METHODS AND APPARATUS FOR VOICE-CONTROLLED ACCESS AND DISPLAY OF ELECTRONIC CHARTS ONBOARD AN AIRCRAFT

• US 20160139876A1
• Filed: 11/17/2014
• Published: 05/19/2016
• Est. Priority Date: 11/17/2014
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Honeywell International Inc.
• Original Assignee: Honeywell International Inc.
• Inventors: Alves, Erin Elizabeth, De Mers, Robert E.
• Granted Patent: US 9,600,230 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/167 Audio in a user interface, e.g. using voice commands for navigating, audio feedback
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 5/0021 located in the aircraft
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 5/0047 Navigation or guidance aids for a single aircraft details of equipment G08G5/0017
• CPC Class Codes: G10L 15/22 Procedures used during a speech recognition process, e.g. man-machine dialogue
• CPC Class Codes: G10L 2015/223 Execution procedure of a spoken command
• CPC Class Codes: G10L 25/54 for retrieval

Abstract

A method for accessing electronic charts stored on an aircraft is provided. The method receives, via an onboard avionics system, location data for the aircraft; receives a set of speech data via a user interface of the aircraft; identifies one or more applicable electronic charts, based on the received location data and the received set of speech data, wherein the electronic charts stored on the aircraft comprise at least the one or more applicable electronic charts; and presents, via an aircraft display, a first one of the one or more applicable electronic charts.

Claims

1. A method for accessing electronic charts stored on an aircraft, the method comprising:

receiving, via an onboard avionics system, location data for the aircraft;

receiving a set of speech data via a user interface of the aircraft;

identifying one or more applicable electronic charts, based on the received location data and the received set of speech data, wherein the electronic charts stored on the aircraft comprise at least the one or more applicable electronic charts; and

presenting, via an aircraft display, a first one of the one or more applicable electronic charts.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the identifying step further comprises:

interpreting the set of speech data using a speech recognition algorithm to produce an interpretation result; and

comparing the interpretation result to a stored database of the electronic charts to obtain a comparison result;

wherein the comparison result comprises the one or more applicable electronic charts.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein receiving the set of speech data further comprises receiving current route data via the user interface;

and

wherein the one or more applicable electronic charts comprises a set of route-specific electronic charts.

4. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

receiving, via the user interface, profile information for a flight crew member;

logging the flight crew member into an electronic charts retrieval system;

accessing a registry of a subset of the electronic charts stored on the aircraft, based on the received profile information;

receiving user input indicating user selections of the accessed subset; and

incorporating the indicated user selections into an active charts framework, for use during a current operation of the aircraft.

5. The method of claim 4, further comprising:

receiving a second set of speech data via the user interface, the second set of speech data requesting a change to the presented first one of the one or more applicable electronic charts; and

toggling the one or more applicable electronic charts based on the received second set of speech data, for presentation via the aircraft display.

6. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

storing the one or more applicable electronic charts into an active charts framework, the active charts framework comprising a location for efficient electronic chart access;

wherein the presenting step further comprises retrieving the one or more applicable electronic charts from the active charts framework.

7. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

storing a subset of the one or more applicable electronic charts into a cycle charts framework, the cycle charts framework comprising a location for toggling electronic charts upon receiving a toggle command;

receiving a second set of speech data comprising the toggle command; and

presenting a second one of the one or more applicable electronic charts, based on the received second set of speech data.

8. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

identifying a plurality of electronic charts, each of the plurality being associated with a position in a cycle charts framework;

identifying a new electronic chart for incorporation into the cycle charts framework;

determining whether the new electronic chart comprises one of the plurality of electronic charts;

when the new electronic chart does not comprise one of the plurality of electronic charts, then;

shifting each of the plurality of electronic charts one position in the cycle charts framework, wherein the shifting decreases a priority of each of the plurality of electronic charts;

shifting one of the plurality of electronic charts out of the cycle charts framework, wherein the one of the plurality of electronic charts occupies a least priority position of the plurality of electronic charts; and

incorporating the new electronic chart into a highest priority position of the cycle charts framework.

9. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

identifying a plurality of electronic charts, each of the plurality being associated with a position in a cycle charts framework;

identifying a new electronic chart for incorporation into the cycle charts framework;

determining whether the new electronic chart comprises one of the plurality of electronic charts;

when the new electronic chart comprises one of the plurality of electronic charts, then;

relocating the new electronic chart from a first position in the cycle charts framework into the highest priority position of the cycle charts framework; and

shifting a subset of the plurality of electronic charts one position in the cycle charts framework, wherein the subset comprises one or more charts in higher priority positions than the first position, and wherein the shifting decreases a priority of each of the plurality of electronic charts.

10. A system for retrieving and displaying electronic charts onboard an aircraft, the system comprising:

a memory element, configured to store a database of electronic charts;

a speech recognition (SR) interface, configured to receive and interpret a set of speech data;

a global positioning system (GPS), configured to provide location data for the aircraft;

a display element, configured to present each of the electronic charts; and

a processor architecture, configured to;

analyze the set of speech data transmitted by the SR interface;

select at least one electronic chart from the database, based on the analysis of the set of speech data and the location data transmitted by the GPS; and

communicate the selected at least one electronic chart to the display element for presentation to a user.

11. The system of claim 10, further comprising:

a plurality of avionics, configured to provide aircraft route data;

wherein the processor architecture is further configured to select the at least one electronic chart based on the aircraft route data.

12. The system of claim 10, wherein the processor architecture is further configured to store the selected at least one electronic chart in an active charts framework;

and

wherein the active charts framework is configured as a storage and retrieval location to provide rapid access to a limited number of the electronic charts.

13. The system of claim 10, wherein the processor architecture is further configured to:

store the selected at least one electronic chart in a cycle charts framework;

receive a second set of speech data comprising a command to toggle a currently displayed chart; and

switch the currently displayed chart to a next available chart in the cycle charts framework;

wherein the cycle charts framework is configured as a storage location to provide functionality to toggle a designated number of the electronic charts for display.

14. The system of claim 10, further comprising:

a user interface, configured to receive login information associated with a flight crew member;

wherein the processor architecture is further configured to retrieve a list of bookmarked electronic charts from the database, the bookmarked electronic charts being associated with the received login information.

15. The system of claim 14, wherein the processor architecture is further configured to import a subset of the bookmarked electronic charts into an active charts framework;

and

wherein the active charts framework is configured as a storage location to provide rapid access to a limited number of the electronic charts.

16. The system of claim 10, wherein the received set of speech data further comprises login information associated with a flight crew member;

and

wherein the processor architecture is further configured to retrieve a list of bookmarked electronic charts from the database, the bookmarked electronic charts being associated with the login information.

17. A system for retrieving electronic charts stored in a database, the system comprising:

a speech recognition module, configured to receive a set of speech data via user interface and to interpret the received set of speech data;

a location data module, configured to receive global positioning information for the aircraft;

a chart retrieval module, configured to retrieve at least one of the electronic charts based on the interpreted set of speech data and the received global positioning information; and

a chart display module, configured to present the at least one of the retrieved electronic charts, via an aircraft display, to a user.

18. The system of claim 17, further comprising:

an architecture module, configured to provide a framework for storage of the at least one of the electronic charts, the framework comprising an active charts level configured for rapid access to the at least one of the electronic charts;

wherein the chart retrieval module is further configured to store the retrieved at least one of the electronic charts in the active charts level.

19. The system of claim 18, further comprising:

a user profile module, configured to receive information from a user and to log the user into a profile comprising a registry of bookmarked electronic charts;

wherein the speech recognition module is further configured to receive user selections of a subset of the bookmarked electronic charts; and

wherein the chart retrieval module is further configured to store the subset of the bookmarked electronic charts in the active charts level.

20. The system of claim 17, further comprising:

an architecture module, configured to provide a framework for storage of the at least one of the electronic charts, the framework comprising a cycle charts level configured for toggle-functionality access to a subset of the at least one of the electronic charts;

wherein the chart retrieval module is further configured to store the retrieved at least one of the electronic charts in the active charts level; and

wherein, when the set of speech data further comprises a command to switch a presented one of the electronic charts, the chart display module is further configured to toggle the subset to present a next one of the electronic charts of the subset.