Honeywell G.m.b.h.

L-3 Communications Corporation

Aviation Communication and Surveillance Systems, LLC

James A Frazier

Kenneth R Jongsma

James T Sturdy

Jamest Sturdy

A passive Traffic Alert and Collision Avoidance System (TCAS) and method is based on receiving and processing Mode-S transponder messages without the TCAS computer having to interrogate the transponders of the respective aircraft flying in formation (i.e., a passive TCAS). A TCAS computer and Mode-S transponder are used to provide distributed intra-formation control among multiple cells of aircraft flying in formation or close-in. The Mode-S transponder provides ADS-B Global Positioning System (GPS) squitter data to the TCAS computer; the TCAS computer receives and processes the data without having to interrogate the transponders of the multiple cells of aircraft. The method and system allow a safe separation between 2 to 250 aircraft flying in formation at selectable ranges.

Close/intra-formation positioning collision avoidance system and method

A display presents to the viewer the outputs of a dual mode Traffic Collision Avoidance System (TCAS)/Intra-Formation Position Collision Avoidance System (IFPCAS). IFPCAS requires the cooperation of a least two formation follower aircraft in conjunction with the formation lead aircraft. The display indicates the relative velocity of the other formation follower aircraft, with respect to the formation lead aircraft, in addition to other types of information.

Growing community of inventors

Albuquerque, NM, United States of America

James A Frazier