Patent ID: 7855675

Claim:
A method of detecting nearby aircraft situated on or close to an airport, comprising: A/ activating a detection mode that is implemented by at least one radar which is on board an aircraft, which performs a scan of surrounding space, and which can detect, in said detection mode, a nearby moving aircraft; B/ automatically performing the following operations upon activation of the detection mode: a) determining a scan area which depends on a runway of the airport; b) determining scan commands for the radar to have said radar scan said scan area, determining a heading of the aircraft, positions of thresholds of the runway, and an orientation of the runway, determining a maximum relative bearing, a minimum relative bearing, a maximum elevation, a minimum elevation and a slant range for scanning said scan area from the heading, thresholds and orientation, predetermined vertical and horizontal angles of an approach center line of the runway and a predetermined length of edges of the area to be scanned, and determining the scan commands enabling the radar to scan said scan area using the maximum relative bearing, the minimum relative bearing, the maximum elevation, the minimum elevation and the slant range; c) transmitting the scan commands to said radar to perform a scan of all of said scan area, in said detection mode; and d) presenting a corresponding indication to a pilot of the aircraft if said radar detects, in the scan, presence of at least one nearby aircraft, wherein: said radar is an air-air mode radar is configured to detect a nearby aircraft that is in flight; and said scan area comprises at least one vertical area of space that is situated to one side of the runway, and positioning of which is defined relative to a center line of the runway.