Intruder Trend Vector Alerting for Aircraft Taxi Path Interception
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Solution Overview
Problem
Current navigational systems fail to effectively alert pilots when an intruder trend vector is predicted to intercept with an aircraft's taxi path, especially when the intruder is not within the pilot's field of view, leading to potential runway incursions due to the limited time available for correction.
Innovation Solution
A control module integrated within the aircraft's avionics system processes real-time aircraft state data, flight plan data, and traffic data to predict the intersection of an intruder's trend vector with the aircraft's taxi path, generating alerts on a display device that visually distinguish the location based on the time to interception, and renders the trend vector as a dotted line when the intruder is out of view.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If the pilot relies on visual field of view to detect intruder traffic, then the system is simple and requires no additional processing, but the pilot cannot detect intruders outside the field of view leading to runway incursions
Solution Approach 1:
The patent introduces an intermediary system (display device and processing module) that acts as a mediator between the complex task of monitoring air traffic and the pilot. The system processes traffic data, constructs taxi paths, calculates trend vectors, and presents processed information visually on the display, allowing the pilot to detect intruders without directly observing them in the visual field.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent replaces the mechanical/physical limitation of human visual field of view with an electronic information processing system. Instead of relying on the pilot's eyes and brain to detect and interpret traffic positions, the system uses computational methods to calculate intercept probabilities and presents this information visually, substituting electronic processing for human sensory limitations.
2Loss of information
If the system provides detailed alerts for all potential intruders, then the information completeness is high, but the alert overload increases and may distract the pilot
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies local quality by differentiating the visual presentation of alerts based on their significance. The display device visually distinguishes between different types of intruder threats using color coding and graphical representations, allowing the pilot to quickly identify and prioritize critical threats without being overwhelmed by uniform alerts for all potential intruders.
Solution Approach 2:
The system changes parameters of the displayed information based on the calculated intercept probability and time to intercept. By dynamically adjusting the visual parameters (such as color intensity, symbol size, or alert priority levels) based on the severity and immediacy of the threat, the system provides comprehensive information while maintaining ease of operation through intuitive visual prioritization.
Data Source
AI summary
A system and method for alerting when a trend vector associated with a traffic aircraft is predicted to intercept a travel route of an ownship aircraft. A control module receives real-time aircraft state data, flight plan data, and traffic data associated with the traffic aircraft. The control module processes these data and constructs the travel route of the ownship aircraft from the current location to the intended destination The control module generates the trend vector associated with the traffic aircraft, predicts a location of an intersection of the trend vector and the travel route, determines an amount of time it will take for the ownship aircraft to reach the location of the intersection, and generates display commands that cause the display device to generate an alert that visually distinguishes the location on the image based at least in part on the amount of time.