US 5,361,212 AGranted

Differential GPS landing assistance system

AssigneeHoneywell Inc.

InventorsKim A. Class, Randolph G. Hartman, Brett J. Helgeson

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Abstract

An aircraft landing system is disclosed in which a differential GPS global positioning system is employed. A ground station, located in the vicinity of one or more landing strips, includes a GPS receiver and a data link transmitter for transmitting GPS correction data and also the global position of two points which define a desired aircraft glide path associated with a particular landing strip. The system further includes aircraft equipment comprising a receiver for receiving the correction data and the global position of the two glide path points, and a GPS receiver. The aircraft equipment further includes a computer for determining a corrected global position of the aircraft as a function of the aircraft GPS range data and the correction data, and subsequently determines the lateral deviation and vertical deviation from the glide path defined by the two glide path points.

Claims23

Dependent claims

A landing assistance system utilizing a global positioning system which employs a plurality of satellites, where each of said satellites transmits signals containing satellite data, and which said global positioning system employs a global positioning system receiver means for receiving said satellite signals and retrieving said satellite data therefrom, and which said satellite data is sufficient to determine the range between each satellite and said global positioning receiver, and which said satellite data from a plurality of satellites to determine the global position of said receiver, the landing assistance system comprising:

a ground station located in the vicinity of at least a first aircraft landing strip, and said ground station having a known reference global position, said ground station including,
(i) a differential global positioning system ground station including a global positioning system receiver for retrieving satellite data from selected ones of said satellites, and correction means for deriving global positioning system differential correction data as a function of said reference global position and said satellite data, and
(ii) data link transmitter means for transmitting data signals containing at least (1) said correction data, and (2) data representative of the actual global position of at least first and second glide path points which define a selected aircraft landing glide path for an aircraft landing on said first landing strip;
and
a mobile station on board an aircraft including,
(i) data link receiver means for receiving said data signals containing said correction data and said data representative of said actual global position of said first and second glide path points, and
(ii) a global positioning system receiver means for selectively receiving selected ones of said satellite signals, and retrieving said satellite data therefrom.

4 more elements

A landing assistance system utilizing a global positioning system which employs a plurality of satellites, where each of said satellites transmits signals containing satellite data, and which said global positioning system employs a global positioning system receiver means for receiving said satellite signals and retrieving said satellite data therefrom, and which said satellite data is sufficient to determine the range between each satellite and said global positioning receiver, and which said satellite data from a plurality of satellites is sufficient to determine the global position of said receiver, the landing assistance system comprising:

a ground station located in the vicinity of at least a first aircraft landing strip, and said ground station having a known reference global position, said ground station including
(i) a differential global positioning system ground station including a global positioning system receiver for retrieving satellite data from selected ones of said satellites, and correction means for deriving global positioning system differential correction data as a function of said reference global position and said satellite data, and
(ii) data link transmitter means for transmitting data signals containing at least (1) said correction data, and (2) data representative of the actual global position of at least a plurality of flight path points which define a selected curved aircraft landing approach flight path for said first landing strip;
and
a mobile station on board an aircraft including,
(i) data link receiver means for receiving said data signals containing said correction data and data representative of said actual global position of said first and second glide path points, and
(ii) a global positioning system receiver means for selectively receiving selected ones of said satellite signals, and retrieving said satellite data therefrom.

4 more elements

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.