Monitoring and control system for enhancing ground movement safety in aircraft equipped with non-engine drive means

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9958867-B2
Application number	US-201313741362-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Jan 14, 2013
Priority date	Jan 13, 2012
Publication date	May 1, 2018
Grant date	May 1, 2018

Abstract

An improved monitoring and control system capable of providing automatic control of ground movement in an aircraft equipped with non-engine drive means for autonomous ground movement to enhance airport ground safety and efficient ground travel is provided. The monitoring and control system is installed on aircraft equipped with non-engine drive means controllable to move the aircraft autonomously on the ground and includes monitoring means positioned in locations on the aircraft selected to obtain a maximum amount of information relating to an aircraft's ground position and operation, processor means, data transmission means, and manual or automatic control means to control and direct operation of an aircraft's non-engine drive means to move the aircraft autonomously, safely and efficiently on the ground. The improved monitoring and control system can be employed with one or a number of aircraft simultaneously to increase safety and efficiency of airport ground operations.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. An improved monitoring and control method that enhances pilot situational awareness and ground travel safety of aircraft driven independently without aircraft engines during ground travel into and out of and within ramp areas at an airport, comprising:
a. equipping one or more aircraft for independent ground travel without aircraft engines by mounting electric drive motors within nose landing gear wheels or within main landing gear wheels and operating the electric drive motors to drive the one or more aircraft independently during ground travel into and out of and within the ramp areas at the airport;
b. defining a clearance distance determined to prevent a collision between aircraft wings of the one or more aircraft and other aircraft, ground vehicles, ground objects, and ground personnel that are potential collision or ground incident threats as the aircraft are driven by the electric drive motors during the ground travel;
c. mounting selected monitoring and sensing devices in selected information-obtaining locations on the one or more aircraft comprising locating speed sensors and torque sensors on the electric drive motors and on the nose or main landing gear wheels, and locating proximity sensors, cameras, or both proximity sensors and cameras on one or more aircraft exterior surfaces comprising a tip of each wing, a nose end, a tail end, and landing gears;
d. obtaining information from the monitoring and sensing devices in real time as the electric drive motors are operated to drive the one or more aircraft independently during the ground travel obtaining real time information and processing the obtained information to identify potential collision or ground incident threats within the defined clearance distance, and transmitting the processed information to a control system on the one or more aircraft; and
e. in response to the processed information identifying a potential collision or ground incident threat within the defined clearance distance, automatically or manually operating the electric drive motors as required to continue moving the one or more aircraft along a ground travel path that maintains the defined clearance distance and avoids the identified potential collision or ground incident threat or to stop the one or more aircraft when the identified potential collision or ground incident threat is present within the defined clearance distance.

2. The method of claim 1 , further comprising when the potential collision or ground incident threat is identified by the processed information obtained from the proximity sensors, the cameras, or the both proximity sensors and cameras located on a wing tip of the one or more aircraft to be a wing or wing tip of another aircraft adjacent to one of the one or more aircraft, transmitting the processed information from the proximity sensors, the cameras, or both the proximity sensors and cameras to the control system, and automatically controlling operation of the electric drive motors with the control system in response to the transmitted processed information to alter the ground travel path of the one or more aircraft, and maintaining the defined clearance distance between the wing tip of the one or more aircraft and the wing or wing tip of the adjacent aircraft during the ground travel.

3. The method of claim 1 , further comprising transmitting the processed information from the selected monitoring and sensing devices to the control system through a wireless network present on the one or more aircraft or through an airport wireless network in communication with the wireless networks present on the one or more aircraft.

4. The method of claim 1 , further comprising positioning the cameras on the one or more nose or main landing gears of the one or more aircraft.

5. The method of claim 1 , further comprising positioning the speed sensors and torque sensors in the information-obtaining locations on the electric drive motors and on nose or main landing gear wheels where the electric drive motors are mounted, obtaining the information relating to operating parameters of the electric drive motors and the nose or main landing gear wheels where the electric drive motors are mounted, transmitting the obtained information to the processor and then transmitting the processed information to the control system, and automatically controlling operation of the electric drive motors through the control system in response to the processed information to continue to drive or stop driving the aircraft as indicated by the processed information.

6. The method of claim 1 , further comprising automatically generating a warning signal in response to the processed information indicating presence of a potential collision or ground incident threat within the defined clearance distance and automatically, stopping operation, or not starting operation of the electric drive motors as required to avoid a ground incident or collision.

7. The method of claim 1 , further comprising automatically generating a warning signal when presence of a potential collision or ground incident threat within the defined clearance distance is indicated by the processed information, providing a pilot override control and manually activating the pilot override control to stop operation of the electric drive motors in response to the warning signal when the electric drive motors are operated automatically.

8. The method of claim 1 , further comprising providing in the control system control software programmed to produce an automatic response by the electric drive motors without requiring pilot input in response to the processed information and automatically controlling operation of the electric drive motors to continue moving the one or more aircraft along the ground travel path and maintaining the defined clearance distance or stopping ground travel of the one or more aircraft as required to avoid collision between the one or more aircraft and moving and non-moving obstacles.

9. The method of claim 1 , wherein the selected monitoring and sensing devices further comprise laser detectors, radar, sonar, nose or main landing gear wheel traction sensors, wind speed sensors, and global positioning sensors positioned in selected information-obtaining locations on the one or more aircraft exterior surfaces.

Assignees

• Borealis Tech Ltd

Inventors

• Cox Isaiah W
• Cox Rodney T
• Vana Jan
• Goldman Joseph

Classifications

• G05D1/0083 Primary

  to help an aircraft pilot in the rolling phase · CPC title

• G05D1/0202 Primary

  specially adapted to aircraft · CPC title

• B64C25/405

  Powered wheels, e.g. for taxing · CPC title

• Y02T50/80

  Energy efficient operational measures, e.g. ground operations or mission management · CPC title