Data processing: vehicles – navigation – and relative location – Vehicle control – guidance – operation – or indication – Aeronautical vehicle
Reexamination Certificate
2000-03-30
2002-05-14
Cuchlinski, Jr., William A. (Department: 3661)
Data processing: vehicles, navigation, and relative location
Vehicle control, guidance, operation, or indication
Aeronautical vehicle
C701S120000, C701S121000, C244S075100, C244S07600R, C340S958000, C180S167000, C180S168000
Reexamination Certificate
active
06389334
ABSTRACT:
FIELD OF AND BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
The present invention relates to a process for automatically supported guidance of aircraft to a parking position. The process automatically transmits correction instructions for direction and speed to a control of an aircraft. An aircraft located in a parking zone within a detection area of at least one video camera is detected by the video camera. Signals supplied by the video camera are processed in an evaluation unit. The evaluation unit determines the current position of the aircraft and the correction instructions to reach a predefined position. The invention furthermore relates to a device for implementing the process and a management system that permits planning, monitoring, and central control of the gate assignment at airports.
German Patent DE 40 09 668 A1, for example, discloses a process and a device for the positionally precise parking of airplanes. The current position of an airplane is continuously determined by evaluating at least one one-dimensional signal field produced by the airplane and measured through the air by a detector. After evaluation of the signals, instructions are issued to correct the position of an aircraft. A video camera is proposed as the sensor, the signals of which are compared with reference fields to determine the position corrections. Signal display panels that can be optically recognized by the aircraft pilot serve as an output. This prior art process already eliminates the use of pressure detectors, induction loops, and the like.
A further process and a device for the positionally precise guidance of an aircraft to a parking position is disclosed in European Patent Application EP 0 459 295. CCD video cameras arranged in the parking area are used to record the anti-collision light of an aircraft to be guided. A processing unit calculates the center of the anti-collision light from the video signal obtained. The information thus obtained is supplied to an additional processing unit, which determines the position of the anti-collision light relative to the parking position. Thereupon correction instructions are produced, which are indicated to the aircraft pilots by means of a signal display panel.
At modern airports, aircraft that have landed are to be guided to an exact stop position as quickly as possible and in a, for the most part, automatic fashion. Typically, the stop position is determined with reference to an airport terminal, known as a gate.
The prior art process and the prior art device, using a video camera and a signal display panel, basically solve this problem by means of a system closed per se, wherein the signal field provided by the video camera is compared with reference signal fields, and the corrections are determined and displayed. The prior art system has disadvantages with respect to safety since checking and monitoring are complex. In accordance with current practice, the control personnel have assignment and planning data as well as basic parameters available on control monitors. The prior art positioning process using the described device is executed independently thereof. Any required checking is, at the most, possible via additional technical units, and any intervention can, at the most, be carried out via conventional communications paths. Beyond that, central management of a plurality of assignment events integrating the prior art positioning process is not possible since no information coupling is provided.
OBJECTS OF THE INVENTION
Against this background, one object of the present invention is to provide a process, a device, and a management system for automatically supported guidance of aircraft to a parking position that permit a required increase in safety as well as organized and largely centralized monitoring and control.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
According to one formulation, the invention is directed to a method for automatically guiding an aircraft to a parking position in a parking zone. As a first step, the aircraft is detected by at least one video camera located in the parking zone which outputs video signals. The video signals are then supplied from the video camera to an evaluation unit, in which the current position of the aircraft is determined from the video signals. In addition, correction instructions for direction and speed of the aircraft are determined from the video signals in the evaluation unit. The correction instructions are transmitted to a control of the aircraft. Furthermore, in the evaluation unit, the video signals are processed into video sequences and non-aircraft objects are identified from the video signals. Finally, the correction instructions and the video sequences are displayed on a control monitor together with additional monitoring data.
To attain the above and other objects on the process side, the invention proposes a process of the initially described type, wherein the signals supplied by the video camera are further processed into video sequences in the evaluation unit. In addition, non-aircraft objects detected are identified from the signals transmitted by the video camera. The correction instructions for transmission to the aircraft control as well as the video sequences for the integrated display are made available on a control monitor together with additional monitoring data.
Thus, on the process side, the possibility of recalling video sequences to visually monitor a parking event from a control station is integrated into the sequence of determining and transmitting correction instructions. This process according to the invention thus permits control personnel from a central control station at which the typical assignment and planning data, monitoring parameters, etc. are displayed, to inspect video sequences on the same control monitor in order to be able to verify the correct and orderly sequence of a planned parking event. Typically, the control personnel belongs to a ground control or ground service group and is entrusted with the organization and assignment management of the air terminals. Furthermore, video detection includes total object detection in the parking zone area. All static or dynamic objects in the parking zone area are detected and identified. The system is thus able to identify service vehicles, equipment, etc., by means of predefined and stored reference signals and to take them into account in the guidance of the aircraft.
This process according to the invention, on the one hand, substantially increases safety and thus meets the current requirement for processing reliability due to increased air traffic. On the other hand, this process permits completely centralized management.
The video monitoring includes the processing area to detect the current position of the aircraft with the aid of at least one video camera starting from a certain position in which the aircraft reaches the parking zone. The parking zone is detected by the video camera. The current aircraft position is processed with respect to position and alignment and compared with setpoint values in order to calculate instructions with respect to changes in direction and speed. These instructions are made available for display. The invention proposes that, in addition to the positional data, the aircraft type be also automatically determined. The aircraft type affects the calculation of correction values since different aircraft types behave differently with respect to speed and directional changes. Accordingly, the correction values can be influenced by different type references.
The invention furthermore proposes the evaluation of the signals of two video cameras that are arranged in parallel with respect to the optical detection area. On the one hand, redundancy of the sensor mechanisms substantially increases safety. On the other hand, redundancy of the sensor mechanism permits possibilities like functional self-checking by the system, selection of the suitably positioned sensor as a function of the size of the aircraft, etc. At least two video cameras are preferably arranged at a predefined distance one above the other. The
Beaulieu Yonel
Cuchlinski Jr. William A.
Siemens Aktiengesellschaft
Sughrue & Mion, PLLC
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