초록 ▼

A process is provided for establishing when selected pairs of airborne aircraft are in en route conflict or are in potential en route conflict. The process includes a number of “filtering”steps arranged in three branches. At each step, different conditions, such as height separation, lateral separat

A process is provided for establishing when selected pairs of airborne aircraft are in en route conflict or are in potential en route conflict. The process includes a number of “filtering”steps arranged in three branches. At each step, different conditions, such as height separation, lateral separation, height convergence, lateral convergence and “look-ahead”projections are examined for each aircraft pair. Criteria are established for each “filtering”step such that aircraft pairs not passing the filter to the next step are exited as either “no conflict”, “current conflict”as “potential conflict”. Sixteen such filtering steps are provided, one of which establishes a “current conflict”status and four of which establish a “potential conflict”status.

대표청구항 ▼

A process for determining en route airspace conflict alert status for a plurality of airborne aircraft for which the position, altitude and velocity of each aircraft are monitored in a substantially continuous manner and for which a height separation standard and lateral separation standard exists,

A process for determining en route airspace conflict alert status for a plurality of airborne aircraft for which the position, altitude and velocity of each aircraft are monitored in a substantially continuous manner and for which a height separation standard and lateral separation standard exists, the process comprising: (a) pairing each said aircraft with at least one other of said aircraft to form at least one aircraft pair to be considered for conflict alert status; (b) determining for each said aircraft pair whether the two aircraft involved meet the conditions of: (i) having a height separation equal to, or less than, a preselected gross height separation distance (Condition 1), (ii) converging in height or diverging in height at a rate equal to, or less than, a preselected small height diverging rate (Condition 2), (iii) converging laterally or diverging laterally at a rate equal to, or less than, a preselected small lateral diverging rate (Condition 3), (iv) having a height separation equal to, or less than, said height separation standard (Condition 4), and (v) having a lateral separation equal to, or less than, said lateral separation standard (Condition 5); and (c) establishing for each aircraft pair which meets all of Conditions 1 through 5 a current conflict alert status.