SYSTEMS AND METHODS FOR TRAFFIC PRIORITIZATION

• US 20140232559A1
• Filed: 02/21/2013
• Published: 08/21/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 02/21/2013
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Honeywell International Inc.
• Original Assignee: Honeywell International Inc.
• Inventors: Maji, Sanjib Kumar, Kar, Satyanarayan, Agarwal, Jitender Kumar, Chakraborty, Sandeep
• Granted Patent: US 9,076,326 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 340/901
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 5/0004 Transmission of traffic-related information to or from an aircraft airborne radio transmission systems in general H04B7/185; airborne wireless networks H04W84/06
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 5/0008 with other aircraft
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 5/0013 with a ground station
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 5/0021 located in the aircraft
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 5/0026 located on the ground
• 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 5/0082 for monitoring traffic from a ground station radar or analogous systems specially adapted for traffic control G01S13/91

Abstract

Methods and apparatus are provided for traffic prioritization of surrounding air traffic for display onboard an aircraft. The apparatus includes a traffic data source configured to supply surrounding traffic data. The apparatus includes a traffic control module coupled to receive user selection data from the user input device and the surrounding traffic data. The traffic control module can be configured to determine a prioritization zone for prioritizing the surrounding air traffic to identify air traffic preceding the aircraft based on the user selection data, the range and the vertical speed of the surrounding air traffic, and set first traffic data that includes the surrounding air traffic within the prioritization zone listed by priority and second traffic data that includes the surrounding air traffic outside of the prioritization zone listed in received sequence. The apparatus displays a graphical user interface that includes the first traffic and the second traffic data.

Claims

1. A system for traffic prioritization of surrounding air traffic for display onboard an aircraft, the display being associated with a user input that receives user input with respect to the display, the system comprising:

a traffic data source configured to supply surrounding traffic data, the surrounding traffic data including at least a range of the surrounding air traffic relative to the aircraft and a vertical speed of the surrounding air traffic;

a traffic control module coupled to receive user selection data from the user input device and the surrounding traffic data from the traffic data source, the traffic control module, configured, upon receipt of the user input device and the surrounding traffic data, to generate a prioritization zone for prioritizing the surrounding air traffic to identify air traffic preceding the aircraft based on the user selection data, the range of the surrounding air traffic relative to the aircraft and the vertical speed of the surrounding air traffic, and set first traffic data that includes the surrounding air traffic within the prioritization zone listed by priority as a preceding aircraft and second traffic data that includes the surrounding air traffic outside of the prioritization zone listed in received sequence; and

a graphical user interface manager control module coupled to the traffic control module and configured to output a graphical user interface, for display on the display, that includes the first traffic data and the second traffic data.

2. The system of claim 1, wherein the surrounding traffic data further comprises surrounding traffic orientation data and surrounding traffic altitude data.

3. The system of claim 2, wherein the traffic control module is further configured to prioritize the surrounding air traffic based on the surrounding traffic orientation data, and surrounding air traffic with a bearing closest to a bearing value received from the user selection data or a default bearing value has a greater priority.

4. The system of claim 2, wherein the traffic control module is further configured to prioritize the surrounding air traffic based on the surrounding traffic altitude data, and surrounding air traffic with an altitude value substantially equal to an altitude value received from the user selection data or a default altitude value having a greater priority.

5. The system of claim 3, wherein based on the bearing value received from user input or the default bearing value, the traffic control module determines a horizontal zone and a reference line relative to the aircraft, and the traffic control module prioritizes the surrounding air traffic based on proximity to the reference line within the horizontal zone.

6. The system of claim 5, wherein the traffic control module is further configured to divide the horizontal zone into segments relative to the reference line, and prioritize the surrounding air traffic based on the segment.

7. The system of claim 1, wherein the graphical user interface further comprises an indicator to indicate if one or more of the preceding aircraft in the first traffic data is outside of a viewable area of the display.

8. The system of claim 1, wherein the graphical user interface further comprises an indicator that separates the first traffic data from the second traffic data.

9. The system of claim 1, wherein the traffic control module is configured to prioritize the surrounding air traffic based on a range value received from user input or a default range value, and to determine a reference point relative to the aircraft, with surrounding air traffic prioritized based on proximity to the reference point.

10. A method for traffic prioritization of surrounding air traffic relative to an ownship aircraft, comprising:

determining if the surrounding air traffic has a descending vertical speed;

prioritizing the surrounding air traffic with the descending vertical speed based on a bearing of the surrounding air traffic relative to the ownship aircraft;

further prioritizing the surrounding air traffic based on a range of the surrounding air traffic from the ownship aircraft; and

outputting the prioritized surrounding air traffic.

11. The method of claim 10, further comprising:

further prioritizing the surrounding air traffic with the descending vertical speed based on an altitude of the surrounding air traffic relative to the ownship aircraft.

12. The method of claim 10, further comprising:

outputting the prioritized surrounding air traffic to a display onboard the aircraft.

13. The method of claim 10, further comprising:

providing a traffic graphical user interface on a display onboard an aircraft that indicates surrounding air traffic at a selected scale; and

outputting the prioritized surrounding air traffic with an indicator if one or more of the prioritized surrounding air traffic is outside the selected scale of the traffic graphical user interface.

14. The method of claim 13, wherein outputting the prioritized surrounding air traffic with the indicator further comprises:

outputting the surrounding air traffic with a first graphical indicator for each of the prioritized surrounding air traffic that is inside the selected scale of the traffic graphical user interface; and

outputting the surrounding air traffic with a second, different graphical indicator for each of the prioritized surrounding air traffic that is outside the selected scale of the traffic graphical user interface.

15. The method of claim 10, wherein prioritizing the surrounding air traffic with the descending vertical speed based on the bearing of the surrounding air traffic relative to the ownship aircraft further comprising:

receiving user input data regarding a bearing value;

determining a reference vertical plane relative to the aircraft based on the user input data; and

prioritizing the surrounding air traffic based on proximity to the reference vertical plane.

16. The method of claim 10, wherein further prioritizing the surrounding air traffic based on the range of the surrounding air traffic from the ownship aircraft further comprises:

receiving user input data regarding a range value;

determining a reference point relative to the aircraft based on the user input data; and

prioritizing the surrounding air traffic based on proximity to the reference point.

17. The method of claim 11, wherein further prioritizing the surrounding air traffic based on the altitude of the surrounding air traffic relative to the ownship aircraft, further comprises:

receiving user input data regarding an altitude value;

determining a horizontal reference plane relative to the aircraft based on the user input data; and

prioritizing the surrounding air traffic based on proximity to the horizontal reference plane.

18. A computer program product for processing a digital signal, comprising:

a tangible storage medium readable by a processing circuit and storing instructions for execution by the processing circuit for performing a method comprising;

receiving a request to activate a traffic prioritization system to enable surrounding air traffic to be prioritized as preceding aircraft for display onboard an aircraft;

receiving data regarding the surrounding air traffic from a traffic data source;

determining which of the surrounding air traffic is within a prioritization zone for prioritization;

determining from the surrounding air traffic within the prioritization zone, which of the surrounding air traffic has a descending vertical speed;

if the surrounding air traffic within the prioritization zone has a descending vertical speed, prioritizing the surrounding air traffic based on the bearing of the surrounding air traffic relative to the aircraft; and

generating a visual separation approach traffic graphical user interface for display onboard the aircraft that displays the prioritized surrounding air traffic to enable the selection of one of the surrounding air traffic as a preceding air traffic for a visual separation approach.

19. The computer program product of claim 18, wherein the method further comprises:

further prioritizing the surrounding air traffic based on a range of the surrounding air traffic relative to the aircraft.

20. The computer program product of claim 18, wherein the method further comprises:

further prioritizing the surrounding air traffic based on an altitude of the surrounding air traffic relative to the aircraft.