Automatic Reminder Function

• US 20110121999A1
• Filed: 11/25/2009
• Published: 05/26/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 11/25/2009
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: The Boeing Co.
• Original Assignee: The Boeing Co.
• Inventors: Cornell, Bradley David, Sandell, Gordon Robert Andrew
• Granted Patent: US 8,922,396 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 340/971
• CPC Class Codes: B64D 45/0059 by communicating emergency situations to ground control or between crew members
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 5/0021 located in the aircraft
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 5/0052 for cruising combined instruments indicating more than one navigational value G01C23/00

Abstract

Technologies are described herein for providing an automatic reminder function. The technologies are adapted to receive a definition of a reminder as an occurrence or are non-occurrence of an event and to receive operationally relevant data from a system data device. The technologies then determine whether the operationally relevant data indicates that the reminder is triggered by the occurrence or non-occurrence of the event. Responsive to determining whether the operationally relevant data indicates that the reminder is triggered by the occurrence or non-occurrence of the event, the technologies issue the reminder through instrumentation on an aircraft.

Claims

1. A computer-implemented method for providing an automatic reminder function, the method comprising computer-implemented operations for:

receiving a definition of a reminder as an occurrence or non-occurrence of an event;

receiving operationally relevant data from a system data device;

determining whether the operationally relevant data indicates that the reminder is triggered by the occurrence or non-occurrence of the event; and

responsive to determining whether the operationally relevant data indicates that the reminder is triggered by the occurrence or non-occurrence of the event, issuing the reminder through instrumentation on an aircraft.

2. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, the method comprising further computer-implemented operations for:

upon issuing the reminder through instrumentation on the aircraft, resetting the reminder.

3. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, wherein receiving a definition of a reminder as an occurrence or non-occurrence of an event comprises receiving a trigger value associated with the reminder;

and wherein determining whether the operationally relevant data indicates that the reminder is triggered by the occurrence or non-occurrence of the event comprises determining whether the trigger value has been reached based on the operationally relevant data.

4. The computer-implemented method of claim 3, the method comprising further computer-implemented operations for:

determining whether the trigger value is an invalid trigger value; and

responsive determining whether the trigger value is an invalid trigger value, displaying an error message indicating that that the trigger value is an invalid trigger value.

5. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, wherein receiving a definition of a reminder as an occurrence or non-occurrence of an event comprises:

displaying a reminder setting interface through a visual display in the instrumentation, the reminder setting interface enabling a user to define the reminder; and

receiving the definition of the reminder through the reminder setting interface.

6. The computer-implemented method of claim 5, wherein the reminder setting interface further enables the user to select only an aural alert, only a visual alert, or both the aural alert and the visual alert;

wherein receiving a definition of a reminder as an occurrence or non-occurrence of an event further comprises receiving a selection of only the aural alert, only the visual alert, or both the aural alert and the visual alert through the reminder setting interface; and

wherein issuing the reminder through instrumentation on an aircraft comprises providing only the aural alert, only the visual alert, or both the aural alert and the visual alert through an alert mechanism according to the selection.

7. The computer-implemented method of claim 6, wherein the alert mechanism comprises an Engine Indicating and Crew Alerting System (“

EICAS”

) display.

8. The computer-implemented method of claim 5, wherein the reminder setting interface further enables the user to specify text of a visual alert;

wherein receiving a definition of a reminder as an occurrence or non-occurrence of an event further comprises receiving the text of the visual alert through the reminder setting interface; and

wherein issuing the reminder through instrumentation on an aircraft comprises displaying the text of the visual alert through the visual display.

9. The computer-implemented method of claim 5, wherein the reminder setting interface further enables the flight crew to specify the duration of the aural alert, the volume of the aural alert, and the kind of aural alert;

wherein receiving a definition of a reminder as an occurrence or non-occurrence of an event further comprises receiving a specification of at least one of the duration of the aural alert, the volume of the aural alert, and the kind of aural alert through the reminder setting interface; and

wherein issuing the reminder through instrumentation on an aircraft comprises issuing the aural alert or the visual alert through an alert mechanism according to the specification.

10. The computer-implemented method of claim 5, wherein the visual display comprises a multi-function display (“

MFD”

).

11. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, wherein receiving operationally relevant data from a system data device comprises receiving the operationally relevant data from a sensor coupled to the aircraft.

12. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, wherein receiving operationally relevant data from a system data device comprises receiving the operationally relevant data from a navigational system coupled to the aircraft.

13. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, wherein the event comprises at least one of a specified time, a specified period of time, a specified waypoint, a specified distance, a specified altitude, a specified fuel load, a specified latitude, a specified longitude, a specified time or distance prior to a specified event, and a specified change in predicted arrival time at a specified location.

14. A system for providing an automatic reminder function, the system comprising:

a processor;

a memory coupled to the processor; and

a program module (i) which executes in the processor from the memory and (ii) which, when executed by the processor, causes the system to provide the automatic reminder function by

receiving a definition of a flight crew reminder as an occurrence or non-occurrence of an event,

receiving operationally relevant data from a system data device,

determining whether the operationally relevant data indicates that the flight crew reminder is triggered by the occurrence or non-occurrence of the event, and

responsive to determining whether the operationally relevant data indicates that the flight crew reminder is triggered by the occurrence or non-occurrence of the event, issuing at least one of an aural alert and a visual alert through an alert mechanism in flight deck instrumentation.

15. The system of claim 14, wherein the alert mechanism comprises an aural alert mechanism adapted to provide the aural alert and a visual alert mechanism adapted to display the visual alert.

16. The system of claim 14, wherein receiving a definition of a flight crew reminder as an occurrence or non-occurrence of an event comprises receiving an instruction to enable the flight crew reminder.

17. The system of claim 16, wherein receiving a definition of a flight crew reminder as an occurrence or non-occurrence of an event further comprises receiving an instruction to disable one or more other flight crew reminders.

18. The system of claim 14, wherein the program module, when executed by the processor, further causes the system to provide the automatic reminder function by

upon issuing at least one of an aural alert and a visual alert through an alert mechanism in flight deck instrumentation, determining whether the flight crew reminder is a one-time reminder or a repeatable reminder,

responsive to determining that the flight crew reminder is a one-time reminder, terminating the flight crew reminder, and

responsive to determining that the flight crew reminder is a repeatable reminder, resetting the flight crew reminder.

19. The system of claim 14, wherein receiving a definition of a reminder as an occurrence or non-occurrence of an event comprises receiving a trigger value associated with the reminder;

and wherein determining whether the operationally relevant data indicates that the reminder is triggered by the occurrence or non-occurrence of the event comprises determining whether the trigger value has been reached based on the operationally relevant data.

20. A computer-readable storage medium having computer-executable instructions stored thereon which, when executed by a computer, cause the computer to:

receive trigger values associated with a flight crew reminder, each of the trigger values corresponding to an occurrence or non-occurrence of an event;

receive operationally relevant data from a system data device;

determine whether the trigger values have been reached based on the operationally relevant data; and

responsive to determining whether the trigger values have been reached based on the operationally relevant data, provide an aural alert through an aural alert mechanism in flight deck instrumentation, and display a visual alert through a visual alert mechanism in the flight deck instrumentation.