Virtual ADS-B IN for Aircraft Situational Awareness in Oceanic Airspace
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Solution Overview
Problem
Aircraft lacking ADS-B IN capability often lack situational awareness within an airspace, leading to inefficient flight paths and reduced fuel efficiency, especially in non-surveillance areas like oceanic regions, and existing systems like ITP and PTM require costly installations and re-certification.
Innovation Solution
A system providing virtual ADS-B IN capability through a tracking sub-system with an ADS-B receiver that determines situational information from ADS-B OUT signals, allowing aircraft without ADS-B receivers to receive situational signals for improved flight planning and control.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If aircraft without ADS-B IN capability follow traditional surveillance procedures, then they can operate in non-surveillance airspace, but they lack situational awareness and must fly at non-optimal flight levels reducing fuel efficiency
Solution Approach 1:
The patent introduces an intermediary system (ground-based tracking system with ADS-B receiver) that mediates between aircraft without ADS-B IN capability and the surrounding airspace traffic. The system receives ADS-B OUT signals from other aircraft, processes this information, and provides situational awareness data back to aircraft without ADS-B IN capability, enabling them to make informed flight level decisions while maintaining fuel efficiency.
2Reliability
If aircraft install ADS-B receivers to gain situational awareness, then they can receive information from other aircraft, but installation is costly and requires re-certification
Solution Approach 1:
The patent creates a virtual copy of ADS-B IN capability for aircraft that do not physically possess it. By implementing a ground-based tracking system that receives ADS-B OUT signals and replicates this information back to aircraft without receivers, the system provides the functional equivalent of ADS-B IN capability without requiring actual installation of receivers on the aircraft, thereby avoiding installation costs and re-certification requirements.
3Reliability
If air traffic control uses large procedural separation standards in non-surveillance airspace, then safety is maintained, but the number of aircraft that can fly simultaneously is limited
Solution Approach 1:
The patent implements a feedback mechanism where the ground-based tracking system continuously monitors ADS-B OUT signals from aircraft and provides real-time situational awareness information back to aircraft without ADS-B IN capability. This feedback loop enables more precise separation decisions based on actual aircraft positions and trajectories rather than relying solely on fixed procedural separation standards, thereby increasing airspace density while maintaining safety.
Data Source
AI summary
A system and a method include a control unit configured to determine situational information regarding a plurality of aircraft within an airspace. The control unit is configured to determine the situational information based on automatic dependent surveillance-broadcast (ADS-B) signals output by the plurality of aircraft and received by an ADS-B receiver of a tracking sub-system.