Aircraft Navigation Risk Zone Calculation
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Solution Overview
Problem
Current aerial navigation aids, such as TAWS systems, are insufficient in protecting aircraft from obstacles as they only provide alerts when safety thresholds are crossed and do not effectively represent risk zones, making it difficult for crews to interpret and avoid potential collisions.
Innovation Solution
A method using a system with databases, calculation means, and a viewing device to acquire obstacle data, calculate collision risk zones, and display the limits of these zones, allowing pilots to anticipate and avoid risks by presenting remaining margins before alerts are triggered, utilizing instantaneous flight parameters and vertical avoidance trajectories.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If TAWS systems provide alert functions when safety thresholds are crossed, then collision warning capability is improved, but the system does not effectively represent risk zones making it difficult for crews to interpret and avoid potential collisions
Solution Approach 1:
The patent transforms the traditional TAWS alert system by adding a spatial dimension to the warning information. Instead of merely providing temporal alerts when thresholds are crossed, the system calculates and displays three-dimensional risk zones (volume of risk) that extend forward from the aircraft. This dimensional enhancement allows crews to visually perceive the spatial extent and location of potential collision risks, directly addressing the insufficient risk zone representation while maintaining the reliable alert function.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent introduces an intermediary processing layer between the TAWS alert function and the crew. The calculation means compute risk zones by integrating aircraft position, velocity, terrain data, and obstacle information, then present this processed spatial information through the viewing device. This intermediary transformation converts raw threshold-crossing alerts into intuitive visual risk zone representations, solving the interpretation difficulty while preserving the underlying collision warning reliability.
2Reliability
If TAWS systems compare theoretical trajectory with terrain and obstacles, then terrain anticollision monitoring is improved, but the representation is limited to discrepancy with relief and does not take obstacles into account
Solution Approach 1:
The patent merges the terrain monitoring function with obstacle detection into a unified risk zone calculation. The calculation means simultaneously process terrain data and obstacle data, integrating both information sources to compute a comprehensive volume of risk that encompasses both terrain and obstacle hazards. This merging ensures that obstacle information is fully incorporated into the anticollision monitoring, eliminating the limitation of separate treatment while maintaining the reliable terrain monitoring capability.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent enhances the TAWS system to perform multiple functions through a single integrated calculation process. The same calculation means that evaluate terrain discrepancy also process obstacle data to generate unified risk zones. This multi-functional approach allows the system to simultaneously provide terrain anticollision monitoring and obstacle awareness, resolving the information loss about obstacles while preserving the established terrain monitoring reliability.
3Reliability
If HELLAS systems scan the zone by means of laser beam to protect against collisions, then obstacle detection capability is improved, but the systems are complex and expensive and do not make it possible to represent the risk zones
Solution Approach 1:
The patent makes the existing TAWS system multi-functional by adding obstacle risk zone calculation to its terrain monitoring capabilities. Instead of requiring a separate laser scanning system, the invention utilizes the aircraft's existing navigation and terrain database systems to compute risk zones that incorporate obstacle information. This approach achieves comprehensive obstacle detection and risk zone representation while avoiding the complexity and expense of dedicated laser scanning hardware.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent enables the TAWS system to serve itself by using its existing computational resources and data structures to generate risk zone representations. The calculation means leverage the aircraft's own position, velocity, and terrain database already maintained by the navigation system, adding obstacle awareness functionality without requiring external complex detection systems. This self-service approach reduces device complexity while maintaining reliable obstacle detection capability.
Data Source
AI summary
The invention relates to a method of presenting zones at risk for an aircraft comprising a system of databases, a processor, an anticollision device and a viewing device, wherein to display on the viewing device the zones at risk in relation to the obstacles, the processor carries out the steps of: acquiring obstacle data, the data corresponding to obstacles situated in the aircraft's close displacement zone; calculating the risk of collision with each of the obstacles of the displacement zone; calculating the limits of the zones at risk of collision in the close displacement zone, these limits representing the positions from which the anticollision device might possibly produce collision alerts in relation to the obstacles if the aircraft were to steer towards the obstacle while maintaining the instantaneous flight parameters; and displaying the limits of zones at risk.