Runway incursion prevention method based on a discrete object sensing event-driven model

Abstract

A runway incursion prevention system for high density airports based on an event-driven sensor network is presented, in which non-cooperative active detection sensors, such as microwave or infrared sensors installed beside the critical points of runways and taxiways other than SMR, ADS-B, or MLAT to detect and locate aircraft or vehicle continuously, and the discrete airdrome surface traffic situation can be reconstructed based on the fusion of object sensing events detected by a sensor network and the landing and taking off events reported by pilots. Thus, an airdrome surface operation model based on Petri Nets is proposed based on runway operation rules in the present study. After defining the runway prevention control regulations, runway incursion detection and prevention was transformed into a state forbidden problem. A logical controller that satisfied a strong regulatory condition design method was developed for uncontrollable events in the airdrome surface operation model. The logical controller we proposed is centralised and maximally permissive, and the runway incursion prevention control actions, such as airfield lighting system, can be adopted to execute the discrete control policies generated by logical controller automatically. The illustrated case demonstrated that a controller designed with stop-bar lights or centerline guidance lights could prevent runway incursions in an efficient manner, while its time complexity depended only on the sensor network configurations rather than the number of objects, which is more suitable for high density airports. In general, the combination of active event-driven sensor and discrete event controller is a RIPS solution. © The Institution of Engineering and Technology 2014.