Patent ID: 6567037
Filing Date: 2003-05-20
Classification: G01S

Abstract:
A tracking data fusion method in a combined radar/ADS surveillance environment, comprising the steps of:defining tracking states including an initiated state, an established state, a tracked state, a coast state, and a terminated state; defining track types including a search track, a beacon track, an accurate track, an ADS-accurate track, an ADS-beacon track, an ADS-search track, and an ADS track; defining track types transition rules; and causing an air traffic control system to perform the following steps: initiating the search track, if the system receives a primary radar reported target and the primary radar reported target does not correlate with any existing system track; initiating the beacon track, if the system receives a secondary radar reported target and the secondary radar reported target does not correlate with any existing system track; initiating the accurate track, if the system receives an ADS-B reported target and the ADS-B reported target does not correlate with any existing system track, initiating the ADS track, if the system receives an ADS-A target and the ADS-A target does not correlate with any existing system track; and causing a controller to correlate initiated ADS and search tracks, and initiating the ADS-search track, if the system receives an aircraft's position from both a primary radar and ADS-A.