Avionics Height Determination Using Indirect Traffic Data
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Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional avionics systems alert pilots to on-ground aircraft, cluttering their air traffic displays with irrelevant information, as Mode C transponders broadcast altitude even when aircraft are not flying, leading to nuisance alerts.
Innovation Solution
An avionics system uses indirect information like traffic tracking data and database information to determine the height above ground of air traffic targets, suppressing the display of on-ground targets and determining the ownship's height, thereby reducing nuisance alerts by selectively displaying relevant air traffic information.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Loss of information
If Mode C transponders broadcast altitude information for all aircraft including those on ground, then complete air traffic information is available, but air traffic displays become cluttered with irrelevant on-ground targets
Solution Approach 1:
The system extracts and identifies on-ground aircraft targets from the complete air traffic data set using indirect information such as barometric altitude trends, GPS vertical rate, and aircraft database information. These identified on-ground targets are then excluded or suppressed from the air traffic display, separating relevant airborne traffic from irrelevant ground-based targets while maintaining complete information processing capability
Solution Approach 2:
The system introduces intermediary parameters (indirect information sources such as barometric altitude change over time, GPS vertical velocity, and aircraft database status) that serve as mediators to determine whether an aircraft is on the ground. These intermediary measurements enable the system to filter traffic without requiring direct ground contact detection, resolving the contradiction between complete information display and display clarity
2Reliability
If all aircraft targets are displayed on air traffic display, then pilots have complete situational awareness, but nuisance alerts increase due to on-ground aircraft
Solution Approach 1:
The system extracts on-ground aircraft identification from the complete target list using indirect information analysis, then removes these extracted targets from triggering nuisance alerts. This maintains reliable situational awareness for airborne traffic while eliminating harmful alert generation from ground-based aircraft
Solution Approach 2:
The system converts the potentially harmful effect of complete target display (which generates nuisance alerts) into a benefit by using the same complete data set to identify and suppress on-ground targets. The comprehensive data collection that initially causes the problem becomes the foundation for the solution, allowing the system to distinguish between relevant and irrelevant targets
3Ease of operation
If indirect information processing is added to determine height above ground, then on-ground targets can be suppressed, but system complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The system achieves multi-functionality by using indirect information sources (barometric altitude data, GPS vertical rate, aircraft database information) that serve multiple purposes: they are already collected for other flight operations and now additionally enable on-ground target identification. This universal use of existing data reduces the need for specialized additional sensors or complex dedicated processing systems
Solution Approach 2:
The system utilizes data that aircraft already generate and transmit as part of normal operation (Mode C transponder broadcasts, GPS position data, barometric altitude readings) to determine height above ground and identify on-ground targets. The aircraft essentially provides its own ground/air status information through existing operational data, eliminating the need for separate detection systems
Data Source
AI summary
Techniques and systems are described that allow an air traffic display and/or avionics system of an aircraft to display and/or warn a pilot of aircraft targets for air traffic proximate to the aircraft or to suppress the display of on-ground air traffic targets. In some implementations, an integrated avionics system can use indirect information to determine whether an individual aircraft traffic target is to be presented to a pilot. For example, the integrated avionics system can determine whether an aircraft target is in proximity to the ground based on traffic tracking data corresponding to other aircraft.