Transmission, receipt, combination, sorting, and presentation of vehicle specific environmental conditions and hazards information

• US 7,463,955 B1
• Filed: 05/05/2005
• Issued: 12/09/2008
• Est. Priority Date: 05/26/2000
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: DTN, LLC (TBG AG)
• Original Assignee: Aerotech Research (USA), Inc.
• Inventors: Robinson, Paul A., Velotas, Steven G., Buck, Billy K., Prince, Jason B.
• Primary Examiner(s): ARTHUR JEANGLAUDE, GERTRUDE
• Application Number:
  US11/122,909
• Time in Patent Office: 1,314 Days
• Field of Search: 701/1, 701/3, 701/8, 701/9, 701/14, 701/28, 701/36, 340/901, 340/945, 340/955, 340/962, 340/963, 340/964, 340/539.28
• 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: G05D 1/0005 with arrangements to save energy
• 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 5/0091 for monitoring atmospheric conditions radar or analogous systems specially adapted for meteorological use G01S13/95; meteorology G01W

Abstract

A method for transmitting environmental conditions information, comprising, receiving at least some environmental conditions data and/or information, scaling the received environmental conditions data and/or information such that a scaled environmental conditions value is determined for a particular vehicle, and transmitting, in response to a request for environmental conditions information, at least one of the data and/or information relating to the environmental conditions and the dynamic vehicle information.

Claims

1. A method for transmitting environmental conditions information utilizing a transceiver, comprising:

receiving at least some environmental conditions data and/or information;

scaling the received environmental conditions data and/or information using at least some dynamic and/or static vehicle information such that a scaled environmental conditions value is determined for a particular vehicle; and

transmitting, in response to a request for environmental conditions information, at least one of the data and/or information relating to the environmental conditions and at least some dynamic vehicle information.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the received environmental conditions data and/or information may be at least some data and/or information relating to environmental conditions, dynamic vehicle information, an environmental conditions value, and an environmental conditions threshold value.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the step of scaling the received environmental conditions data and/or information using at least some dynamic and/or static vehicle information comprises the steps of:

receiving at least some dynamic and/or static vehicle information;

determining, based on the received dynamic and static vehicle information, the scaled environmental conditions value.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the received environmental conditions data and/or information is scaled using at least some of vehicle configuration, airspeed, groundspeed, Mach number, weight, center of gravity location, flap angle, flap setting, angle of attack, angle of sideslip, roll angle, vertical, lateral, or longitudinal loads, landing gear deployment, altitude, aircraft response function, lift curve slope, wing area, wing sweep angle, wing aspect ratio, aircraft response functions, and aerodynamic data.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein the data and/or information relating to the environmental conditions and/or the dynamic vehicle information is transmitted from at least one of aircraft-based, satellite-based, or ground-based monitoring and/or sensing equipment.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein the request for environmental conditions information is automatically generated at a determined time interval.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein the request for environmental conditions information is generated at the request of a user.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein the request for environmental conditions information is generated when the environmental conditions value exceeds a predetermined threshold.

9. The method of claim 1, wherein the request for environmental conditions information is generated based on a geographic location of a receiving entity.

10. The method of claim 1, wherein the request for environmental conditions information is generated based on an age of the environmental conditions data and/or information.

11. The method of claim 1, wherein the request for environmental conditions information is generated based on a priority of the environmental conditions data and/or information relative to other environmental conditions data and/or information.

12. The method of claim 1, wherein the request for environmental conditions information is automatically generated when at least some environmental conditions information is updated.

13. The method of claim 1, wherein receiving at least some environmental conditions data and/or information comprises receiving at least some environmental conditions data and/or information from at least two sources.

14. A method for displaying received environmental conditions information, comprising:

receiving at least some environmental conditions data and/or information;

determining whether the received environmental conditions data and/or information represents an environmental condition that is in a location along a specified path and/or within a predetermined altitude parameter and/or within a predetermined geographic location that satisfies predetermined display requirements;

preparing, if the received data and/or information represents an environmental condition that is in a location along a specified path and/or within a predetermined altitude parameter and/or within a predetermined geographic location that satisfies the predetermined display requirements, the environmental conditions data and/or information for display; and

displaying, the prepared environmental conditions data and/or information.

15. The method of claim 14, wherein the received environmental conditions data and/or information has been scaled to the particular receiving vehicle, and exceeds a predetermined threshold value for the vehicle.

16. The method of claim 14, wherein the received environmental conditions data and/or information has been checked for duplicative information and any such duplicative information is removed from the received environmental conditions data and/or information.

17. A method for displaying received environmental conditions information, comprising:

receiving at least some new environmental conditions data and/or information wherein the new environmental conditions data and/or information has been scaled to the particular receiving vehicle and represents an environmental condition that satisfies predetermined display requirements;

receiving at least some additional environmental conditions data and/or information wherein the additional environmental conditions data and/or information has been scaled to the particular receiving vehicle, represents an environmental condition that satisfies predetermined display requirements, and represents environmental conditions data and/or information that represents environmental conditions prior to the environmental conditions represented by the new environmental conditions data and/or information;

preparing the new environmental conditions data and/or information and the additional environmental conditions data and/or information for display; and

displaying, the prepared new environmental conditions data and/or information and the prepared additional environmental conditions data and/or information in time sequence, such that the motion of certain environmental conditions can be identified.

18. The method of claim 17, wherein the prepared new environmental conditions data and/or information and the prepared additional environmental conditions data and/or information is displayed in a loop.

19. A method for determining whether to transmit environmental conditions information utilizing a transceiver, comprising:

receiving at least some environmental conditions data and/or information;

scaling the received environmental conditions data and/or information using at least some dynamic and/or static vehicle information such that a scaled environmental conditions value is determined for a particular vehicle;

transmitting, in response to a request for environmental conditions information, at least one of the data and/or information relating to the environmental conditions and at least some dynamic vehicle information.