Aviation situation awareness and decision information system

• US 10,532,823 B1
• Filed: 07/20/2017
• Issued: 01/14/2020
• Est. Priority Date: 07/20/2017
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Rockwell Collins, Inc. (Rtx Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Rockwell Collins, Inc. (Rtx Corporation)
• Inventors: Barber, Sarah
• Primary Examiner(s): Sood, Anshul
• Application Number:
  US15/655,623
• Time in Patent Office: 908 Days
• Field of Search: 701 3
• CPC Class Codes: B64D 43/00 Arrangements or adaptations of instruments arrangements of cameras B64D47/08; aeronautical measuring instruments per se G01C
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0482 Interaction with lists of selectable items, e.g. menus
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/04847 Interaction techniques to control parameter settings, e.g. interaction with sliders or dials
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 11/60 Editing figures and text; Combining figures or text
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 2200/24 involving graphical user interfaces [GUIs]
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 5/0021 located in the aircraft
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 5/0034 Assembly of a flight plan
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 5/0065 for taking-off
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 5/0091 for monitoring atmospheric conditions radar or analogous systems specially adapted for meteorological use G01S13/95; meteorology G01W
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 5/025 Navigation or guidance aids radar or analogous systems specially adapted for landing purposes G01S13/913

Abstract

A system may include a non-avionics computing device, a data network switch, and avionics computing devices. The non-avionics computing device may be configured to execute a situation awareness program. Each of the avionics computing devices may be communicatively coupled to the data network switch. The avionics computing devices may include a first avionics computing device communicatively coupled to the non-avionics computing device. The first avionics computing device may be configured to: receive avionics data from other of the avionics computing devices; filter the avionics data from the other of the avionics computing devices based on a predetermined relevance to the situation awareness program; and output the filtered avionics data to the non-avionics computing device.

Claims

1. A system, comprising:

a non-avionics computing device comprising a display, at least one non-avionics non-transitory computer-readable medium, and at least one non-avionics processor communicatively coupled to the at least one non-avionics non-transitory computer-readable medium, the non-avionics computing device implemented onboard an aircraft, wherein the at least one non-avionics processor is configured to execute a situation awareness program stored in the at least one non-avionics non-transitory computer-readable medium;

at least one data network switch implemented in the aircraft; and

a plurality of avionics computing devices implemented in the aircraft, each of the plurality of avionics computing devices communicatively coupled to the at least one data network switch, each of the plurality of avionics computing devices comprising at least one non-transitory computer-readable medium and at least one processor communicatively coupled to the at least one non-transitory computer-readable medium, wherein the plurality of avionics computing devices includes a first avionics computing device communicatively coupled to the non-avionics computing device, wherein the first avionics computing device is configured to;

receive avionics data from other of the plurality of avionics computing devices;

filter the avionics data from the other of the plurality of avionics computing devices based at least on a predetermined relevance to the situation awareness program; and

output the filtered avionics data to the non-avionics computing device.

2. The system of claim 1, wherein the non-avionics computing device is configured to receive the filtered avionics data, wherein, by execution of the situation awareness program, the at least one non-avionics processor is configured to:

organize at least a portion of the filtered avionics data into situation awareness data structures, each of the situation awareness data structures being configured to contain a portion of the filtered avionics data associated with a situation of a plurality of predetermined situations;

receive a user input to display content associated with a particular situation awareness data structure;

generate a graphical user interface based at least on the particular situation awareness data structure, the graphical user interface including graphical representation content associated with the particular situation awareness data structure and textual content associated with the particular situation awareness data structure, wherein the graphical representation content and the textual content is relevant to the particular situation; and

output the graphical user interface to the display of the non-avionics computing device for presentation to a user.

3. The system of claim 2, wherein the particular situation awareness data structure is a flight configuration situation awareness data structure, wherein the flight configuration situation awareness data structure is configured to contain a portion of the filtered avionics data associated with a flight configuration profile during a particular stage of flight, wherein the portion of the filtered avionics data includes flight management system data.

4. The system of claim 2, wherein the particular situation awareness data structure is a system synoptics situation awareness data structure, wherein the system synoptics situation awareness data structure is configured to contain a portion of the filtered avionics data associated with aircraft systems and operational states of the aircraft systems.

5. The system of claim 4, wherein the aircraft systems include an electrical system and a hydraulic system.

6. The system of claim 2, wherein the particular situation awareness data structure is a takeoff situation awareness data structure, wherein the takeoff situation awareness data structure is configured to contain a portion of the filtered avionics data associated with departure airport parameters, aircraft capabilities, and a departure procedure.

7. The system of claim 2, wherein the particular situation awareness data structure is a landing situation awareness data structure, wherein the landing situation awareness data structure is configured to contain a portion of the filtered avionics data associated with arrival airport parameters, aircraft capabilities, and an approach procedure.

8. The system of claim 2, wherein the particular situation awareness data structure is a trajectory conformance situation awareness data structure, wherein the trajectory conformance situation awareness data structure is configured to contain a portion of the filtered avionics data associated with conformance of an aircraft trajectory to a flight plan.

9. The system of claim 1, wherein the non-avionics computing device is not certified to bidirectionally exchange data with the plurality of avionics computing devices.

10. The system of claim 1, wherein the non-avionics computing device is unidirectionally communicatively coupled to the first avionics computing device such that the non-avionics computing device is configured to receive the filtered avionics data while being unable to transmit data to any of the plurality of avionics computing devices.

11. The system of claim 10, wherein the non-avionics computing device is wirelessly unidirectionally communicatively coupled to the first avionics computing device.

12. The system of claim 1, further comprising aircraft sensors, wherein the avionics data includes aircraft sensor data.

13. The system of claim 1, wherein the non-avionics computing device is a mobile computing device.

14. The system of claim 1, wherein the non-avionics computing device is a tablet computing device.

15. The system of claim 1, wherein the first avionics computing device is a secure server router avionics computing device.

16. The system of claim 1, wherein execution of the situation awareness program is configured to enhance the situational awareness of a crew member user onboard the aircraft by displaying a graphical representation content and textual content relevant to a particular situation.

17. A method, comprising:

receiving, by at least one processor of an avionics computing device of a plurality of avionics computing devices, avionics data from other of the plurality of avionics computing devices, the plurality of avionics computing devices implemented in an aircraft;

filtering, by the at least one processor of the avionics computing device, the avionics data from the other of the plurality of avionics computing devices based at least on a predetermined relevance to a situation awareness program stored in at least one non-avionics non-transitory computer-readable medium of a non-avionics computing device; and

outputting, by the at least one processor of the avionics computing device, the filtered avionics data to the non-avionics computing device, the non-avionics computing device implemented onboard the aircraft.

18. The method of claim 17, further comprising:

receiving, by the non-avionics computing device, the filtered avionics data;

executing, by at least one non-avionics processor of the non-avionics computing device, the situation awareness program;

organizing, by the at least one non-avionics processor of the non-avionics computing device, at least a portion of the filtered avionics data into situation awareness data structures, each of the situation awareness data structures being configured to contain a portion of the filtered avionics data associated with a situation of a plurality of predetermined situations;

receiving, by the at least one non-avionics processor of the non-avionics computing device, a user input to display content associated with a particular situation awareness data structure;

generating, by the at least one non-avionics processor of the non-avionics computing device, a graphical user interface based at least on the particular situation awareness data structure, the graphical user interface including graphical representation content associated with the particular situation awareness data structure and textual content associated with the particular situation awareness data structure, wherein the graphical representation content and the textual content is relevant to the particular situation; and

outputting, by the at least one non-avionics processor of the non-avionics computing device, the graphical user interface to a display of the non-avionics computing device for presentation to a user.