Drone Ground Guidance for Aircraft Navigation Safety
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Solution Overview
Problem
Aircraft pilots often navigate unfamiliar airport layouts, leading to potential errors due to language barriers and lack of familiarity, resulting in a significant number of aviation accidents on the ground.
Innovation Solution
Employing drones equipped with processors and sensors to guide aircraft along ground movement paths, monitor for hazards, and provide direction indications, enabling autonomous navigation and hazard mitigation.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If traditional ground guidance methods are used, then pilots can navigate airport layouts, but language barriers and unfamiliarity lead to navigation errors and accidents
Solution Approach 1:
The patent introduces a drone as an intermediary device between air traffic control and the aircraft. The drone provides visual guidance and hazard detection without requiring language communication, thereby resolving the language barrier issue while maintaining navigation safety
Solution Approach 2:
The patent replaces traditional voice-based air traffic control communication with a visual guidance system using LED lights on the drone. This substitution eliminates language barriers and improves reliability by providing intuitive visual direction
2Measurement precision
If manual hazard monitoring is performed, then hazards can be detected, but response time is delayed and accuracy is reduced
Solution Approach 1:
The drone autonomously performs hazard detection and monitoring without requiring manual intervention. It independently identifies hazards, determines appropriate responses, and executes mitigation actions, thereby improving both detection accuracy and response time
Solution Approach 2:
The system implements continuous feedback loops where the drone monitors hazards, communicates with the aircraft, and adjusts its guidance in real-time. This immediate feedback mechanism enhances detection accuracy and reduces response time
3Ease of operation
If visual guidance systems are implemented, then direction indication is provided, but the system complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The drone is designed as a multi-functional device that combines guidance provision, hazard detection, and hazard mitigation capabilities in a single system. This universal approach provides comprehensive functionality while managing overall system complexity
Data Source
AI summary
Techniques for drone device control are provided. In one example, a computer-implemented method comprises: meeting, by a drone device operatively coupled to a processor, an aircraft at a first location; and guiding, by the drone device, the aircraft to a second location along a ground movement path selected from a plurality of ground movement paths associated with an airport. The guiding can comprise providing a direction indication to the aircraft; and monitoring a defined region around the aircraft for one or more hazards. The guiding can also comprise, in response to identifying a hazard from the one or more hazards related to the defined region around the aircraft, providing a hazard indication to the aircraft.