System, apparatus, and method for generating airport surface incursion alerts

摘要

Present novel and non-trivial system, apparatus, and method for generating at least one airport surface incursion alert in a runway awareness and warning system are disclosed. A navigation data source and an airport surface data source provide navigation data and airport surface data to a surface alert generator (“SAG”). The SAG constructs a reference line based upon the airport surface data (e.g., landing threshold points, taxiway hold short lines, etc. . . . ), constructs a ground track line, determines at least one alert distance to an alert point along the ground track line if there is a reference line converging on and intersecting with the ground track line to form an alert point, and generates surface alert data if an alert time to the alert point meets an alert threshold time. The surface alert data is provided to a presentation system in which a visual alert, aural alert, and/or tactile alert is presented.

主权项

1. A system for generating at least one incursion alert, such system comprising:
a navigation data source; an airport surface data source; and a surface alert generator configured to
receive navigation data representative of at least ownship position from the navigation data source,retrieve airport surface data from the airport surface data source based upon the navigation data, where
the airport surface data retrieved is data representative of at least one set of reference points, where
each set of reference points is comprised of two fixed reference points corresponding to one airport surface,construct one straight reference line for each set of reference points, where
each set of reference points is employed for the construction of the one straight reference line,construct a ground track line based upon the navigation data, such that
the ground track line intersects with at least one straight reference line in front of ownship converging on the ground track line,determine at least one alert distance between ownship and one alert point along the ground track line for each straight reference line converging on and intersecting with the ground track line, where
each alert point is formed at the intersection of one converging, straight reference line and the ground track line, andeach alert distance for each straight reference line is determined as a function of
the shortest distance between ownship and the straight reference line, anda trigonometric function of an angle formed between the ground track line and the straight reference line, andgenerate surface alert data if the alert time to one alert point is less than or equal to at least one alert threshold time, where
the alert time is based upon one alert distance and the navigation data.