Communications: electrical – Aircraft alarm or indicating systems – Land-based landing guidance
Reexamination Certificate
1996-03-19
2001-01-30
Swarthout, Brent A. (Department: 2736)
Communications: electrical
Aircraft alarm or indicating systems
Land-based landing guidance
C073S17800T, C340S945000, C340S968000, C455S063300, C455S431000
Reexamination Certificate
active
06181260
ABSTRACT:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
At large airports, takeoff and landing slots, runway assignments, holding patterns, and approaches are handled by the tower's air traffic controllers during operating hours of the control tower. Smaller airports, however, rarely have the traffic to justify the expenses associated with the equipment and salaries of the tower crew. Instead, most small airports have their own Common Traffic Advisory Frequency (CTAF) which is unique for their geographic region. A CTAF is also usually assigned for after hours use at controlled airports. The CTAF of each airport is published and readily available.
Essentially, the CTAF serves as a radio bulletin board. A pilot approaching or departing an airport tunes to the CTAF channel for that airport and monitors for activity. The pilot will then broadcast his/her intentions and position so that other pilots also monitoring the CTAF channel can plan their own operations accordingly. Consequently, broadcasts on the CTAF are rarely to a specific listener. Instead, they are simply general declarations of an intended course of action to anyone currently using the airport. In this way, smaller airports have a system by which pilots can coordinate their activities without requiring a dedicated control tower.
In addition to the bulletin board function, a pilot can also ask for a radio check on the CTAF from other listeners and get information regarding the airport's services and other business functions. The limitations on CTAF usage are set forth by Federal Communications Commission Regulations.
On a related topic, many mid- and larger size airports have an Automatic Weather Observation System (AWOS) which, as its name suggests, automatically provides weather information over a dedicated frequency. Most commonly, the AWOS units are small weather stations that monitor wind speed, wind direction, dew point, and barometric pressure and then transmit this gathered information using a synthesized voice continually and repeatedly every one to three minutes. The frequency allocations for the AWOS are also published so that an incoming pilot, for example, can select an appropriate runway from the wind direction and speed transmitted by the AWOS system without requiring intervention from the ground.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
The present invention is generally directed to providing AWOS-type information automatically over the CTAF in addition to other services such as radio checks. This is accomplished by providing a system that monitors the traffic over the CTAF and then adaptively broadcasts menus containing radio check options and/or weather advisories.
In general, according to one aspect the invention concerns a method for providing weather information to pilots for an airport. The method includes determining weather conditions for the airport. Automatic weather stations will typically provide this functionality. The radio frequency assigned to the airport is monitored for a predetermined protocol indicative of a pilot attempt to access the weather information. A transceiver interfaces with the radio frequency and a central processing unit reviews demodulated transmissions for the protocol. If the protocol is detected, the radio frequency is first monitored for inactivity, i.e., no transmissions from other sources. Then, the weather advisory, which is derived from the determined weather conditions, is broadcast.
In specific embodiments, the broadcast of the weather advisory is stopped after receiving the predetermined protocol in response to detecting transmissions from other sources lasting over a set time period. One second is the preferred period. The broadcast can also be stopped if it is determined that a weather advisory has been recently broadcast. Delayed broadcasts of the advisories are preferred if there is a high level of traffic on the radio frequency. The system can also be adaptive to minimize the amount it transmits on the frequency when there is a high demand for transmission slots. Specifically, a length of the broadcast weather advisory is changed in response to traffic levels. In all cases, the values of the weather parameter from the weather station can be reviewed, and only those parameters, which are most important, can be included in the advisory.
In other embodiments, the protocol, which triggers the broadcast of the advisories can be microphone click or a spoken phrase. Basically, the system applies pattern recognition schemes in which if the pattern is matched by for example a spoken phrase, microphone clicks or detecting a broadcast after a long period of inactivity the advisory is broadcast. Microphone clicks are detected by the central processor by monitoring the carrier detect signal from the transceiver. The spoken phrase is detected by applying a voice recognition algorithm to the transmissions on the radio frequency and triggering in the advisory broadcast if the phrase is detected.
In general according the another aspect, the invention can also be characterized as a method that includes determining weather conditions for the airport. The radio frequency assigned to the airport is monitored for a predetermined protocol indicative of a pilot attempt to access the weather information and other transmissions. From this information, the level of traffic on the radio frequency can be determined. Based upon this analysis, the length of a weather advisory is changed in response to the traffic.
In general according to another aspect, the invention relates to a system for broadcasting weather advisories to pilots. The system includes an automatic weather station which generates weather data indicative of ambient weather conditions. A transceiver monitors the radio frequency and generates a carrier detect signal in response to transmissions from other sources on a radio frequency. A central processing unit monitors the carrier detect signal for activity on the radio frequency and generates the weather advisories in response to transmission of an activating signal over the radio frequency. The lengths of the weather advisories are modified in response to the level of the activity to minimize the conflict between the system and other parties using the frequency.
The above and other features of the invention including various novel details of construction and combinations of parts will now be more particularly described in reference to the accompanying drawings and pointed out in the claims. It will be understood that the particular automatic weather monitoring and adaptive transmitting system embodying the invention is shown by way of illustration and not as a limitation of the invention. The principles and features of this invention may be employed and varied in numerous embodiments without departing from the scope of the invention.
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Simon Gary B.
Wartofsky David
Hamilton Brook Smith & Reynolds P.C.
Potomac Aviation Technology Corp
Swarthout Brent A.
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