Method of track merging in an aircraft tracking system
US5321406A · kind A · utility
Assignee
Inventors
Key dates
| Filing date | Dec 22, 1992 |
| Grant date | Jun 14, 1994 |
| Priority date | — |
| Expiry date | Dec 22, 2012 |
Classification
- Technology area (CPC G)Physics
- CPC primaryG01S7/22
- WIPO fieldMeasurement
- WIPO sectorInstruments
Abstract
A method of processing a plurality of tracks representative of one or more target aircraft in a vicinity of a surveillance aircraft, where each track is generated in response to target reply signals provided by the target aircraft in response to interrogation signals transmitted by the surveillance aircraft, includes eliminating a portion of the plurality of tracks which are duplicate tracks of the same target aircraft. The remaining tracks are maintained and updated in response to the target reply signals provided by the target aircraft. A threat level for each of the remaining tracks is determined and two or more of the remaining tracks which are possibly representative of a same target aircraft are merged resulting in a composite track. The composite track is output to a display device utilizing information from a particular remaining track of the composite track having the greatest threat level to the surveillance aircraft while continuing to maintain and update all the remaining tracks.
Source: USPTO / EPO open patent data. Objective bibliographic and citation counts.