Apparatus, method and system relating to aircraft systems

1. A method for determining a flight path for an aircraft system, the method comprising:

analysing an intensity map relating to a three dimensional space, wherein the intensity map comprises an array of voxels, each voxel defining a volume in the three dimensional space, and each voxel having a related traffic intensity value based on historical flight data through that voxel;

determining a probability of an encounter for a preferred flight path between a start point and an end point via one or more voxels in the three dimensional space, based on traffic intensity values of the one or more voxels along the preferred flight path;

selecting the preferred flight path if the probability of encounter is less than a first threshold value; and

guiding an aircraft to travel along the preferred flight path responsive to selecting the preferred flight path.

2. A method as claimed in claim 1 wherein, if the determined probability of encounter is above the first threshold value, selecting an alternative flight path between the start point and the end point.

3. A method as claimed in claim 2 , wherein selecting an alternative flight path between the start point and end point comprises:

comparing the probability of encounter along two or more different flight paths between the start point and end point, via different voxels in the three dimensional space; and

selecting a flight path which has a probability of encounter lower than the first threshold value.

4. A method as claimed in claim 2 , wherein selecting an alternative flight path comprises selecting a shortest flight path which has a probability of encounter lower than the first threshold value.

5. A method as claimed in claim 2 , wherein selecting an alternative flight path comprises selecting the flight path which has a lowest overall probability of encounter.

6. A method as claimed in claim 2 , wherein selecting an alternative flight path comprises selecting a flight path which has a zero probability of encounter.

7. A method as claimed in claim 1 , wherein determining a probability of encounter comprises determining if one or more voxels along the flight path comprise a traffic intensity value above a second threshold value.

8. A method as claimed in claim 1 , wherein determining a probability of encounter comprises:

partitioning a flight path of length D into a series of K elements, each element of length D/K;

for each of the K elements, interpolating a local intensity (p FP,i ) from the array of voxels to a point in the centre of the element; and

determining the probability of encounter for a particular element based on the local traffic intensity value multiplied by the time taken for the aircraft system to cover the element.

9. A method as claimed claim 8 , wherein the probability of an encounter for the entire flight path is determined as:

p

FP

=

∑

i

=

1

K

⁢

p

FP

,

i

*

D

KV

where V is the velocity of the aircraft system.

10. A method as claimed in claim 2 , wherein selecting an alternative flight path comprises selecting an alternative flight path which avoids one or more voxels having a traffic intensity value above a second threshold value.

11. A method as claimed in claim 2 , wherein selecting an alternative flight path comprises first attempting to selecting a flight path having a different altitude in the three dimensional space compared to the preferred flight path, or a flight path having a minimum altitude in the three dimensional space.

12. A method as claimed in claim 1 , wherein selecting an alternative flight path comprises:

receiving population density data relating to the population density under a voxel; and

using the population density data as at least part of the step of selecting the alternative flight path.

13. A method as claimed in claim 1 , further comprising the step of generating the intensity map by:

receiving transponder signals and/or automatic dependent surveillance-broadcast, ADS-B, signals and/or other flight position information from aircraft travelling through the three dimensional space, and/or from other sources, over a period of time; and

generating traffic intensity values for the plurality of voxels within the three dimensional space using the received transponder signals and/or automatic dependent surveillance-broadcast, ADS-B, signals and/or other flight position information.

14. A method as claimed in claim 13 , wherein generating a traffic intensity value for a voxel comprises determining a number of aircraft that have passed through the voxel over a period of time.

15. A method as claimed in claim 13 , wherein a probability value of each aircraft is distributed across the array of voxels according to the distance between an aircraft and nearest N nodes associated with nearest N voxels.

16. A method as claimed in claim 15 , wherein the distribution is linear or non-linear with distance.

17. A method as claimed in claim 16 , wherein a linear distribution for an aircraft located at point X, defined as x ac , y ac , z ac at time t 1 is given by:

d

i

,

j

,

k

,

t

1

=

(

x

i

,

j

,

k

-

x

ac

)

2

+

(

y

i

,

j

,

k

-

y

ac

)

2

+

(

z

i

,

j

,

k

-

z

ac

)

2

For the 1 . . . N values of min(d i,j,k,t 1 ):

p

i

,

j

,

k

,

t

1

=

d

i

,

j

,

k

,

t

1

∑

1

N

⁢

d

i

,

j

,

k

,

t

1

.

18. A method as claimed in claim 1 , wherein:

the intensity map comprises a plurality of time slices, each time slice comprising traffic intensity values for each of the voxels in the array for that time slice; and wherein

analysing the intensity map relating to the three dimensional space comprises analysis the intensity map of one or more time slices relating to a time period during which the flight path is being determined.

19. An aircraft system comprising a processor and a memory, said memory containing instructions executable by said processor, whereby said aircraft system is operative to:

analyse an intensity map relating to a three dimensional space, wherein the intensity map comprises an array of voxels, each voxel defining a volume in the three dimensional space, and each voxel having a related traffic intensity value based on historical flight data through that voxel;

determine a probability of an encounter for a preferred flight path between a start point and an end point via one or more voxels in the three dimensional space, based on traffic intensity values of the one or more voxels along the preferred flight path;

select the preferred flight path if the probability of encounter is less than a first threshold value; and

guide an aircraft to travel along the preferred flight path responsive to selecting the preferred flight path.

20. A flight control system for controlling an aircraft system, and comprising a processor and a memory, said memory containing instructions executable by said processor, whereby said flight control system is operative to:

analyse an intensity map relating to a three dimensional space, wherein the intensity map comprises an array of voxels, each voxel defining a volume in the three dimensional space, and each voxel having a related traffic intensity value based on historical flight data through that voxel;

determine a probability of an encounter for a preferred flight path between a start point and an end point via one or more voxels in the three dimensional space, based on traffic intensity values of the one or more voxels along the preferred flight path;

select the preferred flight path if the probability of encounter is less than a first threshold value; and

guide an aircraft to travel along the preferred flight path responsive to selecting the preferred flight path.