System and method for producing and submitting a PIREP

• US 10,296,179 B2
• Filed: 07/01/2013
• Issued: 05/21/2019
• Est. Priority Date: 07/01/2013
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Honeywell International Inc.
• Original Assignee: Honeywell International Inc.
• Inventors: Nama, Naveen VenkateshPrasad, Behara, Dilip Kumar
• Primary Examiner(s): Xiao, Di
• Application Number:
  US13/932,666
• Publication Number:
  US 20150007080A1
• Time in Patent Office: 2,150 Days
• Field of Search: 715769, 715771
• 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: G06F 3/0484 for the control of specific functions or operations, e.g. selecting or manipulating an object, an image or a displayed text element, setting a parameter value or selecting a range
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 5/0013 with a ground station
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 5/0021 located in the aircraft

Abstract

A system and method for textually displaying weather data on an onboard aircraft display comprises receiving weather data from onboard weather radar. A data collector is coupled to the weather radar and collects relevant data, which is then manipulated to place it in a PIREP (pilot report) format. The formatted data is then rendered on the aircraft display and subsequently transmitted to a ground station.

Claims

1. A method for graphically and textually displaying weather data on an onboard aircraft display, the method comprising:

receiving, by a PIREP (pilot report) data collector, weather data from an onboard weather radar;

converting, by a PIREP formatter coupled to the PIREP data collector, the weather data in the PIREP data collector to PIREP formatted weather data;

displaying, on the aircraft display, the PIREP formatted weather data in a preliminary form for concurrence by a pilot; and

rendering, on the aircraft display, the PIREP formatted weather data in a final PIREP form, after pilot concurrence.

2. The method of claim 1, further comprising transmitting the PIREP formatted weather data in the final PIREP form to a ground station, in response to a pilot command.

3. The method of claim 2, further comprising displaying the preliminary form of the PIREP weather data as a page in at least one pop-up data box on the aircraft display for pilot review and concurrence.

4. The method of claim 3, further comprising displaying the preliminary form of PIREP weather data as sequential pages in at least first and second pop-up data boxes on the aircraft display for pilot review and concurrence.

5. The method of claim 4, further comprising sequentially displaying the first and second pop-up data boxes.

6. The method of claim 5, further comprising displaying control buttons in the first and second pop-up data boxes for navigating between the first and second pop-up data boxes.

7. The method of claim 6, further comprising displaying an additional pop-up data box containing the data of the first and second pop-up data boxes rendered as a page in the final PIREP form, for transmission to a ground station.

8. The method of claim 7 further comprising displaying the at least one pop-up data box and the additional pop-up data box superimposed on a map display.

9. A method for displaying weather data on an aircraft display, the method comprising:

collecting weather data from an onboard weather radar;

placing the weather data in a pilot report (PIREP) format; and

rendering the weather data in the PIREP format in a preliminary form, in at least one pop-up data box on the aircraft display for concurrence by the pilot.

10. The method of claim 9, further comprising displaying the PIREP in a final form after in response to receiving a pilot concurrence.

11. The method of claim 10, further comprising displaying the PIREP data in the preliminary form on first and second pop-up data boxes forming first and second pages.

12. The method of claim 11, further comprising displaying the PIREP data in a final form in an additional pop-up data box, the additional pop-up data box and the first and second pop-up data box each displaying control buttons for navigating between the first and second and additional pop-up data boxes.

13. The method of claim 12, further comprising displaying the first, second, and additional pop-up data boxes over a map display.

14. A system for graphically displaying weather data on an aircraft display, the system comprising:

onboard weather radar;

a data collector coupled to the weather radar;

a formatter coupled to the data collector for placing the data in a PIREP format, to thereby form PIREP data;

a graphics module; and

a processor coupled to the data collector, the formatter, and to the graphics module, and configured to render the PIREP data on the aircraft display.

15. The system of claim 14, wherein the processor is further configured to render the PIREP data on the aircraft display in at least one pop-up data box.

16. The system of claim 15 wherein the processor is further configured to display the PIREP data in a preliminary form in the at least one pop-up data box for pilot concurrence.

17. The system of claim 16, wherein the processor is further configured to render the PIREP data on the aircraft display in a final form in an additional pop-up data box, in response to a pilot concurrence.

18. The system of claim 16, wherein the aircraft display is a touch screen display.