A method and device for assisting the driving of an aircraft (AC) moving on the ground, on a taxiing circuit (CP) including a taxi line (TL) to be followed by the aircraft (AC). The taxi line (TL) has different portions (PR) forming between them intersections (IP). The device is configured to use a digital modeling of the taxi line (TL), called digital trajectory (TR), including nodes corresponding to the intersections (IP). In addition, the device includes a detection unit (4) configured to detect at least one of the intersections (IP), as well as an increment unit (6) configured to increment a counter associated with the digital trajectory (TR), after detection of the intersection (IP), the counter being designed to count a series of the nodes.

Taxi signage configured to be displayed on a display device of an aircraft may be generated from an origination node stored within airport surface routing network data. The origination node may be within a select proximity to a location of the aircraft. The taxi signage may be generated from at least one termination node stored within the airport surface routing network data. The at least one termination node may be coupled to the origination node via at least one edge. The at least one edge may be stored within the airport surface routing network data. The taxi signage may be generated from a determined turning angle between the origination node and the at least one termination node. The taxi signage may be included in a billboard displayed on the display device of an aircraft.

Combined taxi signage may be generated from taxi signage for a first origination node and taxi signage for a second origination node, the first origination node and the second origination node being of a select proximity and orientation relative to an aircraft. The taxi signage for the first origination node may be generated from the first origination node and at least a first termination node stored within an airport surface routing network data, and a first turning angle determined based on a comparison between the first origination node and the at least the first termination node. The taxi signage for the second origination node may be generated from the second origination node and at least a second termination node stored within the airport surface routing network data, and a second turning angle determined based on a comparison between the second origination node and the at least the second termination node. The combined taxi signage may be included in a combined billboard displayed on the display device of the aircraft.

Methods, systems, and apparatus, including computer programs encoded on computer storage media, for an unmanned aerial system inspection system. One of the methods is performed by a UAV and includes obtaining, from a user device, flight operation information describing an inspection of a vertical structure to be performed, the flight operation information including locations of one or more safe locations for vertical inspection. A location of the UAV is determined to correspond to a first safe location for vertical inspection. A first inspection of the structure is performed is performed at the first safe location, the first inspection including activating cameras. A second safe location is traveled to, and a second inspection of the structure is performed. Information associated with the inspection is provided to the user device.

Methods, systems and related graphical user interface displays are provided for assisting operation of a vehicle in a vicinity of a docking location. A docking graphical user interface display includes lateral deviation markers, vertical deviation markers, a first graphical indication with respect to the lateral deviation markers and a second graphical indication with respect to the vertical deviation markers. A position of the first graphical indication with respect to the lateral deviation markers corresponds to a first difference between the current location of the vehicle and the reference stopping location in a lateral direction, and a second position of the second graphical indication with respect to the vertical deviation markers corresponds to a second difference between the current location of the vehicle and the reference stopping location in a longitudinal direction.

A system including at least one image acquisition module to acquire images of the environment of the aircraft and of the runway, a module to recognize in the images at least one element representative of at least one contaminant likely to influence the state of the runway, a module to determine at least one property of the contaminant or contaminants and a module to transmit to a user device the property or properties of the contaminant or contaminants. The system allows contaminants to be identified and to be located on the runway or in the environment of the aircraft.

A computer-implemented method of obtaining an excursion report for an aircraft is disclosed. The aircraft includes one or more sensors and a vision system, and the method includes obtaining sensor data from the one or more sensors; storing and time-stamping the sensor data; operating the vision system to detect the aircraft leaving a runway or taxiway; recording a start time of an excursion period based on a time of detection of the aircraft leaving the runway or taxiway; operating the vision system to detect the aircraft returning to the runway or taxiway; recording an end time of the excursion period based on a time of detection of the aircraft returning to the runway or taxiway; and compiling an excursion report, the excursion report comprising: the start time of the excursion period, the end time of the excursion period and a subset of the sensor data which was time-stamped during the excursion period.

A computer-implemented method of obtaining an excursion report for an aircraft is disclosed. The aircraft includes one or more sensors and a vision system, and the method includes obtaining sensor data from the one or more sensors; storing and time-stamping the sensor data; operating the vision system to detect the aircraft leaving a runway or taxiway; recording a start time of an excursion period based on a time of detection of the aircraft leaving the runway or taxiway; operating the vision system to detect the aircraft returning to the runway or taxiway; recording an end time of the excursion period based on a time of detection of the aircraft returning to the runway or taxiway; and compiling an excursion report, the excursion report comprising: the start time of the excursion period, the end time of the excursion period and a subset of the sensor data which was time-stamped during the excursion period.

A system may include a display and a processor communicatively coupled to the display. The processor may be configured to: generate a synthetic vision system (SVS) taxi mode exocentric view of an aircraft when the aircraft is performing taxi operations and when the aircraft is on ground, wherein the SVS taxi mode exocentric view includes at least one range ring centered around a depiction of the aircraft, each of the at least one range ring providing a visual indication of a given range between the aircraft and a given range ring; and output, to the display, the SVS taxi mode exocentric view. The display may be configured to: display the SVS taxi mode exocentric view.

A braking system and method utilizing a simplified estimate of a distance between two locations on the earth based on spherical geometry. A braking system utilizing the aforementioned simplified estimate does not require computationally intensive calculations and is more efficient and better equipped to handle real-time generation of distance estimates for braking needs and variable conditions. In the present invention, geodesics evaluations are not used; rather, a modified Haversine formula that simplifies computations is used, including a one-time computation of the cosine of latitude coordinate.