Ground Vehicle Tracking System for Airport Surface Management
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Solution Overview
Problem
Ground vehicles at airports lack the capability to receive and track air vehicle positions, as they do not typically include Automatic Dependent Surveillance-Broadcast (ADS-B) equipment, hindering their ability to determine and share their own locations with air vehicles and other ground vehicles.
Innovation Solution
An air and ground vehicle tracking system that includes a base station to transmit air vehicle locations to ground vehicles equipped with a GPS receiver and radio, allowing them to broadcast and receive their own and other vehicles' locations, with a display to render these positions relative to their GPS location, utilizing wireless networks and detection components like ADS-B sensors and radar.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If ground vehicles are equipped with ADS-B equipment to receive and broadcast their locations, then their ability to determine and share positions with air vehicles and other ground vehicles is improved, but the device complexity and cost increase
Solution Approach 1:
The ground vehicle is equipped with a multi-functional tracking system that performs multiple functions: determining its own GPS location, receiving air vehicle positions via ADS-B, receiving other ground vehicle positions via wireless network, and broadcasting its own position. This universal system replaces the need for multiple separate systems and achieves full position tracking capability while managing device complexity through integration.
2Loss of information
If ground vehicles use GPS receivers and radios to track and communicate positions, then their situational awareness and location sharing capability is improved, but the device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The system merges multiple information sources (GPS receiver for ground vehicle position, ADS-B for air vehicle positions, wireless network for other ground vehicle positions) into a single integrated tracking system. The display device consolidates all position information from these different sources, reducing information loss while managing complexity through unified processing and presentation.
3Loss of information
If ground vehicles are equipped with integrated tracking systems to receive air vehicle and ground vehicle positions, then situational awareness is improved, but the ease of operation decreases due to system complexity
Solution Approach 1:
The tracking system operates autonomously, automatically receiving GPS location data, automatically tuning to ADS-B frequencies to receive air vehicle positions, automatically connecting to wireless networks to receive other ground vehicle positions, and automatically displaying all information. This self-service operation minimizes manual intervention while maintaining comprehensive position information availability.
Applied Scientific Principles
This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.
Function Achieved in This Case
Enables ground vehicles to determine and share their locations with air vehicles and other ground vehicles, providing integrated displays of both air and ground vehicle positions, enhancing situational awareness for operators and improving airport surface management.
Implementation Method 1
a GPS receiver disposed in a ground vehicle and configured to derive a location of the ground vehicle
Implementation Method 2
The radio is configured to receive locations of air vehicles, receive locations of other ground vehicles and broadcast a location of the ground vehicle to the base station
Data Source
AI summary
In one aspect, an air and ground vehicle tracking system includes a base station configured to transmit locations of air vehicles to a radio and a GPS receiver disposed in a ground vehicle and configured to derive a location of the ground vehicle. The radio is configured to receive locations of air vehicles, receive locations of other ground vehicles and broadcast a location of the ground vehicle to the base station. The system also includes a display configured to render locations of the air and ground vehicles.