3D Taxiway Surface Highlighting for Runway Incursion Prevention
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Solution Overview
Problem
Despite advancements, situational awareness of the runway environment remains a significant safety issue in the aviation industry, contributing to runway incursions during taxi navigation.
Innovation Solution
The development of novel methods to provide taxi information to pilots using a processor that generates image data sets highlighting surface features, including raised hold-short lines and unconventional surface hold-short indicators, to enhance situational awareness and reduce the risk of incursions.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If traditional taxi navigation displays are used, then the device complexity is low, but the situational awareness of the runway environment is insufficient leading to runway incursions
Solution Approach 1:
The patent transitions from conventional two-dimensional flat displays to a three-dimensional enhanced depth perception display. This dimensional change allows pilots to perceive surface features like hold-short lines and taxiway edges with depth and spatial relationship, dramatically improving situational awareness without adding complex hardware layers. The 3D visualization integrates multiple data layers (surface features, aircraft position, taxi route) into a single cohesive spatial representation.
Solution Approach 2:
The system creates a virtual copy of the physical airport surface environment and superimposes it over the actual view through the windshield. This augmented reality approach copies critical surface features (hold-short lines, taxiway edges, runway thresholds) and places them in their correct spatial positions, allowing pilots to see both the real environment and the virtual representation simultaneously for enhanced awareness.
2Loss of information
If more surface features are highlighted on the display, then the situational awareness is improved, but the information overload may distract the pilot
Solution Approach 1:
The display system applies different visual properties to different surface features based on their criticality and proximity to the aircraft. Critical features like hold-short lines and taxiway edges receive enhanced visual treatment (brighter colors, larger size, different transparency) while less critical features are displayed with reduced prominence. This local differentiation allows pilots to quickly identify important information without being overwhelmed by all displayed elements.
Solution Approach 2:
The system selectively highlights only the most relevant surface features based on the aircraft's current position, heading, and intended taxi route. Rather than displaying all possible surface features uniformly, the system applies partial action by emphasizing features that are immediately relevant to the pilot's current navigation decisions, reducing cognitive load while maintaining comprehensive situational awareness.
3Measurement precision
If the display shows detailed taxi navigation information, then the taxi navigation accuracy is improved, but the display complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The enhanced depth perception display serves multiple functions simultaneously: it displays surface features, shows aircraft position, indicates taxi route, provides proximity warnings, and offers navigation guidance all in a single integrated visualization. This multi-functionality eliminates the need for separate displays or instruments, reducing overall system complexity while maintaining high navigation accuracy through comprehensive information integration.
Data Source
AI summary
Present novel and non-trivial methods for presenting taxi information to a pilot are disclosed. Each method may generate an image data set from taxi information data and navigation reference and object data. A first image data set may be representative of an image in which one or more first location highlighter(s) highlighting the location(s) of one or more raised surface feature(s) appears within an egocentric or exocentric three-dimensional representation of a scene located outside the aircraft. A second image data set may be representative of an image in which one or more unconventional surface feature(s) highlighting the location(s) of one or more raised surface feature(s) appears within an egocentric or exocentric three-dimensional representation of a scene located outside the aircraft. A third image data set may be representative of an image in which one or more unconventional surface feature(s) appears within an airport surface map.