FLIGHT DECK DISPLAY SYSTEMS AND METHODS FOR GENERATING IN-TRAIL PROCEDURE WINDOWS INCLUDING AIRCRAFT FLIGHT PATH SYMBOLOGY

• US 20140210648A1
• Filed: 01/29/2013
• Published: 07/31/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 01/29/2013
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Honeywell International Inc.
• Original Assignee: Honeywell International Inc.
• Inventors: Samuthirapandian, Subash, A, Fazurudheen, Johnson, Markus
• Granted Patent: US 9,070,283 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 340/961
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 5/0008 with other aircraft
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 5/0021 located in the aircraft
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 5/0078 for monitoring traffic from the aircraft radar or analogous systems specially adapted for traffic control G01S13/91

Abstract

Embodiments of a flight deck display system for deployment onboard a host aircraft are provided, as are embodiments of a method carried-out by a flight deck display system. In one embodiment, the flight deck display system includes a cockpit display, a wireless communication module, and a controller operatively coupled to the cockpit display and to the wireless communication module. The controller is configured to generate a vertical In-Trail Procedure (ITP) window on the cockpit display, which includes graphics representative of the current position of the host aircraft, the current position of an intruder aircraft when present within a predetermined distance of the host aircraft, and a plurality of flight levels. The controller is further configured to receive data from which the current flight path of the intruder aircraft can be derived; and periodically update the vertical ITP window to include flight path symbology indicative of the current flight path of the intruder aircraft.

Claims

1. A flight deck display system for deployment onboard a host aircraft, the flight deck display system comprising:

a cockpit display;

a wireless communication module; and

a controller operatively coupled to the cockpit display and to the wireless communication module, the controller configured to;

generate a vertical In-Trail Procedure (ITP) window on the cockpit display, the vertical ITP window including graphics representative of the current position of the host aircraft, the current position of an intruder aircraft when present within a predetermined distance of the host aircraft, and a plurality of flight levels;

receive via the wireless communication module data from which the current flight path of the intruder aircraft can be derived; and

periodically update the vertical ITP window to include flight path symbology indicative of the current flight path of the intruder aircraft.

2. The flight deck display system of claim 1 wherein the controller is configured to receive via the wireless communication module Automatic Dependent Surveillance Broadcast (ADS-B) data from the intruder aircraft describing the current flight vector thereof.

3. The flight deck display system of claim 1 wherein the controller is configured to:

receive, via the wireless communication module, the current speed and position of intruder aircraft; and

project the current flight path of the intruder aircraft based, at least in part, of the current speed and position of the intruder aircraft.

4. The flight deck display system of claim 3 wherein the controller is configured to extract the current speed and altitude of the intruder aircraft from Traffic Collision Avoidance System (TCAS) data received via the wireless communication module.

5. The flight deck display system of claim 1 further comprising a pilot interface operatively coupled to the controller, the controller further configured to receive pilot input via the pilot interface selecting a new flight level cleared for the host aircraft to occupy.

6. The flight deck display system of claim 5 wherein the controller is further configured to generate graphics on the vertical ITP window identifying the new flight level cleared for the host aircraft to occupy.

7. The flight deck display system of claim 5 wherein the controller is further configured to:

estimate the flight level intercept point at which the host aircraft will enter the new flight level based, at least in part, on the current position of the host aircraft and the flight path thereof; and

generate on the vertical ITP window a symbol identifying the flight level intercept point.

8. The flight deck display system of claim 7 wherein the graphics representative of the plurality of flight levels comprise a plurality of vertically-spaced lines each representative of a different flight level, and wherein the symbol identifying the flight level intercept point comprise a marker intersecting the vertically-spaced line representative of the newly-cleared flight level.

9. The flight deck display system of claim 7 wherein the controller is further configured to generate a warning on the vertical ITP window if the distance between the flight level intercept point and an intruder aircraft is less than a predetermined threshold value.

10. The flight deck display system of claim 1 wherein the flight path symbology indicative of the current flight path of the intruder aircraft comprises a line segment extending from the graphic representative of the current position of the intruder aircraft.

11. The flight deck display system of claim 10 wherein the controller is further configured to periodically update the vertical ITP window, while varying the length of the line segment as a function of changes in the air speed of the intruder aircraft.

12. The flight deck display system of claim 10 wherein the line segment has a fixed length.

13. The flight deck display system of claim 10 wherein the controller is further configured to alter the appearance of the line segment when the absolute angle formed by the line segment with a horizontal line exceeds a threshold value to indicate a potential transition in flight level by the intruder aircraft.

14. The flight deck display system of claim 1 wherein the controller is configured to:

receive data describing the current flight path of the host aircraft; and

periodically update the vertical ITP window to include flight path symbology indicative of the current flight path of the host aircraft.

15. The flight deck display system of claim 14 wherein the flight deck display system further comprises an onboard sensor system selected from the consisting of a Flight Management System, an Inertial Reference System, and an Attitude Heading Reference System;

and wherein the controller is configured to receive data describing the current flight path of the host aircraft from the onboard sensor system.

16. The flight deck display system of claim 1 wherein the controller is further configured to:

predict whether the intruder aircraft is transitioning from its current flight level to a new flight level based, at least in part, on the current position of the intruder aircraft and the flight path thereof; and

if the intruder aircraft is predicted to be in the process of transitioning flight levels, generating graphics on the vertical ITP window identifying the current flight level of the intruder aircraft as likely to become available.

17. A flight deck display system for deployment onboard a host aircraft, the flight deck display system comprising:

a cockpit display;

an onboard sensor system configured to monitor the current position of the host aircraft and the flight path thereof;

a controller operatively coupled to the cockpit display and the onboard sensor system, the flight deck display system configured to;

generate a vertical In-Trail Procedure (ITP) window on the cockpit display, the vertical ITP window including graphics representative of the current position of the host aircraft, the current position of an intruder aircraft when present within a predetermined distance of the host aircraft, and a plurality of flight levels;

receive from the onboard sensor system data describing the current flight path of the host aircraft; and

periodically update the vertical ITP window to include flight path symbology indicative of the current flight path of the host aircraft.

18. The flight deck display system of claim 17 wherein the flight path symbology indicative of the current flight path of the host aircraft comprises a line segment extending from the graphic representative of the current position of the host aircraft.

19. The flight deck display system of claim 17 further comprising a pilot interface operatively coupled to the controller, the controller further configured to:

receive pilot input via the pilot interface selecting a new flight level cleared for the host aircraft to occupy;

estimate the flight level intercept point at which the host aircraft will enter the new flight level based, at least in part, on the current position of the host aircraft and the flight path thereof; and

generate on the vertical ITP window a symbol identifying the flight level intercept point.

20. A method carried-out by a flight deck display system onboard a host aircraft, the flight deck display system including a cockpit display, a wireless communication module, and a processor operatively coupled to the cockpit display and to the wireless communication module, the method comprising:

generating a vertical In-Trail Procedure (ITP) window on the cockpit display, the vertical ITP window including graphics representative of the position of the host aircraft, the position of an intruder aircraft, and a plurality of flight levels;

receiving via the wireless communication module Automatic Dependent Surveillance Broadcast (ADS-B) data from the intruder aircraft describing the current flight vector thereof;

providing the ADS-B data indicative of the current flight path of the intruder aircraft to the controller; and

updating the vertical ITP window, as generated on the cockpit display by the controller, to include flight path symbology comprising a line segment extending from the graphic representative of the current position of the intruder aircraft and forming an angle with a horizontal line indicating the current flight path of the intruder aircraft.