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 Title: |
US5636123:
Traffic alert and collision avoidance coding system
[ Derwent Title ]
>> View Certificate of Correction for this publication
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| Country: |
US United States of America
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| Inventor: |
Rich, Richard S.; Friday Harbor, WA 98250
Anderson, Michael W.; McCall, ID 83638
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| Assignee: |
None
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| Published / Filed: |
1997-06-03
/ 1994-07-15
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| Application Number: |
US1994000275801
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| IPC Code: |
Advanced:
G01S 5/00;
G08G 5/04;
Core:
G08G 5/00;
more...
IPC-7:
G01S 3/02;
G06F 17/14;
G06F 17/15;
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| ECLA Code: |
G01S5/00R3; G08G5/04;
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| U.S. Class: |
Current:
701/207;
342/029;
342/032;
342/455;
370/320;
455/061;
701/225;
701/300;
Original:
364/461;
364/449.1;
364/460;
342/029;
342/032;
342/455;
370/320;
455/033.1;
455/061;
455/038.1;
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| Field of Search: |
364/461,460,453,452,449,450
342/036,31,456,455,454,463,357,29,32
370/018,22
375/116,115
455/33.1,61,38.1
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| Priority Number: |
| 1994-07-15 |
US1994000275801 |
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| Abstract: |
A system for coding and transmitting traffic alert and collision avoidance data between vehicles (A, B and C) traveling within a given airspace (12). The airspace is divided into a grid of volume elements (14a, 14b . . . 14i), each of which is assigned a unique pseudonoise (PN) code. A vehicle (A) traveling through the airspace determines its position using signals from Global Positioning System (GPS) satellites. The vehicle's position places it within one of the volume elements in the airspace. A Traffic Alert and Collision Avoidance System (TCAS) transmitter (38) on the vehicle creates a navigation message that describes the position of the vehicle. A collision avoidance signal is then generated by modulating a carrier signal with the PN code representing the volume element containing the transmitting vehicle and with the navigation message. The collision avoidance signal is transmitted on a common communications channel using time-multiplexing based on a pseudorandom sequence. Other vehicles operating within the same airspace use a TCAS receiver to receive the collision avoidance signals broadcast from each vehicle. Each receiving vehicle in the airspace only tracks collision avoidance signals produced by vehicles located in its own and surrounding volume elements to determine if an impending collision is likely. Specifically, only the navigation messages from vehicles in the same or surrounding volume elements are decoded to determine the position of the other vehicles. Based on calculated vehicle paths, a warning of an impending collision or instructions on how to avoid a collision are provided to the operator of the receiving vehicle.
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| Attorney, Agent or Firm: |
Christensen O'Connor Johnson & Kindness PLLC ;
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| Primary / Asst. Examiners: |
Teska, Kevin J.; Phan, Thai
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| Maintenance Status: |
CC Certificate of Correction issued
View Certificate of Correction
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| INPADOC Legal Status: |
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| Family: |
None
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First Claim:
Show all 49 claims |
The embodiments of the invention in which an exclusive property or privilege is claimed are defined as follows:
1. A traffic alert and collision avoidance system for preventing the collision of vehicles within an airspace, said system comprising:
- (a) a navigation signal generating network that emits navigational signals suitable for determining the position of a vehicle receiving the navigational signals; and
- (b) a plurality of vehicles,
- (i) each of said vehicles including a transmitter for: receiving navigational signals generated by the navigation signal generating network; determining the actual position of the vehicle based on the received navigational signals; determining an airspace volume element that forms part of a grid of volume elements within which the vehicle is located; and transmitting a collision avoidance signal that includes a navigation message containing data describing the actual position of the vehicle and a volume element code assigned to the airspace volume element within which said vehicle is located; and
- (ii) at least some of said vehicles including a receiver for receiving the collision avoidance signals produced by the transmitters of other vehicles, said receiver: selecting which received collision avoidance signals to evaluate based on the volume element code contained in the received collision avoidance signals; evaluating the selected collision avoidance signals to determine the range between the vehicles transmitting the selected collision avoidance signals and the vehicle receiving the selected collision avoidance signals based on the actual position data contained in the navigation message of the selected collision avoidance signals and the actual position of the vehicle receiving the selected collision avoidance signals; and generating a warning if the range between any of the vehicles transmitting the selected collision avoidance signals and the vehicle receiving the selected collision avoidance signals indicates a potential collision between the vehicles.
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| Background / Summary: |
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| Drawing Descriptions: |
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| Description: |
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| Forward References: |
Show 59 U.S. patent(s) that reference this one
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