Patent ID: 6950037

Claim:
A smart airport automation system advisory generator, comprising: an airport advisory subsystem that inputs weather and airport configuration data to determine the active runway in use, and the airport surface state regarding its utility for safe landing and takeoff operations; an aircraft trajectory estimation system to project and predict each aircraft's future unconstrained trajectory (a) from position and velocity data extracted from aircraft surveillance sources, (b) known flight intent, (c) recent aircraft trajectory histories, and (d) stored local air traffic pattern data; an aircraft takeoff and landing operations sequence determination system that uses projected unconstrained aircraft trajectories and takeoff and landing intentions to compute a desired runway takeoff and landing sequence among aircraft that are in an airport vicinity airspace that are preparing to land or are on the airport surface preparing to takeoff; an aircraft conflict detection system providing for a conflict alert message regarding a projected unsafe condition determined from projected trajectories and intentions, and for computing desired separations within a sequence, and for predicting if (a) a loss of acceptable safe separation will occur, (b) any aircraft will get too close for wake vortex safety reasons, or (c) a landing will take place on a runway occupied by another aircraft; an airport messaging system providing for digital and oral advisory messages that include airport weather, airport surface conditions, active runway, location and intent of aircraft on the airport surface or immediate surrounding airspace, assigned takeoff and landing sequence, and conflict alerts, and wherein, oral messages are broadcast to aircraft using voice synthesis technology and the common terminal advisory frequency (CTAF), and digital messages are sent on a data link to aircraft equipped to receive such a message; and an airport lighting control system that uses the current aircraft state, projected trajectory and intent information to turn on and off runway and taxiway lighting, as appropriate for safe night or low visibility operations.