Vertical situation display with interactive speed profile bar

• US 10,584,979 B1
• Filed: 09/28/2018
• Issued: 03/10/2020
• Est. Priority Date: 09/28/2018
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: The Boeing Co.
• Original Assignee: The Boeing Co.
• Inventors: Gunn, Peter D., Wiedemann, John, Majd, Alireza, Myers, Robert J., Gilbert, Brian D.
• Primary Examiner(s): Smith, Isaac G
• Application Number:
  US16/146,375
• Time in Patent Office: 529 Days
• Field of Search: 701 3, 701 14, 701 18, 701120
• 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 5/0047 Navigation or guidance aids for a single aircraft details of equipment G08G5/0017
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 5/0065 for taking-off
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 5/0078 for monitoring traffic from the aircraft radar or analogous systems specially adapted for traffic control G01S13/91
• 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

An interactive speed profile bar that enables crew awareness of the overall planned flight trajectory speed profile. The speed profile bar will have a graphical depiction (e.g., virtual buttons having alphanumeric symbology) of some or all of the speed segments of the speed profile. Each graphical element (e.g., virtual button) includes symbology identifying the applicable speed mode and corresponding target speed change. Each speed segment will start at the inflection point where the speed change will occur in the flight plan, and will continue until the next trajectory speed change. The speed profile bar will be interactive, allowing the flight crew to select the speed segment to change, in response to which selection the system displays graphical user interface elements showing a menu of the available speed segment options. Each individual speed segment is represented by an individual virtual button that can be selected by touching the screen or other input device.

Claims

1. A flight information display system for depicting flight path information of an aircraft, the flight information display system comprising a display unit and a computer system programmed to control operation of the display unit, wherein the computer system is configured to control the display unit to concurrently display the following graphical elements:

a vertical situation display representing a planned vertical flight path of the aircraft; and

an interactive speed profile bar comprising at least one speed bar button, the interactive speed profile bar being useable by a pilot for changing the speed profile of the aircraft to fly at speeds in accordance with a selected speed segment,

wherein the at least one speed bar button has first alphanumeric symbology identifying a first speed mode and an associated first target speed of a first speed segment included in a speed profile.

2. The flight information display system as recited in claim 1, wherein the interactive speed profile bar comprises a multiplicity of speed bar buttons, each of the multiplicity of speed bar buttons having respective alphanumeric symbology identifying a respective speed mode and a respective associated target speed which characterize a respective speed segment included in the speed profile.

3. The flight information display system as recited in claim 2, wherein:

the speed profile includes first and second speed segments having first and second ranges respectively; and

the speed profile bar includes a first speed bar button having a first button width corresponding to a first range of the first speed segment and a second speed bar button having a second button width corresponding to a second range of the second speed segment, a ratio of the first button width to the second button width being equal to a ratio of the first range to the second range.

4. The flight information display system as recited in claim 1, wherein the computer system is further configured to cause the display unit to:

display graphical elements representing a multiplicity of pilot-selectable mutually exclusive speed segment options in response to pilot selection of the at least one speed bar button; and

display second alphanumeric symbology in the at least one speed bar button instead of the first alphanumeric symbology in response to pilot selection of a speed segment option, the second alphanumeric symbology identifying a second speed mode and an associated second target speed of the selected speed segment.

5. The flight information display system as recited in claim 4, wherein the graphical elements are included in a drop-down list that appears in response to pilot selection of the at least one speed bar button.

6. The flight information display system as recited in claim 4, wherein the graphical elements are included in a dialog box that appears in response to pilot selection of the at least one speed bar button.

7. The flight information display system as recited in claim 4, wherein the graphical elements are selector buttons that appear in response to pilot selection of the at least one speed bar button.

8. A flight information display system for depicting flight path information of an aircraft, the flight information display system comprising a display unit and a computer system programmed to control operation of the display unit, wherein the computer system is configured to control the display unit to concurrently display the following graphical elements:

a first vertical situation display representing a planned vertical flight path of the aircraft; and

a first interactive speed profile bar comprising a special speed bar button, the interactive speed profile bar being useable by a pilot for changing the speed profile of the aircraft to fly at speeds in accordance with a selected speed segment,

wherein the special speed bar button has symbology indicating that other symbology identifying multiple speed segments of a speed profile is available for viewing.

9. The flight information display system as recited in claim 8,

wherein the computer system is further configured to cause the display unit to display a second vertical situation display having a range scale with increased fineness and representing only a portion of the planned vertical flight path of the aircraft previously displayed in response to pilot selection of the special speed bar button.

10. The flight information display system as recited in claim 9, wherein the computer system is further configured to cause the display unit to display a second interactive speed profile bar not including the special speed bar button and comprising first and second speed bar buttons having first and second alphanumeric symbology identifying respective speed modes and respective associated target speeds which respectively characterize first and second speed segments having first and second ranges respectively, the first speed bar button having a first button width corresponding to the first range of the first speed segment and the second speed bar button having a second button width corresponding to the second range of the second speed segment, a ratio of the first button width to the second button width being equal to the ratio of a first range to the second range.

11. The flight information display system as recited in claim 10, wherein the computer system is further configured to cause the display unit to:

display graphical elements representing a multiplicity of pilot-selectable mutually exclusive speed segment options in response to pilot selection of the first speed bar button; and

display third alphanumeric symbology in the first speed bar button instead of the first alphanumeric symbology in response to pilot selection of a speed segment option, the third alphanumeric symbology identifying the selected speed segment.

12. A method for displaying flight information on a display unit, the method comprising:

displaying a vertical situation display representing a planned vertical flight path of an aircraft on the display unit;

displaying an interactive speed profile bar comprising at least one speed bar button on the display unit;

wherein the at least one speed bar button has first alphanumeric symbology identifying a first speed mode and an associated first target speed of a first speed segment included in a speed profile; and

using the interactive speed profile bar to change the speed profile of the aircraft to fly at speeds in accordance with a selected speed segment.

13. The method as recited in claim 12, wherein the interactive speed profile bar comprises a multiplicity of speed bar buttons, each of the multiplicity of speed bar buttons having respective alphanumeric symbology identifying a respective speed mode and a respective associated target speed which characterize a respective speed segment included in the speed profile.

14. The method as recited in claim 13, wherein:

the speed profile includes first and second speed segments having first and second ranges respectively; and

the speed profile bar includes a first speed bar button having a first button width corresponding to a first range of the first speed segment and a second speed bar button having a second button width corresponding to a second range of the second speed segment, a ratio of the first button width to the second button width being equal to a ratio of the first range to the second range.

15. The method as recited in claim 12, further comprising:

selecting the at least one speed bar button, which selecting is performed by a pilot;

displaying graphical elements representing a multiplicity of pilot-selectable mutually exclusive speed segment options in response to selecting the at least one speed bar button;

selecting one of the speed segment options, which selecting is performed by the pilot; and

displaying second alphanumeric symbology in the at least one speed bar button instead of the first alphanumeric symbology in response to selecting one of the speed segment options, the second alphanumeric symbology identifying a second speed mode and an associated second target speed of the selected speed segment.

16. The method as recited in claim 15, further comprising changing the speed of the aircraft so that the aircraft flies at speeds in accordance with the selected speed segment of the speed profile.

17. A method for displaying flight information on a display unit, the method comprising:

displaying a first vertical situation display representing a planned vertical flight path of an aircraft on the display unit;

displaying a first interactive speed profile bar comprising a special speed bar button on the display unit, wherein the special speed bar button has symbology indicating that other symbology identifying multiple speed segments of a speed profile is available for viewing; and

using the interactive speed profile bar to change the speed profile of the aircraft to fly at speeds in accordance with a selected speed segment.

18. The method as recited in claim 17, further comprising:

selecting the special speed bar button, which selecting is performed by a pilot; and

displaying a second vertical situation display on the display unit having a range scale with increased fineness and representing only a portion of the planned vertical flight path of the aircraft previously displayed in response to selecting the special speed bar button.

19. The method as recited in claim 18, further comprising displaying a second interactive speed profile bar in response to selecting the special speed bar button, wherein the second interactive speed profile bar does not include the special speed bar button and comprises first and second speed bar buttons having first and second alphanumeric symbology identifying respective speed modes and respective associated target speeds which respectively characterize first and second speed segments having first and second ranges respectively, the first speed bar button having a first button width corresponding to the first range of the first speed segment and the second speed bar button having a second button width corresponding to the second range of the second speed segment, a ratio of the first button width to the second button width being equal to a ratio of the first range to the second range.

20. The method as recited in claim 19, further comprising:

selecting the first speed bar button, which selecting is performed by a pilot;

displaying graphical elements representing a multiplicity of pilot-selectable mutually exclusive speed segment options in response to selecting the first speed bar button;

selecting one of the speed segment options, which selecting is performed by the pilot; and

displaying third alphanumeric symbology in the first speed bar button instead of the first alphanumeric symbology in response to selecting one of the speed segment options, the third alphanumeric symbology identifying the selected speed segment.