System for sharing atmospheric data

Abstract

A system for sharing data between aircraft including a GPS unit for establishing a first aircraft's location and altitude from a network of global satellites and an automatic dependent surveillance broadcast (ADS-B) unit broadcasting a first aircraft's identification as well as it's location and altitude. The system also includes a mechanism for measuring the wind speed and turbulence at the location of the first aircraft and for broadcasting that information to other aircraft in the area. A second aircraft as well as other aircraft also include an ADS-B receiver for receiving such information.

Claims

1. A method for sharing atmospheric data between aircraft, said method comprising the steps of: providing a GPS unit for establishing a first aircraft's location and altitude from a network of global positioning satellites; providing an automatic dependent surveillance broadcast (ADS-B) unit for generating and broadcasting a signal indicative of the first aircraft's location and altitude; calculating the wind speed at the location and altitude of the first aircraft; measuring the air turbulence at the location and altitude of the second aircraft; adding the wind speed and air turbulence experienced by the first aircraft at its location and altitude to said signal broad cast by said automatic dependent surveillance unit in the said first aircraft; and receiving and displaying the broadcast from the first aircraft in a second aircraft.

Description

DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

(1) FIG. 1 is block diagram illustrating a method in accordance with a first embodiment of the invention;

(2) FIG. 2 is a block diagram illustrating a method for measuring wind speed and direction at a given location and altitude and for broadcasting such information for use by other aircraft; and

(3) FIG. 3 is schematic illustration of a system for measuring turbulence in accordance with the present invention.

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS OF THE INVENTION

(4) As illustrated in FIG. 1 a method for sharing atmospheric data between aircraft includes the following steps. In a first step 20 a global positioning satellite (GPS) system is provided together with an automatic dependent surveillancebroadcast (ADS-B) unit for detecting the location and altitude of a first aircraft and for automatically broadcasting or transmitting the location and altitude of the first aircraft in step 22.

(5) The method in accordance with the first embodiment of the invention also includes a step 24 of calculating wind speed and direction by conventional means while turbulence and intensity are measured by an accelerometer such as a damped weight attached to a spring and a measuring device for measuring vibration per minute and intensity. In step 26, the wind speed direction and intensity is added to the location and altitude of the first aircraft and transmitted or broadcast by the first aircraft.

(6) In step 28 a second global positioning satellite (GPS) system and a second automatic dependent surveillance broadcast (ADS-B) unit is provided in a second aircraft for sensing and/or detecting the location and altitude of the second aircraft and for receiving information transmitted by the first aircraft in step 32 as well as from other aircraft in the area. Such information is fed to the aircraft's flight management system and in step 34 analyzed to determine whether or not more favorable winds and less turbulence would be available at a different altitude.

(7) Then, if more favorable winds that would reduce fuel consumption and/or less turbulence that would result in smoother flight conditions would be available, the pilot in step 36 could ask air traffic control for permission to proceed to that altitude in a single radio broadcast.

(8) It is presently believed that in addition to the above additional useful information useful to other pilots can be transmitted from an aircraft about conditions being experienced by that aircraft as well as the location and altitude of the aircraft. For example, many aircraft are equipped with wind velocity measuring equipment which measures wind velocity and direction of the aircraft and at some distance as for example mile from the aircraft. One example of such equipment is described in a Kyrazis U.S. Pat. No. 4,589,070 which is incorporated herein in its entirety by reference.

(9) Air turbulence may be measured by a number of techniques. For example, one approach to an apparatus for measuring air turbulence encountered by an aircraft is disclosed in a Mather et al., U.S. Pat. No. 3,599,488. As disclosed therein, air turbulence encountered by an aircraft is measured according to the following equation;

(10) $I_a\frac{P_{T.Math.}{P}_T}{{\left(P_T-K.Math.P_S\right)}^2}$
wherein I is a measure of the intensity of the longitudinal component of the turbulence. P, is the static air pressure, P.sub.T is the total air pressure, P.sub.T is the fluctuation of the total air pressure, and K is a function of the slope of a linear approximation to a graph of actual values for

(11) $\frac{P_s}{P_T}\mathrm{versus}\frac{V}{\sqrt{T_T}}$
where V fis the average true airspeed and T.sub.T is the total absolute temperature. The details of such apparatus are disclosed in the aforementioned patent that is incorporated herein in its entirety by reference. It is also contemplated that the air turbulence can be measured by a simple spring device as shown in FIG. 3 wherein a weight 40 is suspended by a spring 42 in a small cavity 44 with a pressure plate 46 disposed on the bottom of the cavity 44.

(12) The pressure plate 46 generates a signal each time that it is struck by the weight. The flight management system or other cockpit instrument receives the signals and presents it in a manner understood by a pilot. For example, it might present the number of strikes during a thirty (30) second interval that is the frequency plus the maximum force of a strike as a measure of intensity. This information would then be transmitted over the ADS-B unit. A pilot in a second aircraft would receive a signal indicating the location and altitude of the first aircraft together with the wind speed and direction as well as the turbulence and intensity being experienced by an aircraft at that location.

(13) As an example a pilot of a second aircraft would look at a blip of a particular aircraft on his flight management system or air data computer or other traffic display and see that all the planes at one altitude had a turbulence number between 3 and 12 at another altitude between 15 and 30 and someone flying through a storm might have a number closer to fifty. With a more sophisticated implementation the device would measure the number of times the weight struck the pressure plate and the maximum force of the weight on the pressure plate during a 30 second interval. Coordinating equipment would then assign an intensity number based on the maximum force felt in the past 30 seconds. At one altitude the turbulence and intensity might be light while at another altitude an aircraft might indicate severe turbulence with high intensity. When appropriate, a pilot could radio air traffic control for permission to proceed at a different altitude. At the same time, there would be less radio traffic for consideration by an air traffic controller.

(14) While the invention has been disclosed in connection with its preferred embodiments it should be recognized that changes and modifications may be made therein without departing from the scope of the claims.