WO2009133102A1

WO2009133102A1 - System for detecting the position of aircrafts and/or motor vehicles on airport runways and traffic ways

Info

Publication number: WO2009133102A1
Application number: PCT/EP2009/055128
Authority: WO
Inventors: Giovanni Cannistra'; Fabrizio Pancaldi
Original assignee: O.C.E.M. S.P.A.
Priority date: 2008-04-30
Filing date: 2009-04-28
Publication date: 2009-11-05
Also published as: ITBO20080274A1

Abstract

System for detecting the position of aircrafts and/or motor vehicles in the airport runways and traffic ways, along which there are installed lighting signallers (2), comprising: radar devices (4) installed in at least a portion of said lighting signallers (2). Each radar device (4) is intended to localize the position of an aircraft (3) and/or motor vehicle situated in a section of runway (1) or traffic way, which is near the corresponding lighting signaller (2), where the radar device (4) itself is installed; and means for transmitting the data processed by each radar device (4) to a remote unit, in order to detect the position of the aircrafts (3) and/or motor vehicles. According to a variant of the invention, in place of the radar devices (4), other position detecting devices are employed, each comprising an accelerometer (41) or a thermal sensor.

Description

SYSTEM FOR DETECTING THE POSITION OF AIRCRAFTS AND/OR MOTOR VEHICLES ON AIRPORT RUNWAYS AND TRAFFIC WAYS

TECHNICAL FIELD

The present invention relates to the technical field of systems for detecting the position of an aircraft and/or motor vehicle on airport runways and airport traffic ways.

BACKGROUND ART

Currently, each hub airport is provided with a radar system for managing the approaching and landing procedures of flying aircrafts, which is known as "approaching radar".

On the other hand, airport national and international regulations do not require also the installation of a suitable radar structure (apart from class III airports), the so-called ground radar system, for detecting the position of aircrafts moving on the ground on the taxiing and service ways to reach the landing/take off runways and the aprons or other allowed areas. Currently there are few airports using such technology, owing to the high installation and maintenance costs of a ground radar system.

When aircrafts move on the ground, pilots are therefore generally guided by the control tower and are assisted by the signage (for example; stop bar, anti- intrusion systems, lighting signals, whose switching on and off indicate the pilot the route to follow). Unfortunately, even when signage is adequately and efficiently provided, it is not always visible, and for this reason pilots rely mainly on the instructions provided via radio by the control tower, where a controller follows by sight (when allowed by visibility) the aircraft movements, while giving instructions via radio to the pilot to reach for example the aprons or the take-off runways.

The control tower staff is therefore given a great responsibility and factors such as for example the actual degree of visibility or the controller psychophysical condition increase the risk of human mistake, which in the worst cases (for example collision of an aircraft with another aircraft or a motor vehicle or a structure) can lead to the death of many human lives or to damage of expensive aircrafts and possible impracticability of a portion or the whole airport. A system for automatically detecting the position of the moving aircrafts, different from the ground radar system, would surely be a valid help for the controller work and would increase the safety degree in the airport area.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

Therefore, an object of the present invention is to provide a system for detecting the position of aircrafts and/or motor vehicles on the airport runways and airport traffic ways, which is newly conceived and which allows to achieve high safety standards.

Another object of the present invention is to provide a system for detecting the position of aircrafts and/or motor vehicles, whose installation and maintenance costs are relatively limited with respect to the total advantages achieved by using it. The aforementioned objects are achieved by means of a system for detecting the position of aircrafts and/or motor vehicles on the airport runways and airport traffic ways, along which there are installed lighting signallers, according to what is claimed in the independent claims 1 , 9 and 12.

According to claim 1 , this detecting system comprises: radar devices installed in at least a portion of the lighting signallers, each radar device being intended to localize the position of an aircraft and/or motor vehicle situated in a determined airport runway or airport traffic way section, which is near the corresponding lighting signaller in which the radar device itself is installed; and means for transmitting the data processed by each radar device to a remote unit, in order to detect the position of said aircrafts and/or motor vehicles in the airport runways and airport traffic ways.

Alternatively, according to claim 9, said detecting system comprises: devices comprising at least an accelerometer, which are installed in at least a portion of the lighting signallers, each device being intended to localize the position of said aircraft and/or motor vehicle situated in a determined airport runway or airport traffic way section, as a consequence of the mechanical vibrations which are produced by the passage of the same aircraft and/or motor vehicle; and means for transmitting the data processed by each device to a remote unit, in order to detect the position of said aircrafts and/or motor vehicles in the airport runways and airport traffic ways.

According to the independent claim 12, such detecting system comprises: devices comprising a thermal sensor installed in at least a portion of said lighting signallers, each said device being intended to localize the position of said aircraft and/or motor vehicle situated in a determined section of an airport runway or airport traffic way as a consequence of the heat produced by the passage of the same aircraft and/or motor vehicle on the runway; and means for transmitting the data processed by each said device to a remote

unit, in order to detect the position of said aircrafts and/or motor vehicles in said airport runways and traffic ways.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

The features of the invention, not emerging from the description, will be better highlighted in the following, according to what is claimed and with reference to the appended drawings, in which:

Figure 1 shows a schematic top view of a runway section, which is laterally provided with lighting signallers and on which an aircraft is moved;

Figure 2 is a schematic view of a cross section of a lighting signaller with a radar device, which uses an antenna of "patch" type, also known as micro- strip antenna, integrated therein;

Figure 2A is a schematic view of the enlarged detail K1 of figure 2;

Figure 2B is a top view of the lighting signaller of figure 2;

Figure 3 is a schematic view of a cross section of a lighting signaller with a radar device, which uses an antenna of "standard" type, integrated therein;

Figure 3A is a schematic view of the enlarged detail K2 of figure 3;

Figure 3B is a top view of the lighting signaller of figure 3;

Figure 4A is a block diagram representing the inner structure of radar device, of the mono-static type, of the inventive detecting system; Figure 4B is a block diagram representing the inner structure of the receiver of the radar device of figure 4A;

Figure 5 is a side view of a section of a lighting signaller, with an accelerometric device integrated in its electronic board, according to a variant of the system according to the present invention.

BEST MODE FOR CARRYING OUT THE INVENTION

The inventive detecting system comprises a plurality of radar devices, which are respectively integrated in at least a portion of lighting signallers arranged along the taxiing and service ways of the airports, as for example landing/take off runways and aprons, on which aircrafts and/or motor vehicles are moved. As it will be clear throughout the description, it suffices to install the radar devices even in only one portion of the lighting signallers provided in the airport area, as long as the range covered as a whole by such radar devices comprises said taxiing and services ways or however every airport traffic way to be monitored by means of the inventive detecting system.

Figure 1 shows a section of the taxiing runway 1 provided with lighting signallers 2 arranged for example only along its edges, at a predetermined distance with respect to each other (some runways can be also provided with lighting signallers arranged along the central axis of the taxiing runway); figure 1 is only an example, in fact the following description relates generally to any lighting signaller 2 provided in one of the airport traffic ways to be monitored by means of the inventive system.

Referring to figure 1 , the reference number 3 indicates an aircraft when in taxiing phase on the runway section 1 , the aircraft being for example directed toward an apron after a landing procedure; as yet stated, in one portion or in every lighting signaller 2, represented therein, a corresponding radar device 4 is installed, so that the plurality of said radar devices 4 covers the whole range, which in the shown example (but, as yet stated, similar considerations are true for every airport traffic way to be monitored by means of the inventive system) comprises such section of taxiing runway 1.

Figure 2 shows a schematic view of the cross section of a generic lighting signaller 2, known per se, which is arranged along one of the airport traffic ways, for example in the section of the taxiing runway 1 shown in figure 1 ; a corresponding radar device 4 being installed in said lighting signaller 2.

Generally, a lighting signaller 2 comprises a casing 5 made up of a lower portion 6, which is for example partially embedded in the ground 7, and a metal cap 8 projecting therefrom, in which, in one or more distinct seats, there are accommodated suitable prisms and lamps (not shown since not pertaining to the invention) for lighting the surrounding area according to a predetermined solid angle. An electronic board 9 is fixed stably to the lower portion 6, the electronic board 9 comprising at least a portion of the power and check circuitry for supplying the connected lighting sources and for checking their operating status.

The casing 5 is completely realized of a material able to resist to mechanical stresses due to the passage or impact (in the landing phase) of the front small wheel or of one of the rear wheels of the aircraft 3 on the cap 8, as well as to the vibrations originated thereby and broadly speaking caused by the passage of the same aircraft 3.

The radar device 4 substantially comprises electronic components 4A which are integrated on the electronic board 9, an antenna 10 of the "patch" type, also known as micro-strip antenna, and a corresponding cable 4B, for example of coaxial type, for connecting the same electronic components 4A to the antenna 10.

Referring to figures 2, 2A, 2B, the antenna 10 is provided on the outer surface 8A of the metal cap 8, for example at the respective central portion 8B comprised between the windows 8C, from which it is projected the lighting flux emitted by the lamps integrated in the lighting signaller 2 (not shown, as previously said); in particular, the antenna 10 is stably arranged on an isolating layer 12 fixed to the outer surface 8A of the cap 8 and it is covered on the top by an isolating coating 13, for protecting the same antenna 10 from the exogenous agents and mechanical stresses due to the passage of the aircrafts and/or motor vehicles on the cap 8 of the same lighting signaller 2. In the cap 8, a through-hole 11 is made to allow the electric connection of the antenna 10 to the coaxial cable 4B by means of a connector 93, which is for example inserted in the same through-hole 1 1 and has the top portion aligned with the outer surface 8A of the cap 8.

In the example shown in figure 2B, the patch antenna 10 comprises two conductive plates 10A, 10B and corresponding conductive elements 10C, 10D connecting respectively the conductive plates 10A, 10B to the connector 93; it is however to be precised that the quantity, the shape and the geometric mutual arrangement of the plates 10A, 10B can be modified in order to provide dimensioning of the same antenna 10, as it is known to the expert in the art.

As above-stated, every or a portion of the lighting signaller 2 comprises a radar device 4 of the described type, for monitoring each traffic way of interest. Therefore, the radar device 4 transmits electromagnetic waves in the direction of the taxiing or service runway section, along which it is installed, only to "strike" a stationary or mobile target on the same runway section, thus detecting its position by receiving the corresponding reflected electromagnetic waves; the target can be an aircraft 3 or any service motor vehicle (not shown).

In the example shown in figure 4A, the radar device 4 is of mono-static type, and comprises elements such as for example a transmitter T, a receiver R, a synchronizer S, a duplexer D and an antenna 10, which are functionally connected with respect to each other as it is shown in the same figure 4A and which function according to modes substantially known to the expert in the art.

According to a block diagram, in figure 4B there are shown the signal conditioning circuits provided in the receiver R, which substantially comprise: a first block R1 which is provided with a low noise signal amplifier (noise amplifier), a pass-band filter, and a mixer carrying out a frequency conversion to lead the signal from the pass-band to the base-band; a second block R2, substantially made up of an adapted filter functioning in base-band (low-pass filter); a third block R3 which carries out the analogue-to-digital conversion of the signal; and finally a fourth block R4 comprising a digital signal processor (DSP, Digital Signal Processor). Each aforementioned block R1 , R2, R3, R4 is arranged in cascade and receives, at input, the signal SO coming from the synchronizer S; in particular the block R1 receives, at input, the signals TO, DO as well, respectively coming from the transmitter T and the duplexer D; the output signal RO from the block R4 and, therefore, from the receiver R can be further processed by other components provided in the electronic board 9, that is, can be transmitted by means of known techniques (optical fibres, conveyed waves, wireless transmission, etc ..) to a remote unit, which is for example situated in the control tower. Such signal RO contains therefore a piece of information about proximity relating for example to the current position of an aircraft 3, which is stationary or moving inside the range of the radar device 4 integrated inside the corresponding lighting signaller 2.

It is to be precised that figures 4A, 4B are schematic and exemplary; the elements represented therein and above-described are known per se to the expert in the art, as well as their functional interrelation; therefore different inner structures of the radar device 4 are not excluded, as for example the one in which the radar device is alternatively of the multi-static type (solution not shown in the appended drawings), so that the transmitter T can be integrated in a first lighting signaller 2 and the receiver R in a lighting signaller 2, which is for example adjacent.

The data detected and processed by each radar device 4 are transmitted, as stated, to a remote unit which is for example situated in the control tower, which in turn processes them in order to detect the position of each aircraft and/or motor vehicle stationary or moving on the airport taxiing and service runways monitored by the detecting system according to the invention; the information thus obtained, can be for example displayed by means of software graphic interfaces on displays of the control tower in order to monitor each vehicle, aircraft and/or motor vehicle stationary or moving in the sensitive considered zones of the airport area and therefore in those airport traffic ways which are to be monitored by the inventive system.

Advantageously, the system for detecting the position of aircrafts and/or motor vehicles on the airport runways and traffic/service ways fully satisfies the prefixed objects, thus brilliantly overcoming the drawbacks peculiar to the known art. Therefore, the inventive system is precise, reliable, constantly updated referring to the position of the aircrafts and/or motor vehicles in the respective airport area and allows to achieve high safety standards; it, in fact, substitutes the ground radar functionally, which as it is known, is employed only in some hub airports due to the high installation and maintenance costs; the detecting system according to the invention is, instead, markedly inexpensive on the whole, and in general, its costs are relatively limited with respect to the technical-functional advantages achieved.

Figure 3 shows a schematic view of the cross section of a lighting signaller 2 of the type shown in figure 2, in which it is however installed a radar device 4 comprising a modified embodiment of the antenna 30. In the example shown in such figure, the cap 8 has a through-hole 20 at the respective central portion 8B; the through-hole 20 is for example countersunk and has the greater portion of the cross section at the outer surface 8A of the cap 8. Inside said through-hole 20, there is inserted a complementary shaped assembly, which comprises an antenna 30 of standard type, arranged in vertical direction, and a block of isolating material 21 in which the antenna is buried.

The antenna 30 is connected by means of a cable 4B, which is for example coaxial, to the electronic components 4A integrated in the electronic board 9.

The top of the assembly antenna 30-block of isolating material 21 is for example covered by an isolating coating 22, for protecting the antenna 30 from the exogenous agents and mechanical stresses produced by the passage of aircrafts and/or motor vehicles on the cap 8 of the same lighting signaller 2; referring to figure 3A, such protecting isolating coating 22 (for example of the same material as the block isolating material 21 ) is substantially aligned with the profile of the outer surface 8A of the cap 8.

The countersink provided in the through-hole 20 favours the irradiation of the electromagnetic waves; alternatively, it is possible to provide a different shape (for example a cylindrical one) of the through-hole 20 and, therefore, of the assembly antenna 30-block of isolating material 21. Furthermore, in the example shown in figure 3, the antenna 30 is substantially as long as the thickness of the cap 8 at the respective central portion 8B; it is to be precised, however, that it is possible to use different types of antenna according to the frequency used and to the desired performance.

The functioning of the inventive detecting system according to the embodiment of the antenna 30 shown in figures 3, 3A, 3B is the same as the above-described one referring to figures 2, 2A, 2B, 4A, 4B, the advantageous technical-functional features defining the present invention, remaining therefore unchanged.

According to a variant of the inventive detecting system, shown in figure 5, in place of the radar devices 4, it is possible to employ corresponding accelerometer devices 40 respectively integrated in at least a portion of the lighting signallers 2 arranged along the airport taxiing and service ways. Also in this case, it suffices to install the accelerometers 40 even in only a portion of the lighting signallers 2 provided in the airport area, as long as the range covered as a whole comprises exactly said taxiing and services ways or however every airport traffic way, to be monitored by means of the inventive detecting system.

Therefore figure 5 shows a schematic view of the cross section of a lighting signaller 2 of the type shown in figure 2, in which an accelerometric device 40 is however installed on the electronic board 9. The accelerometric device 40 is stably fixed, for example by means of screw means, to the lower portion 6 of the lighting signaller 2; in particular in the shown example, the accelerometric device 40 is integrated on the electronic board 9.

Inside, the accelerometric device 40 is provided with an accelerometer 41 and electronic components 42 which condition the output signal (not shown) from the same accelerometer 41.

The mechanical vibrations produced by the taxiing and impact of the aircrafts 3, which propagate inside the casing 5 of the lighting signaller 2 are detected by the accelerometer 41 and processed by the electronic components 42. The output signal provided by the electronic components 42 (not shown) is transmitted by means of known techniques (optical fibres, conveyed waves, wireless transmission, etc ..) to a remote unit (not indicated), which is for example situated in the control tower. The remote unit processes the signals received from each electronic component 42 of each lighting signaller 2 in order to detect the actual position of an aircraft 3 while moving on the landing/take off runway or the airport service ways (see for example figure 1 ); it is thus possible to detect precisely the actual position of the moving aircrafts on each airport traffic ways (landing/take off runways and airport service ways) monitored by the detecting system according to the present embodiment.

Since the mechanical vibrations produced by the aircrafts originate from their taxiing or impact on the runway in the landing phase, it is obvious that the system according to this variant is not able to detect the position of aircrafts, which are for example stationary in an apron; by way of example, to obviate this drawback it is sufficient that the software associable with the functioning of the detecting system stores the last previous position reached by the same aircraft 3, that is to say the stationary position in the apron; as a consequence, the failed detection of following movements of the aircraft 3 confirms indirectly that the same is stationary in the apron.

The mechanical vibration intensity depends on the mass of the moving aircraft; however the detection of the data transmitted by the electronic components 42 of the accelerometric devices 40, concerning for example the section of the taxiing runways 1 (figure 1 ), and their processing by the remote unit allows to localize the position of an aircraft regardless of its mass and therefore its vibrations intensity in the taxiing phase; the vibrations intensity (for example also the vibrations intensity at the moment of the impact of the aircraft 3 on the landing/take off runway 1 ) allows however to acquire information concerning its dimensions and mass as well, allowing to identify the same aircraft 3.

Therefore it is possible to detect also the presence of motor-vehicles moving on the airport taxiing and service ways, since they produce mechanical vibrations as well when moving, even if of lower intensity, but however detectable by the system according to this embodiment.

The data detected and processed by each accelerometric device 40 are transmitted, as stated, to the remote unit, which is for example situated in the control tower, which in turn processes them in order to detect the position of every aircraft and/or motor vehicles moving on the airport taxiing and service ways monitored by the detecting system according to the present embodiment; the thus acquired information can be for example displayed by means of software graphic interfaces on displays of the control tower in order to monitor each vehicle, aircraft and/or motor vehicle, which are stationary or moving in the sensitive considered zones in the airport area.

The technical-functional advantageous features of the detecting system according to this embodiment are therefore the same as the aforementioned ones concerning the embodiment (figures 2, 2A, 2B, 3, 3A, 3B, 4A, 4B) which employs the radar devices 4. The detecting system according to the present embodiment fully satisfies the prefixed objects, brilliantly overcoming the drawbacks peculiar to the known art; it, in fact, substitutes the ground radar system functionally and is instead markedly inexpensive on the whole, and in general its costs are relatively limited with respect to the technical-functional advantages achieved.

According to another variant of the inventive detecting system, which is not shown in the drawings, in place of the radar devices 4 or accelerometer devices 40 it is possible to use detecting devices comprising thermal sensors, which detecting devices are integrated respectively in at least a portion of the lighting signallers 2 arranged along the airport taxiing and service ways. As in the other cases, it is sufficient to install said detecting devices provided with the thermal sensors even in only a portion of the lighting signallers 2 provided in the airport area, as long as the range covered as a whole comprises exactly the aforementioned taxiing and service ways, or however each airport traffic way to be monitored by means of the inventive detecting system.

The thermal sensor is arranged outside the lighting signaller 2 and is connected to the electronic board 9, where the detecting system for processing the data received from the same sensor, is integrated; such device constantly monitors the temperature measured outside the lighting signaller 2, that is near or at the airport runway or airport traffic way (according to the arrangement of the signallers, respectively on runway edge or along its centre line), and it is thus able to detect the passage of an aircraft and/or motor vehicle. The signal processed by said detecting device is transmitted, by means of known techniques (optical fibres, conveyed waves, wireless transmission, etc ..) to a remote unit (not indicated), which is for example situated in the control tower. The remote unit processes the signals received from each detecting device of each lighting signaller 2 in order to detect the actual position of an aircraft 3 and/or motor vehicle while moving on the airport landing/take off runway or service ways (see for example figure 1 ); it is thus possible to detect exactly the actual position of moving aircrafts and/or motor vehicles on every airport traffic way (airport landing/take off runways and service ways) monitored by the inventive detecting system according to the present embodiment.

Also this embodiment brilliantly satisfies the prefixed objects, thus solving the drawbacks of the known solutions lamented in the introduction.

It is intended that the invention described is purely exemplary and not limiting, therefore possible practical changes or variations are clearly intended to fall in the protective scope of the invention, as above-described and defined by the following claims.

Claims

1. System for detecting the position of aircrafts and/or motor vehicles in the airport runways and airport traffic ways, along which there are arranged lighting signallers (2) characterized in that it comprises radar devices (4) installed in at least a portion of said lighting signallers (2), each radar device (4) being intended to localize the position and/or presence of an aircraft (3) and/or motor vehicle situated in a determined section of an airport runway (1 ) or airport traffic way, which is near the corresponding lighting signaller (2), where the radar device (4) itself is installed; and means for transmitting the data processed by each radar device (4) to a remote unit, in order to detect the position of said aircrafts (3) and/or motor vehicles in said airport runways (1 ) and airport traffic ways.

2. System according to claim 1 , characterized in that said radar devices (4) can be alternately of mono-static or multi-static type.

3. System according to claim 2, characterized in that said multi-static radar device can be integrated on two distinct said lighting signallers (2).

4. System according to any one of the preceding claims, characterized in that the antenna (30) of said radar device (4) is buried in isolating material (21 ) and accommodated in a breaking of little depth made on the outer surface (8A) of a cap (8) of said corresponding lighting signaller (2).

5. System according to claim 4, characterized in that said breaking is in particular a through-hole (20) shaped as a truncated cone, having the greater portion of the cross section at the aforementioned outer surface (8A) of said cap (8).

6. System according to any one of claim 1 to 3, characterized in that the antenna (10) of said radar device (4) is of patch type, that is micro-strip type, and it is arranged on an isolating layer (12), which in turn is fixed to the outer surface (8A) of the cap (8) of said corresponding lighting signaller (2).

7. System according to claim 6, characterized in that said antenna (10) of patch type, that is micro-strip type, is provided on top with a coating of isolating material (13) for protection from the mechanical stresses produced by the passage of said aircrafts (3) and/or motor vehicles on said cap (8) of said corresponding lighting signaller (2).

8. System according to claim 1 , characterized in that said remote unit is the control tower of the airport.

9. System for detecting the position of aircrafts and/or motor vehicles on the airport runways and airport traffic ways, in which there are arranged lighting signallers (2), characterized in that it comprises: devices (40) comprising at least an accelerometer (41 ), which are installed in at least a portion of the lighting signallers (2), each said device (40) being intended to localize the position of said aircraft (3) and/or motor vehicle situated in a determined section of an airport runway (1 ) or airport traffic way as a consequence of the mechanical vibrations which are produced by the same aircraft (3) and/or motor vehicle while passing or impacting on the runway in the landing phase; and means for transmitting the data processed by each device (40) to a remote unit, in order to detect the position of said aircrafts (3) and/or motor vehicles in said airport runways (1 ) and airport traffic ways.

10. System according to claim 9, characterized in that each said device (40) is integral to the corresponding lighting signaller (2) in which it is installed.

1 1. System according to claim 9, characterized in that each said device (40) is installed on the electronic board (9) of said corresponding lighting signaller (2) in which it is installed.

12. System for detecting the position of aircrafts and/or motor vehicles on the airport runways and traffic ways, in which there are arranged lighting signallers (2), characterized in that it comprises: devices comprising a thermal sensor installed in at least a portion of said lighting signallers (2), each said device being intended to localize the position of said aircraft (3) and/or motor vehicle situated in a determined section of said airport runway (1 ) or airport traffic way as a consequence of the heat produced by the passage of the same aircraft (3) and/or motor vehicle on said airport runway or airport traffic way; and means for transmitting the data processed by each said device to a remote unit, in order to detect the position of said aircrafts (3) and/or motor vehicles in said airport runways (1 ) and traffic ways.