Abstract: This method relates to the system of ATM air traffic management with cooperative aircraft provided with a flight management computer FMS, that are linked by a data transmission system ATN to the control authority and that have presented a flight plan to the control authority. It consists in communicating to the control authority via the ATN link, the projections SPWPi,j onto the flight plan LTFP of pseudo-waypoints PWPi,j introduced by the flight management computer FMS during lateral (between two segments of the flight plan) and/or vertical (between two breaks in slope) softened transitions performed by the aircraft at the time of the changes of instructions appearing in the flight plan LTFP. By virtue of this information, the control authority estimates more precisely the actual future position of the aircraft and the changes of instruction, thereby enabling it to increase the safety level in particular for the spacing and separation of traffic.

Abstract: The present invention is a flight management system with precision merging that may determine a rejoin turn location based upon a heading to allow proper spacing between an aircraft and an identified target aircraft. The flight management system may monitor for deviation from assigned airspace, winds, turn radius and desired airport speed profile for the approach to further refine a turn-back location. Advantageously, a delay in landing of the target aircraft may not affect the landing approach of other aircraft. This may result in more accurate spacing between aircraft which are closer to the allowed separation minima and may provide an increase in capacity especially in high-density areas.

Abstract: The present invention relates to an avoidance system and method for directing an aircraft away from an exclusion zone. The exclusion zone may be any three dimensional space for example about a building or city. The avoidance system uses a constant signal from a ground based transmitter and an aircraft's receiver which receives and processes the signal and activates the avoidance system by engaging the flight director system or autopilot to steer away from the exclusion zone.

Abstract: In a method for the prediction of air-traffic events, with sending means being distributed on the sites of the air-traffic actors, and with data-processing means communicating with these sending means through at least one communications network, an event is predicted by the processing means as a function of information distributed to the different sites and sent out by the sending means. The method can be applied especially to the optimizing of the management of air traffic, especially during the approach phase and in airports.

Abstract: A computer program product, that allows an aviation system to temporally allocate aircraft slot times during a specified period for the flow of a plurality of aircraft toward a specified fix point, has, according to the present invention: (1) a means for collecting and storing specified data and criteria, (2) a means for processing, at a specified instant for which it is desired to allocate the slot times, the specified data applicable at that instant to each of the aircraft and associated resources so as to predict an arrival fix time for each of the aircraft at the specified fix point, (3) a means for accepting and storing a request by the operator of each of the aircraft for one of the slot times, (4) a means for accepting and storing a request by an operator of the present invention to create slack time in the specified period, (5) a means, utilizing the slot and slack time requests and the predicted arrival fix times for any of the plurality of aircraft for which a slot time request was not made, for pre

Abstract: A method and system for providing taxiway navigational information to a crewmember of an airplane taxiing at an airport. An airport taxiway navigation system (“ATNS”) that executes on an onboard computer system that displays a map of the taxiways of an airport, receives the name of each taxiway of the taxi route specified by the taxi clearance, and highlights the taxiways on a displayed map to provide a visual indication of the cleared taxi route for the crewmembers.

Abstract: Weather problem resolution in air traffic flow management is accomplished by automatically deriving a flow of constrained areas from a weather forecast product, generating a candidate flight list including conflict flights predicted to be affected by the flow constraint areas for each conflict flight from the candidate flight list order, generating reroute corridors available, and selecting the best available reroute corridor. Sector workloads are estimated which are affected by rerouting of the conflict flight onto the selected corridor. The corridor is accepted for the conflict flight if sector workloads are below preset limits, or, if the flight would cause the sector workloads to increase beyond the preset workload limits, a check is made for ground delaying the flight, and if found impossible, rejecting the corridor and examining the next available corridor for rerouting the flight.

Abstract: A method of determining conflicting flight paths between a first and a second airborne vehicle is provided, wherein each vehicle comprises an aircraft-to-aircraft navigational communication system having a navigational device. First, a position and a velocity vector are determined for each of the airborne vehicles. A cylindrical volume is then defined about the first airborne vehicle. A separation distance is then determined between the vehicles at a selected time and using a great circle earth model. An accuracy factor is thereafter determined for the position of each vehicle. The separation distance is then modified by the accuracy factor. A determination is then made as to whether the modified separation distance is within the cylindrical volume about the first airborne vehicle during a time range to thereby determine whether conflicting flight paths exist between the vehicles. An associated system and computer software program product are also provided.

Abstract: A device for controlling at least one vehicle motion quantity which describes a motion of a vehicle is presented. For this purpose, the device contains a control arrangement for activating actuators to control the vehicle motion quantity. The device also contains a determining arrangement for determining a poor road stretch quantity which describes the travel of the vehicle on a poor road stretch. The control arrangement is affected as a function of the poor road stretch quantity so that the sensitivity of the control arrangement is adapted to the travel of the vehicle on a poor road stretch.

Abstract: A positioning and proximity warning method for vehicle includes the steps of outputting global positioning system signals to an integrated positioning/ground proximity warning system processor; outputting an inertial navigation solution to an integrated positioning/ground proximity warning processor; measuring air pressure, and computing barometric measurements which is output to the integrated positioning/ground proximity warning processor; measuring time delay between transmission and reception a radio signal from a terrain surface, and computing radio altitude measurement which is output to the integrated positioning/ground proximity warning processor; accessing a terrain database for obtaining current vehicle position and surrounding terrain height data which is output to the integrated positioning/ground proximity warning processor; and receiving the position, velocity and time information or said pseudorange and delta range measurements of said global positioning system, the inertial navigation solution

Abstract: A self contained electronic system for manual or automatic control and navigation of fixed winged aircraft using electronic position sensing such as GPS, DGPS, WAAS, and the like, as the primary sensor and making use of known flight characteristics of the aircraft to determine aircraft attitude without any interaction with the aircraft, its controls, or the outside environment and without any moving mechanical devices other than switches, dials and connectors. The automatic and visual interface between the system and the pilot provides for simplified flight controls, and a new solution to the hazard of disorientation, and will reduce the time needed for a pilot to become proficient in VFR and instrument flying. A single instrument replaces many of the conventional instruments used for flight. Navigation data is provided in an easy to understand graphical format. The pilot is told explicitly where to move aircraft controls.

Abstract: In the present invention, an imaginary aircraft, called the “shadow aircraft,” flies the original flight plan and, in turn, causes the true aircraft to fly the offset course. The offset course has the same number of legs as the original course, and for each leg of the original course, there is a corresponding parallel leg of the offset course. Except for an initial waypoint and a final waypoint, the locations of offset course waypoints are defined to be the intersections of the straight lines parallel to the original legs at the specified offset distance. The range and bearing to the offset course initial waypoint are chosen to be the same as the range and bearing to the next waypoint. For the interior legs of the flight plan, the lengths of the offset course legs vary from the corresponding “true” course leg.

Abstract: A method of and computer software for minimizing aircraft deviations needed to comply with an en route miles-in-trail spacing requirement imposed during air traffic control operations via establishing a spacing reference geometry, predicting spatial locations of a plurality of aircraft at a predicted time of intersection of a path of a first of said plurality of aircraft with the spacing reference geometry, and determining spacing of each of the plurality of aircraft based on the predicted spatial locations.

Abstract: A device is described which incorporates three components: a tracking error estimator, a detector, and a red light indicator to alert a pilot to the potential loss of tracking control. The tracking error estimator uses the difference between the target and the desired response of the tracking aircraft to estimate the divergence from a desired tracking path. This difference is acquired by such systems as, for example, the Global Positioning System (GPS) and radar. The tracking error and its derivatives are then converted into three different metrics. The metrics represent percentage points when the tracking error and its derivatives are in an unstable or stable portion of its phase plane. Depending upon whether these metrics and/or their combinations are above a particular threshold, the detector and indicator will alert the pilot or operator whether or not corrective action needs to be taken. The threshold is determined by a predetermined logic tree.

Abstract: A route planning algorithm for a vehicle takes into account the aspect angle which the vehicle presents to threats in the environment. A flag is set in each map grid cell for which intervisibility with a threat exists. For each cell in which the flag is set, an aspect angle pointer points to a mathematical function which represents the cost value function attributable to the type of vehicle, the type of threat, and the aspect angle of the path segment. A determination is made as to whether an auxiliary function representing the probability of the threat is associated with the cell under consideration, and if so the auxiliary function is evaluated. If the result of the auxiliary function is nonzero, the aspect angle function is evaluated, and added to the map cost function to form a total cost. If not, the route planning algorithm continues without taking aspect angle into account. If so, the route planner uses the total cost.

Abstract: An automatic aircraft landing system (AALS) (10) for automatically landing an aircraft on a runway. The AALS (10) includes data acquisition apparatus (DAA) (24) for acquiring flight data pertaining to the descent of an aircraft along a flight path (26) defined between a final capture point (16) and a touchdown point on the runway. The AALS (10) also includes a fuzzy logic controller (FLC) (20) responsive to the flight data for providing control signals according to at least one set of flight guidelines to at least one of the aircraft's primary controls for at least urging the aircraft to essentially adhere to a guide path (28) along at least a portion of its flight path.

Abstract: A method of determining an optimal flight path of an aircraft during its cruising phase includes forming a grid in a vertical plane of the space between a first position and a second position, selecting various path portions between the first position and the second position, determining the cost of each of the path portions, determining various possible paths from the path portions, determining the cost of each of the possible paths, and selecting the lowest-cost path.

Abstract: An apparatus and techniques for correlating crossing targets in an air traffic control system is described. The technique utilizes a target/track correlation made on the basis of three conditions: (1) separation distance between a target pair; (2) target polarity and (3) a value of a threshold separation value indicator.

Abstract: An alternate destination planner for searching a navigation database in an aircraft and identifying a plurality of alternate destinations at which the aircraft can land in the event of an emergency. For each identified alternate destination, the alternate destination planner calculates an estimated time of arrival (ETA) and an amount of fuel remaining upon arrival at the destination. The calculation of the ETA and the remaining fuel is based on user-modifiable parameters of aircraft speed, aircraft altitude, wind direction and speed, outside air temperature, and the type of routing the aircraft will follow from a diversion point to the alternate destination. The plurality of alternate destinations are displayed to a pilot of the aircraft according to the ETA to each alternate destination, with the closest alternate destination by time listed first. The plurality of alternate destinations are also displayed to the pilot on a map of the surrounding region that is provided to the pilot on a navigation display.