Taxiway Collision Alert System Using ADS-B Position Data
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Solution Overview
Problem
Current collision-avoidance systems are ineffective on the airport surface, particularly at night or in low-visibility conditions, as they rely on airborne operations and often lack radar coverage with 'blind spots', failing to provide timely alerts for potential collisions between aircraft or ground vehicles.
Innovation Solution
A system aboard an aircraft or vehicle that uses communication devices, memory for ownship information, and processing units to determine potential collision alerts based on ownship and ground traffic data, including geographic positions, headings, speeds, and size categories, without relying on airport map data, triggering alerts when the distance to potential collision is less than a safe threshold.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Measurement precision
If radar systems are used to monitor surface traffic, then detection capability is improved, but the system becomes ineffective in areas with radar blind spots and requires expensive infrastructure
Solution Approach 1:
The patent uses ADS-B technology as an intermediary system where aircraft and vehicles voluntarily broadcast their position, speed, and identification data. This mediator approach eliminates the need for ground-based radar infrastructure while maintaining detection capability across the entire airport surface area.
Solution Approach 2:
The system relies on aircraft and vehicles to self-report their operational status through ADS-B transponders. Each vehicle serves itself by continuously broadcasting its position and status, eliminating the need for active monitoring infrastructure and reducing system complexity.
2Reliability
If collision alert systems provide early warnings, then safety is improved, but false alerts increase causing nuisance to the crew
Solution Approach 1:
The system calculates and displays the full-stop location in advance based on current speed and deceleration characteristics. By showing the predicted stopping position before a potential conflict becomes imminent, the system provides timely warning without creating false alarms, allowing crews to take preventive action early.
Solution Approach 2:
The system continuously monitors the relationship between ownship full-stop location and traffic position, providing real-time feedback to the crew. This closed-loop approach ensures alerts are generated only when actual conflict conditions exist, improving reliability while minimizing nuisance alerts through dynamic adjustment to current operational parameters.
Data Source
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AI summary
Systems and methods for providing the crew of a vehicle with a potential collision alert. The alert is based on presumed flight-crew action and reaction times, ownship speed, and required distance to safely stop the ownship before intersection with traffic. An exemplary system 20 located aboard an ownship 18 includes a communication device 28 that receives information from a ground traffic; a memory device 30 that stores ownship information and predefined constants; and a processing device that determines a distance to the traffic when the traffic passes the ownship after the ownship stops at a estimated full-stop location, based on the received ownship information and the predefined constants, determines distance to the ground traffic vehicle, based on the determined point in time, and generates a potential collision alert if the determined distance is less than a predefined safe distance value. An exterior lighting device 40 outputs a visual illumination after the potential collision alert is generated.