Ground operations and imminent landing runway selection
First Claim
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1. An airport situational awareness computer program residing on a computer usable storage medium, the computer program comprising:
- computer-readable program code means for receiving at intervals one or more signals representative of updated aircraft state parameter information;
computer-readable program code means for accessing as a function of the updated aircraft state parameter information a data base of stored airport information that includes runway survey information;
computer-readable program code means for determining as a function of the updated aircraft state parameter information an aircraft position, ground speed, orientation, and phase of flight;
computer-readable program code means for selecting a runway that the aircraft is most likely to encounter;
computer-readable program code means for determining that the aircraft has encountered the selected runway; and
computer-readable program code means for generating an airport situational awareness advisory as a function of the aircraft encountering the selected runway.
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Abstract
A method and system for locating aircraft with respect to airport runways and taxiways, generating and annunciating situational awareness advisories as a function of aircraft state parameters relative to a determination of the aircraft location.
125 Citations
72 Claims
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1. An airport situational awareness computer program residing on a computer usable storage medium, the computer program comprising:
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computer-readable program code means for receiving at intervals one or more signals representative of updated aircraft state parameter information;
computer-readable program code means for accessing as a function of the updated aircraft state parameter information a data base of stored airport information that includes runway survey information;
computer-readable program code means for determining as a function of the updated aircraft state parameter information an aircraft position, ground speed, orientation, and phase of flight;
computer-readable program code means for selecting a runway that the aircraft is most likely to encounter;
computer-readable program code means for determining that the aircraft has encountered the selected runway; and
computer-readable program code means for generating an airport situational awareness advisory as a function of the aircraft encountering the selected runway. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5)
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6-49. -49. (canceled)
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50. A local situational awareness system, comprising:
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means for identifying one or more runways as a function of state parameter information of an aircraft;
means for determining a relationship of the aircraft to one identified runway as a function of the state parameter information, means for generating a situational awareness advisory as a function of the relationship of the aircraft to the identified runway. - View Dependent Claims (51, 52, 53, 54, 55, 56, 57, 58)
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59. A runway situational awareness advisory apparatus, comprising:
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a database of runway survey data;
a processor structured for receiving samples of one or more signals reporting a plurality of different aircraft state parameter data and for retrieving runway survey data from the database; and
one or more algorithms executable by the processor for generating one of a plurality of different runway awareness advisories as a function of one or more of the aircraft state parameter data and the retrieved runway survey data. - View Dependent Claims (60, 61, 62, 63, 64, 65, 66, 67)
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68. An apparatus for generating a runway awareness advisory, the apparatus comprising:
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a searchable database of stored runway survey information;
a source of a plurality of instrument data signals each reporting updated aircraft state parameter data;
a memory having a plurality of machine instructions stored therein, the machine instructions being executable by a processor for generating one of a plurality of different runway awareness advisories as a function of runway survey information retrieved from the searchable database and one or more of the updated aircraft state parameter data; and
a processor coupled to receive the updated aircraft state parameter data and coupled to the memory for retrieving the machine instructions, the processor being structured to operate the machine instructions for;
determining as a function of the updated aircraft state parameter data one or more of a current aircraft position, ground speed, heading, phase of flight, and altitude, accessing the searchable database for retrieving runway survey information as a function of the current aircraft position, and one or more of 1) generating at periodic intervals flare callouts as a function of a current aircraft phase of flight, altitude rate, and height above runway information, 2) generating for display on a cockpit display device of an aircraft having the processor installed thereon a graphical depiction the installation aircraft relative to the retrieved runway survey information, 3) selecting a runway as a function of the updated aircraft state parameter data, the retrieved runway survey information, and an augmentation envelope constructed around each runway retrieved from the retrieved runway survey information, and 4) generating one of the plurality of different runway awareness advisories as a function of determining a coincidence of the current aircraft position with an augmentation envelope constructed around one runway retrieved from the retrieved runway survey information, and determining an angle between the current aircraft heading and a centerline of the runway. - View Dependent Claims (69, 70, 71, 72)
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Specification