Localization and tracking in aircraft ground control utilizing radio frequency identifiers (RFIDs).

摘要

The National Transportation Safety Board reports that in the past five years it has investigated at least 34 accidents that have involved an airplane on a wrong runway, many of which involve planes that were landing or taking off. An overwhelming percentage of runway incidents can be traced to conditions, such as rain, fog, darkness, and malfunctioning or absent ground radar, in which an Air Traffic Controller (ATCs) is simply unable to locate or track aircraft on the ground. This research is concerned with the use of RFID technology to produce a localization and tracking method to help Air Traffic Controllers in their guidance of aircraft on the ground. The use of RFIDs provides more information with greater accuracy concerning the localization and tracking of aircraft on the ground. The implementation of the complete system provides a mechanism capable of mitigating the element of human error in ATC, localizing and tracking aircraft on the ground, and providing controllers with additional information to better avert runway accidents. The finalized design presents a valuable and formidable addition to the field of ground traffic control and the safety of the public, in addition to having broader implications in the tracking of aircraft in transit as well as the tracking of other objects and materials.