Rockwell Collins, Inc.

Rockwell Science Center, Inc.

Joel Michael Wichgers

Richard D Jinkins

Richard Marcel Rademaker

Steven E Koenck

Daniel L Woodell

Patrick Dennis McCusker

Demetri Tsamis

David A Gribble

Andrew M Vesel

Sethu R Rathinam

William T Greenleaf

Scott F Bauler

Neil J Earnhardt

Gary E Lehtola

Gregory A Arundale

Frank Pourahmadi

James B West

John C Mather

James A Marek

Matthew J Carrico

Roger A Dana

Allen P Mass

Julianne R Crosmer

Steve J Nieuwsma

David A Haverkamp

Stefan Koczo, Jr

David W Fitkin

Christina M Conway

Vivek Sharma

Terrence L Leier

Jeffrey L Spicer

An aircraft remote network, device, and method are disclosed. The network may include a central data management unit (CDMU) and one or more aircraft systems, where each system may include an antenna and one or more units, through which radio frequency (RF) signals are transmitted and/or received. The device could receive a RF signal from an external source via the antenna, convert the signal to data, and provide the data to the CDMU; and receive data from the CDMU, convert the data to an RF signal, and provide the RF signal to the external source via the antenna, where the distance between the antenna and the device is less than the distance between the device and the CDMU.

Remotely-managed aircraft RF communication network, device, and method

A very high frequency (VHF) transceiver can include an amplitude and phase shift keying (APSK) modulator configured to modulate signals for transmission across a first VHF channel of a plurality of VHF channels used to communicate between or among aircraft and one or more ground stations. Each of the VHF channels can have a bandwidth of at least 8.33 kilo Hertz (kHz) with a data rate per Hertz (Hz) greater than or equal to 3 bits per second per Hz (bps/Hz). The VHF transceiver can include a power amplifier configured to amplify the modulated signals prior to the transmission. The VHF transceiver can include a linearity controller configured to control linearity of the power amplifier according to at least one of a Cartesian feedback amplifier linearization, pre-distortion amplifier linearization or feedforward amplifier linearization to mitigate nonlinear distortion associated with signals output by the power amplifier.

High rate VHF datalink

A system and methods for generating alerts in a terrain awareness and warning system ('TAWS') in an aircraft, using data acquired from a forward-looking radar The system comprises a forward-looking imaging device, an airport database, a navigation system, a forward-looking terrain alert ('FLTA') processor, and a crew alerting system. The FLTA processor determines a measured clearance altitude of a highest cell within an area and compares it with a required minimum clearance altitude; if the measured altitude is equal or less than the required altitude, the crew is alerted. Alternatively, a terrain database may be used. with the FLTA processor for determining if the aircraft descends below the minimum operating altitude or is predicted to do so and then generating an alert. A method is disclosed for generating TAWS alerts using elevation angle measured by the forward-looking radar and terrain data retrieved from a terrain database.

System and method for generating alert signals in a terrain awareness and warning system of an aircraft using a forward-looking radar system

A present novel and non-trivial system, module, and method for presenting clearance-dependent advisory information in an aircraft is disclosed. Clearances include those corresponding to interval management operations and/or trajectory management operations. Data representative of clearance information including data representative of an actual controller intervention threshold ('CIT') information, ownship information, target information, and alert parameter(s) information is received. The actual CIT information is comprised of the CIT of a clearance assigned to an aircraft and/or an designator from which the CIT of the assigned clearance is determined. A dynamic alerting threshold is determined as a function of the received information. If the ownship position meets or exceeds the alerting threshold, an advisory data set comprised of visual advisory information, aural advisory information, and/or tactile advisory information is generated and provided a presentation system in which advisory and/or alert information is presented by an applicable unit of the presentation system.

System, module, and method for presenting clearance-dependent advisory information in an aircraft

A terrain awareness and warning system ('TAWS') provides input to a terrain alert ('TA') processor from at least one real-time aircraft system or sensor and a source of terrain data; the processor determines a terrain clearance surface and a terrain airspace alert surface, and if one surface penetrates the other, the processor generates an alert signal and provides an alert signal to a crew alerting system. The two surfaces are determined by the processor by executing an algorithm(s) embedded in software containing the disclosed embodiments and methods. At least one criterion used to define an aircraft terrain alert surface is programmed to include real-time and/or static input factor data provided by at least one system or sensor input from an aircraft. Such input factor could be used to define a terrain clearance surface.

Systems and methods for generating alert signals in a terrain awareness and warning system

A terrain awareness system includes a processor for receiving radar returns and providing terrain and/or obstacle alerts or warnings in response to the radar returns. The processor receives information from a database and the information is used to select the radar transmit function and/or the radar reception function to optimize the performance of the system.

System for distinguishing among radar returns using information from a database

An apparatus for detecting incursions for an aircraft and surface vehicles includes an incursion processor receiving ownship position from an ownship navigation processor, traffic information from a traffic surveillance processor, and obstacle information from an obstacle detector and generating alert information. The apparatus also includes a display processor receiving airport chart information and providing display information for displaying the alert information and airport chart information.

Runway and airport incursion alerting system and method

An avionics system including a software defined radio (SDR) is provided. The SDR includes configurable avionics function implementation circuitry configured to implement each of multiple avionics functions. Also included in the SDR is a priority arbitrator. The priority arbitrator is configured to receive priority control parameters and, based on a make-up of the received priority control parameters, responsively direct the configurable avionics function implementation circuitry to implement a particular priority-based subset (less than all) of the multiple avionics functions.

Method and apparatus for implementing and managing avionics functions

A software defined radio system is described. The software defined radio comprises a modem bank at least partially defined by software running on a processor. The software defined radio also comprises an antenna group translator coupled to the modem bank. The software defined radio also comprises at least one antenna coupled to the antenna group translator. Further, the software defined radio comprises a program stored in a memory and running on the processor. The program is configured to generate a test signal to be leaked by the first of the at least two channels and to be received by the second of the two channels. The program is configured to automatically and autonomously verify the availability of a function of one of the at least two channels and determine the integrity of the function of the one of the at least two channels.

System and method of providing automated availability and integrity verification for aviation software defined radios

An airspace awareness and warning system ('AAWS') provides input to an airspace alert ('AA') processor from at least one real-time aircraft system or sensor, a navigation system, and an airspace database containing three-dimensional delineations of defined airspace; the processor determines an airspace clearance surface and an aircraft airspace alert surface, and if one surface penetrates the other, the processor generates an alert signal and provides an alert signal to a crew alerting system. The two surfaces are determined by the processor by executing an algorithm(s) embedded in software containing the disclosed embodiments and methods. At least one criterion used to define an aircraft airspace alert surface is programmed to include real-time and/or static input factor data provided by at least one system or sensor input from an aircraft. Such input factor could be used to define an airspace clearance surface.

Systems and methods for generating alert signals in an airspace awareness and warning system

A circuit for a display used on an aircraft causes the display to display a composite terrain image. The composite terrain image can be formed from first terrain data from a terrain database and second terrain data from a radar system. A display control circuit can generate a display signal for the composite terrain image. The display signal is received by the display. The composite terrain image can be viewed by a pilot.

System and method for displaying radar-estimated terrain

A terrain awareness and warning system includes electronics for receiving radar returns and providing terrain and/or obstacle alerts or warnings in response to the radar returns. The electronics receives information from a database and the information is utilized to suppress false alerts or warnings.

Terrain awareness system with false alert suppression

The present invention is a high availability digital radio architecture which includes an analog interface subsystem and a baseband digital processing subsystem. The analog interface subsystem includes an antenna switching network and a digital antenna group translator. The translator includes a set of analog and digital building blocks for each communication, navigation and surveillance (CNS) waveform. The set of blocks includes a receive signal processing chain and/or a transmit signal processing chain with digital interfaces to a multi-channel transceiver. The switching network provides connectivity between antennas and the translator. The baseband digital processing system includes a network switch and said multi-channel transceiver. The transceiver includes a digital modem and protocol processing components for implementing behavior of each CNS waveform. The network switch is communicatively coupled to said translator and to said transceiver and provides interconnection between said translator and individual channels in said baseband digital processing subsystem.

High availability digital radio architecture

The present invention is a method and system for managing a transmitter located in close proximity to a sensitive receiver. In an exemplary embodiment, the method may include recognizing incomplete receive operations on frequencies that may be affected by co-site transmit operations. Further, the method may include detecting the beginning of a speech message and delaying the speech message up to a selected maximum amount of time. The speech message may be delayed to correspond to required communications performance, allowing receive and transmit operations to be coordinated and thus, reducing the possibility of the receiver to be interrupted or affected by the transmitter operating on a relatively nearby frequency.

Temporal co-site interference reduction

A designated function or 'golden' slot for implementing and managing re-configurable SDR modules is provided. In an embodiment, the slot includes at least one radio frequency (RF) front end for providing an interface with at least one antenna. In addition, the slot may include at least one slot modem coupled to the RF front end for implementing at least one designated function and at least one input/output (I/O) module coupled to the slot modem. The designated function or 'golden' slot is capable of implementing and managing the at least one designated function in a re-configurable module during standard and emergency operations.

Growing community of inventors

Urbana, IA, United States of America

Joel Michael Wichgers