Patent ID: 7535404
Filing Date: 2009-05-19
Classification: G01S,G08G

Abstract:
1. An airport safety system, comprising surface movement radar for monitoring the movement of aircraft and land vehicles on an airport, said surface movement radar providing a signal input to processing means arranged to identify from the relative motions of aircraft and vehicles on the surface of the airport detected by the radar, in accordance with a pre-programmed set of rules for analysis of aircraft and vehicle movements to predict hazardous proximity, an aircraft at risk of collision with another aircraft on the ground or with a land vehicle, said processing means also being programmed to cause, in response to identification of an aircraft at risk of collision, transmission by radio of an audible alert signal; and a plurality of message transmitting devices arranged at different locations adjacent to airport runways and taxiways, each message transmitting device comprising a radio transmitter connected to antenna means arranged to radiate a signal within a predetermined area at the location, each radio transmitter operating at standard Marker beacon frequency amplitude modulated by said alert signal, wherein the processing means is arranged to identify the transmitting device adjacent to said aircraft at risk of collision and to direct said alert signal to the transmitting device so identified for transmission thereby.