Air situation surveillance automated system TOPAZ 2000
Processing and display EQPT
|
|
|
| Photo |
Description |
Air situation surveillance automated system (ASSAS) Topaz 2000 is intended for processing and displaying of information about air situation and can be used for air traffic control in ATC centres and controllers` command posts of airports.The main components of the Topaz 2000 complex are as follows:
- central processor (WS-T - technical workstation for processing, monitoring and control);
- equipment of ATC controller`s workstations (WS-C) - up to 22 sets;
- equipment of remote command posts - up to 4 sets;
- equipment of meteorological controller`s workstation (WS-M);
- equipment of flight plans controller`s workstation (WS-F);
- set of synchronous recording equipment Aviator;
- training complex;
- set of unified time system equipment;
- communication lines between components of the complex.
The main functions carried out by the Topaz 2000 complex are as follows:
- reception of digital and/or analog radar and direction-finding information;
- processing of information about air situation and additional information (flight plans, meteorological information etc.), formation of traces, association of information incoming from some (up to eight) data sources;
- displaying at controllers` working positions of information about air situation and all additional data in a controllers` friendly form;
- storage (recording and replaying) of air situation, voice data and operators` actions;
- controllers` training and rounding out of their skills using built-in simulator complex.
Controller`s workstation (WS-C)
Equipment of controller`s workstation WS-C is intended for presentation to ATC controller of all necessary information required for performing air traffic control procedure and for providing WS-C interfacing with the Topaz 2000 complex. Man-machine interface, which is used in the equipment, is in compliance with recommendations of Eurocontrol organisation (document ODID-IV).
Air situation is represented on high-resolution raster monitors of 256 colours in digital, analog and combined modes.
The following information is displayed:
- digital coordinate symbols of aircraft. Symbols dimensions can be changed by an operator;
- analog coordinate marks of aircraft and other analog information incoming from sources (ground clutter etc.);
- digital and analog marks of aircraft describing prehistory of aircraft motion (prehistory time is changed by an operator);
- tracking labels of aircraft, the components of information represented in labels can be selected and easily changed by an operator;
- IFF sign for an aircraft;
- direction-finding data and information on controller`s choice.
The WS-C carries out and displays on a monitor the following ATC functions:
- special signalling (warning or alarm signals) to a controller about reception through SR channel emergency codes (EMERGENCY, COMMUNICATION FAILURE, HIGHJACK) or code 2000;
- formation and displaying of aircraft position extrapolation vectors for a time interval choosen by an operator (extrapolation time);
- detection of potential conflict situations between tracked aircraft and outputting to a controller a warning signal about potential aircraft collision danger;
- formation and displaying of vector-measurers for determination of distance and heading between any two objects (ground or air) specified by a controller;
- automatic or manual rejection of tracking labels;
- automatic placing of tracked aircraft into a list of losses, in case of absence of radar data about this aircraft, and return to tracking in case if radar data from this aircraft becomes accessible again, display of list of losses;
- formation and display of list of holding pattern aircraft at automatic counteraction with tracked aircraft;
- input of a specified flight level and a call-sign into tracking label for aircraft under control;
- automated reception and handing-over of an aircraft for control in adjacent sectors.
The WS-C equipment provides inputting and displaying of the following graphic data while a radar is in service:
- cartographic information - up to 30 different maps in succession or simultaneously by an operator`s choice;
- restricted areas;
- range marks and azimuth narks.
In dependence upon air situation and kind of tasks to be solved a controller has the possibility to use the following service functions:
- to switch on or off any kind of displayed information, that or other function;
-to change smoothly image scale (from 30 to 1000 km per display screen) and to displace air situation image centre into any point of the screen;
- to perform on-line adjustment of colour palette of display elements, including sectors, tracking labels, range and azimuth marks, graphic information, interfacing keys etc. with performed set-ups saving.
Functional purpose of the controller`s workstation can be changed depending upon tasks to be solved (regional centre of ATC automated system, aerodrome controllers` centre: approach, holding flight, landing, ground taxiing, start, flight director).
Flight plan subsystem.
Flight plan subsystem provides processing, distribution and display of flight plan information on ATC specialists working positions. Correlation between flight plan information and radar data is provided in the process of direct air traffic control.
Interfacing with adjacent flight plan systems and ATC is performed using agreed protocols of information exchange and/or Eurocontrol standard OLDI.
While processing flight plans information a special base of system parameters is used; that base comprises a library of standard flight plans and description of air space structure, description of traces and standard flight routes, compulsory reporting points, aircraft flight-performing characteristics etc.
Basing upon received and input information a summary flight plan for a region is formed with possibility of its viewing and correction from authorised workstations, for example, from WS-F or from flight regulation controller`s workstation. Actualisation and correction of flight plans by means of automated or manual procedures is provided.
Presentation of flight plan information on controller`s workstations is provided in a table form as lists. Contents and forms of flight plans lists presentation are adapted to peculiarities of professional activity of each controller.
In addition to table forms of flight plans presentation, display is performed for some separate components of flight plan information, which complement radar data in the air situation window:
- graphic presentation of an aircraft planned flight route Planned route;
- label of aircraft being tracked according to flight plan data in the zones of radar invisibility (track under flight plan);
- designation of destination airport, aircraft type and its category taking into account turbulance, as well as some other planned data in an aircraft tracking label.
Using control functions the system working positions provide the possibility of inputting new flight plans, viewing additional flight-plan information, inputting of actualising and correcting commands.
In the result of radar tracking and flight-plans realisation an archive of flight-plan information is formed, which can be used for purposes of statistics and outputting of necessary messages to a zone center air traffic planning automated system about real passage of targets through regional centre air space.
All main processing of flight plan information incoming from various sources is performed by flight plans server using library of system parameters of flight-plan subsystem. Information exchange with workstations, which are users of flight plan information, is performed via a local are network. Interaction of flight-plan subsystem with AFTN is performed via specialised software-hardware module, which can operate as a component of AFTN operator`s workstation.
A separate indicator can be used for presentation of flight-plan information on controller`s workstations. A version of combined displaying of radar data and flight-plan information on one monitor is provided. In this version the flight-plan information is displayed in the form of special table windows superimposed over air situation window.
Flight-plan subsystem provides the following characteristics in flight plans processing:
- Up to 3000 standard (repetitive) flight plans;
- Up to 1000 passive flight plans;
- Up to 400 active flight plans.
ATC processes recording complex AVIATOR.
Recording system AVIATOR provides multiple channel duplicated digital recording of controllers` talks and radar information on the streamer DDS3 12 GB.
Recording system AVIATOR consists of recording and replaying modules. The recording module comprises two recording stations (main and stand-by) and a monitoring station. The capacity of each recording station can be from 16 channels up to 64 channels (extension is performed by adding required quantity of 4-channel boards). Number of recording stations (main and stand-by ones) is not limited.
Monitoring station is intended for recording system control. Monitoring station components are: a system unit, a built-in digital signal adapter, a keyboard, a mouse and an acoustic system.
Replaying station provides:
- synchronous listening of talks and air situation review from - stationary medium;
- listening of archive without interruption of recording process;
- real time replaying of records from stationary medium up to 10 channels and air situation up to 8 digital radar channels with mixing at output and individual adjustment of level in each channel.
Dynamic range of voice information recording channel (16-bit analog-to-digital converter, sampling frequency of 8 kHz) is 65 dB, isolation between channels is 65 dB, frequency range is 300 Hz - 3500 Hz. Adjustment of level while replaying can be switched off and provides interactive adjustment of operating threshold in the 40 dB range.
|
|
|
|
