US 12,230,156 B2
System for navigating an aircraft based on infrared beacon signals
Adam Ehrmantraut, Dumfries, VA (US); Melissa Dominguez, Manassas, VA (US); and Amaresh Emani, Westborough, MA (US)
Assigned to Aurora Flight Sciences Corporation, Manassas, VA (US)
Filed by Aurora Flight Sciences Corporation, Manassas, VA (US)
Filed on Jul. 15, 2021, as Appl. No. 17/376,409.
Claims priority of provisional application 63/055,682, filed on Jul. 23, 2020.
Prior Publication US 2022/0028289 A1, Jan. 27, 2022
Int. Cl. G08G 5/02 (2006.01); G01S 1/70 (2006.01); G08G 5/00 (2006.01); H04B 10/60 (2013.01)
CPC G08G 5/025 (2013.01) [G01S 1/7038 (2019.08); G08G 5/0047 (2013.01); H04B 10/60 (2013.01)] 20 Claims
OG exemplary drawing
 
1. A system that facilitates navigation of an aircraft, the system comprising:
one or more processors;
a site code data store in communication with one or more data stores, wherein the site code data store stores data indicating a location of two or more infrared beacons for a specific landing site; and
a memory operationally coupled to the one or more processors, the memory storing data into a data store and program code that, when executed by the one or more processors, causes the system to:
detect an infrared site signal indicating a site code transmitted by the one or more infrared beacons that form a beacon network around the specific landing site, wherein the site code represents the specific landing site, wherein the one or more infrared beacons of the beacon network comprise a plurality of infrared light emitters arranged in a defined shape that includes a three-dimensional configuration, and wherein the defined shape is a polyhedron comprising a plurality of faces, a plurality of edges, and a plurality of vertices and one or more infrared light emitters are placed at each vertex, on each edge, and on each face of the polyhedron, and wherein the defined shape of the plurality of infrared light emitters allow for the one or more processors to determine an orientation of a particular beacon of the beacon network;
in response to detecting the infrared site signal, determine the specific landing site indicated by the site code;
search for two or more infrared beacon signals, wherein each infrared beacon signal is transmitted by an individual beacon of the beacon network and indicates an identifier associated with a specific infrared beacon that is part of the beacon network, wherein the specific infrared beacon transmits one of the two or more infrared beacon signals;
detect the two or more infrared beacon signals;
determine the location of each infrared beacon that is part of the beacon network by comparing the identifier associated with the specific infrared beacon with the data stored in the site code data store indicating the location of the two or more infrared beacons to determine the location of the specific infrared beacon; and
in response to detecting the two or more infrared beacon signals, determine a location of the aircraft by triangulation of the two or more infrared beacon signals.