Flight management system and flight plan alert integration systems and methods

• US 10,339,817 B1
• Filed: 09/07/2016
• Issued: 07/02/2019
• Est. Priority Date: 09/07/2016
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Rockwell Collins, Inc. (Raytheon Technologies Corporation d/b/a RTX)
• Original Assignee: Rockwell Collins, Inc. (Raytheon Technologies Corporation d/b/a RTX)
• Inventors: McGaughy, Ellen L., Reddy, Bandi B., Leedom, David L.
• Primary Examiner(s): Rink, Ryan
• Application Number:
  US15/258,860
• Time in Patent Office: 1,028 Days
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/03547 Touch pads, in which fingers can move on a surface
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/041 Digitisers, e.g. for touch screens or touch pads, characterised by the transducing means
• 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 5/0052 for cruising combined instruments indicating more than one navigational value G01C23/00
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 5/025 Navigation or guidance aids radar or analogous systems specially adapted for landing purposes G01S13/913

Abstract

A flight management system includes a display for displaying a user interface and a processor coupled with the display and configured to receive flight plan information regarding a flight plan of an aircraft and aircraft status information from an aircraft monitoring system. The processor generates an alert indicating a deviation from the flight plan based on a comparison of the aircraft status information to the flight plan information, and provides the alert on a portion of the user interface displaying information indicative of the aircraft status information. The alert provides one or more user interface controls configured to enable a pilot to interact with the portion of the user interface displaying the information indicative of the aircraft status information to at least one of view additional information regarding the difference between the status information and the flight plan information and modify the flight plan of the aircraft.

Claims

1. A flight management system, comprising:

a display configured to display a user interface; and

at least one processor with a non-transitory processor-readable medium storing processor-executable code for causing the at least one processor to;

receive flight plan information regarding a flight plan of an aircraft;

receive aircraft status information from an aircraft monitoring system;

generate an alert indicating a deviation from the flight plan based on a comparison of the aircraft status information to the flight plan information; and

provide the alert on a portion of the user interface by emphasizing an interactive element displayed on the user interface, the interactive element displaying information related to the aircraft status information,

the interactive element configured to be selected by a pilot to at least one of view additional information regarding the alert and to modify the flight plan of the aircraft to change the aircraft status information.

2. The system of claim 1, wherein the portion of the user interface is a first portion, wherein the user interface further comprises a second portion, the alert and corresponding one or more user interface controls are provided in the first portion of the user interface, and wherein the first and second portions of the user interface are non-overlapping.

3. The system of claim 2, wherein the user interface at least partially comprises a top-down view of the aircraft and surrounding area, and a vertical profile of the aircraft and surrounding area.

4. The system of claim 1, wherein the one or more user interface controls comprise a pointer that highlights one or more particular fields or icons on the portion of the user interface.

5. The system of claim 1, wherein the one or more user interface controls comprise one of highlighting or changing the color of one or more fields or icons on the portion of the user interface.

6. The system of claim 1, wherein the comparison of the aircraft status information to the flight plan information comprises checking the current flight plan and location of the aircraft against the flight plan of the aircraft;

wherein the alert is a navigation-related alert identifying a deviation during an active segment of the flight plan; and

wherein the one or more user interface features highlight the active segment of the flight plan.

7. The system of claim 1, wherein the comparison of the aircraft status information to the flight plan information comprises checking the current speed of the aircraft against a target speed;

wherein the alert is a speed-related alert identifying that the aircraft is traveling too fast to follow the flight plan of the aircraft;

wherein the one or more user interface features highlight the current speed of the aircraft.

8. The system of claim 1, wherein the comparison of the aircraft status information to the flight plan information comprises checking the current altitude against a desired altitude;

wherein the alert is an altitude-related alert identifying that the aircraft is not at an altitude specified by the flight plan of the aircraft;

wherein the one or more user interface features highlight the current altitude of the aircraft.

9. The system of claim 1, wherein the comparison of the aircraft status information to the flight plan information comprises checking the orientation of the aircraft compared to the current runway the aircraft is occupying or targeting,

wherein the alert is a runway-related alert identifying that the aircraft is in an incorrect position for landing at or departing from a particular runway;

wherein the one or more user interface features highlight the particular runway and the current position of the aircraft.

10. The system of claim 1, wherein the alert is generated based on a navigation system failure check that determines a failure or incorrect configuration of a navigation system of the aircraft, wherein the incorrect configuration comprises an incorrect navigation or communication radio tuning.

11. The system of claim 1, wherein the display comprises a flight display that is at least partially a touchscreen, and wherein the one or more user interface features enable a provision of an input via the touchscreen.

12. A method for integrating a flight plan of an aircraft with an alerting system of an aircraft, comprising:

receiving flight plan information regarding a flight plan of an aircraft;

receiving aircraft status information from an aircraft monitoring system;

generating an alert indicating a deviation from the flight plan based on a comparison of the aircraft status information to the flight plan information; and

providing the alert on a portion of a user interface by emphasizing an interactive element displayed on the user interface, the interactive element displaying information related to the aircraft status information,

the interactive element configured to be selected by a pilot to at least one of view additional information regarding the alert and to modify the flight plan of the aircraft to change the aircraft status information.

13. The method of claim 12, wherein the alert and corresponding one or more user interface controls provided in a portion of the user interface do not impact the display of the other portions of the user interface.

14. The method of claim 12, wherein the user interface at least partially comprises a top-down view of the aircraft and surrounding area, and a vertical profile of the aircraft and surrounding area.

15. The method of claim 12, wherein the one or more user interface controls comprise a pointer that highlights one or more particular fields or icons on the portion of the user interface.

16. The method of claim 12, wherein the one or more user interface controls comprise one of highlighting or changing the color of one or more fields or icons on the portion of the user interface.

17. The method of claim 12, wherein the alert is based on one of:

a navigation check that checks the current flight plan and location of the aircraft against the flight plan of the aircraft;

a speed check that checks the current speed of the aircraft against a target speed;

an altitude check that checks the current altitude against at least one of a desired altitude and a pilot setting of an altitude alerter;

a runway check that checks the orientation of the aircraft compared to the current runway the aircraft is occupying or targeting; and

a navigation system failure check that determines a failure or misconfiguration of a navigation system of the aircraft, wherein the misconfiguration comprises a misconfigured navigation or communication radio tuning.

18. A flight management system, comprising:

a flight plan system configured to generate a flight plan for an aircraft, the flight plan comprising a plurality of aircraft parameters for a plurality of flight segments;

an alerting system configured to detect one or more conditions relating to the aircraft and aircraft operation;

a display system configured to provide a user interface for a flight display of the aircraft, the user interface including multiple portions, each portion relating to a particular aspect of the aircraft operation; and

at least one processor with a non-transitory processor-readable medium storing processor-executable code for causing the at least one processor to;

receive flight plan information regarding a flight plan of the aircraft;

receive aircraft status information from an aircraft monitoring system;

generate an alert indicating a deviation from the flight plan based on a comparison of the aircraft status information to the flight plan information; and

provide the alert on a portion of the user interface by emphasizing an interactive element displayed on the user interface, the interactive element displaying information related to the aircraft status information,

the interactive element configured to be selected by a pilot to at least one of view additional information regarding the alert and to modify the flight plan of the aircraft to change the aircraft status information.

19. The system of claim 18, wherein the alert is based on one of:

a navigation check that checks the current flight plan and location of the aircraft against the flight plan of the aircraft;

a speed check that checks the current speed of the aircraft against a target speed;

an altitude check that checks the current altitude against at least one of a desired altitude and a setting of an altitude alerter;

a runway check that checks the orientation of the aircraft compared to the current runway the aircraft is occupying or targeting; and

a navigation system failure check that determines a failure or incorrect configuration of a navigation system of the aircraft.

20. The system of claim 18, wherein the user interface includes a plurality of elements, each element modifiable by the display system based on the alert.