Ground-Based Runway Overrun Prediction System
Find Innovative SolutionsGenerate Solutions
Solution Overview
Problem
Runway excursions and overruns are common causes of aviation accidents, primarily due to unstable aircraft approaches, where air traffic controllers lack timely guidance to assist flight crews in correcting these issues, leading to increased risks of accidents.
Innovation Solution
A ground-based system that predicts and prevents runway excursions by analyzing aircraft approach trajectories, comparing them to stable approach channels, and providing timely course corrections to air traffic controllers to relay to flight crews, including automatic generation of recommendations for go-around if necessary.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If air traffic controllers manually monitor and identify unstable approaches, then they can detect runway excursion risks, but they lack timely guidance and automated correction capabilities leading to delayed response and increased accident risk
Solution Approach 1:
The system performs preliminary analysis of approach trajectories against stable approach channels before runway excursion occurs. It proactively identifies unstable approaches and pre-calculates corrective actions, enabling air traffic controllers to intervene timely rather than reactively after the problem manifests.
Solution Approach 2:
The system continuously monitors approach trajectories and provides real-time feedback to air traffic controllers when deviations from stable approach channels are detected. This feedback loop includes automated generation of corrective guidance, creating a closed-loop control system that reduces response time and improves reliability of runway excursion prevention.
2Reliability
If the system provides detailed course corrections and automated guidance, then runway excursion prevention effectiveness increases, but system complexity and computational requirements increase
Solution Approach 1:
The system acts as an intermediary between aircraft navigation systems and air traffic control. It receives position reports, autonomously determines stability status by comparing trajectories with pre-defined stable approach channels, generates corrective guidance, and relays recommendations to controllers. This intermediary role automates complex computations while keeping the air traffic control interface relatively simple.
Solution Approach 2:
The system monitors changes in approach trajectory parameters (position, velocity, heading) and compares them against stable approach channel parameters. When parameter deviations exceed thresholds indicating unstable approach, the system automatically adjusts guidance parameters to reconcile the trajectory with the stable approach channel, providing dynamic correction without requiring complex manual intervention.
3Measurement precision
If the system monitors all aircraft approaches in real-time with detailed trajectory analysis, then detection precision of unstable approaches improves, but computational load and data processing requirements increase
Solution Approach 1:
The system applies partial monitoring intensity based on situation. It continuously monitors all aircraft positions but performs detailed trajectory analysis and stability assessment only when deviations from stable approach channels are detected. This selective application of computational resources maintains high detection precision while reducing overall computational energy consumption compared to continuous full-analysis of all approaches.
Data Source
AI summary
A ground-based system for autonomous runway excursion prevention and monitoring stores runway datasets for each runway (or each directional orientation of a runway), each dataset including 1) lengths of the runway's stable/unstable touchdown regions (STR/UTR), the STR defined by a runway aiming point and by touchdown zone markings on either side (and the UTR comprising the remainder of the runway) and 2) an ideal glide slope associated with a stable approach path to the runway by a particular aircraft and a touchdown within the STR, the ideal glide slope and STR defining a stable approach channel (SAC). The system constructs a trajectory based on position reports from each approaching aircraft and, if the aircraft sufficiently deviates from the SAC and the remaining runway length after predicted touchdown is consistent with a likely runway overrun (RO), generates course corrections for the flight crew to resolve the unstable approach path.