Graphic airways displays for flight management systems

• US 20050137758A1
• Filed: 12/19/2003
• Published: 06/23/2005
• Est. Priority Date: 12/19/2003
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Honeywell International Inc.
• Original Assignee: Honeywell International Inc.
• Inventors: Wilson, Blake W. Jr., He, Gang, Suddreth, John G., Gameros, Carlos M., Daniel, Peter L.
• Granted Patent: US 7,162,335 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 701/3
• CPC Class Codes: G01C 23/005 Flight directors indicating arrangements specially adapted for rotary gyroscopes G01C19/32

Abstract

Methods and apparatus are provided for interactively building flight paths for entry into an aircraft flight management system (FMS). The apparatus comprises a database containing map information, a display for presenting the map information, a user controlled cursor and selection buttons, all under the control of a graphics processor. The processor presents the map information with included navigation features on the display, correlated with the aircraft position and cursor location. When the cursor overlies a navigational feature (airways, waypoints, etc.), the processor highlights the feature. Feature ID information may also pop up when the feature is highlighted. Using a mouse button or equivalent, the user selects the highlighted feature or ID, whereupon the processor sends the information associated therewith to the FMS. By successively highlighting and selecting features or IDs an entire flight path can be identified and entered automatically into the FMS without the need for individual text entry.

Claims

1. A system for interactively displaying and selecting flight paths for aircraft using an on-screen marker, comprising:

a flight management system for providing current aircraft location information and receiving selected navigational path information;

one or more databases containing terrain map information and navigational path information;

a display having a screen for interactively displaying terrain and navigational path information and the on-screen marker;

a control device for positioning the marker on the display screen;

a selection device for choosing a displayed navigational path feature;

a graphics processor coupled to the flight management system, to the one or more databases, to the display, to the control device and to the selection device, for presenting the terrain and navigational information obtained from the one or more databases on the display screen and presenting current aircraft location obtained from the flight management system on the display screen and presenting the marker on the display screen, the current aircraft location and the marker being located relative to the terrain and navigational information, wherein the marker location on the display screen is responsive to the control device; and

when the marker location falls on a displayed navigational feature, the navigational feature is highlighted by the graphics processor, and when the selection device is actuated while the navigational feature is highlighted, the graphics processor sends information about the highlighted navigational feature to the flight management system.

2. The system of claim 1 further comprising a program memory store coupled to the graphics processor for providing computer programs executed by the graphics processor.

3. The system of claim 1 further comprising a user input panel coupled to the graphics processor whereby the input panel allows an operator to alter the function select or other behavior of the system.

4. The system of claim 1 wherein the control device and the selection device are operationally coupled without passing through the graphics processor.

5. A method for interactively choosing a particular navigational feature using a graphic display with an operator controlled marker and selection means, from among navigational information stored in a data base, and entering information about the chosen navigational feature into a vehicle management system, comprising;

showing navigational information from the database on the display;

locating the marker on the display relative to the navigational information and when the marker falls on a particular navigational feature;

highlighting the particular navigational feature and when the operator actuates the selection means while the particular navigational feature is highlighted;

sending information on the particular navigational feature to the vehicle management system.

6. The method of claim 5 further comprising prior to the showing step, obtaining information on a map range desired to be presented on the graphic display and determining how large an area of navigational information can be shown on the display within the map range, and limiting the displayed navigational information to correspond thereto.

7. The method of claim 5 wherein the showing step further comprises showing terrain information along with the navigational information.

8. The method of claim 5 wherein the highlighting step comprises displaying identification (ID) data associated with the particular navigational feature.

9. The method of claim 8 wherein if the particular navigational feature has more than one ID associated therewith, displaying a selection list containing the more than one ID.

10. The method of claim 9, when the operator actuates the selection means while at least one ID from the selection list is highlighted, proceeding to the sending step with respect to the highlighted ID.

11. A method for selecting and entering flight navigational information into a flight management system for controlling operation of an aircraft, using an interactive graphical map display having a operator controlled cursor marker, terrain and navigational map information stored in a data base coupled to the display, and an operator controlled selection means, the method comprising:

displaying graphical map information containing navigational features on the display, the displayed features being initially un-highlighted;

determining if the cursor marker on the display is on a particular navigational feature and when it is, highlighting the particular navigational feature;

determining whether the highlighted feature has been selected by the user, and when it is, sending information on the highlighted feature to the flight management system.

12. The method of claim 11 prior to the displaying step, obtaining the graphical information containing navigation features from the database.

13. The method of claim 11 wherein the determining step comprises first determining whether the cursor marker on the display is on an airway path navigational feature and if so, highlighting one or more waypoints associated with the airway path.

14. The method of claim 13 wherein the second determining step comprises determining whether a first of the highlighted waypoints has been selected by the user and when it is, sending the information thereon to the flight management system.

15. The method of claim 13 wherein the second determining step comprises determining whether a second of the highlighted waypoints has been selected by the user and when it is, sending the information thereon to the flight management system.

16. The method of claim 11 further comprising after the sending step, determining whether or not user selectable map settings have been changed, and if NO, returning to the first determining step and if YES returning to the displaying step.

17. A system for interactively displaying and selecting flight paths for aircraft using an on-screen marker, comprising:

a cursor control device adapted to receive user input commands and operable, in response thereto, to supply on-screen marker position commands;

a processor adapted to receive navigation data and the marker position commands and operable, in response thereto, to supply one or more navigation feature display commands and one or more marker display commands; and

a display coupled to receive the navigation feature display commands and the marker display commands, the display configured, upon receipt thereof, to display (i) one or more navigation features and the (ii) the on-screen marker at the commanded marker position,

wherein the navigation feature commands cause a displayed navigation feature to be highlighted if the on-screen marker is positioned at least proximate the displayed navigation feature.

18. The system of claim 17, further comprising:

a selection device adapted to receive user input commands and operable, in response thereto, to supply navigation feature selection commands,

wherein;

the processor is flintier adapted to receive the navigation selection feature commands and is flintier operable, in response thereto, to issue navigation feature information display commands, and

the display is further coupled to receive the feature information display commands and is further operable, in response thereto, to display information about the highlighted navigation feature.

19. A method of displaying navigation features on a display using a moveable marker, comprising:

displaying one or more navigation features on the display;

displaying the moveable marker on the display; and

highlighting a displayed navigation feature if the moveable marker is positioned at least proximate the displayed navigation feature.

20. The method of claim 19, further comprising:

selecting a highlighted navigation feature; and

displaying information about the highlighted navigation feature that has been selected.