Navigation assisting system, flight-route calculating method, and navigation assisting method

• US 6,519,527 B2
• Filed: 09/17/2001
• Issued: 02/11/2003
• Est. Priority Date: 03/19/2001
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Kabushiki Kaisha Toshiba (Toshiba Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Kabushiki Kaisha Toshiba (Toshiba Corporation)
• Inventors: Shinagawa, Yuuichi
• Primary Examiner(s): Zanelli, Michael J.
• Assistant Examiner(s): Gibson, Eric M
• Application Number:
  US09/953,282
• Publication Number:
  US 20020161514A1
• Time in Patent Office: 512 Days
• Field of Search: 701/3, 701/202, 701/120, 701/201, 701/206, 701/209, 701/211, 701/203, 244/175, 342/357.08, 342/357.13, 340/947, 340/979
• US Class Current: 701/209
• CPC Class Codes: G01C 21/20 Instruments for performing navigational calculations G01C21/24, G01C21/26 take precedence

Abstract

The present invention stores data of the nearest airport where an airplane can take off and land as well as database of an ETOPS-applied time related to this airplane beforehand. when a flight route is set, this ETOPS-applied time is read out. An area having a radius r calculated on the basis of the ETOPS-applied time is defined to be a flight-permitted area. With this, if a desired route entered by the operator is outside this area, an operating port calculates a flight route that can be contained in the flight-permitted area throughout the total flight.

Claims

1. A navigation assisting system carried and used on an airplane, comprising:

memory means for storing a database in which position information of a plurality of airports and information of permission/refusal of take-off/landing of said airplane at said airports correspond to said plurality of airports, respectively, and a regulated time set for said airplane; and

operating means for specifying as a flight-permitted area of said airplane the inside of a circle having as a radius thereof a distance over which said airplane can arrive within said regulated time and also having as a center thereof an airport where said airplane can take off and land, and then calculating a flight route of said airplane in said flight-permitted area.

2. The navigation assisting system according to claim 1, further comprising input means for inputting a desired flight route,

wherein said operating means calculates a new flight route in said flight-permitted area if said desired flight route input is outside said flight-permitted area.

3. The navigation assisting system according to claim 1, further comprising input means for inputting position information of a current position of said airplane and position information of a destination of said airplane,

wherein said operating means calculates the shortest flight route connecting said current position and said destination within said flight-permitted area.

4. The navigation assisting system according to claim 1, further comprising display means for displaying thereon a flight route calculated by said operating means.

5. The navigation assisting system according to claim 4, wherein said display means displays position information of an airport where said airplane can take off and land in a flight area to which said airplane can reach from said flight route.

6. The navigation assisting system according to claim 5, wherein said display means displays a flight area to which said airplane can reach from said flight route.

7. A navigation assisting system carried and used on an airplane, comprising:

memory means for storing a database in which position information of a plurality of airports and information of permission/refusal of take-off/landing of said airplane at said airports correspond to said plurality of airports, respectively, and a regulated time set for said airplane; and

operating means for specifying as a flight-permitted area of said airplane the inside of a circle having as a radius thereof a distance over which said airplane can arrive within said regulated time and also having as a center thereof an airport where said airplane can take off and land, and then searching said database for the nearest airport where said airplane can take off and land, to decide whether said airplane is outside said flight-permitted area, based on a relative positional relationship between said airplane and said flight-permitted area for said nearest airport.

8. The navigation assisting system according to claim 7, comprising display means for displaying a message if said operating means decides that said airplane is outside said flight-permitted area.

9. A navigation assisting system carried and used on an airplane, comprising:

memory means for storing a database in which position information of a plurality of airports and information of permission/refusal of take-off/landing of said airplane at said airports correspond to said plurality of airports, respectively, and a regulated time set for said airplane; and

operating means for specifying as a flight-permitted area of said airplane the inside of a circle having as a radius thereof a distance over which said airplane can arrive within said regulated time and also having as a center thereof an airport where said airplane can take off and land, to decide whether said airplane is outside said flight-permitted area, based on a relative positional relationship between said airplane and said flight-permitted area.

10. The navigation assisting system according to claim 9, wherein said operating means decides that said airplane is outside said flight-permitted area if a position of said airplane is outside all of said flight-permitted areas.

12. The navigation assisting system according to claim 9, wherein said operating means decides that said decision point is outside said flight-permitted area if a position of said decision point is outside all of said flight-permitted areas.

14. The navigation assisting system according to claim 10, comprising display means for displaying different messages for a case where said operating means decides that a position of said airplane is outside said flight-permitted area and a case where said operating means decides that only said decision point is outside said flight-permitted area.

11. A navigation assisting system carried and used on an airplane, comprising;

memory means for storing a database in which position information of a plurality of airports and information of permission/refusal of take-off/landing of said airplane at said airports correspond to said plurality of airports, respectively, and a regulated time set for said airplane; and

operating means for specifying as a flight-permitted area of said airplane the inside of a circle having as a radius thereof a distance over which said airplane can arrive within said regulated time and also having as a center thereof an airport where said airplane can take off and land, and then setting a decision point at a predetermined distance in a traveling direction of said airplane, to decide whether said decision point is outside said flight-permitted area, based on a relative positional relationship between said decision point and said flight-permitted area.

13. A navigation assisting system carried and used on an airplane, comprising:

memory means for storing a database in which position information of a plurality of airports and information of permission/refusal of take-off/landing of said airplane at said airports correspond to said plurality of airports, respectively, and a regulated time set for said airplane; and

operating means for specifying as a flight-permitted area of said airplane the inside of a circle having as a radius thereof a distance over which said airplane can arrive within said regulated time and also having as a center thereof an airport where said airplane can take off and land, and then setting a decision point at a predetermined distance in a traveling direction of said airplane, to decide whether at least one of said airplane and said decision point is outside said flight-permitted area, based on a relative positional relationship between said decision point and said flight-permitted area.

15. A flight-route calculating method by use of a navigation assisting system carried and used on an airplane, comprising:

a first step of inputting a desired flight route of said airplane;

a second step of specifying a flight-permitted area to which said airplane can reach an airport where said airplane can take off and land within a regulated time set for said airplane; and

a third step of calculating a new flight route within said flight-permitted area if said desired flight route is outside a flight-permitted area specified at said second step.

16. The flight-route calculating method according to claim 15, wherein said second step specifies as said flight-permitted area the inside of a circle having as a center thereof an airport where said airplane can take off and land and having as a radius thereof a distance over which said airplane can fly within said regulated time.

17. A flight-route calculating method by use of a navigation assisting system carried and used on an airplane, comprising:

a first step of inputting position information of a current position of said airplane and position information of a destination of said airplane;

second step of specifying a flight-permitted area to which said airplane can reach an airport where said airplane can take off and land within a regulated time set for said airplane; and

a third step of calculating the shortest flight route connecting said current position and said destination within a flight-permitted area specified by said second step.

18. A navigation assisting method by use of a navigation assisting system carried and used on an airplane, comprising:

a first step of searching for an airport where said airplane can take off and land;

a second step of calculating as a flight-permitted area of said airplane the inside of a circle having as a center thereof said nearest airport searched for at said first step and having as a radius thereof a distance over which said airplane can fly within a regulated time set for said airplane; and

a third step of comparing said airplane and a flight-permitted area calculated at said second step in terms of relative positional relationship to thereby decide whether said airplane is outside said flight-permitted area.

19. The navigation assisting method according to claim 18, further comprising:

a fourth step of displaying a message if said third step decides that said airplane is outside said flight-permitted area.

20. A navigation assisting method by use of a navigation assisting system carried and used on an airplane, comprising:

a first step of calculating as a flight-permitted area of said airplane the inside of a circle having as a center thereof an airport where said airplane can take off and land and having as a radius thereof a distance over which said airplane can fly within a regulated time set for said airplane; and

a second step of comparing said airplane and a flight-permitted area calculated at said first step in terms of relative positional relationship to thereby decide whether said airplane is outside said flight-permitted area.

21. The navigation assisting method according to claim 20, wherein said second step decides that said airplane is outside said flight-permitted area if a position of said airplane is outside all of said flight-permitted areas.

22. The navigation assisting method according to claim 20, further comprising;

a third step of displaying a message if said second step decides that said airplane is outside said flight-permitted area.

23. A navigation assisting method by use of a navigation assisting system carried and used on an airplane, comprising;

a first step of calculating as a flight-permitted area of said airplane the inside of a circle having as a center thereof an airport where said airplane can take off and land and having as a radius thereof a distance over which said airplane can fly within a regulated time set for said airplane; and

a second step of comparing a decision point set at a predetermined distance in a traveling direction of said airplane and a flight-permitted area calculated at said first step in terms of a relative positional relationship to thereby decide whether said decision point is outside said flight-permitted area.

24. The navigation assisting method according to claim 23, wherein said second step decides that said decision point is outside said flight-permitted area if a position of said decision point is outside all of said flight-permitted areas.

25. The navigation assisting method according to claim 23, further comprising;

a third step of displaying different messages for a case where said second step decides that a position of said airplane is outside said flight-permitted area and a case where said second step decides that only said point is outside said flight-permitted area.

26. A navigation assisting method by use of a navigation assisting system carried and used on an airplane, comprising:

a first step of calculating as a flight-permitted area of said airplane the inside of a circle having as a center thereof an airport where said airplane can take off and land and having as a radius thereof a distance over which said airplane can fly within a regulated time set for said airplane; and

a second step of comparing a decision point set at a predetermined distance in a traveling direction of said airplane and a flight-permitted area calculated at said first step in terms of a relative positional relationship to thereby decide whether at least one of said airplane and said decision point is outside said flight-permitted area.