Electronic Flight Planning Conflict Detection System
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Solution Overview
Problem
Current flight planning systems for low-flying aircraft lack effective conflict detection and management, particularly in areas without reliable radar or radio coverage, leading to increased risks of air-to-air collisions due to inadequate information exchange between bases and potential errors in determining conflicts.
Innovation Solution
A method and system for submitting and comparing flight plans to identify conflicts, providing users with graphical representations and notifications of potential conflicts, allowing for the creation or revision of flight plans to avoid or manage conflicts, even in the absence of ground-based detection systems.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Loss of information
If bases exchange flight plan information manually (sketches, faxes, telephone), then information exchange occurs between bases, but the process is error-prone and conflicts are difficult to identify
Solution Approach 1:
The patent replaces manual mechanical information exchange methods (sketches, faxes, telephone) with an electronic computer-based system that automatically processes flight plan data. The system uses electronic data transmission and automated algorithms to identify conflicts, eliminating human error and improving both information exchange efficiency and conflict detection reliability.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent introduces a central server as an intermediary between bases. This server receives flight plan information from multiple bases, processes the data to identify conflicts, and distributes conflict information back to relevant bases. The intermediary centralizes the conflict detection process, ensuring consistent and reliable conflict identification across all participating bases.
2Adaptability or versatility
If bases do not share flight plan details, then base autonomy is maintained, but conflict identification between bases becomes difficult
Solution Approach 1:
The patent extracts only the essential flight plan parameters needed for conflict detection (such as aircraft position, altitude, speed, and route) while leaving detailed operational information at each base. This selective extraction allows bases to maintain autonomy over their detailed plans while still enabling the central system to identify potential conflicts through shared essential data.
3Reliability
If flight plan changes are made late to resolve conflicts, then conflict resolution occurs, but new conflicts may arise and considerable time is needed to review changes
Solution Approach 1:
The patent performs conflict detection and resolution actions in advance, before flights depart. The system automatically identifies conflicts between flight plans and notifies relevant bases of proposed resolutions beforehand, allowing bases to review and approve changes before they are implemented. This preliminary action prevents last-minute changes and reduces the time needed for conflict resolution during operational periods.
4Measurement precision
If detailed flight plan information is shared between all bases, then conflict detection accuracy improves, but information management complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent implements local quality by allowing each base to receive and process only the flight plan information relevant to its specific area and operations. The central server distributes targeted information rather than broadcasting all data to all bases, reducing information management complexity at each location while maintaining sufficient detail for accurate local conflict detection.
Data Source
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AI summary
An electronic flight planning system is provided, arranged to implement a preferred method for identifying conflicts between flight plans for aircraft. In the preferred method, the system receives, as data input from one or more users, a plurality of flight plans each defining a flight by an aircraft; the system determines, for each aircraft and its respective received flight plan, a three- dimensional region of potential conflict, representative both of the uncertainty in the position of the aircraft and of a region of air exclusion appropriate for the aircraft or for the respective received flight plan; and the system determines, on the basis of the determined regions of potential conflict, whether one of the received flight plans is in conflict with any of the other received flight plans.