Aircraft Excursion Detection Using Vision System
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Solution Overview
Problem
Current methods for analyzing aircraft excursions, such as departing from a runway or taxiway, are inefficient and time-consuming, relying heavily on pilot reports and data from sensors not optimized for excursion detection, which can lead to inaccurate assessments and prolonged aircraft downtime.
Innovation Solution
A computer-implemented method using sensors and a vision system to detect and record aircraft excursions by obtaining and time-stamping sensor data, operating the vision system to detect the aircraft leaving or returning to the runway or taxiway, and compiling an excursion report with relevant data.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If pilot reports and existing sensors are used to analyze excursions, then the assessment can be performed with available resources, but the process is long and arduous resulting in aircraft being out of service for long periods
Solution Approach 1:
The system performs preliminary actions by continuously monitoring aircraft position using the vision system before an excursion occurs. The aircraft location is tracked in real-time, and excursion events are automatically detected and recorded at the moment they happen, rather than waiting for pilot reports. This preliminary detection and automatic recording of excursion data eliminates the time-consuming manual analysis process while maintaining accurate assessment through dedicated excursion detection capabilities.
2Device complexity
If existing sensors positioned for other purposes are used, then device complexity is reduced, but the sensors cannot optimally distinguish excursion events from other events
Solution Approach 1:
The vision system performs multiple functions: it is used for both primary aviation purposes (such as terrain awareness and navigation) and for dedicated excursion detection. By making the vision system multi-functional, the patent avoids adding separate dedicated sensors while achieving accurate excursion detection. The system can distinguish excursion events from other events by analyzing specific patterns in the vision data combined with aircraft position information, thereby maintaining measurement precision without increasing device complexity.
3Reliability
If manual piecing together of information is performed, then comprehensive analysis can be achieved, but the process is time-consuming and labor-intensive
Solution Approach 1:
The system merges multiple data sources (vision system data, aircraft position data, sensor data) into a unified automated analysis process. Instead of manually piecing together information from separate sources, the system automatically integrates all relevant data streams to detect excursions and generate comprehensive reports. This combining of data sources and automated processing maintains complete and reliable analysis while dramatically improving productivity by eliminating manual intervention.
4Ease of manufacture
If accelerometer data from centre of aircraft is used, then sensor placement is simplified, but the data cannot distinguish between different types of aircraft movements
Solution Approach 1:
The vision system acts as an intermediary that provides additional contextual information to differentiate between different types of aircraft movements. While accelerometers at the aircraft center provide simplified measurement, the vision system captures visual data about the aircraft's position relative to the runway or taxiway. By combining the accelerometer data with vision system data, the system can accurately distinguish between excursions and other movements such as landing gear impacts, thereby maintaining measurement precision without complicating sensor installation.
Data Source
AI summary
A computer-implemented method of obtaining an excursion report for an aircraft is disclosed. The aircraft includes one or more sensors and a vision system, and the method includes obtaining sensor data from the one or more sensors; storing and time-stamping the sensor data; operating the vision system to detect the aircraft leaving a runway or taxiway; recording a start time of an excursion period based on a time of detection of the aircraft leaving the runway or taxiway; operating the vision system to detect the aircraft returning to the runway or taxiway; recording an end time of the excursion period based on a time of detection of the aircraft returning to the runway or taxiway; and compiling an excursion report, the excursion report comprising: the start time of the excursion period, the end time of the excursion period and a subset of the sensor data which was time-stamped during the excursion period.