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

• US 7,471,995 B1
• Filed: 06/27/2006
• Issued: 12/30/2008
• Est. Priority Date: 05/26/2000
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: DTN, LLC (TBG AG)
• Original Assignee: Aerotech Research (USA), Inc.
• Inventors: Robinson, Paul A.
• Primary Examiner(s): Jeanglaud; Gertrude Arthur
• Application Number:
  US11/475,670
• Time in Patent Office: 917 Days
• Field of Search: 701/1, 701/3, 701/14, 701/201, 701/202, 701/210, 701/211, 342/26.R, 702/3, 340/901
• 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 5/0052 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: H04B 7/18508 with satellite system used as relay, i.e. aeronautical mobile satellite service

Abstract

A method for planning or updating a travel route for a vehicle based on a potential affect of environmental conditions on a particular vehicle and displaying environmental conditions information on a display.

Claims

1. A method for planning or updating a travel route for a vehicle based on a potential affect of environmental conditions on a particular vehicle, comprising:

receiving at least a first location point of a journey and a second location point of a journey;

determining a best travel route from at least the first location point of the journey to the second location point of the journey;

receiving environmental conditions information regarding environmental conditions for at least the determined best travel route;

receiving at least some dynamic vehicle information;

receiving at least some static vehicle information;

determining, based on the determined best travel route, the received environmental conditions information, the received vehicle information, and the received vehicle specific information, whether any environmental conditions for at least the determined best travel route represent environmental conditions that are severe enough to affect the particular vehicle;

re-determining, if any environmental conditions represent environmental conditions that are severe enough to affect the particular vehicle, the best travel route to avoid the environmental conditions that represent environmental conditions that are severe enough to affect the particular vehicle; and

creating a display that shows at least the determined best travel route and at least one environmental condition annotation that represents each environmental condition that is severe enough to affect the particular vehicle.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the at least some dynamic vehicle information is predetermined or estimated dynamic vehicle information.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the at least some static vehicle information is predetermined or estimated static vehicle information.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein re-determining the best travel route includes re-determining the best travel route based on at least one of, total avoidance of any environmental conditions severe enough to affect the particular vehicle, best fuel economy, fuel burn, trip costs, most comfortable ride, fastest traverse of a particular region, changing configuration of the aircraft and/or airspace management.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein the display that shows at least the determined best travel route and at least one environmental condition annotation is a display that is remote from the particular vehicle.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein the display that shows at least the determined best travel route and at least one environmental condition annotation is a ground-based display.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein the display that shows at least the determined best travel route and at least one environmental condition annotation is used for flight planning, air traffic control, and/or air traffic management.

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

receiving at least some scaled data and/or information from a transmitting vehicle, wherein the scaled data and/or information is scaled environmental conditions information that has been scaled to the particular transmitting vehicle, and exceeds a predetermined threshold value for the transmitting vehicle, and wherein the at least some scaled data and/or information includes at least some information regarding a location and/or a severity of at least one environmental condition;

receiving at least some static vehicle information regarding the transmitting vehicle;

determining, based on the at least some scaled data and/or information and the at least some static vehicle information, a location and a severity of at least one environmental condition represented by the scaled environmental conditions information;

preparing, if the at least one environmental condition represents at least one environmental condition that is in a location and/or of a severity that satisfies a predetermined display requirement, at least one environmental condition annotation that represents the at least one environmental condition; and

displaying, on a ground-based display, the at least one prepared environmental condition annotation so as to represent the location and/or severity of the at least one environmental condition on the ground-based display.

9. The method of claim 8, wherein the predetermined threshold value for the vehicle is the vehicle'"'"'s environmental conditions threshold value.

10. The method of claim 8, wherein the scaled environmental conditions information comprises information relating to environmental conditions, dynamic vehicle information, and/or the vehicles environmental conditions threshold value.

11. The method of claim 8, wherein the predetermined display requirement includes a display hierarchy that ranks hazards such that a hazard that appears higher on the display hierarchy will be displayed instead of a hazard that appears lower on the display hierarchy.

12. The method of claim 8, wherein the predetermined display requirement includes at least some hazards or environmental conditions that must always be displayed when present.

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

receiving at least some environmental conditions data and/or information from a transmitting vehicle, wherein the at least some environmental conditions data and/or information includes at least some information regarding a location and/or a severity of at least one environmental condition;

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

determining whether the scaled environmental conditions value represents an environmental condition that is in a location and/or of a severity that satisfies a predetermined display requirement;

preparing, if the scaled environmental conditions value represents an environmental condition that is in a location and/or of a severity that satisfies the predetermined display requirement, at least one environmental condition annotation that represents the at least one environmental condition for display; and

displaying, on a ground-based display, the at least one prepared environmental condition annotation so as to represent the location and/or severity of the at least one environmental condition on the ground-based display.

14. The method of claim 13, wherein the step of determining whether the scaled environmental conditions value represents an environmental condition that is in a location and/or of a severity that satisfies a predetermined display requirement, includes the steps of:

receiving an environmental conditions threshold value;

comparing the scaled environmental conditions value to the received environmental conditions threshold value;

determining whether the scaled environmental conditions value is greater than the received environmental conditions threshold value; and

determining, if the scaled environmental conditions value is greater than the received environmental conditions threshold value, that the scaled environmental conditions value represents an environmental condition that is in a location and/or of a severity that satisfies a predetermined display requirement.

15. A method for displaying environmental conditions information, comprising:

determining a location of a vehicle that is capable of transmitting at least some environmental conditions data and/or information regarding a location and/or a severity of at least one environmental condition;

determining that no transmission of at least some environmental conditions data and/or information has been received from the vehicle;

determining an environmental conditions threshold for the vehicle;

determining, based on a lack of a transmission of at least some environmental conditions data and/or information being received from the vehicle, that the vehicle is not experiencing an environmental condition, at the determined location, which exceeds the environmental conditions threshold for the vehicle;

preparing, if it is determined that that the vehicle is not experiencing an environmental condition, at the determined location, which exceeds the environmental conditions threshold for the vehicle, at least one environmental condition annotation that represents a lack of environmental conditions which exceed the environmental conditions threshold for the vehicle for display; and

displaying the at least one prepared environmental condition annotation so as to represent the location and/or environmental conditions threshold for the vehicle on a display.

16. The method of claim 15, wherein the vehicle is capable of transmitting at least some environmental conditions data and/or information regarding a location and/or a severity of at least one environmental condition when the at least one environmental condition exceeds an environmental conditions threshold for the vehicle or another vehicle.

17. The method of claim 15, wherein the environmental conditions threshold for the vehicle is a determined level of environmental condition that may adversely affect a specific vehicle or the vehicle'"'"'s occupants.

18. The method of claim 15, wherein the at least one environmental condition annotation is a scaled environmental condition annotation.

19. The method of claim 15, wherein the at least one environmental condition annotation that represents a lack of environmental conditions, which exceed the environmental conditions threshold for the vehicle, is an empty environmental condition annotation, such that no environmental condition annotation is displayed.