| 摘要 |
An air traffic system in which participating aircraft occupy uniquely assigned time slots and have first time clock means which are assumed to be already finely synchronized to a ground-based master time clock by signal exchanges with ground stations and have second time keeping means in each aircraft which are synchronized first to the master time clock and are thereafter further and more finely synchronized to other aircraft nearby, to provide a desirable degree of redundancy while also remaining within the limits of the ground station imposed synchronization. Each aircraft in the illustrative embodiment selects by time-slot designation another nearby aircraft as its synchronizor, and in addition also responds to requests for synchronization by other synchronizee aircraft identified by other time-slot selection. This redundant fine synchronization among nearby synchronizor and synchronizee aircraft is especially useful in situations where large numbers of aircraft are flown close together in formations, or in groupings of commuter aircraft, for instance, in which STOL aircraft fly between cities close together, perhaps one behind the other. |
