Automatic acquisition of weather data and runway conditions at airfields, and their automatic and continuous evaluation and transmission of the acquired data to aircraft and output of the information in the cockpit of an aircraft.

Abstract

Automatic determination of weather data and conditions relevant for safe flight operations at an airfield and automatic transmission of the information obtained to one or more aircraft, characterized by a weather station and optionally additional cameras automatically and continuously determining at least the wind direction and wind speed, optionally additionally the air temperature, dew point, visibility and precipitation at an airfield, as well as obstacles on the runway, and forwarding the measured values ​​and the captured images to a computer, which evaluates and processes the data, then transmitting it to aircraft via radio in a time-controlled manner using a transmitter device, where it is filtered according to the set radio frequency of the voice radio.and only the information relevant to the flying site is then made available to the pilot using a receiver and a display device, and optionally the data is also transmitted from the computer to a website on the internet.

Description

[0001] Automatic acquisition of weather data and conditions on runways at airfields, and their automatic and continuous evaluation and transmission of the acquired data to aircraft and output of the information in the cockpit of an aircraft.

[0002] Aircraft, generally called airplanes, take off and land on a runway, which is generally oriented so that the wind component prevailing in the direction of the runway points against the direction of movement of the aircraft.

[0003] The wind direction, other weather data, the recommended runway, and any obstacles on the runway are usually recorded manually by a person, generally an air traffic controller, operations manager (formerly called flight director), using display devices or by visual inspection, and transmitted via radio communication on a radio frequency designated for the airfield to the aircraft whose pilot has requested this information via radio communication.

[0004] For cost reasons, at airfields that are not subject to an operating obligation, typically general aviation airfields, the operations managers are removed, which means that the establishment of a uniform take-off and, above all, landing direction is no longer guaranteed.

[0005] The operations managers at uncontrolled airfields may only transmit information according to

[0003] to the pilots in the form of general instructions, called classified information, and not as numerical values, unless they have certified measuring instruments, facilities and personal licenses.

[0006] According to

[0004] , pilots, especially of aircraft intending to land at the airfield in question, must therefore obtain the prevailing wind direction and the assurance of the obstacle-free condition of the runway by other means as a basis for determining their runway.

[0007] According to the prior art, the actual current wind direction on the ground can be determined by an aircraft in the air without the assistance of a person on the ground, as described in

[0003] , only by visually detecting the windsock present at all airfields, for which the pilot of the aircraft must perform certain maneuvers during the flight.

[0008] It is also state of the art that the pilot, by sending a pulse sequence using the radio in the aircraft, requests automatically generated data and information on the radio frequency of the airfield and receives this, if available, on the radio frequency of the airfield in the form of a voice message or a data set.

[0009] For safety and noise reasons, aircraft must not fall below a minimum height above the ground when determining the wind direction according to

[0007] , so that the smallest distance to detect the windsock is this minimum height.

[0010] The view from an aircraft looking obliquely downwards is generally limited, which is why, when flying past the windsock according to

[0007] , the aircraft must maintain a certain lateral distance to the windsock, which increases the distance to the windsock and makes detection even more difficult.

[0011] Flying over a flight area according to

[0007] to detect the position of the windsock is not always possible due to the presence of areas with flight restrictions, typically for noise protection reasons, so that the distance to the windsock is higher than the minimum flight altitude and the lateral distance required according to

[0010] and thus detection is made even more difficult.

[0012] Since the speed of aircraft is generally high, the time period in which the windsock is recognizable during a maneuver according to

[0007] is short.

[0013] In addition to recognizing the windsock according to

[0007] , the pilot must also observe the airspace at uncontrolled airfields, which further limits the time available for recognizing the windsock.

[0014] Due to turbulence and other meteorological laws, the wind direction generally changes regularly by a certain amount around the mean direction.

[0015] If the wind blows approximately perpendicular, or transverse, to the orientation of the runway, the landing direction can no longer be clearly determined by the pilots, which is exacerbated by the fluctuations described in

[0014] .

[0016] Therefore, when several aircraft approach an airfield simultaneously or intend to take off, dangerous situations can arise, especially when wind conditions are such as those described in

[0014] and

[0015] .

[0017] When transmitting the data according to

[0008] , the risk of interference with the data transmission by other aircraft is considerable because several aircraft can approach simultaneously and other airfields also use the same radio communication frequency. The problems listed in

[0004] ,

[0007] ,

[0009] ,

[0010] ,

[0011] ,

[0012] ,

[0013] ,

[0014] ,

[0015] ,

[0016] , and

[0017] are solved by the features listed in claim 1.

[0018] The invention described in scope 1 is based on problems that are solved by automatically and continuously measuring weather data relevant for safe flight operations, deriving a recommendation for the most suitable runway, and optionally automatically recording the condition of the airfield, processing the recorded information, and automatically transmitting the processed information via radio and finally displaying or outputting it on an output device in the aircraft, without the pilot having to perform an additional action beyond the already necessary setting of the airfield's radio frequency, or, if a display device for information disseminated via the Internet is available in the aircraft's cockpit, automatically outputting the landing-relevant data to the Internet-enabled display device in conjunction with suitable software.

[0019] The invention described in

[0018] ensures that, even without the intervention of an operations manager, or generally a person on the ground, all aircraft intending to land at an airfield during the same period receive the same information, based on a reliable measurement of the wind conditions, about the recommended runway, and thus the aircraft in question land in the same direction and are not at risk of colliding.

[0020] The weather data required according to

[0018] , essentially the wind direction and wind speed, are continuously measured at the airfield using one or more weather stations (12), and optionally the visibility in the area of ​​the runway and optionally obstacles on the runway, typically other aircraft, are recorded using one or more cameras (15).

[0021] The weather data measured in

[0020] and the captured camera images are processed by a computer (13) and converted into system-uniform data using suitable software, typically with artificial intelligence, called AI.

[0022] The values ​​determined according to

[0020] and processed according to

[0021] are stored in the computer for a certain period of time and an average value, as well as a trend and fluctuations around the average value, especially of the wind direction, are calculated from the stored values ​​and strong increased deviations of the mean wind speed are calculated as gustiness.

[0023] From the currently measured wind direction and the trend determined according to

[0022] and the fluctuations in wind direction and gustiness, a recommendation on the best landing direction is automatically derived, taking into account special features of the relevant airfield, for example turbulence or downdrafts in the area of ​​the threshold, which mainly arise with the prevailing wind direction, or the position of the sun or organizational conditions such as operating hours of the airfield or temporary restrictions on flight operations, typically for noise reasons.

[0024] The information calculated in a computer according to

[0023] is, after processing, transmitted via a transmitter (14), which is itself or whose transmitting antenna is typically located at the relevant airfield, by radio in the form of coded and system-standardized data, binary numbers, or speech to the aircraft (16).

[0025] The data distributed according to

[0024] are stored in the computer according to

[0021] or in the sending device for a certain period of time.

[0026] The computer according to

[0021] and the transmitting device according to

[0024] can be implemented as separate devices or together in one device.

[0027] The transmission of data by a transmitting device according to

[0024] can be carried out using radio waves on a radio frequency available to the general public, called a public frequency, or on a frequency specifically defined and reserved for these purposes, typically on an aeronautical radio frequency, or on both frequencies together.

[0028] The transmission power of the transmitter according to

[0024] is dimensioned by suitable measures, for example in the power section of the transmitter or by the design of the antenna, so that the signal of the transmitter can only be received in a limited radius around the transmitting station, so that mutual interference between transmitters that are assigned to the same area type according to

[0032] but are not located in the same area is avoided.

[0029] A receiving device (17) in the aircraft converts the information transmitted by the transmitting device according to

[0024] as radio waves into data and checks this for plausibility using a transmitted check digit and stores valid data for a certain period of time in its internal memory.

[0030] The data checked according to

[0029] are decoded by the receiving device in the aircraft and then output in the form of speech, text or a graphic or a mixture of the aforementioned forms in a form easily understandable to the pilot (18) and optionally made available at an interface for other devices.

[0031] The data according to

[0024] can be passed on to a navigation system independent of

[0030] , and in this system can be used, for example, to display the recommended runway, the wind direction and the wind speed on an electronic approach chart, for example in the form of arrows.

[0032] The entire Earth's surface is divided into approximately circular area types (1), as shown in drawing 1 using the territory of the Federal Republic of Germany as an example, with the final boundaries (2) being adapted to geographical conditions that contain a certain number of airfields and have a spatial arrangement designed in such a way that all airfields are included and that two transmitting stations assigned to the same area type maintain a maximum signal level (4) by establishing a minimum distance (5), whereby in borderline cases the planned transmission time is coordinated by changing the serial number of one of the two stations so that mutual interference can be excluded.

[0033] To avoid mutual interference that can occur when transmitters broadcasting on the same frequency are located close to each other, the transmitting devices are controlled by a higher-level system so that only one transmitting device within an area type according to

[0032] is active at the same time.

[0034] Each transmitting device has a unique and unchanging identifier, for example its serial number or the number of a processor, with which it can register with the server according to

[0036] and receive data.

[0035] The area types according to

[0032] are defined when the system is introduced, wherein the areas are chosen to be large enough that all transmitting devices in the area concerned can transmit the required data once within a time window and the time window is further chosen so that a sufficiently frequent update of the data can take place, typically at intervals of a few minutes.

[0036] The overall control of the transmission time of the transmitting devices classified according to

[0032] ,

[0033] and

[0035] is carried out by means of a database located on a central computer, usually referred to as a server (9), which all transmitters access in order to use the information stored in the database, which includes for each participating airfield (11) at least the radio frequency of the airfield, an identifier for the area type according to

[0032] , a unique sequential number for the airfield within the area type, the international ICAO (International Civil Aviation Organization) identification of the airfield or the name or an abbreviation of the airfield, the presence of a transmitting device, information on the significance of the measured data, typically whether the weather data was measured by a certified or a non-certified device, runways available at the airfield, and the operating hours of the airfield.and an algorithm applicable to all transmitting devices can determine a time with which the assigned transmission time of the transmitting device of each participating airfield is uniquely calculated.

[0037] To coordinate the exact transmission time according to

[0036] , the transmitting devices according to

[0024] access a higher-level time signal, for example the time signal of a GPS or Galileo satellite (6) or another navigation system or an official time signal, for example in Germany the time signal of the Physikalisch-Technische Bundesanstalt, broadcast via the transmitter DCF77 (8) and a built-in clock that ensures sufficient accuracy in the minute range.

[0038] The broadcast cycle of each area type begins at a full minute; from this time the associated transmitters send out their information, the start of the transmission time of a transmitter consisting of the number assigned to it in the database

[0036] , the time required for the transmission of the information and a time interval for signal separation between two transmitters.

[0039] The signal of the transmitting devices according to

[0024] contains at least the information about the airfield in the form of an ICAO identifier, the full name or an abbreviation of the full name of the airfield, the radio frequency of the airfield, the last determined wind direction and wind speed, the transmission time, the recommended runway, information about any warnings, information about the significance of the measurement data, typically whether the weather data were measured by a certified or a non-certified device, an introductory sequence, and a check digit.

[0040] The receiver in the aircraft is connected to the radio via a data line and can recognize, by means of the set radio frequency, from which airfield the received data should be displayed.

[0041] After the pilot sets a radio frequency, the receiving device checks at regular intervals whether the radio frequency set according to

[0040] is also included in the data stored according to

[0029] , and if so, displays the current data and information of the flying site on the display device.

[0042] The receiver can be designed as a standalone device or integrated into another piece of the aircraft's avionics (electronic equipment).

[0043] Unless the value of the data is marked as certified according to

[0039] , the wind data is output on the receiving device as classified text, for example the value for the wind direction “030” as text “NO” (abbreviation for North-East) and the value of the wind force of “10 kt” as text “MOD” (abbreviation for moderate).

[0044] Provided that the validity of the data is marked as certified according to

[0039] , the data can be output as numerical values.

[0045] The warning notices in

[0039] can be stored in coded form on the central server according to

[0036] or stored in the receiving devices and updated there regularly.

[0046] The information determined in

[0023] can also be used by the transmitting devices to control signals on the ground, for example for light signals or ground indicators, typically called “landing T”, via a suitable interface.

[0047] In the event of a change in the take-off or landing direction, or technical or organizational problems, the broadcast of the recommended runway will be interrupted for a predetermined time and a corresponding message will be broadcast.

[0048] The receiving devices can optionally issue a warning about a possible incorrect landing direction in the case of a connection with an automatic position, speed and altitude measurement system, if the pilot does not approach the runway recommended according to

[0023] .

[0049] The data flow is shown schematically in drawing 2. Reference symbol list (1) Area type with number (2) Boundary of a type of area (3) transmitting station (4) Signal strength of a transmitting station (5) Minimum distance between two transmitting stations (6) Navigation satellite (7) Data flow in general (8) DCF77 transmitter (9) Server with database (10) Scheme of area types (11) Airfield (12) Wind and weather measuring station (13) Computers with unique identifiers (14) Transmitter with receiving and transmitting antennas and internal clock (15) Camera for recording the runway (16) airplane (17) Receiving and display unit and radio in the cockpit (18) Pilot

Claims

[1] Automatic determination of weather data and conditions relevant for safe flight operations at an airfield and automatic transmission of the information obtained to one or more aircraft. characterized bythat a weather station and optionally additional cameras automatically and continuously determine at least the wind direction and wind speed, optionally also the air temperature, dew point, visibility and precipitation at an airfield, as well as obstacles on the runway, and that the measured values ​​and the captured images are forwarded to a computer, evaluated and processed by it, the data is then sent to aircraft via radio in a time-controlled manner using a transmitter device, filtered there according to the set radio frequency of the voice radio, and only the information relevant to the airfield is then made available to the pilot using a receiver and a display device, and optionally the data is also transmitted from the computer to a website on the Internet. [2] Automatic determination and transmission of weather data and conditions at an airfield to aircraft according to claim 1 characterized by, that all transmitting devices according to claim 1 transmit on a single frequency of aeronautical radio or a generally accessible frequency of citizen's radio or on both of the aforementioned frequencies, without mutual interference, by dividing the entire Earth's surface into area types and assigning each airfield, regardless of its affiliation with a state, to an area type, wherein the size of the area types is designed such that the number of airfields contained therein is small enough to allow the transmission of data from all airfields of the area type to take place within a maximum time period uniformly defined for all area types, and also allows the information to be updated frequently enough in all area types. [3] Automatic determination and transmission of weather data and conditions at an airfield to aircraft according to claim 1 characterized bythat the data required for controlling the system, especially the transmitting devices, are stored on a central computer, typically called a server, accessible to all stations, and that each data record contains at least the radio frequency for the airfield's voice communication, the airfield's ICAO (International Civil Aviation Organization) identifier, the airfield's full name or an abbreviation thereof, the area type to which the airfield is assigned, the possible runways of the airfield, the airfield's operating hours, the significance of the data, a system-standardized list of notes, a sequential number of the airfield within the area type for determining the transmission time according to claim 2, and a unique identifier for identifying the transmitting device as described in claim 4. [4] Automatic determination and transmission of weather data and conditions at an airfield to aircraft according to claim 1 characterized by , that each transmitting device participating in the system according to claim 1, in order to obtain the sequential number required to calculate the transmission time provided for the transmitting device according to claim 5, sends a unique and unchanging identifier, for example its serial number or an unchanging identifier incorporated into a processor, which may for example be a number or a code consisting of digits, characters and letters, to the central server according to claim 3, by the transmitting device registering with the server according to claim 3 via the Internet at least after being switched on or regularly at intervals of specified times and receiving the data listed in claim 3 after being released by the server. [5] Automatic determination and transmission of weather data and conditions at an airfield to aircraft according to one of the preceding claims characterized by that the transmitting devices according to claim 1 use a higher-level public time signal together with the area types according to claim 2 and the data of the central server according to claim 3 for timing control and that all transmitting devices calculate their own transmission time using the same algorithm with the help of this data. [6] Automatic determination and transmission of weather data and conditions at an airfield to aircraft according to one of the preceding claims characterized by, that the data relevant to the aircraft is filtered out of the transmitted data by a receiving device via the selection of the airfield's radio frequency, by connecting the radio for voice communication and the receiving device, and by the radio providing the frequency set for voice communication at the interface. [7] Automatic determination and transmission of weather data and conditions at an airfield to aircraft according to one of the preceding claims characterized by , that the measured values ​​are processed and uniformly classified within the system, typically using aviation terminology and abbreviations, so that they are displayed to the pilot in an easily understandable form of short text, symbols or graphics, for example as a wind arrow, and optionally also in the form of speech. [8] Automatic determination and transmission of weather data and conditions at an airfield to aircraft according to one of the preceding claims characterized by , that the receiver according to claim 6 optionally issues a warning, for example in the form of a flashing display or a warning tone, about a potentially incorrect runway if, from the current direction of flight, position, altitude, speed, position of the flaps, air brakes or landing gear of the aircraft, the receiver detects that the aircraft is not heading for the recommended runway. [9] Automatic determination and transmission of weather data and conditions at an airfield to aircraft according to one of the preceding claims characterized by that the transmitted data according to claim 1 is used by a device that operates independently of the receiving device according to claim 1 and is displayed on this device or incorporated into another program.

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