Collision avoidance systems have a long history. Mr. J. B. Minter, in his U.S. Pat. Nos. 5,506,590 and 5,223,847, describes one of a number of Pilot Warning Systems. Mr. Minter, in these two patents, points out that it is the primary responsibility of the pilot to avoid midair collisions. He makes it clear that while the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) maintains radar and communications systems in order to advise pilots of the presence and location of aircraft in their immediate vicinity and advise pilots how to avoid the danger of a collision, it is up to the pilot to take the proper evasive action.
Mr. Minter also teaches the importance of passive systems that avoid increasing the serious congestion of the radio frequency channels used for radar systems, including widely used aircraft transponders, especially near major airports. Accordingly, his '590 and '847 Patents disclose ingenious passive warning systems.
The publication “Cockpits of the Future; Improving Control,” http://www.letstindout.com/subjects/aviation/rfifutur.html copyrighted in 1998 by Knowledge Adventure, Inc. describes future airliner flight decks stating that they would look like the control panels of science fiction movie spacecraft. It points out that the new technology would permit bad weather landings, thus avoiding huge costs and passenger inconvenience. It also opines that “situational awareness” requires two main parts; enhanced vision and synthetic vision. The publication further remarks that the enhanced vision is to make use of a variety of sensors to see through darkness, rain, hail, snow and fog, thus permitting the pilot to see as if it were a clear day. Furthermore, the typical system would include radar, infrared cameras and lasers and the display would be a “head-up-display” wherein the representation of the outside world is projected onto a “see-through” screen in front of the pilot. The synthetic vision, which would use significant computer power, generates a cartoon-like video picture of the outside world integrating information from the navigation system, enhanced vision centers, and data banks in the computer. The image would also provide runways, towns, cities, buildings, hills, rivers and even power lines in the three-dimensional picture. The system would also provide improved navigation by use of the global positioning system (GPS) satellites as well as data from other sources for more accurate, almost blind landings.
Finally, the document mentions the potential use of the microwave landing system, also being introduced, that will permit curved path runway use, accommodating landings from different directions.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,631,640, awarded to D. L. Deis and R. M. Gjullin, assigned to Honeywell, discloses a method of protecting aircraft by using a number of types of sensors, including radar and laser types to rapidly evaluate a situation and to, if there is sufficient time for the pilot to react, alert him of the danger. On-the-other-hand, if there is insufficient time, the system initiates automatic evasive actions. The instant invention discloses equipment that will greatly speed up a pilot's reaction to such a threat, thereby reducing the importance of automatic equipment. Nevertheless, occasions can arise where the quickest human reaction is too slow and therefore the automatic control disclosed in the '640 Patent would be most useful. Accordingly, for certain applications of the instant invention, the method of U.S. Pat. No. 5,631,640 would be utilized, and it is therefore included herein by reference.
Colision avoidance techniques have a long history; for example, U.S. Pat. No. 3,851,334 issued on Nov. 26, 1974, assigned to the U.S. Navy, treats a colision avoidance method wherein the direction and bearing between two aircraft is determined by interrogation of the aircraft. This requires transmission between the two aircraft and, accordingly, is an active system requiring spectrum utilization.
The instant invention discloses new and novel equipment that will permit extremely rapid response to conditions that may cause a collision. It is based upon what has been recently called “virtual reality,” a concept of extending the capability of people, especially their vision and strength. Of course, history records many major steps in human enhancement such as the mechanical lever and the telescope. Recent science fiction novels have included excellent descriptions of virtual reality. For example see; “Virtual Destruction,” K. J. Anderson and D. Beason, 1996, Berkley Publishing Group, New York, for an interesting description of the use of visual sensors to obtain a birds eye view of remote locations.
The present invention makes extensive use of such “birds eye” vision to provide a practical collision avoidance system as well as a passenger entertainment system. It achieves these goals by the use of practical equipment that not only can be installed in new aircraft, but also in existing aircraft.
The preferred embodiment of the instant invention is also, as is true of the Minter inventions, a completely passive warning system. Video signals of such potentially problem aircraft may be compared with computer stored images of various aircraft in present use. Once the model of the aircraft is determined, its dimensions can be used to ascertain how close the observed aircraft is and whether or not evasive procedures should be initiated. Also, once the aircraft is identified, its rated cruising speed can also be factored into the determination of whether the situation is dangerous and just what evasive tactics should be followed.
Another advantage of the system is that video recordings may be made for use in any accident analysis and also to provide information for “near miss” studies.
One configuration of the invention would require the mounting of a video camera on the top of a wing or the fuselage, and a second video camera mounted on the bottom of the fuselage or a wing. These cameras would, during flight, constantly “look” at respectively the upper and lower hemispheres surrounding the aircraft.
Recordings of the cameras' outputs would be made for future examination to locate near misses and other potential problems and, if, unfortunately, an accident took place, they could be used to analyze the cause of the accident. In order to minimize the requirement for video storage for long flights, record and erase procedures, storing only information necessary for later analysis as disclosed in L. R. Kahn U.S. Pat. No. 4,227,052, may be adopted in embodiments of the instant invention.
The output of the cameras would also be continuously analyzed during flight so as to identify other aircraft and even birds that might create a collision. Aircraft identification is of importance because if a plane is identified its dimensions would be known and from the dimensions the distance of the plane to the protected aircraft could be calculated. Once the computer analysis indicates the aircraft is too close or is on a route that requires aircraft avoidance, an alarm would be sounded alerting the pilot.
The preferred embodiment of the collision avoidance system uses a surround sound stereophonic system. Thus, when the alarm is sounded the pilot would, almost instantaneously, look directly towards the aircraft that was approaching the protected aircraft and quickly initiate avoidance procedures. Since conventional aircraft do not permit the pilot to see all directions surrounding the aircraft, the instant invention provides an artificial visual bubble for vision of the space surrounding the aircraft. It is also possible to use virtual reality displays so that when one turns their head the image around them moves accordingly. Thus, by wearing special goggles or glasses with separate monitors built into each lens, as the pilot's head turns, the display shifts, providing a simulated full two hemisphere vision capability. In other words, a form of what might be called “virtual surround-vision” is provided.
Under poor visual conditions, and at night, the system would use very sensitive night vision infra-red and other type cameras.