An Accurate, Secure and Low-power Wireless Aircraft Tracking System

We propose to design a tracking system for aircraft onboard carriers using a wireless mesh network with a point-to-point ranging capability. The system is formed by many Integrated Communication and Tracking Devices (ICTD) mounted inside the cockpits of aircrafts and in some selected locations of the carriers themselves, such as the island or the ceiling of the hangar bay. The unique strengths of this tracking system are: 1) Highly accurate and precise; 2) Low RF emission; 3) Energy efficient; 4) All-weather and; 5) No multi-path interference. Each ICTD contains four modules ---- a processor, a communication transceiver (CTR), a ranging sensor (RS), and a motion sensor (MS). CTR transmits very low power RF signals to meet the emission control limit and form a wireless multi-hop mesh network. The ranging sensor is capable of measuring the distance between another ranging sensor and itself. This tracking system is able to provide uniform coverage in the flight deck and the hangar bay areas in all weather conditions yet meet the emission control restriction. The accuracy is estimated to be +/- 1 foot for location and +/- 5 degrees or better in heading.