초록 ▼

A wake turbulence warning and caution system and method for a protected aircraft tracks and stores a trajectory of a wake trailing behind a nearby aircraft and adjusts the wake position for the effect of local wind velocity, and then calculates a distance and time to closure between the protected ai

A wake turbulence warning and caution system and method for a protected aircraft tracks and stores a trajectory of a wake trailing behind a nearby aircraft and adjusts the wake position for the effect of local wind velocity, and then calculates a distance and time to closure between the protected aircraft and the wake. A caution is annunciated aurally and/or on a navigation map display and/or on a primary flight display if the distance or time to closure is less than a first predetermined threshold, and a warning is annunciated if the distance or time to closure is less than a second predetermined threshold. The wake trajectory is calculated based on range, bearing, and altitude information about the nearby aircraft supplied by a Traffic Collision Avoidance System (TCAS) aboard the protected aircraft, and based on inertial position and attitude of the protected aircraft supplied by an inertial reference system (IRS). Local wind velocity is calculated based on the aircraft inertial velocity from the IRS, true air speed from an air data computer (ADC), and angle of attack and sideslip angles provided by sensors aboard the aircraft. Wake tracking, wind velocity calculations, and caution and warning functions can be implemented in software within a TCAS computer and/or a flight management system aboard the protected aircraft.

대표청구항 ▼

[ What is claimed is:] [1.] A wake turbulence warning and caution system for an aircraft, comprising:a positioning unit aboard the aircraft and operable to determine a position of the aircraft relative to a fixed reference;a traffic collision avoidance unit aboard the aircraft, the traffic collision

[ What is claimed is:] [1.] A wake turbulence warning and caution system for an aircraft, comprising:a positioning unit aboard the aircraft and operable to determine a position of the aircraft relative to a fixed reference;a traffic collision avoidance unit aboard the aircraft, the traffic collision avoidance unit being operable to transmit and receive signals indicative of at least an altitude of the aircraft transmitting said signals and being further operable to determine an altitude of a nearby aircraft having another traffic collision avoidance unit transmitting said signals and to determine a range and bearing to the nearby aircraft;a wake-tracking unit aboard the aircraft and arranged to receive the position of the aircraft from the positioning unit, the wake-tracking unit being operable to determine a position of the nearby aircraft relative to the fixed reference based on the position from the positioning unit and the altitude, range, and bearing of the nearby aircraft, to track a trajectory of a wake volume from the nearby aircraft, and to determine at least one of a distance and a time to closure between the aircraft and the wake volume of the nearby aircraft; anda wake warning and caution unit aboard the aircraft and in communication with the wake-tracking unit, the warning and caution unit being operable to provide an indication of proximity to the wake volume when at least one of the distance and time to closure is less than a predetermined threshold.