifically, the calibration GPS reference station 1 obtains the difference between the GPS position coordinates obtained by calculation based on the GPS signal and the pre-known fixed position coordinates, and performs geoid height correction to obtain the accurate elevation, and sends this difference information and outputs it to the calibration GPS mobile station through the RTK-GPS transmitter and the pseudo-GPS signal transmitter 13. On the other hand, the calibration GPS mobile station 21 considers this difference information (RTK-GPS signal) and the calculated GPS position information obtained based on the GPS signal received by itself, obtains at least the information of latitude and longitude, and obtains the height information and at least the information after geoid height correction based on the pseudo-GPS signal, so that it can accurately grasp its own position. In particular, since the RTK-GPS signal is the difference information, the data volume can also be suppressed to be small and the instantaneity can be ensured.

[0041] In addition, although it can be understood from the above description, more specifically, the fixed position coordinate data preferably includes: latitude data containing information related to latitude, longitude data containing information related to longitude, and altitude data containing information related to altitude. More preferably, the altitude data includes information related to the accurate elevation obtained by performing geoid height correction.

[0042] Here, the "geoid height" refers to the height measured from the surface (geoid) obtained by hypothetically extending the mean sea level to the land by the measurement method, and it is the height that serves as the reference for calculating the elevation. That is, the elevation refers to the difference between the position and the geoid height. In addition, regarding the geoid height, it is recorded in the database of the Geospatial Information Authority of Japan. As long as the latitude and longitude are determined, information related to its geoid height and elevation can be obtained (for example, https: / / vldb.gsi.go.jp / sokuchi / surveycalc / geoid / calcgh / calcframe.html).

[0043] Generally, as described above, the position information obtained through GPS signals is based on the ellipsoidal surface of the Earth ellipsoid model GRS80. Therefore, without performing the correction of the geoid height, there is a maximum protrusion of approximately 85 m and a depression of approximately 105 m. Therefore, in this integrated assistance system, by performing the above geoid height correction, a more accurate position can be obtained.

[0044] In addition, as described above, after receiving the GPS signal, the calibration GPS reference station 1 calculates and obtains the GPS position coordinate data including its own position information. Regarding this GPS position coordinate data, similar to the above fixed coordinate data, it preferably includes: latitude data containing information related to latitude, longitude data containing information related to longitude, and altitude data related to altitude. More preferably, the altitude data includes altitude data containing information related to the accurate elevation obtained by performing geoid height correction.

[0045] In addition, according to the above description, the calibration GPS reference station 1 generates RTK-GPS signal data based on the above fixed coordinate data and the above calculated coordinate data, and the RTK-GPS signal data is differential data containing the differential information of coordinates. The RKT-GPS signal data preferably includes: latitude difference data containing information related to the difference in latitude, longitude difference data containing information related to the difference in longitude, and altitude difference data containing information related to the difference in altitude. It should be noted that the altitude data more preferably contains information related to the difference in elevation height accurately corrected by the geoid height correction. In this way, after the aircraft receives the GPS signal, it can perform corrections including the geoid height correction and can confirm the accurate current elevation.

[0046] It should be noted that in addition to the above geoid height correction, it is also preferable to perform a correction for the installation height information of the installation location. When the calibration GPS reference station and the landing touchdown point are installed on the ground surface, sufficient accuracy can be maintained by directly performing the geoid height correction. On the other hand, when the calibration GPS reference station or the landing location is installed at a position higher than the ground surface, by performing this height correction, a more accurate height can be obtained.

[0047] However, as described above, since the value of the geoid height for the geoid height correction varies according to the position, in an ideal situation, it is preferable to perform accurate corrections for each position of the reference station, the landing touchdown point, the aircraft, etc. However, for example, the position of the aircraft changes all the time. Therefore, it is extremely difficult to check the geoid height of the position of the aircraft on the reference station side, perform its correction, and send predetermined data. On the other hand, the height that is extremely important for the aircraft is the height measured from the landing touchdown point, and it is important to know what height it is from this landing touchdown point. Therefore, the geoid height correction for the aircraft is preferably correction data related to the elevation at the landing touchdown point. In this way, the correction can be performed simply and accurately. The image in this case is as Figure 2 shown.

[0048] In addition, as described above, the calibration GPS reference station 1 is equipped with a pseudo GPS transmitter 13 that outputs a pseudo GPS signal in the same format as the GPS signal to the aircraft. The pseudo GPS signal contains the coordinate information and its time information of the transmission. The aircraft that receives the pseudo GPS signal can determine the distance between the calibration GPS reference station 1 and the aircraft. Moreover, if the distance is determined, information related to the height difference from the elevation of the calibration GPS reference station 1 can be obtained based on the accurate latitude information and longitude information obtained using the RTK-GPS signal. Here, a "pseudo GPS transmitter" is a device that can transmit a pseudo GPS signal in the same format as the GPS signal received by a GPS receiver, and it can be easily implemented by simply adjusting the format of the output signal and modifying a general signal transmitter. In Figure 3 An image in this case is shown.

[0049] In addition, the calibration GPS reference station 1 is preferably set at a position where the RTK-GPS signal and the pseudo GPS signal can cover the runway within the airport and the range where the actions for landing are performed. Specifically, it is preferably fixedly grounded at a position that can cover the entire runway to be landed on and a distance of about 10 km in the approach route radius. If the radius is about 10 km, the landing assistance for the aircraft can be carried out sufficiently and effectively.

[0050] In addition, the number of calibration GPS reference stations 1 is not limited. By configuring one calibration GPS reference station, sufficient accuracy can be ensured, but there can also be multiple calibration GPS reference stations. By having multiple of them, more accurate coordinate measurement can be performed. When three or more calibration GPS reference stations 1 are set, the aircraft in the landing attitude will not be affected by ionospheric and / or tropospheric errors and ephemeris errors only through the positioning of the ground pseudo GPS signal, and an accurate landing guidance path with less error can be obtained through accurate positioning. It should be noted that the interval between the calibration GPS reference stations is preferably 100 m or more. It should be noted that when multiple calibration GPS reference stations are configured, it is preferable to record identification number data including the identification number information of the calibration GPS reference station.

[0051] In addition, on the basis of the above RTK-GPS or instead of the above RTK-GPS, the PPP-RTK method can be adopted as a positioning method that can use the quasi-zenith satellite system "Michibiki" to perform high-precision positioning. This is a method that achieves centimeter-level accuracy in carrier phase without using data from a nearby reference station. It does not use double phase differences, etc., and as a value for the precise history (orbit, clock) of the satellite, it can generate observation values without the influence of the ionospheric delay amount at two frequencies for positioning. Since the proportion of the software on the receiver side becomes larger, when positioning a high-speed moving aircraft, decoding the L6 (LEX) signal takes time, so there is a risk of positioning delay. However, the advantage of PPP is that it does not require a nearby reference station.

[0052] In addition, in the present integrated system S, there is an aircraft landing guidance assistance system (hereinafter referred to as "this guidance assistance system" 2). The functional block diagram of the present integrated system S including this guidance assistance system 2 is as Figure 4 shown.

[0053] As shown in the above figure, this guidance assistance system 2 includes a calibration GPS mobile station 21 and an information processing device 22. The information processing device 22 is provided with a display unit 221 and processes the RTK-GPS signal and the pseudo-GPS signal received from the calibration GPS mobile station 21 and performs predetermined displays. Specifically, this guidance assistance system 2 is mounted on an aircraft that moves while constantly changing its coordinates.

[0054] The aircraft that is the object of assistance of this guidance assistance system 2 is not limited as long as it is a moving body that can float and land at the target location. For example, it can also be an aircraft, a rotary-wing aircraft, a spaceship, a glider, an ultra-light power machine, and a UAV (Unmanned Aerial Vehicle).

[0055] This guidance assistance system includes a calibration GPS mobile station 21. The calibration GPS mobile station 21 can adopt the same configuration as the above calibration GPS reference station 1, but the difference is that it is set on a moving body whose coordinates (positions) change at all times. Specifically, the calibration GPS mobile station 21 preferably includes a GPS receiver 211 for receiving GPS signals from GPS satellites, an RTK-GPS receiver 212 for receiving RTK-GPS signals, and a pseudo-GPS receiver 213 for receiving pseudo-GPS signals from a pseudo-GPS transmitter. It should be noted that the GPS receiver 211, the RTK-GPS receiver 212, and the pseudo-GPS receiver 213 are not limited as long as they can receive these signals, and they can also be integrally configured with the functions of both.

[0056] In addition, in this guidance assistance system, a gyroscope 23 is provided to determine the traveling direction and / or orientation of the aircraft, and an acceleration sensor 24 for measuring the inclination angle relative to the center of the earth. Thereby, the accuracy of GPS positioning can be improved. In particular, if a gyroscope is used, it is easy to obtain the nose direction data. Additionally, specifically, the nose direction data preferably includes nose angle data containing information on the angle of the nose relative to the ground surface and nose direction data containing information related to the direction in which the nose is facing. From the perspective of ensuring the accuracy of these data, it is preferably measured in pairs with the acceleration sensor.

[0057] In addition, in this guidance assistance system, an information processing device 22 is provided. The information processing device may be a so-called integrated circuit in which a plurality of circuits capable of performing a certain determined output based on the input information are mounted on a substrate, but is preferably a so-called computer. An example of the case where the information processing device 22 is a so-called computer will be described later.

[0058] It should be noted that in the information processing device 22 of this guidance assistance system 2, a display unit 221 is provided. The display unit 221 is used to receive the input of various data generated by other components of the information processing device 22 except the display unit 221, and display them as images based on this.

[0059] As the display unit 221, a commonly used image display device can be used. Specifically, a liquid crystal display, an organic LED display, an inorganic LED display, etc. can be used, but it is not limited thereto.

[0060] In addition, when the information processing device 22 of this guidance assistance system 2 is a so-called computer, although not limited thereto, it preferably includes, for example, a CPU (central processing unit), a hard disk, a solid-state drive (SSD) and other recording media, a memory and other temporary recording media, a display device such as a display, an input device such as a keyboard and a mouse, and connection wirings such as a bus for connecting them. More specifically, this method can be realized by recording a computer program for executing the above steps in the recording medium of the above computer, reading it into a temporary recording medium such as a memory, and performing arithmetic processing by the CPU.

[0061] In addition, the above computer can be a so-called notebook computer or a desktop computer, or a portable information terminal (so-called smart phone, tablet terminal) that has been popular in recent years. As described above, if it is a portable information terminal, the display unit and the above various components are formed in a small and integrated manner, are easy to obtain, and can be easily carried and / or set on the aircraft. Further, a program for executing this method can also be recorded and displayed as a so-called application program in the portable information terminal, and the above various functions can be executed by starting this application program.

[0062] In addition, although the physical configuration of the information processing apparatus 22 is as described above, a program may be pre-stored in the above-described recording medium and function as various units by executing the program. Specifically, in the recording medium of the information processing apparatus 22, a computer program (hereinafter referred to as "this program") that functions as the following units is recorded, and can function as various units by executing the program according to the user's request. The above units are: (S21) a unit that records landing path data including landing path information; (S22) a unit that records current position information data including current position information based on the signal of the corrected GPS mobile station; (S23) a unit that displays the landing path data and the current position information on the display unit of the information processing apparatus.

[0063] By executing this program, the information processing apparatus has a unit (S21) that records landing path data including landing path information. The landing path information refers to the path on which the aircraft equipped with the guidance assistance system 2 lands. More specifically, it refers to information formed by an ideal set of coordinates passed through for landing. That is, the landing path data refers to data including ideal continuous coordinate information passed through for landing. It should be noted that the shape of the landing path information may be a three-dimensional line (ideal landing path line) that determines the ideal coordinate position with a single line, but from the perspective of allowing a margin for the landing operation, it is preferably represented by a three-dimensional solid (allowed landing path area) with a certain width. In particular, in the case of a three-dimensional solid, a preferred example is a cone with the coordinates of the ideal landing touchdown point as the vertex. The image of the landing path in this case is as Figure 5 shown.

[0064] In addition, in this solution, more specifically, it is preferable that the landing path data is pre-recorded with landing reference point data including information on the airport to be landed and the landing reference point on its runway, entry angle data including entry angle information measured from the landing reference point, and entry direction data including entry direction information measured from the landing reference point, and based on this, the landing path data is calculated, generated, and recorded. The more specific image of the landing path in this case is as Figure 6 shown. In addition, in this case, similar to the above fixed coordinate data, the landing reference point data preferably includes: latitude data including information related to latitude, longitude data including information related to longitude, and altitude data including information related to altitude.

[0065] In addition, in the present scheme, it is preferred to perform a geoid height correction and a setting height correction of the landing touchdown point on the height data of the landing reference point data. As described above, the height data in the GPS signal is based on the ellipsoidal surface of the earth ellipsoidal model GRS80. Therefore, without correcting the geoid height, there is a maximum protrusion of about 85m and a depression of about 105m. That is, assuming that the setting is only made on the ellipsoidal surface of the above-mentioned GRS80, the landing touchdown point will be underground or in the air far away from the surface. Therefore, by distinguishing the geoid height of the landing point and correcting the setting height of the landing point, a more accurate position can be obtained.

[0066] Furthermore, as described above, it is preferred that both the RTK-GPS signal data and the pseudo-GPS signal data be corrected for the geoid height at the landing reference point and the set height of the landing touchdown point. Originally, for the RTK-GPS signal and the pseudo-GPS signal sent from the calibration GPS reference station, in order to obtain the accurate elevation at the position of the aircraft, the geoid height correction at the position of the aircraft should be performed. However, since it is difficult to determine the exact position of the aircraft from the calibration GPS reference station, and on the other hand, the height difference from the landing touchdown point is very important when landing, it is preferred to perform the geoid height correction at the landing reference point of the aircraft in advance.

[0067] In addition, as shown in this figure, it is preferred that a certain allowable range (allowable angle) is predetermined for the entry angle, and it is also preferred that a certain allowable range is predetermined for the entry direction. In this way, by presetting the range (allowable angle) for the entry angle and the entry direction, a cone can be provided. It should be noted that the cone may be a cone or a pyramid such as a quadrangular pyramid.

[0068] In addition, it can be seen from the above records that an aircraft does not necessarily take off and land on one runway at an airport. Usually, there are multiple airports in a city, and sometimes even one airport is provided with multiple runways. Therefore, in the unit recording the landing path data, it is preferred to pre-include airport identification data including identification information of the airport for distinguishing the airport, and runway identification data including information for identifying the runway. Furthermore, it is preferred to pre-set the above-mentioned landing reference point data, entry angle data, entry direction data, etc. corresponding to the above-mentioned data, respectively. It should be noted that in the case of annotating the identification number data of the above-mentioned correction GPS reference station, the identification number data and the airport identification data may be the same.

[0069] In addition, through the unit (S22) that corrects the signal record of the GPS mobile station to include current position information data containing current position information, this program can obtain the current position information with an accuracy of about several centimeters. Specifically, the GPS receiver receives the GPS signal and calculates the current coordinate data of itself. On the other hand, the RTK-GPS receiver receives the difference information between the GPS signals. Thus, more accurate current position information can be obtained as the current position information data.

[0070] If described more specifically, first, the GPS receiver receives the GPS signal and calculates to obtain the current calculated coordinate data of itself. Regarding this calculated coordinate data, similar to the fixed coordinate data of the above-mentioned correction GPS reference station 1, it preferably includes: latitude data containing information related to latitude, longitude data containing information related to longitude, and altitude data. As described above, in the altitude data, it is more preferably to include: altitude data containing information related to the accurate elevation height obtained by performing geoid height correction based on the landing touchdown point.

[0071] On the other hand, the correction GPS mobile station receives the above-mentioned RTK-GPS signal to obtain RTK-GPS signal data. The information contained in this signal is as described above.

[0072] Then, the correction GPS mobile station calculates the above-obtained calculated coordinate data and the above RTK-GPS signal data, and records the accurate current position information data.

[0073] In addition, in this case, the heading direction data obtained by the above gyroscope, acceleration sensor, etc. is pre-recorded. Thus, by obtaining the current heading angle and heading direction as information in advance, the display on the display unit can be accurately performed, and the influence of crosswinds, etc. can be considered. The detailed situation will be described later.

[0074] In addition, this information processing device functions as a unit (S23) that displays the landing path data and the current position information on the display unit of the information processing device by executing this program. A specific example of this screen is Figure 7 as shown.

[0075] First, in this solution, the display unit displays the current position information. As described above, the current position information preferably represents the latitude information, longitude information, altitude, and height above ground as numbers in advance, but it is preferable to perform a display including information on the forward view that can be confirmed based on the current position information. Specifically, considering the latitude, longitude, altitude, height above ground, nose direction, and nose angle, a forward view that can be confirmed from the aircraft is depicted. More specifically, in the display unit, as the current position information, it is preferable to display the ground surface and the sky, and further display the horizon that differentiates them. Furthermore, when the runway can be displayed, it is preferable to display the runway using perspective projection.

[0076] In addition, in this solution, the landing path information is displayed in the currently displayed current position information. The landing path information can directly display a line or a cone as described above, but in order to make it easier for the aircraft operator to understand, it is preferable to first display the ground surface and the sky, then display the horizon that differentiates them, and determine the landing location (landing reference point) on the ground surface, and display the ideal landing path extending from this landing location using perspective projection. Thereby, the landing path information can be displayed in an easy-to-understand and straightforward manner.

[0077] In addition, in this integrated system S, there is an aircraft control system (hereinafter referred to as "this control system") 3. Regarding actual landings, an aircraft control building and its personnel are required, but as a component for the integrated system S to send and receive information and data, it is not necessary to set up an aircraft control system.

[0078] As a component of this control system 3, although not limited, it is preferable to set up an information processing device, namely a so-called computer, which can receive RTK-GPS signals sent from a calibration GPS reference station and signals sent from a calibration GPS mobile station, generate data including their position information based on these signals, and display it on the display unit. By doing so, the control side can also actually obtain the information grasped by the aircraft that is scheduled to land.

[0079] Specifically, by receiving the RTK-GPS signal indicating the degree of deviation from the calibration GPS reference station and obtaining the position information of the current moving body from the calibration GPS mobile station, it is more preferable to obtain the landing path information, thereby easily determining the accuracy of the landing. In addition, this control system 3 has the following advantages: by obtaining the difference data between the landing path information and the position information of the moving body, it is possible to confirm whether there is an abnormality in the landing operation of the moving body and issue an instruction as needed.

[0080] As described above, through this embodiment, it is possible to provide an aircraft landing guidance assistance system that can be introduced accurately and at a lower cost, and an aircraft landing comprehensive assistance system including the aircraft landing guidance assistance system.

[0081] In addition, in the present invention, as described above, as long as it is an aircraft, it can be applied, and of course, landing guidance assistance for a rotary-wing aircraft can also be performed. A more specific image of the landing path in this case is as Figure 8 shown. In this way, the same system can also be constructed for a rotary-wing aircraft.

[0082] In addition, the present invention can be applied to various situations by applying it. More specifically, it can typically be applied to runways at airports, but is not necessarily limited to airports. For example, if the above-mentioned rotary-wing aircraft is taken into consideration, the landing position of a so-called doctor helicopter, etc. changes according to the position of the rescue target. Therefore, by setting an arbitrary position, landing can be performed more reliably. Further, if it is an aircraft landing on a ship, by determining a specific position on the ship as the landing reference point, landing can be performed more safely. The same applies to the sea and lakes.

[0083] Industrial applicability

[0084] The present invention has industrial applicability as an aircraft landing guidance assistance system and an aircraft landing comprehensive assistance system including the aircraft landing guidance assistance system.

Claims

1. An aircraft landing guidance assistance system, characterized in that, it has: a calibration GPS mobile station, which includes a GPS receiver and an RTK-GPS receiver; and an information processing device, which has a display unit, processes the GPS signal and the RTK-GPS signal received by the calibration GPS mobile station, and performs a predetermined display on the display unit, wherein the RTK-GPS is a real-time kinematic global positioning system, the RTK-GPS signal contains the difference information between the coordinates after geoid height correction of the identified coordinate reference position on the earth and the GPS position coordinates of the reference position, the information processing device stores a computer program, and the computer program enables the information processing device to function as the following units: a unit for recording landing path data including landing path information; a unit for recording current position information data including the information obtained by correcting the height of the calibration GPS mobile station obtained based on the GPS signal received by the calibration GPS mobile station using the difference information contained in the RTK-GPS signal as the height of the calibration GPS mobile station; and a unit for displaying the landing path data and the current position information on the display unit of the information processing device.

2. The aircraft landing guidance assistance system according to claim 1, characterized in that, the calibration GPS mobile station includes a pseudo-GPS receiver for receiving a pseudo-GPS signal from a calibration GPS reference station provided at the reference position, the information processing device calculates the distance between the calibration GPS mobile station and the reference position based on the pseudo-GPS signal, and calculates the height difference between the height of the calibration GPS mobile station and the elevation of the reference position based on the calculated distance and the current position information.

3. The aircraft landing guidance assistance system according to claim 1 or 2, characterized in that, the calibration GPS mobile station is carried on an aircraft, the information processing device also stores a computer program, and the computer program enables the information processing device to function as the following unit: a unit for displaying the forward view that can be confirmed from the aircraft carrying the calibration GPS mobile station as the current position information on the display unit.

4. The aircraft landing guidance assistance system according to claim 3, characterized in that, the reference position is a position that can cover the range where the aircraft performs landing operations, the information processing device also stores a computer program, and the computer program enables the information processing device to function as the following unit: a unit for displaying the ideal landing path extended from the landing point of the aircraft by perspective projection as the landing path information on the display unit.

5. The aircraft landing guidance assistance system according to claim 4, characterized in that, the range where the aircraft performs landing operations is a range with a radius of 10 km starting from the landing reference point of the aircraft.

6. The aircraft landing guidance assistance system according to claim 2, characterized in that, The reference position includes at least three positions, and the pseudo GPS receiver receives pseudo GPS signals from calibration GPS reference stations respectively set at the at least three positions.

7. An aircraft landing integrated assistance system, characterized in that, it has: calibration GPS reference stations each having an RTK-GPS transmitter; and an aircraft landing guidance assistance system, wherein the aircraft landing guidance assistance system has: a calibration GPS mobile station including a GPS receiver and an RTK-GPS receiver; and an information processing device having a display unit, and processing GPS signals and RTK-GPS signals received by the calibration GPS mobile station and performing predetermined display on the display unit, wherein the calibration GPS reference station generates differential information as the RTK-GPS signal and transmits the RTK-GPS signal from the RTK-GPS transmitter to the RTK-GPS receiver of the calibration GPS mobile station, and the differential information is the differential information between the fixed position coordinates obtained by performing geoid height correction on the position where the calibration GPS reference station is fixed and the GPS position coordinates of the calibration GPS reference station obtained based on the GPS signals received by the calibration GPS reference station, the information processing device further stores a computer program, and the computer program causes the information processing device to function as the following units: a unit for recording landing path data including landing path information; a unit for recording current position information data including information obtained by correcting the height of the calibration GPS mobile station obtained based on the GPS signals received by the calibration GPS mobile station with the differential information included in the RTK-GPS signal as the height of the calibration GPS mobile station; and a unit for displaying the landing path data and the current position information on the display unit of the information processing device.

8. The aircraft landing integrated assistance system according to claim 7, characterized in that, the calibration GPS reference station includes a pseudo GPS transmitter for outputting pseudo GPS signals, the calibration GPS mobile station includes a pseudo GPS receiver for receiving pseudo GPS signals, and the information processing device calculates the distance between the calibration GPS mobile station and the calibration GPS reference station based on the pseudo GPS signals, and calculates the height difference between the height of the calibration GPS mobile station and the elevation of the calibration GPS reference station based on the calculated distance and the current position information.

9. The aircraft landing integrated assistance system according to claim 8, characterized in that, the calibration GPS reference stations are set at at least three positions, and the pseudo GPS receiver receives pseudo GPS signals from calibration GPS reference stations respectively set at the at least three positions.

10. The aircraft landing integrated assistance system according to claim 8 or 9, characterized in that, the calibration GPS mobile station is carried on an aircraft, and the calibration GPS reference stations are set at positions capable of covering the range where the aircraft performs actions for landing.

11. The integrated aircraft landing assistance system according to claim 10, wherein, the range within which the aircraft performs actions for landing is a range with a radius of 10 km starting from the landing reference point of the aircraft.

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