Visual Runway Guidance for Low-Visibility Aircraft Landing
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Solution Overview
Problem
General Aviation (GA) airports lack affordable and reliable landing aids, leading to challenges for pilots in maintaining a stable approach and preventing errors such as hard landings, go-arounds, and incorrect surface landings due to limited visibility and lack of precision systems.
Innovation Solution
A visually-based landing aid system that uses image analysis to identify the runway and provide real-time guidance to pilots, determining their position relative to the runway center line and predicting the glide path to ensure accurate landing within the expected zone, even in low-visibility conditions.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If ground-based precision landing systems (ILS or GBAS) are installed at GA airports, then landing precision and safety are improved, but cost and complexity of installation and maintenance increase significantly
Solution Approach 1:
The patent uses image sensors to capture visual images of the runway and surrounding environment, creating a digital copy of the physical landing scene. This visual copy is then processed to extract runway parameters and provide guidance information, replacing the need for complex ground-based radio navigation systems while achieving similar guidance functionality through computer vision technology.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent replaces traditional mechanical and electromagnetic ground-based navigation systems (ILS/GBAS) with an onboard optical system using image sensors and computer vision algorithms. This substitution eliminates the need for ground-based transmitters and receivers, significantly reducing system complexity and infrastructure requirements while providing comparable or superior guidance capabilities.
2Measurement precision
If ground-based precision landing systems are installed, then landing precision is improved, but installation and maintenance costs increase significantly
Solution Approach 1:
The system uses the aircraft's own onboard image sensors to capture and process visual information for landing guidance, making the aircraft self-sufficient for navigation. The aircraft extracts runway parameters and guidance information from visual images independently, without requiring external ground-based transmission infrastructure, thereby eliminating installation and maintenance costs for ground systems.
Solution Approach 2:
The image sensor system serves multiple functions: it captures runway visual information for guidance, provides situational awareness for the pilot, and can potentially be used for other navigation and monitoring tasks. This multi-functionality reduces the need for separate specialized systems, lowering overall system cost and complexity while maintaining high landing precision.
3Ease of manufacture
If visual contact with runway is established for see and land procedure, then system cost is reduced, but pilot workload increases and human errors occur
Solution Approach 1:
The system continuously captures visual images of the runway and provides real-time feedback to the pilot through displayed guidance information. The onboard computer processes images to determine aircraft position relative to the runway centerline and glide path, then presents this information to the pilot in an intuitive format, reducing the mental workload of interpreting visual cues and enabling more precise control.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent introduces an onboard computer vision system as an intermediary between the runway environment and the pilot. This intermediary automatically processes visual information, extracts meaningful guidance parameters, and presents processed information to the pilot, reducing the cognitive burden on the pilot while maintaining the low-cost visual approach methodology.
4Ease of manufacture
If image analysis is used for landing guidance, then system cost is reduced, but reliability in low-visibility conditions may be compromised
Solution Approach 1:
The system dynamically adapts its image processing algorithms based on environmental conditions such as visibility, lighting, and weather. The computer vision software adjusts parameters like contrast enhancement, edge detection sensitivity, and feature recognition thresholds in real-time to maintain reliable runway detection and guidance information extraction across varying operational conditions, ensuring consistent performance from clear to degraded visibility.
Data Source
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AI summary
A method for providing cues to an aerial vehicle operator is disclosed. The method includes: determining when a vehicle is on final approach (1102); processing a plurality of ground images of a ground path ahead of the vehicle (1104); identifying a lane in the processed ground images (1106); determining whether the identified lane corresponds to an assigned runway based on a relative position or a relative geometry of the identified lane (1108); tracking during landing a left and a right side edge, a front edge, and a runway center line of the assigned runway (1110); determining, relative to the runway center line, whether a relative position of the vehicle during landing is left of, right of, or aligned with the runway center line (1112); and providing visual and/or audible guidance to the vehicle operator to take corrective action when the relative position of the vehicle during landing is not aligned with the runway center line (1114). A corresponding system for providing cues to an aerial vehilce operator is also disclosed.