Methods and systems for providing visually automated in-cockpit aircraft docking guidance with use of airport moving map applications

• US 10,234,303 B1
• Filed: 02/28/2018
• Issued: 03/19/2019
• Est. Priority Date: 02/28/2018
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Honeywell International Inc.
• Original Assignee: Honeywell International Inc.
• Inventors: Chandrashekarappa, Mohan Gowda, Gouda, Vijayakumar
• Primary Examiner(s): Pham, Toan N
• Application Number:
  US15/907,528
• Time in Patent Office: 384 Days
• CPC Class Codes: G01C 21/3602 Input other than that of destination using image analysis, e.g. detection of road signs, lanes, buildings, real preceding vehicles using a camera
• CPC Class Codes: G01C 21/3635 Guidance using 3D or perspective road maps
• CPC Class Codes: G01C 21/367 Details, e.g. road map scale, orientation, zooming, illumination, level of detail, scrolling of road map or positioning of current position marker
• 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 5/065 Navigation or guidance aids, e.g. for taxiing or rolling

Abstract

Methods provide for guidance without sensing data about an ownship, the method includes: pre-loading, from an airport mapping database to an lateral guidance computer within a cockpit, airport mapping data for use in guidance of the ownship from a lateral guidance computer; executing airport moving map applications to process the airport mapping data to form a synthesized view for displaying on a display within the cockpit; receiving by the electronic information device within the cockpit at least one of a 3D spatial representation of the ownship; overlaying the 3D spatial representation of the ownship onto the synthesized view for providing a visual 3D representation of the ownship; and providing, without using the sensing data about the ownship, one or more cues, by a digital taxi application based on only airport mapping data and dimensions associated with the 3D spatial representation of the ownship, on the display within the cockpit.

Claims

1. A method for providing guidance without sensing data about an ownship, the method comprising:

pre-loading, from an airport mapping database to an electronic information device within a cockpit, airport mapping data for use in guidance of the ownship wherein the electronic information device comprises;

a lateral guidance computer;

executing airport moving map applications by the electronic information device to process the airport mapping data to form a synthesized view for displaying on a display within the cockpit, wherein the airport mapping data comprises;

an aerodrome surface, visual aids and markings, and airport structures;

receiving by the electronic information device within the cockpit at least one of a 3D spatial representation of the ownship;

overlaying the 3D spatial representation of the ownship onto the synthesized view for providing a visual 3D representation of the ownship; and

providing, without the sensing data about the ownship, one or more cues, by a digital taxi application of the lateral guidance computer based on only airport mapping data and dimensions associated with the 3D spatial representation of the ownship, on the display of the synthesized view within the cockpit, wherein the cues are associated with information to guide the ownship to docking to a gate or stand location.

2. The method of claim 1, the receiving by the electronic information device further comprising:

alternately preloading the 3D spatial representation of an aircraft from a 3D database.

3. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

updating the 3D spatial representation of the ownship from a remote 3D database at a connected server to the lateral guidance computer within the cockpit.

4. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

providing one or more cues from a set of visual, aural, and message cues by the digital taxi application in the display within the cockpit associated with the information to guide the ownship to the docking to the gate or stand location.

5. The method of claim 1, the information further comprising:

depicting parts in the visual 3D spatial representation of an airframe of the ownship for aligning the ownship based on data associated with the visual 3D spatial representation and the synthesized view; and

generating aircraft surface guidance commands by computing relative deviations of alignments based on dimensions of the ownship to the docking at the gate or the stand location within the synthesized view using the data and the airport mapping information.

6. The method of claim 5, further comprising:

aligning the ownship in the docking by processing, by the electronic information device using software solutions of the digital taxi application, one or more reference points based on dimensions of the ownship in the depicted parts which correspond with one or more location points to the gate or the stand location.

7. The method of claim 6, further comprising:

enhancing aids to guide the ownship to the docking to the gate or the stand wherein the enhanced aids comprise;

camera images from external sources.

8. A computer program product for providing guidance to an ownship without a need for sensor data about the ownship, the product comprising:

a computer-readable storage medium in which program instructions are stored, the program instructions are configured to cause a lateral guidance computer to perform the operations of;

pre-loading from an airport mapping database to the lateral guidance computer within a cockpit, airport mapping data for use in guidance of the ownship wherein the lateral guidance computer does not require any sensor data about the ownship from sensing devices of the ownship to provide the guidance;

executing airport moving map applications by the lateral guidance computer to process the airport mapping data to form a synthesized view for displaying on a display within the cockpit, wherein the airport mapping data comprises;

an aerodrome surface, visual aids and markings, and airport structures;

receiving by the lateral guidance computer within the cockpit a 3D spatial representation of the ownship;

overlaying the 3D spatial representation of the ownship onto the synthesized view for providing a visual 3D representations of the ownship; and

providing, without using sensor data from sensing devices about the ownship, one or more cues, by a digital taxi application of the lateral guidance computer based on airport mapping data and derived dimensions associated with the 3D spatial representation of the ownship, on the display of the synthesized view within the cockpit, wherein the cues are associated with information to guide the ownship in a docking action to a gate or stand location.

9. The computer program product of claim 8, the generating by the electronic information device further comprising:

alternately preloading the 3D spatial representation of the ownship from a 3D database.

10. The computer program product of claim 8, further comprising:

updating the 3D spatial representation of the ownship from a remote 3D database at a connected server to the lateral guidance computer within the cockpit.

11. The computer program product of claim 8, further comprising:

providing one or more cues from a set of visual, aural, and message cues by the digital taxi application in the display within the cockpit associated with the information to guide the ownship in the docking action to the gate or stand location.

12. The computer program product of claim 8, the information further comprising:

depicting parts in the visual 3D representation of an airframe of the ownship for aligning the ownship based on data associated with the visual 3D representation and the synthesized view; and

generating aircraft surface guidance commands by computing relative deviations of alignments based on dimensions of the ownship for docking at the gate or the stand location within the synthesized view using the data and the airport mapping information.

13. The computer program product of claim 12, further comprising:

aligning the ownship in the docking by processing, by the lateral guidance computer using software solutions, one or more reference points based on dimensions of the ownship in the depicted parts which correspond with one or more location points to the gate or the stand location.

14. The computer program product of claim 13, further comprising:

enhancing aids to guide the ownship to the docking to the gate or the stand wherein the enhanced aids comprise;

camera images from external sources.

15. A non-transitory computer-readable medium storing a computer program product executable by a processor of a lateral guidance computer system for processing an object request, the non-transitory computer-readable medium comprising:

code for pre-loading from an airport mapping database to the lateral guidance computer within a cockpit, airport mapping data for use in guidance of an ownship wherein the lateral guidance computer does not require any sensor data about the ownship from sensing devices of the ownship to provide the guidance;

code for executing airport moving map applications by an electronic information device to process the airport mapping data to form a synthesized view for displaying on a display within the cockpit, wherein the airport mapping data comprises;

an aerodrome surface, visual aids and markings, and airport structures;

code for receiving by the lateral computer within the cockpit a volumetric representation of the ownship;

code for overlaying the volumetric representation of the ownship onto the synthesized view for providing a visual 3D representation of the ownship; and

code for providing, without requiring sensor data from sensing devices about the ownship, one or more cues, by a digital taxi application of the lateral guidance computer based on airport mapping data and derived dimensions associated with the volumetric representation of the ownship, on the display of the synthesized view within the cockpit, wherein the cues are associated with information to guide the ownship to docking to a gate or stand location.

16. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 15 further comprising:

code for alternately preloading the volumetric representation of the ownship from a 3D database.

17. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 15, further comprising:

code for providing one or more cues from a set of visual, aural, and message cues by the taxi application in the display within the cockpit associated with the information to guide the ownship to the docking to the gate or stand location wherein all the provided cues are not based on sensor data.

18. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 17, further comprising:

code for aligning the ownship in the docking by processing, by the lateral guidance computer using software solutions, one or more reference points in the depicted parts of the ownship to correspond with one or more location points to the gate or the stand location.

19. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 17 further comprising:

code for enhancing cues to guide the ownship to the docking to the gate or the stand wherein the enhanced cues comprise;

images captured by mobile devices.

20. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 15 further comprising:

code for depicting parts in the visual 3D representation of an airframe of the ownship for aligning the ownship based on derived data associated with the visual 3D representation and the synthesized view; and

code for generating aircraft surface guidance commands by computing relative deviations of alignments based on dimensions of the ownship to the docking at the gate or the stand location within the synthesized view using the data and the airport mapping information.