Methods and systems for presenting en route diversion destinations

• US 10,109,203 B2
• Filed: 09/07/2016
• Issued: 10/23/2018
• Est. Priority Date: 09/07/2016
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Honeywell (Honeywell International Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Honeywell International Inc.
• Inventors: Chmelarova, Katerina, Moravek, Zdenek, Kunes, David
• Primary Examiner(s): Mawari, Redhwan K
• Assistant Examiner(s): Torchinsky, Edward
• Application Number:
  US15/258,400
• Publication Number:
  US 20180068569A1
• Time in Patent Office: 776 Days
• Field of Search: None
• CPC Class Codes: B64D 45/00 Aircraft indicators or protectors not otherwise provided for camouflage F41H3/00
• CPC Class Codes: G01C 21/20 Instruments for performing navigational calculations G01C21/24, G01C21/26 take precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G01C 23/00 Combined instruments indicating more than one navigational value, e.g. for aircraft; Combined measuring devices for measuring two or more variables of movement, e.g. distance, speed or acceleration
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 5/0021 located in the aircraft
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 5/0039 Modification of a flight plan
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 5/0056 in an emergency situation, e.g. hijacking
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 5/025 Navigation or guidance aids radar or analogous systems specially adapted for landing purposes G01S13/913

Abstract

Methods and systems are provided for indicating suggested or recommended diversion destinations with respect to segments of a planned route of travel. One exemplary method of presenting potential diversion airports for an aircraft involves identifying a flight path segment of a plurality of flight path segments between a departure location and a destination location based on a flight plan from the departure location to the destination location and identifying a subset of airports satisfying one or more filtering criteria with respect to the flight path segment. From among that subset, a recommended diversion airport is identified based on a viability ranking of the subset of airports with respect to the flight path segment and indication of the recommended diversion airport for the flight path segment is provided to a pilot or other user.

Claims

1. A method of presenting potential diversion airports for an aircraft, the method comprising:

identifying, by a processing system, a flight path segment of a plurality of flight path segments between a departure location and a destination location based on a flight plan from the departure location to the destination location;

identifying, by the processing system, a subset of airports satisfying one or more filtering criteria with respect to the flight path segment;

obtaining, by the processing system, status information for each airport of the subset of airports from one or more external systems via a communications system onboard the aircraft;

obtaining, by the processing system, anticipated aircraft status information for each of a plurality of different locations along the flight path segment using one or more onboard systems;

for each respective airport of the subset;

determining, by the processing system, a respective viability score for each of the plurality of different locations along the flight path segment based at least in part on the respective status information for the respective airport of the subset and the respective anticipated aircraft status information for each of the plurality of different locations;

determining, by the processing system, a representative viability score for the respective airport with respect to a length of the flight path segment based on the respective viability scores for the different locations along the flight path segment;

identifying, from among the subset, a recommended diversion airport based on a ranking of respective airports of the subset of airports according to a respective representative viability score associated with each respective airport of the subset of airports; and

providing, by the processing system, an indication of the recommended diversion airport associated with the flight path segment on a display device onboard the aircraft.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein providing the indication comprises displaying symbology representative of the recommended diversion airport on a map on the display device, wherein the symbology includes a graphical indication visually distinguishing the recommended diversion airport from one or more remaining airports of the subset concurrently displayed on the map.

3. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

displaying a graphical representation of the aircraft on a map on the display device; and

displaying symbology representative of the recommended diversion airport on the map, wherein providing the indication comprises providing a graphical indication of a route from the graphical representation of the aircraft to the symbology representative of the recommended diversion airport.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein determining the respective viability score comprises:

scoring the respective airport of the subset across a plurality of parameter groups using the respective anticipated aircraft status information associated with the aircraft for each of the plurality of different locations and the respective status information associated with the respective airport.

5. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

determining, for each airport of the subset of airports, parameter group viability states for a plurality of parameter groups based at least in part on the respective anticipated aircraft status information for the aircraft for each of the plurality of different locations and the status information for that respective airport of the subset of airports, wherein the ranking is based on the parameter group viability states.

6. The method of claim 5, further comprising providing, for each airport of the subset of airports, graphical indicia of the parameter group viability states associated with the respective airport of the subset of airports.

7. The method of claim 1, further comprising dynamically updating the recommended diversion airport while the aircraft travels along the flight path segment.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein identifying the subset of airports satisfying one or more filtering criteria with respect to the flight path segment comprises excluding one or more airports based on a distance from one or more locations along the flight path segment.

9. The method of claim 1, wherein identifying the subset of airports satisfying one or more filtering criteria with respect to the flight path segment comprises excluding one or more airports based on a flight time from one or more locations along the flight path segment.

10. A non-transitory computer-readable medium having computer-executable instructions stored thereon that, when executed by the processing system onboard the aircraft, cause the processing system to perform the method of claim 1.

15. The method of claim 1, wherein the one or more onboard systems comprise a flight management system.

16. The method of claim 1, wherein the one or more external systems comprise an external weather monitoring system.

17. The method of claim 1, wherein the one or more onboard systems include at least one of:

a weather system, an air traffic management system, a radar system, a traffic avoidance system, an autopilot system, an autothrust system, a flight control system, a hydraulic system, a pneumatic system, an environmental system, an electrical system, an engine system, a trim system, a lighting system, a crew alerting system, an electronic checklist system, and an electronic flight bag.

18. The method of claim 1, wherein the one or more onboard systems comprise a weather radar system.

19. The method of claim 1, further comprising graphically indicating the flight path segment on a map displayed on the display device, wherein:

providing the indication comprises displaying symbology representative of the recommended diversion airport on the map on the display device; and

the symbology visually distinguishes the recommended diversion airport from one or more remaining airports of the subset concurrently displayed on the map.

11. A system comprising:

a display device onboard a vehicle;

a data storage element maintaining information defining a segment of a travel plan;

a communications system onboard the vehicle to obtain status information for each of a plurality of destinations from one or more external systems;

an onboard system to provide anticipated status information for each of a plurality of different locations along the segment of the travel plan; and

a processing system coupled to the communications system, the data storage element, the onboard system, and the display device to;

determine, for each of the plurality of destinations, a representative viability score with respect to a length of the segment associated with the respective destination of the plurality of destinations based on respective viability scores for each of the different locations along the segment determined based on at least in part on the status information for the respective destination and the anticipated status information for each of the plurality of different locations along the segment of the travel plan;

identify a recommended diversion destination from among the plurality based on a ranking of the respective destinations according to the respective representative viability scores for each of the plurality of destinations; and

provide an indication of the recommended diversion destination associated with the segment on the display device.

20. The system of claim 11, wherein the vehicle comprises an aircraft and the onboard system comprises a flight management system.

12. A method of presenting potential diversion destinations for a vehicle, the method comprising:

identifying, by a processing system onboard the vehicle, a segment of a plurality of segments of a route between a departure location and a destination location;

obtaining, by the processing system, current status information associated with the vehicle traveling along the segment from one or more onboard systems;

obtaining, by the processing system, anticipated status information associated with a plurality of different locations along the segment;

obtaining, by the processing system, status information associated with each of the plurality of alternate destinations;

for each of the plurality of alternate destinations;

determining, by the processing system, a respective viability score for each of the plurality of different locations along the segment based at least in part on the current status information, the respective status information associated with the respective alternate destination, and the respective anticipated status information for each of the plurality of different locations;

determining, by the processing system, a representative viability score for the respective alternate destination with respect to a length of the segment based on the respective viability scores for the plurality of different locations along the segment;

identifying, by the processing system, a recommended alternate from among the plurality of alternate destinations based on a ranking of respective alternate destinations according to the respective representative viability scores associated with the respective alternate destinations; and

providing, by the processing system on a display device onboard the vehicle, an indication of the recommended alternate associated with the segment.

13. The method of claim 12, further comprising:

dynamically determining, by the processing system, updated representative viability scores for each of the plurality of alternate destinations;

identifying, by the processing system, an updated recommended alternate from among the plurality of alternate destinations based on a ranking of respective alternate destinations according to the updated representative viability stores associated with the respective alternate destinations; and

providing, by the processing system on the display device, a second indication of the updated recommended alternate associated with the segment.

14. The method of claim 12, wherein providing the indication comprises displaying symbology representative of the recommended alternate using one or more visually distinguishable characteristics different from symbology representative of a previously selected alternate associated with the segment.