VERTICAL PROFILE DISPLAY INCLUDING WEATHER ICONS

• US 20160011741A1
• Filed: 07/08/2014
• Published: 01/14/2016
• Est. Priority Date: 07/08/2014
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Honeywell International Inc.
• Original Assignee: Honeywell International Inc.
• Inventors: Khatwa, Ratan, Mathan, Santosh, Bunch, Brian P.
• Granted Patent: US 10,037,124 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G01C 23/00 Combined instruments indicating more than one navigational value, e.g. for aircraft; Combined measuring devices for measuring two or more variables of movement, e.g. distance, speed or acceleration
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 13/953 mounted on aircraft
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 7/18 Distance-height displays; Distance-elevation displays, e.g. type RHI, type E
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 7/22 Producing cursor lines and indicia by electronic means
• CPC Class Codes: G01W 1/00 Meteorology
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/04817 using icons graphical or visual programming using iconic symbols G06F8/34
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/04842 Selection of displayed objects or displayed text elements G06F3/0482 takes precedence
• 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 5/0052 for cruising combined instruments indicating more than one navigational value G01C23/00
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 5/0091 for monitoring atmospheric conditions radar or analogous systems specially adapted for meteorological use G01S13/95; meteorology G01W
• CPC Class Codes: Y02A 90/10 Information and communication technologies [ICT] supporting adaptation to climate change, e.g. for weather forecasting or climate simulation

Abstract

A vertical profile display includes weather information for an aircraft. In some examples, the vertical profile display includes one or more weather icons, each weather icon indicating a weather condition for a volume of space at a particular altitude. Each weather icon is displayed within the vertical profile display at a portion of the vertical profile display corresponding to the altitude of the weather condition indicated by the particular weather icon.

Claims

1. A method comprising:

receiving, by a processor, weather information; and

generating, by the processor, a vertical profile display based on the weather information, wherein the vertical profile display comprises one or more weather icons, each weather icon indicating a weather condition for a volume of space at a particular altitude, and wherein generating the vertical profile display comprises positioning each weather icon within the vertical profile display at a portion of the vertical profile display corresponding to the particular altitude.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the weather information comprises at least one of radar reflectivity data generated by a radar system onboard an aircraft, weather information from one or more other aircraft, or weather information from a weather reporting service.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the weather condition comprises a plurality of weather cells, wherein generating the vertical profile display comprises:

determining, based on the weather information, a type of each of the weather cells and, for each of the weather cells, an altitude of the weather cell; and

selecting a weather icon for each of the weather cells based on the type of weather cell; and

positioning the weather icons within the vertical profile view at portions of vertical profile view corresponding to the respective altitudes,

4. The method of claim 3, wherein selecting the weather icon comprises selecting the weather icon from a plurality of stored weather icons, the plurality of stored weather icons including icons indicating at least one of:

air turbulence, windshears, microbursts, volcanic ash, storms, rain, snow, hail, low-visibility areas, or high-altitude ice crystals.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein generating the vertical profile display comprises generating the vertical profile display including a hazard band indication, wherein generating the hazard band indication comprises determining, by the processor, a first altitude above which there is no hazardous weather detected based on the weather information, wherein the hazard band indication includes an upper limit line positioned within the vertical profile display at a position that corresponds to a second altitude greater than or equal to the first altitude.

6. The method of claim 5, wherein generating the hazard band indication further comprises determining a third altitude below which there is no hazardous weather detected based on the weather information, wherein the hazard band indication further includes a lower limit line positioned within the vertical profile display at a position that corresponds to a fourth altitude less than or equal to the third altitude, wherein the upper limit line and lower limit line define a hazard block representing a range of altitudes in which hazardous weather was detected.

7. The method of claim 5, further comprising:

determining a flight path of an aircraft; and

detecting, based on the weather information, hazardous weather along the flight path of the aircraft, wherein determining the first altitude comprises determining the first altitude based on the hazardous weather along the flight path, and wherein the vertical profile display indicates a vertical profile view of the flight path.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein generating the vertical profile display comprises generating the vertical profile display comprising a plurality of weather blocks, each weather block of the plurality of weather blocks indicating weather in a volume of space associated with the weather block.

9. The method of claim 8, wherein generating the vertical profile display comprises:

identifying a plurality of voxels of space;

determining, based on the weather information, weather associated with each voxel of space;

selecting, by the processor, a visual characteristic for each of the weather blocks based on a severity of the weather for the volume of space associated with the respective weather block; and

generating the weather blocks having the selected visual characteristics based on the voxels and the weather associated with each voxel.

10. The method of claim 8, wherein generating the vertical profile display comprises positioning the one or more weather icons in a respective one of the weather blocks based on the particular altitudes of the weather conditions associated with the one or More weather icons and the volumes of space indicated by the weather blocks.

11. The method of claim 1, wherein generating the vertical profile display comprises determining, by the processor, an altitude band around a flight path of an aircraft, wherein the vertical profile display further comprises a vertical profile view of the flight path, an indication of primary weather located within the altitude band, and an indication of secondary weather located outside of the altitude band, wherein the indication of the secondary weather is visually distinct from the indication of the primary weather.

12. A system comprising:

a display; and

a processor configured to receive weather information, generate a vertical profile display based on the weather information, and present the vertical profile display via the display, wherein the vertical profile display comprises one or more weather icons, each weather icon indicating a weather condition for a volume of space at a particular altitude, and wherein each weather icon is positioned within the vertical profile display at the particular altitude.

13. The system of claim 12, wherein the weather condition comprises a plurality of weather cells, wherein the processor is configured to generate the vertical profile display by at least:

determining, based on the weather information, a type of each of the weather cells and, for each of the weather cells, an altitude of the weather cell; and

selecting a weather icon for each of the weather cells based on the type of weather cell; and

positioning the weather icons within the vertical profile view at portions of the vertical profile view corresponding to the respective altitudes.

14. The system of claim 13, further comprising a memory that stores a plurality of weather icons, the plurality of weather icons including icons indicating at least one of:

air turbulence, windshears, microbursts, volcanic ash, storms, rain, snow, hail, low-visibility areas, or high-altitude ice crystals, wherein the processor is configured to select the weather icon from the plurality of weather icons.

15. The system of claim 12, wherein the processor is further configured to generate the vertical profile display by at least generating a hazard band indication, wherein the processor is configured to generate the hazard band indication by at least determining a first altitude above which there is no hazardous weather detected based on the weather information, wherein the hazard band indication comprises upper limit line positioned within the vertical profile display at a position that corresponds to a second altitude greater than or equal to the first altitude

16. The system of claim 15, wherein the processor is further configured to generate the hazard band indication by at least determining a third altitude below which there is no hazardous weather detected based on the weather information, wherein the hazard band indication further includes a lower limit line positioned within the vertical profile display at a position that corresponds to a fourth altitude less than or equal to the third altitude, wherein the upper limit line and lower limit line define a hazard block representing a range of altitudes in which hazardous weather was detected.

17. The system of claim 12, wherein the processor is configured generate the vertical profile display to include a plurality of weather blocks, each weather block of the plurality of weather blocks indicating weather in a volume of space associated with the weather block.

18. The system of claim 17, wherein the processor is configured to generate the vertical profile display by at least positioning the one or more weather icons in a respective one of the weather blocks based on the particular altitudes of the weather conditions associated with the one or more weather icons and the volumes of space indicated by the weather blocks.

19. The system of claim 12, wherein the processor is configured to generate the vertical profile display by at least comprises determining an altitude band around a flight path of an aircraft, wherein the vertical profile display further comprises a vertical profile view of the flight path, an indication of primary weather located within the altitude hand, and an indication of secondary weather located outside of the altitude band, wherein the indication of the secondary weather is visually distinct from the indication of the primary weather.

20. A computer-readable medium including instructions that, when executed by a processor, cause the processor to:

receive weather information; and

generate a vertical profile display based on the weather information, wherein the vertical profile display comprises one or more weather icons, each weather icon indicating a weather condition for a volume of space at a particular altitude, and wherein the instructions cause the processor to generate the vertical profile display by at least positioning each weather icon within the vertical profile display at a portion of the vertical profile display corresponding to the particular altitude.