Patent ID: 11858659
Assignee: BOREALIS TECHNICAL LIMITED
Field: Control (Instruments)
Classification: CPC B  G  Y | IPC B

Claim 0:
1. An integrated pushback travel monitoring and guidance method for departing electric taxi drive system-driven aircraft at airports with ramp monitoring and docking systems, comprising:
a. at an airport with a ramp area having parking locations for aircraft equipped with electric taxi drive systems, determining, for each equipped aircraft, an optimum pushback travel path from the equipped aircraft parking location to a pushback travel path end location outside the ramp area or within uncongested areas of the ramp, the optimum pushback travel paths being determined for airport ramp conditions, the specific equipped aircraft, or both the airport ramp conditions and the specific equipped aircraft;
b. providing pushback scanning systems and monitoring devices positioned at the equipped aircraft parking locations operative to scan and monitor a maximum part of the ramp area from each equipped aircraft parking location, a parked departing equipped aircraft, and a ramp area adjacent to a departing equipped aircraft as each departing equipped aircraft is driven in reverse with the electric taxi drive systems along an optimum pushback travel path from a parking location to a pushback end location;
c. requesting pushback clearance for a departing equipped aircraft, scanning and producing an image with the departing equipped aircraft's parking location, the departing equipped aircraft, and the ramp area with the departing equipped aircraft's optimum pushback travel path, and determining safety and clearance for pushback from the image;
d. maneuvering a departing equipped aircraft cleared for pushback in reverse along the optimum pushback travel path, simultaneously scanning and monitoring the ramp and equipped aircraft with the pushback scanning systems and monitoring devices, generating real time information relating to safety of equipped aircraft reverse travel along the optimum pushback travel path, and transmitting the generated information to a processor operative to produce and transmit visual signals and safety alerts to one or multiple display devices; and
e. in response to the transmitted visual signals and safety alerts, continuing to maneuver or not continuing to maneuver the departing equipped aircraft with the electric taxi drive systems along the optimum pushback travel path to the pushback travel path end location.