Data processing: vehicles – navigation – and relative location – Vehicle control – guidance – operation – or indication – Traffic analysis or control of aircraft
Reexamination Certificate
2000-02-02
2001-11-06
Nguyen, Tan (Department: 3661)
Data processing: vehicles, navigation, and relative location
Vehicle control, guidance, operation, or indication
Traffic analysis or control of aircraft
C701S300000, C340S961000
Reexamination Certificate
active
06314362
ABSTRACT:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
1. Technical Field
The present invention is directed toward an improved method and system for first finding all aircraft flying on inefficient routes, then determining whether it is possible to save time by bypassing some route segments, and finally determining whether the improved route is free of conflicts with other aircraft. In particular, the present invention relates to automatically identifying all aircraft eligible for direct-to routes and to determine and display the corresponding timesaving.
2. Description of the Related Art
In recent years, advances in air traffic control have often been evaluated by how effectively they further the goals of “free flight.” Although the notion of free flight is difficult to define precisely, any method that reduces constraints and increases the freedom of airspace users to operate aircraft in a manner they consider optimum is considered to be a step toward free flight. Since the notion became popular a number of years ago, numerous innovations, technologies and automation methods have been investigated under the umbrella of free flight. Some of these were recommended for national development by a consensus of airspace users, operators and air traffic control experts. In response to these recommendations, the Federal Aviation Administration established the Free Flight Project Office to lead and execute a deployment effort.
This development effort consisted of evaluating a Conflict Probe/Trial Planner (CPTP) built into the Center TRACON Automation Systems (CTAS) used by air traffic controllers. During the field test of CPTP at the Denver Air-Traffic Control Center, air traffic controllers would usually attempt to resolve conflicts predicted by the CPTP by trial-planning resolution trajectories that led from the conflict aircraft's current position to a down-stream fix along the aircraft's flight plan. In about 20 percent of such attempts, they succeeded in finding trajectories direct to a fix that resolved the conflict. Thus, when this method was successful, the solution had the additional advantage of reducing the path distance to fly to the destination. In the Denver Air Traffic Control Center tests, only aircraft that were “fortunate” to have been identified as being in conflict had the potential to benefit from path shortening direct-to fix trajectories. This finding suggested the following hypothesis: Since conflicts are random events, there must exist a similar percentage of non-conflict aircraft that could reduce their path distances by direct-to fix trajectories. Armed with this knowledge, air-traffic controllers at a follow-on test of CPTP at the Fort Worth Air Traffic Control Center used the Trial Planner to manually search for non-conflict aircraft that could benefit from direct-to fix trajectories. Through trial and error with CPTP they found many aircraft, especially departures from DFW airport, that were eligible for path shortening direct-to fix trajectories.
While effective for finding and resolving conflicts and conflict probing direct routes for any aircraft selected by the controller, CPTP lacked the ability to automatically identify each and every aircraft eligible for direct-to routes and to determine and display the corresponding time savings. To aircraft operators, time saving, which accounts for the effect of winds, and not necessarily path length saving is the appropriate measure of flight efficiency. Therefore, a need exists for adequately and efficiently by an automatic method, identifying all aircraft eligible for direct-to routes and to determine and display the corresponding timesaving. More particularly, a method must be provided to account for the effect of wind patterns in determining whether direct-to routes reduce the time to fly. The subject invention herein, solves these problems in a unique and novel manner not previously known in the art.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
It is therefore an object of the present invention to provide an improved method and system for automatically identifying all aircraft eligible for direct-to routes and to determine and display the corresponding timesaving.
It is yet another object of the present invention to provide an improved method and system that uses a GUI to lower the workload for air traffic controllers in providing direct-to routing to eligible aircraft which has the potential to save in excess of 500,000 in-flight minutes per year in the Fort/Worth center airspace.
The foregoing object is achieved, as is now described, using a method and system for a new automation tool for en route air traffic controller. The method and system of the present invention first finds all aircraft flying on inefficient routes, then determines whether it is possible to save time by bypassing some route segments, and finally it determines whether the improved route is free of conflicts with other aircraft. The method displays all direct-to eligible aircraft to an air traffic controller in a list sorted by highest time savings. By allowing the air traffic controller to easily identify and work with the highest pay-off aircraft, the method of the present invention contributes to a significant increase in both air traffic controller and aircraft productivity. In another preferred embodiment of the invention, a graphical computer interface (GUI) is used to enable the air traffic controller to send the aircraft direct to a waypoint or fix closer to the destination airport by a simple point and click action.
The above as well as additional objects, features, and advantages of the present invention will become apparent in the following detailed written description
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Erzberger, H., Paielli, R.A., Isaacson, D.R., Eshow, M.M., “Conflict Detection and Resolution in the Presence of Prediction Error,” 1st USA/Europe Air Traffic Management R&D Seminar, Saclay, France, Jun. 17-20, 1997.
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Erzberger Heinz
McNally B. David
Nguyen Tan
Padilla Robert M.
The United States of America as represented by the Administrator
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