Siemens is testing a new precision-parking system at Munich Airport, Germany, which recognises an aircraft approaching a stand and then gives the pilot parking guidance.
Testing of the video-based Siemens Docking Guidance System (SIDOGS) should be completed by the end of the year, says the German company, which is aiming to market the product initially in Europe, although it also sees a "-big potential market in the USA". The prototype system is fitted on active gates at Munich, where the airport operator is supporting the programme.
The system is based on commercially available passive video sensors giving visual information which is processed into guidance cues for the pilot. Information is also displayed in the SIDOGS control console. The systemcan be operated manually or automatically.
Because it is video-based, the system eliminates the risk of using radiation-emitting devices, and the need to install equipment into the tarmac in the gate area. The video image is compared with the system's own database of aircraft, and a warning is given if the aircraft does not match the type the system is expecting. Guidance information relies on the database's information on the incoming aircraft's dimensions.
Source: Flight International
