Patent ID: 9091762
Filing Date: 2015-07-28
Classification: B64C,B64D,G01S,G05D,G08G,H04N

Abstract:
1. A method for avoiding a collision between an aircraft on a ground surface and an obstacle, the aircraft comprising a fuselage, wings, a vertical stabilizer and a horizontal stabilizer, the method comprising: receiving, at a processor onboard an aircraft, a detection signal from one of a plurality of proximity sensors comprising first proximity sensors disposed on the wings of the aircraft and a second proximity sensor disposed on at least one of the vertical stabilizer or the horizontal stabilizer, wherein the detection signal indicates that the obstacle has been detected by a particular proximity sensor that transmitted the detection signal; receiving, at the processor onboard the aircraft, a plurality of video image signals each being generated by a particular one of a plurality of video imagers each being disposed at various different locations on the aircraft and each being associated with at least one of the proximity sensors, wherein the video imagers comprise first video imagers disposed on the wings of the aircraft and a second video imager disposed on at least one of the vertical stabilizer or the horizontal stabilizer; transmitting only one particular video image signal of the plurality of video image signals from the processor to a display in the cockpit of the aircraft in response to receiving the detection signal, wherein the one particular video image signal corresponds to a particular one of the video imagers that is associated with the particular proximity sensor that detected the obstacle; displaying a video image on the display corresponding to the one particular video image signal, wherein the video image is of a particular region around the aircraft that includes the obstacle; and transmitting, from the processor in response to receiving the detection signal, an alert signal to an element in a cockpit of the aircraft, and a brake activation signal to automatically activate a braking system to prevent the aircraft from colliding with the obstacle.