Runway incursion detection

1 . An airport object location system that comprises a vehicle location unit configured to connect to vehicles, wherein each of the vehicles is configured to perform a different operation from a remainder of the vehicles and the vehicle location unit is configured to generate:

vehicle location information accurate to within one meter for each of the vehicles in a format for integration with real-time kinematics; and

vehicle timestamps for the vehicle location information, wherein the vehicle location unit comprises:

an antenna system that comprises:

a first global positioning satellite antenna affixed at a first end of a first rail;

a second global positioning satellite antenna affixed at a first end of a second rail; and

an inertial measurement unit configured to receive and retain a second end of the first rail and to receive and retain a second end of the second rail;

mounts configured to temporarily suctorially or magnetically connect the first rail and the second rail to a vehicle and to be removed for reuse on other of the vehicles, wherein the antenna system and the mounts when connected together and mounted on a surface of any of the vehicles extend 8 inches or less from the surface of any of the vehicles;

a receiver that comprises:

a network time protocol network time server;

a global navigation satellite system;

a gateway configured to transmit location information; and

a case that is manually portable, configured to retain all components of the vehicle location unit, and comprises an electrical panel that faces an outside of the case on a side of the case and is configured to connect electrically to:

the first global positioning satellite antenna;

the second global positioning satellite antenna;

the inertial measurement unit;

an antenna of the network time protocol network time server;

a battery;

a universal serial bus port; and

a display unit port.

2 . The airport object location system of claim 1 , further comprising:

an electro-optical sensor system connected to reference vehicle, wherein the electro-optical sensor system is configured to generate a video comprising frames of an area, wherein reference timestamps and reference location information are associated with the frames in the video; and

a model generator configured to correlate the vehicle location information for the vehicles with the frames in the video using the vehicle timestamps, the reference location information, and the reference timestamps to form a dataset, wherein the model generator is configured to train a machine learning model to detect incursions to a selected operations surface based upon the dataset to form an incursion model, wherein the incursion model is configured to detect incursions in a selected area.

3 . The airport object location system of claim 2 , wherein:

the model generator is configured to:

create a computer vision model to detect incursions to a selected operations surface; and

test and validate the computer vision model using the dataset; and

the vehicle location unit further comprises a size and visual profile that when assembled and mounted on a vehicle cannot be recognized, by the machine learning model as distinct from a vehicle it is mounted on.

4 . The airport object location system of claim 2 , further comprising an incursion assessment system configured to:

receive a current video for the selected area; and

detect an incursion into the selected operations surface by a vehicle using the current video and the incursion model.

5 . The airport object location system of claim 4 , wherein the incursion assessment system is configured to:

display the current video on a display system; and

associate a graphical indicator with the vehicle in the current video displayed on the display system in response to detecting the incursion.

6 . The airport object location system of claim 2 , wherein:

wherein the vehicles comprise at least one of: an aircraft, a cart, a refueling vehicle, or a deicing vehicle; and

the mounts are configured to retain the vehicle location unit on a vehicle travelling on an airport.

7 . The airport object location system of claim 2 , wherein:

the first global positioning satellite antenna is wider than the first rail;

the second global positioning satellite antenna is wider than the second rail; and

the vehicle location unit further comprises a visibility in video that avoids recognition of the vehicle location unit by an incursion model created using the dataset.

8 . The airport object location system of claim 1 , wherein the receiver is configured to connect to the antenna system and generate the vehicle location information in a form of global positioning system data and timestamps.

9 . The airport object location system of claim 8 , wherein the antenna system is configured to be removably suctorially or magnetically attached to a roof of any of the vehicles.

10 . The airport object location system of claim 1 , wherein the vehicle location unit further comprises:

the antenna system and the mounts configured to be removably suctorially or magnetically attached to a dash of a vehicle; and

the receiver configured to connect to the antenna system and generate the vehicle location information in a form of global positioning system data and timestamps.

11 . The airport object location system of claim 2 , wherein the reference vehicle comprises one of: a commercial airplane, a passenger airplane, a cargo airplane, a tilt-rotor aircraft, a tilt wing aircraft, a vertical takeoff and landing aircraft, an unmanned aerial vehicle, a drone, an electric vertical takeoff and landing vehicle, or a personal air vehicle.

12 . The airport object location system of claim 2 , wherein the selected area comprises: a runway, a taxiway, a ramp, and a helipad.

13 . An airport object location system that comprises:

a number of vehicle location units connected to vehicles, wherein each of the vehicles is configured to perform a different operation from a remainder of the vehicles and the number of vehicle location units are configured to generate:

vehicle location information for the vehicles in an area including an operations surface at an airport; and

vehicle timestamps for the vehicle location information, wherein each vehicle location unit, respectively, comprises:

an antenna system that comprises:

a first global positioning satellite antenna affixed at a first end of a first rail;

a second global positioning satellite antenna affixed at a first end of a second rail; and

an inertial measurement unit configured to receive and retain a second end of the first rail and to receive and retain a second end of the second rail;

mounts configured to temporarily suctorially or magnetically connect the first rail and the second rail to a vehicle and to be removed for reuse on other of the vehicles, wherein the antenna system and the mounts when connected together and mounted on a surface of any of the vehicles extend 8 inches or less from the surface of any of the vehicles;

a receiver that comprises:

a network time protocol network time server;

a global navigation satellite system;

a gateway configured to transmit location information; and

a case that is manually portable, configured to retain all components of a vehicle location unit of the vehicle location units, and comprises an electrical panel that faces an outside of the case on a side of the case and is configured to connect electrically to:

the first global positioning satellite antenna;

the second global positioning satellite antenna;

the inertial measurement unit;

an antenna of the network time protocol network time server;

a battery;

a universal serial bus port; and

a display unit port.

14 . The airport object location system of claim 13 , further comprising:

a sensor system connected to a reference vehicle, wherein the sensor system is configured to generate real-time sensor data for the area, wherein reference timestamps and reference location information are associated with the real-time sensor data; and

a model generator configured to correlate the vehicle location information for the vehicles with the real-time sensor data using the vehicle timestamps, the reference location information, and the reference timestamps to form a dataset, wherein the model generator is configured to train a machine learning model to assess incursions to a selected operations surface using the dataset to form an incursion model, wherein the incursion model is configured to assess incursions in a selected area.

15 . The airport object location system of claim 14 , wherein the model generator is configured to:

create a computer vision model to detect incursions to a selected operations surface; and

test and validate the computer vision model using the dataset.

16 . The airport object location system of claim 14 , further comprising:

an incursion assessment system configured to:

receive current sensor data for the selected area; and

assess an incursion into the selected operations surface by a vehicle using the current sensor data and an incursion model created using the dataset.

17 . The airport object location system of claim 16 , wherein in assessing the incursion into the selected operations surface by the vehicle, the incursion assessment system is configured to:

detect the incursion into the selected operations surface by the vehicle using the current sensor data and the incursion model.

18 . The airport object location system of claim 16 , wherein the incursion model is further configured to predict that the incursion into the selected operations surface by the vehicle will occur using the current sensor data and the incursion model.

19 . The airport object location system of claim 14 , wherein the incursion model is selected from at least one of a machine learning model training using the dataset or a computer vision model.

20 . The airport object location system of claim 16 , wherein the incursion assessment system is configured to:

display the current sensor data on a display system; and

associate a graphical indicator with the vehicle in the current sensor data displayed on the display system in response to detecting the incursion.

21 . The airport object location system of claim 14 , wherein the selected area is one of the area at the airport, a different area at the airport, or another area at another airport.

22 . The airport object location system of claim 14 , wherein the real-time sensor data is selected from at least one of a video comprising frames, light detection and ranging data, or radar data.

23 . The airport object location system of claim 14 , wherein the sensor system is selected from at least one of an electro-optical sensor system, a light detection and ranging system, or a radar system.

24 . The airport object location system of claim 14 , wherein

the first global positioning satellite antenna is wider than the first rail;

the second global positioning satellite antenna is wider than the second rail; and

each vehicle location unit in the number of vehicle location units comprises a visibility, respectively, in the real-time sensor data that avoids recognition of the vehicle location unit by an incursion model trained using the dataset.

25 . The airport object location system of claim 13 , wherein each vehicle location unit in the number of vehicle location units is a portable localization data collection system.

26 . The airport object location system of claim 13 , wherein each vehicle location unit further comprises, respectively, a localization generation unit that comprises the receiver connected to the antenna system, wherein the receiver is configured to process global positioning system signals received by the antenna system and generate the vehicle location information in a form of global positioning system data and timestamps.

27 . The airport object location system of claim 26 , wherein the antenna system is configured to be removably suctorially or magnetically attached to a roof of the vehicle.

28 . The airport object location system of claim 13 , wherein a localization generation unit in the number of vehicle location units comprises:

the antenna system and the mounts configured to be temporarily suctorially or magnetically attached to a dash of a vehicle and to be removed and reused on another of the vehicles; and

the receiver configured to connect to the antenna system and generate the vehicle location information in a form of global positioning system data and timestamps.

29 . A method for detecting an object at an airport, the method comprising:

generating, using a number of vehicle location units connected to vehicles wherein each of the vehicles is configured to perform a different operation from a remainder of the vehicles that comprise different sizes, vehicle location information for the vehicles in an area, including an operations surface at an airport, and vehicle timestamps for locations of the vehicles, wherein each vehicle location unit in the vehicle location units, respectively comprises:

an antenna system that comprises:

a first global positioning satellite antenna affixed at a first end of a first rail;

a second global positioning satellite antenna affixed at a first end of a second rail; and

an inertial measurement unit configured to secure to a second end of the first rail and to a second end of the second rail;

mounts configured to connect the first rail and the second rail to a vehicle, wherein the antenna system and the mounts when connected together and mounted on a surface of any of the vehicles extend 8 inches or less from the surface of any of the vehicles;

a receiver that comprises:

a network time protocol network time server;

a global navigation satellite system;

a gateway configured to transmit location information; and

a case that is manually portable, configured to retain all components of a vehicle location unit of the vehicle location units, and comprises an electrical panel that faces an outside of the case on a side of the case and is configured to connect electrically to:

 the first global positioning satellite antenna;

the second global positioning satellite antenna;

the inertial measurement unit;

an antenna of the network time protocol network time server;

a power source;

a universal serial bus port; and

a display unit port;

generating sensor data for the area using a sensor system connected to a reference vehicle;

associating reference timestamps and reference location information to the sensor data, wherein the reference location information is for the reference vehicle; and

correlating vehicle location information for the vehicles with the sensor data using the vehicle timestamps, the reference location information, and the reference timestamps to form a dataset.

30 . The method of claim 29 further comprising:

each of the vehicles comprising a different size; and

training a machine learning model to assess incursions to a selected operations surface using the dataset to form an incursion model, wherein the incursion model assesses incursions by vehicles in a selected area including the selected operations surface.

31 . The method of claim 30 , further comprising:

integrating the real-time sensor data with real-time kinematics and achieving an accuracy of location information for a vehicle of within one centimeter;

receiving current sensor data for the selected area from a new sensor system; and

assessing an incursion into the selected operations surface by a vehicle using the current sensor data and the incursion model.

32 . The method of claim 31 , wherein assessing the incursion into the selected operations surface by the vehicle comprises:

detecting the incursion into the selected operations surface by the vehicle using the current sensor data and the incursion model.

33 . The method of claim 31 , further comprising predicting that the incursion into the selected operations surface by the vehicle will occur using the current sensor data and the incursion model.

34 . The method of claim 31 , further comprising:

changing a movement of an intruder vehicle in response to detecting the incursion.

35 . The method of claim 31 , further comprising:

changing a movement of another reference vehicle in response to detecting the incursion.