Navigational instrument, method and computer program product for displaying ground traffic information

• US 7,194,342 B1
• Filed: 08/11/2005
• Issued: 03/20/2007
• Est. Priority Date: 10/21/2003
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Garmin AT, Inc. (Garmin Limited)
• Original Assignee: Garmin AT, Inc. (Garmin Limited)
• Inventors: Horvath, Steven, Walton, James C., Hilb, Robert C.
• Primary Examiner(s): BEAULIEU, YONEL
• Application Number:
  US11/201,904
• Time in Patent Office: 586 Days
• Field of Search: 701/1, 701/3, 701/9, 701/10, 701/14, 701/200, 701300-302, 701117-119, 345/1.1, 345/5, 345/204, 345/501, 340/945, 340/961, 340/483
• US Class Current: 701/3
• 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: 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 5/0078 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
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 5/025 Navigation or guidance aids radar or analogous systems specially adapted for landing purposes G01S13/913

Abstract

The present invention provides an aircraft navigational system including a graphical user interface that is capable of displaying navigational information in a split-screen format. The split-screen format includes displaying multiple graphical user panels, each depicting different traffic information. For example, one of the panels displays a plurality of air traffic symbols corresponding to airborne obstacles and another of the panels simultaneously displays ground traffic symbols representing ground obstacles. The obstacles can include other aircraft in the air and on runways as the pilot'"'"'s aircraft approaches for a landing. The navigational system also is capable of switching between a single graphical user panel and multiple panels in response to a triggering event, such as a change in the course of the aircraft.

Claims

1. A processing element for use in a navigational display system, said processing element configured to:

display on a graphical interface, a single traffic graphical panel that includes a plurality of symbols indicative of at least one of air and ground traffic within a predetermined proximity of an own ship; and

in response to a triggering event, switch the graphical interface from displaying a single traffic graphical panel to simultaneously displaying a plurality of graphical panels, wherein at least one of the plurality of graphical panels includes a plurality of symbols indicative of obstacles and one symbol indicative of the own ship.

2. A processing element in accordance with claim 1 wherein said processing element is further configured to position the plurality of obstacle symbols and the own ship symbol on the graphical interface relative to each other such that the obstacle symbols correspond to relative positions of the obstacles with respect to the own ship.

3. A processing element in accordance with claim 1 wherein said processing element is further configured to display at least one of an altitude and a velocity of each of the plurality of symbols indicative of obstacles.

4. A processing element in accordance with claim 1 wherein said processing element is further configured to switch the graphical interface from displaying a single traffic graphical panel to simultaneously displaying a plurality of graphical panels in response to at least one of the own ship ascending through a predetermined altitude and descending through a predetermined altitude.

5. A processing element in accordance with claim 1 wherein said processing element is further configured to switch the graphical interface from displaying a single traffic graphical panel to simultaneously displaying a plurality of graphical panels in response to input from a pilot of the own ship.

6. A processing element in accordance with claim 1 wherein said processing element is further configured to switch the graphical interface from displaying a single traffic graphical panel to simultaneously displaying a plurality of graphical panels within a predetermined amount of time before landing the own ship.

7. A processing element in accordance with claim 1 wherein said processing element is further configured to switch the graphical interface from displaying a single traffic graphical panel to simultaneously displaying a plurality of graphical panels when the own ship has deviated from a pre-determined course.

8. A navigational display system comprising:

a display device;

a graphical user interface displayed on said display device; and

a processor for controlling said graphical user interface for providing traffic information to a pilot of an aircraft, wherein said graphical user interface comprises a first graphical panel for displaying a plurality of symbols representative of airborne obstacles, and a second graphical panel for displaying symbols representative of ground obstacles, at least one of said first panel and said second panel further comprises a symbol representative of the pilot'"'"'s aircraft.

9. A navigational display system in accordance with claim 8 wherein at least one of said first graphical panel and said second graphical panel is further configured to display navigational information relative to other aircraft in proximity to the pilot'"'"'s aircraft.

10. A navigational display system in accordance with claim 8 wherein at least one of said first graphical panel and said second graphical panel is further configured to display at least one of an altitude and a velocity of each obstacle displayed.

11. A navigational display system in accordance with claim 8 wherein at least one of said first graphical panel and said second graphical panel is further configured to display obstacles within a pre-determined distance from the pilot'"'"'s aircraft.

12. A navigational display system in accordance with claim 8 wherein at least one of said first graphical panel and said second graphical panel is further configured to display alphanumeric information associated with each obstacle displayed.

13. A navigational display system in accordance with claim 8 wherein said processor is configured to cause said graphical interface to display only one of said first graphical panel and said second graphical panel.

14. A navigational display system in accordance with claim 13 wherein said processor is configured, in response to a triggering event, to cause the graphical interface to switch from displaying only one of said first graphical panel and said second graphical panel to simultaneously displaying said first and second graphical panels.

15. A method for displaying navigational information to a pilot of an aircraft, said method comprises:

displaying through a first graphical display on a graphical interface a plurality of symbols representative of a plurality of airborne obstacles; and

displaying, simultaneously, through a second graphical display on the graphical interface a plurality of symbols representative of a plurality of ground obstacles, wherein the airborne obstacles and the ground obstacles are within a predetermined proximity to the aircraft and are displayed relative to a position of the aircraft.

16. A method in accordance with claim 15 wherein to display through a first graphical display on a graphical interface a plurality of symbols representative of a plurality of airborne obstacles, at least one of an altitude and a velocity of each airborne obstacle is displayed.

17. A method in accordance with claim 15 wherein to display through a second graphical display on a graphical interface a plurality of symbols representative of a plurality of ground obstacles, at least one of an altitude and a velocity of each ground obstacle is displayed.