Aircraft contrail detection
AssigneeThe Boeing Company
InventorTimothy Mark Garrett
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Abstract
Concepts and technologies described herein provide for the detection of aircraft contrails through the identification of contrail shadows in real time imagery provided during a flight. According to one aspect of the disclosure provided herein, an antisolar point is located on a surface from the perspective of the aircraft in flight. Real time imagery encompassing the antisolar point is received and analyzed for a contrail indicator. When the contrail indicator is detected, it is determined that the aircraft is creating a contrail.
Claims20
A computer-implemented method for detecting a contrail of an aircraft with a contrail detection computer, comprising:
- locating with the contrail detection computer an antisolar point from a perspective of the aircraft;
- receiving real time imagery encompassing the antisolar point at the contrail detection computer;
- analyzing the real time imagery for detection of a contrail indicator;
- and
- in response to detecting the contrail indicator, determining that the contrail is being created by the aircraft.
A system for detecting a contrail of an aircraft, the system comprising:
- a processor;
- a memory coupled to the processor;
- and
- a program module (i) which executes in the processor from the memory and (ii) which, when executed by the processor, causes the system to detect the contrail of the aircraft by
- locating an antisolar point from a perspective of the aircraft,
- receiving real time imagery encompassing the antisolar point, and
- analyzing the real time imagery for detection of a contrail indicator.
A non-transitory computer-readable storage medium having computer-executable instructions stored thereon which, when executed by a computer, cause the computer to:
- determine an antisolar point from a perspective of an aircraft;
- receiving real time imagery encompassing the antisolar point;
- and
- analyze the real time imagery for detection of a contrail indicator.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.