Method and system for controlling lighting of flight obstacles and computer program

Abstract

The invention relates to an antenna mast of a cellular mobile phone network, comprising one or more mobile phone antennas for forming an air interface between the mobile phone network and mobile phones located in the vicinity. The invention further relates to a method for providing flight data from aircraft, a computer program for carrying out such a method, and a corresponding system for providing flight data from aircraft.

Description

[0001] The invention relates to an antenna mast of a cellular mobile phone network, comprising one or more mobile phone antennas for forming an air interface between the mobile phone network and mobile phones located in the vicinity. The invention further relates to a method for providing flight data from aircraft, a computer program for carrying out such a method, and a corresponding system for providing flight data from aircraft.

[0002] In general, the invention relates to the detection of aircraft flying at very low altitudes, e.g., low-flying helicopters or light aircraft. The acquisition and provision of data from such aircraft can be used, for example, to control signal transmitters at aviation obstacles, such as for the timely activation of intermittent lighting systems on wind turbines. The corresponding data can, of course, also be used for other purposes, e.g., to display aircraft movements in a monitored area.

[0003] Proposals for controlling obstacle lighting using aircraft transponder signals are known from DE 20 2005 019 193 U1 and EP 2 432 693 B1. Since such transponder signals typically already contain altitude and location information of the aircraft, a comparison with the geographical position of an aviation obstacle allows conclusions to be drawn about a collision risk and, consequently, the need to activate the obstacle lighting.

[0004] The invention is based on the objective of demonstrating alternative and / or improved possibilities for detecting the flight movements of aircraft.

[0005] This problem is solved by an antenna mast of a cellular mobile phone network, comprising one or more mobile phone antennas for forming an air interface between the mobile phone network and mobile phones located in the vicinity, wherein at least one receiving device for receiving aircraft transponder signals is arranged on the antenna mast. According to the invention, it was recognized that cellular mobile phone networks offer an advantageous infrastructure for monitoring air traffic, since they already have a relatively dense nationwide network of antenna masts, which, according to the invention, only needs to be extended by one receiving device for receiving aircraft transponder signals in order to enable reliable air traffic monitoring, particularly at very low altitudes.Since the necessary resources, such as electrical power supply and connection to a data network, are already available in the vicinity of such an antenna mast, the corresponding expansion is simple and cost-effective to implement. The antenna mast may, for example, already house a mobile phone network base station.

[0006] According to an advantageous embodiment of the invention, the receiving device for receiving aircraft transponder signals comprises a receiving antenna with a reception characteristic that is at least predominantly horizontally oriented. This enables particularly efficient and long-range detection of low-flying aircraft. The detection of high-flying aircraft, on the other hand, is irrelevant for the realization of this embodiment of the invention.

[0007] The aforementioned task can also be accomplished by a cellular mobile network, for example, a nationwide cellular mobile network that relies exclusively or predominantly on antenna masts of the type described above. This also allows the previously explained advantages to be realized. In this context, a nationwide cellular mobile network also includes a mobile network that is fundamentally designed for nationwide operation but may have network coverage of less than 100%.

[0008] According to an advantageous embodiment of the invention, a system for controlling aviation obstruction lights is coupled, at least via data transmission, to the receiving device of at least one antenna mast of the type described above, to several receiving devices of several antenna masts of the type described above, and / or to a cellular mobile phone network of the type described above. The system for controlling the aviation obstruction lights is configured to control the aviation obstruction lights based on data or signals received by the receiving device(s). Controlling the aviation obstruction lights includes, in particular, switching them on and / or off. The system for controlling aviation obstruction lights can be a local installation associated with a wind turbine or a wind farm.The system for controlling the aircraft obstruction lighting can also be independent of individual wind turbines or wind farms, e.g., a system of the type described below for providing aircraft flight data. The generation of on and / or off signals for the aircraft obstruction lighting can, for example, be carried out using a method of the type described below.

[0009] The aforementioned task is also solved by a procedure for providing flight data from aircraft, comprising the following steps: a) At several receiving devices installed at different locations, radio-transmitted identification data sets of aircraft are received, wherein an identification data set contains at least one piece of information uniquely identifying the respective aircraft transmitting the identification data set; b) in the respective receiving device (2), at least one physical characteristic value measured in the receiving device (2), in particular a reception time and / or a reception power, of the received identification data set is assigned to a received identification data set; c) in an evaluation device, the characteristic values ​​originating from an aircraft are related to each other in such a way that variances between the received radio signals are determined in the form of differences between the characteristic values; d) from the variances, the current three-dimensional geographical position of the aircraft is determined.

[0010] The three-dimensional geographic position of the aircraft can, in particular, include its geographic longitude, latitude, and altitude. In this way, the current three-dimensional geographic position of the aircraft can be reliably determined by cooperatively evaluating identification data sets received at various receiving devices. The method according to the invention is therefore, in particular, independent of the presence of data characterizing the aircraft's geographic position in the aircraft's transponder signals. This has the advantage that the method according to the invention is compatible with any type of radio-transmitted aircraft identification data set, regardless of whether these identification data sets contain their own information about the aircraft's geographic position or not. The method according to the invention is thus significantly less susceptible to interference than known solutions.

[0011] The receiving equipment can be, in particular, equipment for receiving aircraft transponder signals. The receiving equipment can be distributed evenly or unevenly across a monitored area, for example, by being located on antenna masts of a cellular mobile phone network, as previously explained.

[0012] A physical parameter measured in the receiving device can be, for example, a reception time determined by time measurement and / or a reception power determined by power measurement. The reception power can be obtained, for example, from an RSSI signal (RSSI - Received Signal Strength Information) provided by the receiving device. The evaluation unit can then, for example, relate the reception times and / or reception powers originating from an aircraft to each other in such a way that variations between the received radio signals are determined in the form of time differences in the reception times and / or power differences in the reception powers.

[0013] The additional information assigned to a received identifier data record in step b) at the respective receiving device, such as the time of reception, reception power, and / or other measured physical parameters, can be supplied to the evaluation unit, for example, in the form of a data packet. The evaluation unit can be a central unit, located either remotely from all receiving devices or integrated with one. Alternatively, the evaluation unit can consist of several separate computer units located at one or different locations and networked together. For example, parts of the evaluation unit can be located integrated with receiving devices, while other parts are located remotely.

[0014] According to an advantageous embodiment of the invention, the three-dimensional geographic position of the aircraft is determined from the variances by triangulation and / or trilateration. This allows for a reliable computational determination of the aircraft's three-dimensional geographic position. For this purpose, data sets from at least three remotely separated receiving devices are typically required. If data sets from more than three receiving devices are available, these can be used to increase the accuracy (redundancy) of determining the aircraft's three-dimensional geographic position.

[0015] According to an advantageous embodiment of the invention, the aircraft's flight direction and / or airspeed are determined from a plurality of three-dimensional geographical positions successively determined for an aircraft. In this way, further information can be determined from the identification data sets received by the multiple receiving devices, enabling a prediction of the three-dimensional geographical position into the future. This, in turn, has the advantage of making the method even less susceptible to interference, because short gaps in the received data can be computationally compensated for using the flight direction and airspeed.

[0016] According to an advantageous embodiment of the invention, the evaluation unit provides the three-dimensional geographic position of the aircraft to systems for controlling aviation obstruction lights and / or sends on and / or off signals for switching the obstruction lights on or off. Thus, the evaluation unit can either participate directly in controlling the obstruction lights by providing on and / or off signals, or, if the evaluation unit merely provides the three-dimensional geographic position to other systems for controlling aviation obstruction lights, these systems can automatically take over the control of the obstruction lights (switching them on / off) by comparing this position with a known geographic position of an aviation obstruction.

[0017] According to an advantageous embodiment of the invention, a comparison is performed at predetermined times between the three-dimensional geographic position of the aircraft determined by the evaluation unit and position data transmitted by the aircraft itself via radio, which characterize the aircraft's three-dimensional geographic position. In this way, the data calculated by the method according to the invention, i.e., the current three-dimensional geographic position and, if applicable, data derived therefrom such as flight direction and / or airspeed, can be supported by the signals provided, for example, by the transponder. This further improves the safety of the method according to the invention as well as the data integrity.

[0018] According to an advantageous embodiment of the invention, a first minimum activation time for the obstruction lighting is determined in the event of a loss of the received radio signal from an aircraft. This initial activation time is calculated based on the previously determined flight direction and airspeed of the aircraft. Accordingly, in the event of such a signal loss, the duration of the aircraft's stay in the area of ​​the obstructions can be at least estimated, and the first minimum activation time ensures that the obstruction lighting is not switched off before the aircraft has left the obstruction area. Thus, the obstruction lighting is only switched off once the first minimum activation time has elapsed.

[0019] According to an advantageous embodiment of the invention, a second minimum activation time for the obstruction lighting is additionally defined, independent of the aircraft's flight data. The obstruction lighting is only deactivated once both the first and second minimum activation times have elapsed. In this way, an activation duration for the obstruction lighting is defined that is independent of the calculated data, thereby further increasing safety against premature deactivation of the obstruction lighting.

[0020] The aforementioned task can also be solved by a computer program using program code designed to carry out a procedure of the type described above, provided the procedure is executed on a computer. This also allows the previously described advantages to be realized. The computer can, for example, be the computer of the evaluation unit or one or more computers belonging to computer systems that constitute the evaluation unit.

[0021] The aforementioned task is also solved by a system for providing flight data from aircraft with the following characteristics: a) Several receiving devices installed at different locations and configured to receive identification data sets transmitted by radio from aircraft, wherein an identification data set contains at least one piece of information uniquely identifying the respective aircraft transmitting the identification data set; b) each receiving device is configured to assign at least one physical characteristic value measured in the receiving device, in particular a time of reception and / or a reception power of the received identification data set, to a received identification data set; c) an evaluation device configured to relate the characteristic values ​​originating from an aircraft to each other in such a way that variances between the received radio signals are determined in the form of differences between the characteristic values; d) the evaluation device is configured toto determine the current three-dimensional geographic position of the aircraft from the variances.

[0022] This also allows the previously explained advantages to be realized. In this case, several or all of the system's receiving units can be located on a single antenna mast of a cellular mobile network. Several or all of the system's receiving units can each be configured to receive aircraft transponder signals.

[0023] The invention is explained in more detail below with reference to exemplary embodiments and drawings.

[0024] They show Figure 1 - a geographical overview of a plant according to the invention and Figure 2 - a schematic representation of a plant according to the invention.

[0025] The Figure 1Figure 1 shows a geographical area containing numerous receiving facilities, each marked with an "X". The area also contains various aviation obstacles, exemplified by wind farms 4 and 5. An aircraft 1 is flying over the area. The aircraft 1 is represented by an arrow indicating its direction of flight. As can be seen, the aircraft 1 is flying towards a wind farm 5.

[0026] Aircraft 1 has a radio transmitter, e.g., an aircraft transponder, through which identification data records of aircraft 1 are transmitted via radio. For example, in the Figure 1It is shown that the identification data records of the aircraft 1 are received by three nearby receiving devices 2 and further processed according to the invention; that is, a received identification data record is assigned a reception time and / or a reception power in the respective receiving device 2. The data packets provided in this way in the receiving devices 2 are fed to an evaluation device 3, in which the variances between the received radio signals are determined in the form of time differences of the reception times and / or power differences of the reception power. From the variances, the current three-dimensional geographical position of the aircraft 1 is determined. In the evaluation device 3, the flight direction and the flight speed of the aircraft 1 can also be determined.

[0027] In one embodiment of the invention, the receiving devices 2, X can provide the following information as a data packet: Time of reception T Signal strength P The aircraft 1 uniquely identifiable information, e.g. a transponder identification number and / or a transponder signal number

[0028] Optionally, the receiving devices 2, X can additionally provide one, several or all of the following information in the data packet, each of which is read from the identification data record of the aircraft 1: Aircraft speed 1 Aircraft altitude 1 Aircraft direction 1

[0029] The evaluation unit 3 can then, taking into account the geographical positions of the wind farms 4, 5 known to it, generate switch-on and / or switch-off signals to switch the aviation obstruction lights on or off and transmit them to the obstruction lights. For example, in the Figure 1 In the example shown, evaluation unit 3 generates switch-on signals for the aircraft obstruction lighting of wind farm 5, thus switching the obstruction lighting on. Evaluation unit 3 can also generate switch-off signals for the aircraft obstruction lighting of wind farm 5, thus switching the obstruction lighting off again.

[0030] The Figure 2This figure particularly illustrates the interaction of the individual elements of the system and the data flows. The receiving devices 2, X are each arranged on antenna masts 6, e.g., on an antenna mast of a cellular mobile phone network. The data packets provided by the receiving devices 2, X are transmitted to the evaluation unit 3 via data connections 7. The evaluation unit 3 performs the described evaluations and transmits the activation and / or deactivation signals for the aircraft obstruction lights via data connections 8 to the aircraft obstructions or the wind farms 4, 5. Data transmission via data connections 7, 8 can be wired or wireless.

[0031] The on and / or off signals transmitted via the data connections 8 are provided to the respective control units 10 in the wind farms 4, 5 via interface devices 9. The control units 10 serve to convert the on and off signals into corresponding activations of the obstacle lighting. For example, the control unit 10 can switch the electrical power supply of a signal transmitter of the aircraft obstacle lighting on and off.

Claims

1. Antenna mast (6) of a cellular mobile phone network, comprising one or more mobile phone antennas for forming an air interface of the mobile phone network to mobile phones located in the vicinity, characterized by the fact that at least a receiving device (2) for receiving aircraft transponder signals is arranged on the antenna mast (6).

2. Antenna mast according to claim 1, characterized by the fact that the receiving device (2) for receiving aircraft transponder signals has a receiving antenna with at least a predominantly horizontally oriented reception characteristic.

3. Cellular mobile phone network, characterized by the fact that the mobile phone network comprises exclusively or predominantly antenna masts (6) according to one of claims 1 to 2.

4. Method for providing flight data of aircraft (1) comprising the following steps: a) at several receiving devices (2) installed at different locations, radio-transmitted identification data sets of aircraft (1) are received, wherein an identification data set contains at least one piece of information uniquely identifying the respective aircraft (1) transmitting the identification data set; b) in the respective receiving device (2), at least one physical characteristic value measured in the receiving device (2), in particular a time of reception and / or a power of reception, of the received identification data set is assigned to a received identification data set; c) in an evaluation device (3), the characteristic values ​​originating from an aircraft (1) are related to each other in such a way that variances between the received radio signals are determined in the form of differences between the characteristic values.d) The current three-dimensional geographic position of the aircraft (1) is determined from the variances.

5. Method according to claim 4, characterized by the fact that the three-dimensional geographic position of the aircraft (1) is determined from the variances by triangulation and / or trilateration.

6. Method according to one of claims 4 to 5, characterized by the fact that The direction of flight and / or the speed of the aircraft (1) is determined from a multitude of three-dimensional geographical positions (1) determined successively for the aircraft.

7. Method according to any one of claims 4 to 6, characterized by the fact that the evaluation unit (3) provides the three-dimensional geographical position of the aircraft (1) to systems (9, 10) for controlling obstruction lights and / or sends on and / or off signals to turn on or off obstruction lights.

8. Method according to any one of claims 4 to 7, characterized by the fact that at least at predetermined times a comparison is carried out between the three-dimensional geographical position of the aircraft (1) determined by the evaluation device (3) and position data transmitted by the aircraft (1) itself via radio, which characterize the three-dimensional geographical position of the aircraft (1).

9. Method according to any one of claims 4 to 8, characterized by the fact that In the event of loss of the received radio signal of an aircraft (1), a first minimum activation time for the obstruction lighting is determined, which is calculated on the basis of the previously determined flight direction and airspeed of the aircraft (1).

10. Method according to claim 9, characterized by the fact thatAdditionally, a second minimum on-time is specified for the obstruction lighting, independent of the flight data of the aircraft (1), whereby the obstruction lighting is only deactivated when the first and the second minimum on-time have expired.

11. Computer program with program code means, configured to carry out a method according to any one of claims 4 to 10, when the method is executed on a computer.

12. System for providing flight data from aircraft (1) comprising the following features: a) several receiving devices (2) installed at different locations and configured to receive identification data sets transmitted by radio from aircraft (1), wherein an identification data set contains at least one piece of information uniquely identifying the respective aircraft (1) transmitting the identification data set; b) each receiving device (2) is configured to assign at least one physical characteristic value measured in the receiving device (2), in particular a time of reception and / or a reception power of the received identification data set, to a received identification data set; c) an evaluation device (3) configured to relate the characteristic values ​​originating from an aircraft (1) to each other in such a way as tothat variances between the received radio signals are determined in the form of differences between the characteristic values, d) the evaluation device is configured to determine the current three-dimensional geographical position of the aircraft (1) from the variances.

13. System according to claim 12, characterized by the fact that several or all receiving devices (2) of the installation are each arranged on an antenna mast (6) of a cellular mobile phone network.

14. Device according to claim 12 or 13, characterized by the fact that several or all receiving devices (2) of the installation are each configured as receiving devices for receiving aircraft transponder signals.