EP0380460A2
Expired / Lapsed
EP
⏱️ 0.0 years remaining
Conflict detection and resolution between moving objects
Assignee: International Business Machines Corp
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Filing: 1990-01-22
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Granted: —
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Expires: 2010-01-22
Abstract
Abstract A machine-implemented method for detecting and resolving conflict between a plurality of objects on trajectories in space. A two-dimensional representation is generated which depicts the trajectory of one of the objects and the times remaining until conflict of said one object with front and back limiting trajectories, respectively, of at least one other of the objects. An indication of potential conflict is displayed on said representation when the trajectory of said one object is between the front and back limiting trajectories of said other object. The front and back limiting trajectories for each such other object are calculated by enclosing a preselected protected airspace about said one object in an imaginary parallelogram having one set of sides parallel to the trajectory of said one object and the other set of sides parallel to relative velocity of such other object with respect to said one object. The sides parallel to said relative velocity depict the times, respectively, during which said one object will be closest to the protected airspace just touching it from the front and closest to the back of said protected airspace without touching it. Conflict is resolved by diverting said one object by an appropriate maneuver to a conflict-free path in which the trajectory of said one object no longer lies between the front and back limiting trajectories of any other object.
Inventors
- 👤 Alfred Inselberg
Bibliographic Details
Application Number
—
Jurisdiction
EP
Data Source
google_patents
Last Synchronized
2026-10-29 08:10
CPC Classifications
G; G08; G08G; G08G5/00; G08G5/80; G08G5/70; G08G5/72; G08G5/727
Claims Analysis
Total Claims: 24
Claim 1
Independent Claim
78 words
A machine-implemented method of detecting conflict between a plurality of objects on trajectories in space, comprising the steps of (a) generating an output which indicates the trajectory of one of the objects and the times remaining until conflict of said one object with front and back limiting trajectories, respectively, of another of the objects; and (b) indicating potential conflict when the trajectory of said one object is between the front and back limiting trajectories of said other object.
Claim 2
Dependent Claim
78 words
A machine-implemented method of detecting conflict between a plurality of objects on trajectories in space, comprising the steps of (a) generating an output which indicates the trajectory of one of the objects and the times remaining until conflict of said one object with front and back limiting trajectories, respectively, of another of the objects; and (b) indicating potential conflict when the trajectory of said one object is between the front and back limiting trajectories of said other object.
Claim 3
Dependent Claim
86 words
The method of claim 1, including the further steps of preselecting an airspace of specified shape and size that contains said one object and which is to be protected from penetration; and calculating the front and back limiting trajectories for said other object by enclosing said protected airspace in an imaginary parallelogram having one set of sides parallel to the trajectory of said one object and the other set of sides parallel to the relative velocity of said other object with respect to said one object.
Claim 4
Dependent Claim
47 words
The method of claim 2, wherein the sides parallel to said relative velocity depict, respectively, the times at which said one object will be closest to the protected air-space just touching it from the front and closest to the back of said protected airspace without touching it.
Claim 5
Dependent Claim
85 words
The method of claim 1, wherein the step of generating comprises (a) generating a two-dimensional representation which depicts the trajectory of one of the objects and the times remaining until conflict of said one object with front and back limiting trajectories, respectively, of at least one other of the objects; and the step of indicating comprises (b) displaying on said representation an indication of potential conflict when the trajectory of said one object is between the front and back limiting trajectories of said other object.
Claim 6
Dependent Claim
70 words
The method of claim 4, including the further step, for each such other object, of calculating its front and back limiting trajectories by enclosing a preselected protected airspace about said one object in an imaginary parallelogram having one set of sides parallel to the trajectory of said one object and the other set of sides parallel to the relative velocity of such other object with respect to said one object.
Claim 7
Dependent Claim
47 words
The method of claim 5, wherein the sides parallel to said relative velocity depict the times, respectively, during which said one object will be closest to the protected air-space just touching it from the front and closest to the back of said protected airspace without touching it.
Claim 8
Dependent Claim
176 words
The method of claim 1, wherein such conflict occurrs when a preselected airspace of specified shape and size containing one of said objects is penetrated by another of such objects, said method comprising the further steps of (a) generating an output which indicates the trajectory of said one object and the times remaining until conflict of said one object with front and back limiting trajectories, respectively, of another of the objects calculated by enclosing said airspace in an imaginary parallelogram having one set of sides parallel to the trajectory of said one object and the other set of sides parallel to the relative velocity of said other object with respect to said one object; (b) indicating potential conflict when the trajectory of said one object is between the front and back limiting trajectories of said other object; and (c) resolving conflict by diverting said one object by an appropriate maneuver to a conflict-free path in which the trajectory of said one object no longer lies between the front and back limiting trajectories of such other object.
Claim 9
Dependent Claim
33 words
The method of claim 7, wherein said conflict-free path is parallel to and substantially a minimal distance from the original heading of said one object necessary to avoid conflict with any other object.
Claim 10
Dependent Claim
35 words
The method of claim 7, wherein said conflict-free path is parallel to and not more than a preselected distance from the original heading of said one object necessary to avoid conflict with any other object.
Claim 11
Dependent Claim
52 words
The method according to claim 7, wherein the step (c) includes the step of selecting both the conflict-free path and necessary maneuver from a set of preselected conflict-avoidance routines stored in a memory and taking into account the performance characteristics, and conditions and time required for such maneuver by said one object.
Claim 12
Dependent Claim
65 words
The method of claim 7, including the further steps, in event conflict cannot be resolved by step (c), of: (d) determining each such other object that prevents diversion of said one object from resolving the conflict; and (e) recursively repeating steps (a), (b) and (c) substituting, for said one object, each such other object determined by step (d) until conflict is resolved during step (c).
Claim 13
Dependent Claim
10 words
The method of claim 7, wherein said objects are aircraft.
Claim 14
Independent Claim
92 words
A method for representing, on a processor-controlled display, position and motion information among objects on potentially conflicting trajectories in space, comprising the steps, for one of said objects, of: (a) calculating front and back limiting trajectories of each of the remaining objects with respect to said one object; and (b) plotting on the display conflict resolution intervals representing the distances of said remaining objects from said one object and the times from start to end during which at least some of said remaining objects will cross the path of said one object.
Claim 15
Independent Claim
92 words
A method for representing, on a processor-controlled display, position and motion information among objects on potentially conflicting trajectories in space, comprising the steps, for one of said objects, of: (a) calculating front and back limiting trajectories of each of the remaining objects with respect to said one object; and (b) plotting on the display conflict resolution intervals representing the distances of said remaining objects from said one object and the times from start to end during which at least some of said remaining objects will cross the path of said one object.
Claim 16
Dependent Claim
88 words
The method of claim 13, wherein said front and back limiting trajectories are calculated by enclosing said one object in respective parallelograms, each of which just encloses a preselected protected airspace by which said one object is to be separated from a corresponding one of the remaining objects, each parallelogram having one set of sides parallel to the trajectory of said one object and the other set of sides parallel to the relative velocity of a respective one of said remaining objects with respect to said one object.
Claim 17
Dependent Claim
48 words
The method of claim 14, wherein, for each parallelogram, the sides parallel to said relative velocity depict the time during which said one object will be closest to the front and to the back limiting trajectories of said respective one of the remaining objects without substantial penetration thereof.
Claim 18
Dependent Claim
41 words
The method of claim 13, including the step of: (c) representing said distances on one scale; and (d) plotting the trajectory of said one object and the front and back limiting trajectories of the remaining objects on a scale orthogonal thereto.
Claim 19
Dependent Claim
35 words
The method of claim 16, including the step of: (e) denoting conflict by the trajectory of said one object as displayed lying between the front and back limiting trajectories of any of the remaining objects.
Claim 20
Dependent Claim
47 words
The method of claim 16, including the step of: (f) denoting the absence of conflict with a particular one of said remaining objects by the trajectory of said one object being displayed at the same side of both front and back limiting trajectories of said particular object.
Claim 21
Dependent Claim
43 words
The method of claim 17, including the step of: (g) avoiding conflict by diverting said one object to a trajectory and heading in which, as displayed, it no longer lies between the front and back limiting trajectories of any of said remaining objects.
Claim 22
Dependent Claim
78 words
The method of claim 17, including the further steps, if conflict cannot be resolved by diverting said one object in a single maneuver, of: (h) determining which specific objects still prevent the maneuver of said one object from resolving the conflict; and (i) performing steps (a), (b), (c), (d), (e) and (f) recursively on each of said specific objects in turn as said one object toward identifying maneuver(s) that will enable conflict to be resolved by step (g).
Claim 23
Dependent Claim
107 words
In a machine-implemented method of detecting conflict between a plurality of objects on trajectories in space when the trajectory of one of the objects lies between front and back limiting trajectories, respective of another of the objects, the steps of generating an imaginary envelope around a preselected protected airspace about said one object; and calculating the front and back limiting trajectories for said other object by enclosing said envelope in a respective parallelogram having one set of sides parallel to the trajectory of said one object and the other set of sides parallel to the relative velocity of said other object with respect to said one object.
Claim 24
Dependent Claim
107 words
In a machine-implemented method of detecting conflict between a plurality of objects on trajectories in space when the trajectory of one of the objects lies between front and back limiting trajectories, respective of another of the objects, the steps of generating an imaginary envelope around a preselected protected airspace about said one object; and calculating the front and back limiting trajectories for said other object by enclosing said envelope in a respective parallelogram having one set of sides parallel to the trajectory of said one object and the other set of sides parallel to the relative velocity of said other object with respect to said one object.
References Cited (Backward Citations)
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