System and method for determining the 3D position of aircraft, independently onboard and on the ground, for any operation within a 'gate-to-gate' concept

摘要

A system and method for determining simultaneously and independently onboard of each aircraft and on the ground at ATC centers utilizing substantially identical surveillance modules for determining the 3D position of all aircraft in an ATC area utilizing a UTC clock to further synchronize all of the surveillance modules on the aircraft and at ground stations. Five ground stations including a master and four slaves communicate with each other and all aircraft in the ATC areas. The same precise 3D position of all aircraft operating in that ATC airspace is simultaneously computed by all the aircraft in that ATC area utilizing the measured distance between the aircraft and ground stations in that area providing full automated support for landing, take-off and taxi operation of the aircraft to a Gate or from a Gate, by using a ground infrastructure of radio communication stations which are operating worldwide within a 16 MHZ frequency spectrum from the existing DME 962-1213 MHZ spectrum. During functioning of the system, any mobile equipped with a dedicated receiver could determine its 2D position on the ground within an airport area or within any ATC area, such mobile being a truck, a car, a boat, a train, a mobile phone, or any other mobile operating in that ATC area and tuned on the frequency of operation of that ATC area.