Patent Application
20160041001
The present invention relates generally to avionics display systems and, more particularly, to a Vertical Situation Display (VSD) system and method for displaying up-linked and down-linked altitude change requests to enhance a pilot's vertical situational awareness.
A pilot is faced with two major tasks; i.e. (1) to accurately determine and remain constantly aware of the current aircraft status including direction, speed, altitude, location, and the rates of change of each; and (2) to quickly and accurately control the aircraft to effectuate a change in these parameters to achieve a desired status of the aircraft including, for example, setting or altering the aircraft's flight-plan.
To this end, avionics display systems deployed aboard aircraft have been extensively engineered to visually convey a considerable amount of flight information in an intuitive and readily comprehendible manner. In conventional avionics display systems, much of the information visually expressed on a cockpit display (e.g., a primary flight display, a horizontal map display, a vertical situation display, etc.) pertains to aircraft parameters (e.g., the heading, drift, roll, and pitch of the host aircraft), nearby geographical features (e.g., mountain peaks, runways, etc.), and current weather conditions (e.g. developing storm cells). A further improvement occurred with the introduction of flight management systems, a type of specialized computer that includes a database of pre-stored navigation landmarks, such as airports, or imaginary intersections (waypoints) in the sky.
In addition, pilots strive to create a precise picture of future situations using information that is currently available to them such as weather reports and forecasts, pilot reports, NOTAM (Notice to Airmen), information about other air traffic, and the like. Such information, useful for strategic decision making, inherently includes a temporal component, which may be closely associated with a location e.g. (e.g., What will the situation look like in 20 minutes at a specific location?).
The management of strategic information and optimal situational awareness are important topics in and among the aerospace industry. For example, strong emphasis has been placed on this in the development of the FAA's Next Generation Air Transportation System (NextGen) and its European counterpart Single European Sky ATM Research (SESAR), which are parallel projects intended to completely overhaul their respective airspace and air traffic management. For example, NextGen will comprise 1) automatic dependent surveillance-broadcast (ADS-B) incorporating GPS satellite signals to provide air traffic controllers and pilots with much more accurate information to help keep aircraft safely separated in the sky and on runways, (2) reducing weather-related delays by half by providing a common weather picture across the national airspace thus enabling better decision making, (3) replacing the multiple different voice switching systems that have been in use for many years with a single air/ground and ground/ground voice communications system, and (4) providing aircraft and ATM with data-link communications for traffic control clearances, instructions, and advisories improving controller productivity, enhancing capacity, and increasing safety,
With respect to this, a pilot's workload is exacerbated by having to deal with numerous sets of altitude information that emanate from various locations and graphical displays in the cockpit. For example, such information may include current aircraft altitude, altitude requested by pilots, altitude expected by Air Traffic Control (ATC), guidance panel/flight control panel selected altitude, radar display altitude, TCAS altitude filter limits, altitude requests down-linked via datalink, altitude requests up-linked via datalink, and the like.
Currently, strategic decision-making is supported by many information sources, some of them including navigation service providers (ANSP), and airline operation centers. Others include various applications installed, for example, on electronic flight bags (EFBs). Commonly, such applications require the flight crew to connect information from various devices; for example, integrating information disseminated as NOTAMs, published activation of restricted airspaces, and/or weather information with an estimate of future position. This is time-consuming and requires a significant amount of cognitive resources; e.g., navigation mechanisms are supported by pull-down menus, toolbars, dialog boxes, etc. Thus, providing each piece of information individually without a broader context does not enhance the temporal or local aspects of the information provided.
In view of the foregoing, it would be desirable to provide altitude information graphically co-located at a single location, such as on the VSD. It would further be desirable to display altitude requests that are up-linked and down-linked, as for example on a VSD, in order to provide enhanced vertical situational awareness.
This summary is provided to introduce a selection of concepts in a simplified form that are further described below in the detailed description. This summary is not intended to identify key features or essential features of the claimed subject matter, nor is it intended to be used as an aid in determining the scope of the claimed subject matter.
Described herein is method for graphically displaying up-linked and down-linked messages on an aircraft cockpit display. The method comprises determining if the message is up-linked or down-linked, generating symbology graphically representative of whether the message was up-linked or down-linked, graphically displaying the message content on the display, and displaying the symbology on the cockpit display.
Also described herein is an avionics display system for deployment onboard an aircraft that includes a system for displaying up-linked and down-linked altitude requests. The system comprises a processor configured to (a) receive an altitude request, (b) determine if the altitude request was up-linked or down-linked, and (c) determine the chronological position in which the altitude request was received, and (d) a display system for displaying symbology indicative of whether the altitude request was up-linked or down-linked.
Also provided is a method for graphically displaying up-linked and down-linked altitude requests on a VSD. The method comprises receiving an altitude request, generating symbology graphically representative of the requested altitude, and displaying the requested altitude on the VSD. The requested altitude is numerically displayed. Symbology graphically representative of whether the message was up-linked or down-linked is generated, and the symbology is displayed on the cockpit display.
Embodiments of the subject matter will hereinafter be described in conjunction with the following drawing figures, wherein like numerals denote like elements, and
The following detailed description is merely exemplary in nature and is not intended to limit the subject matter of the application and uses thereof. Furthermore, there is no intention to be bound by any theory presented in the preceding background or the following detailed description. Presented herein for purposes of explication is a certain exemplary embodiment of how a flight course may be graphically generated. For example, a graphical generation of waypoints and altitude constraints will be discussed. However, it should be appreciated that this explicated example embodiment is merely an example and a guide for implementing the novel display system and method. As such, the examples presented herein are intended as non-limiting.
Techniques and technologies may be described herein in terms of functional and/or logical block components and with reference to symbolic representations of operations, processing tasks, and functions that may be performed by various computing components or devices. It should be appreciated that the various block components shown in the figures may be realized by any number of hardware, software, and/or firmware components configured to perform the specified functions. For example, an embodiment of a system or a component may employ various integrated circuit components, e.g., memory elements, digital signal processing elements, logic elements, look-up tables, or the like, which may carry out a variety of functions under the control of one or more microprocessors or other control devices.
The following description may refer to elements or nodes or features being “coupled” together. As used herein, unless expressly stated otherwise, “coupled” means that one element/node/feature is directly or indirectly joined to (or directly or indirectly communicates with) another element/node/feature, and not necessarily mechanically. Thus, although the drawings may depict one exemplary arrangement of elements, additional intervening elements, devices, features, or components may be present in an embodiment of the depicted subject matter. In addition, certain terminology may also be used in the following description for the purpose of reference only, and thus are not intended to be limiting.
For the sake of brevity, conventional techniques related to graphics and image processing, navigation, flight planning, aircraft controls, and other functional aspects of the systems (and the individual operating components of the systems) may not be described in detail herein. Furthermore, the connecting lines shown in the various figures contained herein are intended to represent exemplary functional relationships and/or physical couplings between the various elements. It should be noted that many alternative or additional functional relationships or physical connections may be present in an embodiment of the subject matter.
It should be understood that
In an exemplary embodiment, the display device 102 is coupled to the graphics module 114. The graphics module 114 is coupled to the processor 112, the display 102, and database 116 are cooperatively configured to display, render, or otherwise convey one or more graphical representations or images such as a flight plan associated with operation of the aircraft on the display device 102.
As stated previously, navigational system 104 includes an inertial reference system 118, a navigation database 120, and at least one wireless receiver 122. Inertial reference system 118 and wireless receiver 122 provide processor 112 with navigational information derived from sources onboard and external to the host aircraft, respectively. More specifically, inertial reference system 118 provides processor 112 with information describing various flight parameters of the host aircraft (e.g., position, orientation, velocity, etc.) as monitored by a number of motion sensors (e.g., accelerometers, gyroscopes, etc.) deployed onboard the aircraft. By comparison, and as indicated in
Navigation database 120 stores a considerable amount of information useful in flight planning. For example, navigation database 120 can contain information pertaining to the geographical location of waypoints and lists of available approaches that may be flown by an aircraft when landing at a particular runway. During flight planning, a pilot may utilize user interface 110 to designate a desired approach from a list of available approaches stored in navigational database 120. After the pilot designates the desired approach, processor 112 may then recall from navigational database 120 relevant information pertaining to the designated approach.
Processor 112 is coupled to navigation system 104 for obtaining real-time navigational data and/or information regarding operation of the aircraft to support operation of the display system 100. In an exemplary embodiment, the communications system 106 is coupled to the processor 112 and configured to support communications to and/or from the aircraft, as is appreciated in the art. The processor 112 is also coupled to the flight management system 108, which in turn, may also be coupled to the navigation system 104 and the communications system 106 for providing real-time data and/or information regarding operation of the aircraft to the processor 112 to support operation of the aircraft. In an exemplary embodiment, the user interface 110 (e.g. touchscreen or cursor control) is coupled to the processor 112, and the user interface 110 and the processor 112 are cooperatively configured to allow a user to interact with display device 102 and other elements of display system 100, as described in greater detail below.
In an exemplary embodiment, the interactive display device 102 is realized as an electronic display configured to graphically display flight information or other data associated with operation of the aircraft under control of the graphics module 114. In an exemplary embodiment, the display device 102 is located within a cockpit of the aircraft. It will be appreciated that although
In an exemplary embodiment, the navigation system 104 is configured to obtain one or more navigational parameters associated with operation of the aircraft. The navigation system 104 may be realized as a global positioning system (GPS), inertial reference system (IRS), or a radio-based navigation system (e.g., VHF Omni-directional radio range (VOR) or long range aid to navigation (LORAN)), and may include one or more navigational radios or other sensors suitably configured to support operation of the navigation system 104, as will be appreciated in the art. In an exemplary embodiment, the navigation system 104 is capable of obtaining and/or determining the instantaneous position of the aircraft, that is, the current location of the aircraft (e.g., the latitude and longitude) and the altitude or above ground level for the aircraft. The navigation system 104 may also obtain and/or determine the heading of the aircraft (i.e., the direction the aircraft is traveling in relative to some reference).
In an exemplary embodiment, the communications system 106 is suitably configured to support communications between the aircraft and another aircraft or ground location (e.g., air traffic control). In this regard, the communications system 106 may be realized using a radio communication system or another suitable data link system. In an exemplary embodiment, the flight management system 108 (or, alternatively, a flight management computer) is located onboard the aircraft. Although
In an exemplary embodiment, the flight management system 108 maintains information pertaining to a current flight plan (or alternatively, a current route or travel plan). In this regard, depending on the embodiment, the current flight plan may comprise either a selected or otherwise designated flight plan for subsequent execution, a flight plan selected for review on the display device 102, and/or a flight plan currently being executed by the aircraft. In this regard, as used herein, a flight plan should be understood as a sequence of navigational reference points that define a flight path or route for the aircraft. In this regard, depending on the particular flight plan and type of air navigation, the navigational reference points may comprise navigational aids, such as VHF Omni-directional ranges (VORs), distance measuring equipment (DMEs), tactical air navigation aids (TACANs), and combinations thereof (e.g., VORTACs), landing and/or departure locations (e.g., airports, airstrips, runways, landing strips, heliports, helipads, and the like), points of interest or other features on the ground, as well as position fixes (e.g., initial approach fixes (IAFs) and/or final approach fixes (FAFs)) and other navigational reference points used in area navigation (RNAV). For example, a flight plan may include an initial or beginning reference point (e.g., a departure or takeoff location), a final navigational reference point (e.g., an arrival or landing location), and one or more intermediate navigational reference points (e.g., waypoints, positional fixes, and the like) that define the desired path or route for the aircraft from the initial navigational reference point to the final navigational reference point. In this regard, the intermediate navigational reference points may define one or more airways for the aircraft en route to the final navigational reference point.
In an exemplary embodiment, the processor 112 and/or graphics module 114 are configured to display and/or render symbology pertaining to altitude change requests that are either up-linked (e.g., from ATC) or down-linked (e.g., to ATC).
The processor 112 generally represents the hardware, software, and/or firmware components configured to facilitate the display and/or rendering of a navigational map on the display device 102 and perform additional tasks and/or functions described in greater detail below. Depending on the embodiment, the processor 112 may be implemented or realized with a general purpose processor, a content addressable memory, a digital signal processor, an application specific integrated circuit, a field programmable gate array, any suitable programmable logic device, discrete gate or transistor logic, discrete hardware components, or any combination thereof, designed to perform the functions described herein. The processor 112 may also be implemented as a combination of computing devices, e.g., a combination of a digital signal processor and a microprocessor, a plurality of microprocessors, one or more microprocessors in conjunction with a digital signal processor core, or any other such configuration. In practice, the processor 112 includes processing logic that may be configured to carry out the functions, techniques, and processing tasks associated with the operation of the display system 100, as described in greater detail below. Furthermore, the steps of a method or algorithm described in connection with the embodiments disclosed herein may be embodied directly in hardware, in firmware, in a software module executed by the processor 112, or in any practical combination thereof.
The graphics module 114 generally represents the hardware, software, and/or firmware components configured to control the display and/or rendering of a navigational map on the display device 102 and perform additional tasks and/or functions described in greater detail below. In an exemplary embodiment, the graphics module 114 accesses one or more databases 116 suitably configured to support operations of the graphics module 114, as described below. In this regard, the database 116 may comprise a terrain database, a weather database, a flight plan database, an obstacle database, a navigational database, a geopolitical database, a terminal airspace database, a special use airspace database, or other information for rendering and/or displaying content on the display device 102, as described below. It will be appreciated that although
Located below navigational map 200 is a vertical situation display (VSD) 218 further illustrating the airspace being entered or selected by a user. The selected airspace is displayed on VSD 218 in a manner consistent with how the airspace is displayed in map display 200. VSD includes a vertical altitude scale 220, a horizontal distance scale 222, and illustrates a vertical profile view of flight plan 208 including waypoints 210, 212, and 214.
In accordance with exemplary embodiments described below in connection with
Referring first to
Referring now to
In
After an altitude request has been detected (STEP 402), STEP 404 determines if the altitude request was down-linked, and STEP 406 determines if the altitude request was up-linked. If an up-linked or down-linked altitude request is detected, graphics module 114, in conjunction with processor 112 and database 116 (see
Thus, it should be appreciated that there has been provided a system and method for graphically displaying altitude change requests that are up-linked and/or down-linked on a cockpit display such as a VSD thus providing enhanced altitude situational awareness as distinguished from other altitudes such as current aircraft altitude, verbally requested altitude, guidance panel/flight control panel selected altitude, TCAS altitude filter limits, etc. Furthermore, the concepts described herein are also applicable to heading changes, offset flying, speed change requests, etc. that comprise up-linked and/or downlinked messages.
While an exemplary embodiment of the present invention has been described above in the context of a fully functioning computer system (i.e., avionics display system 100), those skilled in the art will recognize that the mechanisms of the present invention are capable of being distributed as a program product (i.e., an avionics display program) and, furthermore, that the teachings of the present invention apply to the program product regardless of the particular type of computer-readable media (e.g., floppy disc, hard drive, memory card, optical disc, etc.) employed to carry-out its distribution.
While at least one exemplary embodiment has been presented in the foregoing detailed description of the invention, it should be appreciated that a vast number of variations exist. It should also be appreciated that the exemplary embodiment or exemplary embodiments are only examples, and are not intended to limit the scope, applicability, or configuration of the invention in any way. Rather, the foregoing detailed description will provide those skilled in the art with a convenient road map for implementing an exemplary embodiment of the invention. It being understood that various changes may be made in the function and arrangement of elements described in an exemplary embodiment without departing from the scope of the invention as set forth in the appended claims.
