BEACON COLLISION AVOIDANCE SYSTEM (BCAS) ALTERNATIVE CONCEPTS FOR DETERMINING TARGET POSITIONS

The (Litchford) Beacon-based Collision Avoidance System concept requires the computation of target range and bearing relative to the BCAS aircraft. Techniques for determining target range and bearing under four different assumptions about the ground radar environment are reported. The systems considered are a fully passive BCAS system when there are two ground radars equipped with azimuth reference signals and a single target, two ground radars of which only one has azimuth reference signals and two targets, and two ground radars without ground reference signals and two targets as well as a BCAS system using both active range measurements and signals from a single ground radar. It is found that the error sensitivity of the solutions is a function of the geometry of the configuration. Multiple solutions are possible with systems involving only one target. A family of curves is derived and illustrated by examples to permit qualitative evaluation of the solution in any given configuration. (Author)

• Corporate Authors:

  Transportation Systems Center

  55 Broadway, Kendall Square
  Cambridge, MA  United States  02142
• Authors:
  • Raudseps, J G
  • Menn, M D
  • Vilcans, J
• Publication Date: 1978-9

Media Info

• Pagination: 207 p.

Subject/Index Terms

• TRT Terms: Algorithms; Aviation safety; Azimuth; Beacons; Crash avoidance systems; Flight simulators; Passive restraint systems; Radar beacons; Radar targets; Radio direction finders; Rangefinders; Simulation
• Identifier Terms: FORTRAN (Computer program language)
• Uncontrolled Terms: Direction finding; Flight simulation; Intrusion detection
• Old TRIS Terms: Aerial targets; Bearing direction; Passive systems; Range finding; Semiactive systems
• Subject Areas: Aviation; Safety and Human Factors;

Filing Info

• Accession Number: 00191011
• Record Type: Publication
• Source Agency: National Technical Information Service
• Report/Paper Numbers: TSC-FAA-78-19 Intrm Rpt., FAA/RD-78/34
• Files: NTIS, TRIS
• Created Date: Apr 25 1979 12:00AM