The positioning systems developed in the e-Airport project help control processes on airport aprons more efficiently. (© Fraunhofer IFF)
Tow tractors, pushback tractors, tankers, luggage carts, air cargo, and catering vehicles crowd airport aprons. Poor weather conditions impede work on the apron even more. Researchers at the Fraunhofer Institute for Factory Operation and Automation IFF in Magdeburg are part of the EU project e-Airport, which is developing a positioning system that will increase safety on the apron. It will also make it possible to utilize airport capacities more efficiently because the system allows logistical operations to run in a significantly more structured way than before

The European Galileo satellite system is the basis of the positioning system, which is similar to that of an automotive navigation system: tow tractors, pushback tractors, and other vehicles have onboard receivers for global navigation satellite systems that are powered by the vehicle’s power system. They receive signals from the Galileo satellites and other systems such as GPS, and use them to establish their exact location. The control system sends messages back to the drivers, and a display warns when a vehicle is getting too close to another, driving too close to restricted areas, or leaving a specified route.

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Topics:
Aeronautics Automation Aviation Communications Motion Control