# US 2022/0284607 A1 · Method for determining and transmitting slant visibility range information, and aircraft comprising a system for measuring a slant visibility range > Agents: this data is available as JSON from the patentgrep API and MCP server — see https://patentgrep.com/llms.txt - Number: US 2022/0284607 A1 - Document ID: US20220284607A1 - Status: Published application - Kind: A1 - Application number: 17/682,577 - Filed: 2022-02-28 - Published: 2022-09-08 - Earliest claimed: 2021-03-04 - Applicants: Airbus Operations (S.A.S.) - Inventors: Fabrice Bousquet - Web page: https://patentgrep.com/patent/US20220284607A1 ## CPC - G01N 21/538: {for determining atmospheric attenuation and visibility} - G06T 7/50: Depth or shape recovery - B64D 47/06: for indicating aircraft presence - B64F 1/18: Visual or acoustic landing aids - G06V 10/225: {based on a marking or identifier characterising the area} - G06V 10/255: {Detecting or recognising potential candidate objects based on visual cues, e.g. shapes} - G06V 20/17: taken from planes or by drones - G08G 5/265: for managing air traffic control [ATC] clearance - G01N 2201/0214: Airborne - G06T 2207/10032: Satellite or aerial image; Remote sensing - G06T 2207/30256: Lane; Road marking - G06V 10/82: using neural networks - G01N: INVESTIGATING OR ANALYSING MATERIALS BY DETERMINING THEIR CHEMICAL OR PHYSICAL PROPERTIES (measuring or testing apparatus or processes other than immunoassay, involving enzymes or microorganisms C12M, C12Q) - G06T: IMAGE DATA PROCESSING OR GENERATION, IN GENERAL - B64D: EQUIPMENT FOR FITTING IN OR TO AIRCRAFT; FLIGHT SUITS; PARACHUTES; ARRANGEMENT OR MOUNTING OF POWER PLANTS OR PROPULSION TRANSMISSIONS IN AIRCRAFT - B64F: GROUND OR AIRCRAFT-CARRIER-DECK INSTALLATIONS SPECIALLY ADAPTED FOR USE IN CONNECTION WITH AIRCRAFT; DESIGNING, MANUFACTURING, ASSEMBLING, CLEANING, MAINTAINING OR REPAIRING AIRCRAFT, NOT OTHERWISE PROVIDED FOR; HANDLING, TRANSPORTING, TESTING OR INSPECTING AIRCRAFT COMPONENTS, NOT OTHERWISE PROVIDED FOR - G06V: IMAGE OR VIDEO RECOGNITION OR UNDERSTANDING - G08G: TRAFFIC CONTROL SYSTEMS (guiding railway traffic, ensuring the safety of railway traffic B61L; arrangement of road signs or traffic signals E01F9/00; radar or analogous systems, sonar systems, lidar systems specially adapted for traffic control G01S13/91, G01S15/88, G01S17/88; {radar or analogous systems, sonar systems, lidar systems specially adapted for anti-collision purposes G01S13/93, G01S15/93, G01S17/93}) ## Abstract A method for determining and transmitting slant visibility range information for a runway at a predetermined decision altitude, including a step of acquiring, by a first aircraft, an image of a surrounding scene located outside and ahead of the aircraft, a step of analyzing the image to detect visual runway references in the image and measure distance between the aircraft and each detected runway reference, a step of transmitting slant visibility range information to the ground station, implemented by the first aircraft, the information including a distance between a visual runway reference and the aircraft measured in the analysis step if at least one runway reference has been detected, or if not information according to which no visual runway reference was able to be detected, and a step of transmitting, by the ground station, slant visibility range information associated with the runway to at least one second aircraft in flight. ## Claims ### Claim 1 A method for determining, by way of an aircraft, and for transmitting, by way of a ground station, slant visibility range information for a runway at a predetermined decision altitude, defined in visual approach rules for the runway, the runway comprising a plurality of visual runway references placed on the ground, the method comprising successive steps of: a step of acquiring, by way of a first aircraft equipped with a system for measuring a value of the slant visibility range, an image of a surrounding scene located outside and ahead of the aircraft, the scene possibly containing at least one visual runway reference, the image being acquired at the decision altitude and when approaching the runway; a step of analyzing the image, implemented by the first aircraft, in which the system for measuring the value of the slant visibility range implements image processing algorithms to detect visual runway references in the image and measure a distance between the aircraft and each detected runway reference; a step of transmitting slant visibility range information associated with the runway to the ground station, implemented by the first aircraft, the information comprising a distance between a visual runway reference and the aircraft measured in step of analyzing if at least one runway reference has been detected, or if not information according to which no visual runway reference was able to be detected; and a step of transmitting, by way of the ground station, the slant visibility range information associated with the runway to at least one second aircraft in flight. ### Claim 2 (depends on 1) The method of claim 1, wherein the slant visibility range information comprises the maximum distance measured between a runway reference and the aircraft if multiple runway references are detected in the image. ### Claim 3 (depends on 1) The method of claim 1, wherein the step of transmitting is implemented only for a predetermined time starting after the step of transmitting has been implemented. ### Claim 4 An aircraft comprising flight sensors configured to measure flight parameters of the aircraft, comprising a system for measuring a value of a slant visibility range comprising an image acquisition system arranged at a front of the aircraft and a computing device, the image acquisition device being configured to acquire an image of a surrounding scene located outside and ahead of the aircraft, the scene possibly containing at least one visual runway reference, and to generate a signal comprising data of the acquired image, the computing device receiving the signal generated by the image acquisition system at input and being configured to implement image processing algorithms in order, based on the signal and the flight parameters, to detect visual runway references in the image and measure a distance between the aircraft and each detected runway reference. ### Claim 5 (depends on 4) The aircraft of claim 4, wherein the image acquisition system comprises a matrix optical sensor with a sensitivity in a visible spectrum. ### Claim 6 (depends on 5) The aircraft of claim 5, wherein the image acquisition system comprises an optical image-forming system associated with the matrix optical sensor. ### Claim 7 (depends on 4) The aircraft of claim 4, wherein the image acquisition system has a line of sight oriented parallel to a horizontal plane of the aircraft. ### Claim 8 (depends on 7) The aircraft of claim 7, wherein the image acquisition system has a line of sight oriented parallel to a median longitudinal plane of the aircraft. ### Claim 9 (depends on 4) The aircraft of claim 4, wherein the aircraft comprises a cockpit, wherein the image acquisition system is in the cockpit of the aircraft.