AIRCRAFT DETECTION METHOD

Description

[0001] The invention relates to a method for detecting aircraft of a certain type in airspace surveillance systems.

[0002] The relevant prior art is discussed in US 2018 / 128895 A1.

[0003] The importance of air traffic is constantly growing and is reflected in rising passenger numbers and rising air freight volumes. In addition, the airspace is also used by unmanned aircraft such as drones and model airplanes, with a steady increase in flight movements in this area as well. The increased traffic volume in the airspace increases the risk of collisions. Common airspace surveillance systems display all flight movements that take place within a specific surveillance area. This also shows the flight movements of many aircraft for which there is no risk of collision with another flying object. For example, a large number of flight movements take place or are displayed over model airfields, but due to their lower altitude, these usually do not pose a risk of collision with a commercial aircraft.On the other hand, an unmanned aircraft, such as a drone, can pose a significant risk to air traffic near an airport. Conventional air traffic control systems cannot capture this diverse risk, so all flight movements are displayed and must be evaluated by an air traffic controller. The increase in air traffic is therefore accompanied by an increasing flood of information for air traffic controllers, increasing the risk that they will miss relevant information. Conventional air traffic control systems are therefore reaching their limits and are unable to address the growing risk of collisions in airspace.

[0004] The object of the invention is therefore to reduce the risk of collisions in airspace. The invention achieves this object by making available airspace surveillance information recorded in the past which originates from aircraft of this type, by using the recorded airspace surveillance information to determine at least one region, in particular several regions, in which there is increased activity of aircraft of this type, wherein in determining regions (R 1 , R 2 ), those airspace surveillance information are used which correspond to the current day in that they are two days which lie within a predetermined time interval in the year, and by considering those aircraft in the currently available airspace surveillance information as aircraft of this type,that are located in the identified region, and where the airspace surveillance information is displayed visually, with aircraft assigned to the specific aircraft type being displayed separately or hidden. A geometric shape, such as a cylinder, a cuboid, or a corridor, can be identified as a region. This makes it possible to identify aircraft that do not contribute to the risk of collisions. The procedure enables a distinction to be made between normal flight movements that define a common risk area and individual flight movements that, due to their unusual circumstances, require display. This simplifies the recording of information for an air traffic controller.

[0005] It may be stipulated that unmanned aircraft are defined as a specific type of aircraft. Alternatively or additionally, aircraft operated under visual flight rules may be considered a specific type. For example, a model airfield or an airfield used exclusively under visual flight rules can be identified as a region. The aircraft operated there contribute to the complexity of airspace surveillance, whereas the risk of collisions for these aircraft operating within the area of ​​the model airfield is not significant for airspace surveillance.

[0006] To facilitate monitoring of the system, the airspace surveillance information can be visually displayed, with the identified region overlaid. This makes it possible to show the regions in which a large number of flight movements are potentially occurring that could pose a common risk. This simplifies the display of flight movements and facilitates analysis, thus reducing the risk of overlooking relevant information and also reducing the risk of collisions.

[0007] To enable reliable identification of an aircraft type, it can be provided that airspace surveillance information whose recording time of day falls within a specified time interval around the current time of day is used to determine regions. For example, a model airfield can be displayed as a collision risk area during the day, while every flight movement over the model airfield is displayed at night. This allows for unusual flight movements to be detected.

[0008] Further criteria for normal operation of a model airfield may include whether the day is a weekday or a public holiday, and / or that it is the same day of the week, and / or that similar weather conditions prevail. This procedure thus makes it possible to distinguish between normal flight movements, which define a common risk area, and individual flight movements that, due to their unusual circumstances, require reporting.

[0009] In order to simplify the detection of abnormal aircraft movements, it may be provided that, when identifying a region, a threshold is determined on the basis of the number of aircraft movements that usually occur and that the aircraft in the region in question are marked as belonging to the type only if the number of those aircraft exceeds the threshold assigned to the region.

[0010] In order to adapt the method to the area of ​​application, it can be provided that the threshold value assigned to a region is modified by multiplying it by a factor based on at least one of the following location-related circumstances: Population density in the area in question, the presence of certain landmarks, particularly those with an increased need for security against aviation-related hazards, the presence of special airspace areas, and terrain hazardous to air traffic. This can, for example, take into account the increased risk of collisions near an airport. At the same time, any violation of a restricted military area can be demonstrated.

[0011] Unusual flight movements can also be improved if the regions are determined exclusively using airspace surveillance information from a time window that is defined in a predetermined manner relative to the current time, in particular by specifying the start and end times relative to the current time. This can further reduce the risk of collisions.

[0012] An advantageous embodiment of the invention is illustrated by way of example in the following drawing without limiting the general inventive concept.

[0013] Fig. 1a bis 1c show flight movements in a specific area at a specific time. Fig. 2a bis 2c show the flight movements from Fig. 1 identified regions. Fig. 3a bis 3c show the flight movements from Fig. 1a-1c when applying the regions from Fig. 2a-2c . Fig. 4a bis 4c show flight movements over the area Fig. 1a-1c at another time. Fig. 5a bis 5c show a three-dimensional view of the area at different times.

[0014] In Fig. 1a An area and the flight movements taking place in this area are depicted from a bird's eye view. The area includes a passenger airport 5 and a model airfield 6. Next to these, houses 7 are depicted. At the model airfield 6, an unmanned aircraft 1 is operated with a flight path 2. Furthermore, a connecting flight takes place between the houses 7 with an unmanned aircraft 1 with the flight path 2. The connecting flight between the houses 7 can, for example, be a regularly occurring supply flight. Additionally, manned aircraft 3 are depicted, which cover transport routes 4. Fig. 1b are the flight movements from Fig. 1a shown in side view. Fig. 1c shows a radar view as it appears to an air traffic controller with a surveillance screen 8 in front of them. The unmanned aircraft 1 are also shown, making the view very confusing. In addition to the individual aircraft 1, 3, the respective paths 2, 4 of each aircraft are also shown.

[0015] Fig. 2a bis 2c show the area Fig. 1a bis 1c , wherein, based on airspace surveillance information from the unmanned aircraft 1 originating from the past, the regions R 1 , R 2 in which increased activity of unmanned aircraft 1 has been detected are determined. For this purpose, airspace surveillance information originating from aircraft 1 of a specific type, for example from unmanned aircraft 1 or from aircraft operated according to visual flight rules, is made available in advance. In the embodiment shown, it is provided that only data originating from a time window is taken into account which is defined in a predetermined manner relative to the current time, in particular by specifying the start and end times relative to the current time. The regions R 1 , R 2 in question are created in such a way that they comprise those areas of the airspace in which the aircraft of a specific type are typically located.For example, cuboids or cylinders, or structures composed of these, are used as regions R 1 , R 2 . These regions R 1 , R 2 can be displayed to the air traffic controller as geometric bodies. In the illustrated embodiment, R 2 is cylindrical, while R 1 is depicted as a corridor between the buildings 7.

[0016] In Fig. 3a bis 3c is a reduced view of the Fig. 1a bis 1c shown flight movements are shown. For this representation, in the currently available airspace surveillance information, those aircraft are regarded as aircraft of the previously defined type that are located in one of the determined regions R 1 , R 2 . In the case shown, aircraft located in the regions R 1 , R 2 are regarded as unmanned aircraft 1. Since unmanned aircraft 1 play a subordinate role for airspace surveillance if their flight path 2 lies exclusively in the regions R 1 , R 2 , aircraft that are detected in these regions R 1 , R 2 can be viewed in Fig. 3c be hidden. The regions R 1 , R 2 are displayed on the surveillance screen 8, while individual unmanned aircraft 1 are not displayed. This makes the surveillance screen 8 significantly clearer. In an alternative embodiment, it can also be provided that the aircraft 1 are displayed, but can be distinguished from aircraft 3 due to a separate display.

[0017] Fig. 4 shows the area Fig. 1 at a different time when other flight movements are detected. Region R 1 is not shown because it has been determined from the airspace surveillance information available from the past that there is usually no supply flight at the time shown. Region R 1 is therefore at the time shown in Fig. 4 The region R 2 is also considered to be a region with increased activity of unmanned aircraft 1 at the time of the presentation of the Fig. 4 was determined and is therefore also presented. Fig. 4 further shows an unmanned aircraft 1 whose flight path 2 leads out of region R 2. This unmanned aircraft 1 is therefore shown where it has left region R 2. Since the unmanned aircraft 1 has left region R 2, there is a risk of collisions with other aircraft 3, so the unmanned aircraft 1 is also shown on the surveillance screen 8.

[0018] Fig. 5a shows the area Fig. 1 in a three-dimensional oblique view. In Fig. 5a All flight movements over this area at time t 0 are shown. Each of these flight movements appears on a monitoring screen 8, so the representation of the flight movements in this area is very confusing.

[0019] Fig. 5b shows the area at time t 1 . Time t 1 can, for example, be the morning of a working day. To calculate regions R 1 , R 2 , data collected on working day mornings was used, with particular reference to data from the same period on the same day of the week. At time t 1 , region R 1 was determined from the airspace surveillance information available for the past, since at time t 1 there are regular supply flights between houses 7 with unmanned aircraft 1. An aircraft located in region R 1 is regarded as an unmanned aircraft 1. It is therefore hidden from the view on a surveillance screen 8. At this time, model airfield 6 is sparsely visited or may even be closed.Therefore, based on the airspace surveillance information available from the past, no increased activity of unmanned aircraft 1 over model airfield 6 could be determined for the morning of a working day. A threshold is determined for the area of ​​model airfield 6, and aircraft 1 are only considered to belong to the specific type if this threshold is exceeded. Region R 2 is therefore not relevant for time t 1. The unmanned aircraft 1 operated at time t 1 is therefore shown. In the embodiment shown, the threshold was determined based on the special airspace area of ​​model airfield 6. In another embodiment, thresholds can also be determined based on population density, the presence of terrain that is dangerous for the airspace, or based on prominent points, e.g. with an increased need for security against aviation-related hazards.This makes it possible, for example, for every aircraft 1 to be displayed in the vicinity of the passenger airport 5.

[0020] In Fig. 5cthe situation is shown at a further point in time t 2, where time t 2 is, for example, on a weekend. To calculate regions R 1, R 2, data is therefore used which also originate from weekends. For time t 2, region R 2 above model airfield 6 was identified as a region with increased activity of unmanned aircraft 1. For time t 2, every aircraft located in region R 2 is regarded as an unmanned aircraft 1 and is therefore hidden in a view on a surveillance screen 8. Since operations at a model airfield 6 also depend on the current weather conditions, this criterion can also be taken into account when determining regions R 1, R 2, so that only data from the past, which originate from periods with comparable weather conditions, is used to calculate regions R 1, R 2.In order to take account of individual, annually recurring events, it may also be provided that airspace surveillance information from the past is used, which originates from a day that corresponds to the current day in that both days of the year lie within a specified period.

[0021] At time t 2, no increased activity could be detected for the area between houses 7 based on the airspace surveillance information recorded in the past. Therefore, at time t 2, region R 1 does not exist.

[0022] The method presented here therefore enables the detection of aircraft of a specific type. This method can be used to more clearly display flight movements for a specific area, thus making airspace surveillance systems more secure.

Claims

1. Method for detecting aircraft (1) of a specific type in airspace surveillance systems, wherein a) airspace surveillance information recorded in the past is made available which originates from aircraft (1) of this type, b) at least one region (R1, R2), in particular several regions (R1, R2), which comprises a region of the airspace in which there is increased activity of aircraft (1) of this type is determined on the basis of the recorded airspace surveillance information, wherein in the determination of regions (R1, R2) the airspace surveillance information is used which corresponds with the current day in that two days are involved that fall within a predetermined time interval in the year, and c) in the currently available airspace surveillance information, those aircraft (1; 3) which are located in the determined region (R1, R2) are regarded as aircraft (1) of this type, and wherein the airspace surveillance information is visually represented, wherein aircraft (1) that have been assigned to the specific type of aircraft (1) are represented separately or are hidden.

2. Method according to claim 1, wherein unmanned aircraft and / or aircraft operated according to visual flight rules are defined as the specific type of aircraft (1).

3. Method according to any one of the preceding claims, wherein the airspace surveillance information is visually represented and the determined region (R1, R2) is additionally overlaid on this representation.

4. Method according to any one of the preceding claims, wherein in the determination of regions (R1, R2) the airspace surveillance information is used whose recording time lies within a predetermined time interval around the current time of day.

5. Method according to any one of the preceding claims, wherein in the determination of regions (R1, R2) the airspace surveillance information is used that corresponds with the current day in that - the day is a working day or public holiday, and / or - it is the same day of the week, and / or - similar weather conditions prevail.

6. Method according to any one of the preceding claims, characterised in that - in the determination of a region (R1, R2) a threshold value is determined on the basis of the number of aircraft movements that typically occur, and - the aircraft located in the respective region (R1, R2) are only regarded as belonging to the type if the number of these aircraft exceeds the threshold value assigned to the region (R1, R2).

7. Method according to claim 6, wherein the threshold value assigned to a region is modified by multiplication by a factor on the basis of at least one of the following location-related conditions: - population density in the respective area, - presence of certain distinctive points, in particular with an increased need for security against aviation-related hazards, - presence of special airspace areas, - terrain that is hazardous to air traffic.

8. Method according to any one of the preceding claims, wherein for the determination of the regions (R1, R2) only airspace surveillance information is used that originates from a time window that is defined in a predetermined manner with respect to the current time, in particular by specifying a start and end time with respect to the current time.