Aircraft Collision Risk Assessment with Lateral Maneuverability
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing aircraft collision avoidance systems only consider vertical maneuverability and a narrow flight path, ignoring lateral maneuverability and dynamic hazards, providing limited information for pilots or autopilots in situations requiring significant deviations and failing to account for dynamic obstacles.
Innovation Solution
A method and apparatus that determine an aircraft's risk of collision by considering its maneuverability, initial trajectory, and candidate positions, incorporating Gaussian probability distributions to assess the likelihood of occupying these positions and the presence of hazards, including dynamic obstacles, to provide a continuous or categorized risk indicator.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If existing collision avoidance systems only consider vertical maneuverability and narrow flight path, then the system complexity is reduced, but the collision avoidance capability and information availability for pilots are insufficient
Solution Approach 1:
The patent extends the traditional vertical maneuverability consideration to include lateral maneuverability dimensions. The system calculates probability of occupancy in three-dimensional space by considering both vertical and lateral movements, providing comprehensive collision risk assessment that accounts for all possible aircraft maneuvers within a time period.
Solution Approach 2:
The system segments the collision risk assessment into multiple independent components: probability of occupancy calculation, hazard presence determination, and risk computation. This modular approach allows complex risk assessment to be broken down into manageable calculations while maintaining overall system reliability.
2Loss of information
If existing systems provide binary risk indicators, then the system complexity is reduced, but the information availability and decision-making support for pilots are limited
Solution Approach 1:
The system transforms the binary risk indicator into a continuous probability-based risk assessment. By calculating the probability of occupancy at candidate positions and combining it with hazard presence, the system provides graded risk information that enables more nuanced decision-making while maintaining computational feasibility through standardized probability calculations.
3Adaptability or versatility
If existing systems only consider narrow window along planned flight path, then the calculation time is reduced, but the maneuvering options and safe alternatives available to pilots are limited
Solution Approach 1:
The system performs preliminary calculations of candidate positions and probability distributions before actual collision risk assessment. By pre-calculating the probability of occupancy across multiple candidate trajectories and positions within a time period, the system prepares comprehensive maneuvering options in advance, enabling rapid decision-making when collisions are detected.
Data Source
AI summary
A method of determining an aircraft's risk of collision at a candidate position includes determining the candidate position which the aircraft is capable of traversing to within a time period, based on the aircraft's: i) initial position; ii) initial trajectory; and iii) maneuverability. The method also includes determining a probability that the aircraft will traverse to the candidate position, and determining a presence of any collision hazards at the candidate position. A risk of collision is determined based on the determined probability that the aircraft will occupy the candidate position, and the determined presence of any collision hazards.