System and method for improved mapping of a location

• US 7,499,794 B1
• Filed: 09/28/2006
• Issued: 03/03/2009
• Est. Priority Date: 09/28/2006
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Rockwell Collins, Inc. (Raytheon Technologies Corporation d/b/a RTX)
• Original Assignee: Rockwell Collins, Inc. (Raytheon Technologies Corporation d/b/a RTX)
• Inventors: Wilson, John G., Bailey, Gary C., Bailey, Louis J., Armstrong, Robert A., Zimmerman, Kenneth A.
• Primary Examiner(s): Hellner; Mark
• Application Number:
  US11/528,855
• Time in Patent Office: 887 Days
• Field of Search: 701/120, 701/301, 340/961, 342/36, 342/450
• US Class Current: 701/120
• CPC Class Codes: G01C 23/005 Flight directors indicating arrangements specially adapted for rotary gyroscopes G01C19/32

Abstract

A database defining at least one exclusion zone of airport is described. The database includes a computer-implemented memory configured to store and allow retrieval of a plurality of points, the points defining a boundary of an exclusion zone associated with an airport, the area being prohibited for aircraft travel.

Claims

1. A system defining one or more exclusion zones of an airport, comprising:

a computer-implemented memory configured to store and allow retrieval of a plurality of points, the plurality of points defining boundaries of one or more exclusion zones associated with the airport, each exclusion zone being prohibited for aircraft travel, wherein one or more areas outside of the one or more exclusion zones are defined by the boundaries of the one or more exclusion zones and form one or more surface pathways of travel of the airport, wherein the one or more surface pathways of travel are not part of an exclusion zone; and

a processing circuit configured to determine the one or more surface pathways of travel of the airport based on the plurality of points retrieved from the computer-implemented memory.

2. The system of claim 1, wherein the plurality of points are represented by a longitude and a latitude.

3. The system of claim 1, wherein the points define a three-dimensional area.

4. The system of claim 1, wherein the plurality of points are divided into at least a first subgroup of points for a first type of aircraft and a second subgroup of points for a second type of aircraft, wherein the processing circuit utilizes the first subgroup of points defining a first exclusion zone to determine a first surface pathway of travel of the airport for the first type of aircraft, wherein the processing circuit utilizes the second subgroup of points defining a second exclusion zone to determine a second surface pathway of travel of the airport for the second type of aircraft.

5. The system of claim 1, wherein the plurality of points are divided into at least a first subgroup of points for a first vehicle usage and a second subgroup of points for a second vehicle usage, wherein the processing circuit utilizes the first subgroup of points defining a first exclusion zone to determine a first surface pathway of travel of the airport for the first vehicle usage, wherein the processing circuit utilizes the second subgroup of points defining a second exclusion zone to determine a second surface pathway of travel of the airport for the second vehicle usage.

16. The system of claim 1 further comprising a moving map display in a vehicle for displaying the one or more exclusion zones and resulting one or more surface pathways of the airport, wherein the processing circuit generates display information for the one or more exclusion zones and provides the display information to the moving map display.

17. The system of claim 16, wherein the resulting one or more surface pathways of the airport comprise an intersection with three or more intersecting surface pathways.

6. A head up guidance system, including

a processing unit;

and

a storage device coupled to the processing unit and having instructions configured to direct the processing unit to

receive a plurality of points, the plurality of points representing one or more exclusion zones, the plurality of points defining boundaries of one or more exclusion zones associated with an airport, the one or more exclusion zones being prohibited for aircraft travel, wherein one or more areas outside of the one or more exclusion zones are defined by the boundaries of the one or more exclusion zones and form one or more surface pathways of travel of the airport, wherein the one or more surface pathways of travel are not part of an exclusion zone, and

determine one or more surface pathways of travel based on the plurality of points representing the one or more exclusion zones.

7. The head up guidance system of claim 6, wherein the points are represented by a longitude and a latitude.

8. The head up guidance system of claim 6, wherein the points define a three-dimensional space.

9. The head up guidance system of claim 6, wherein the plurality of points are divided into at least a first subgroup of points for a first type of aircraft and a second subgroup of points for a second type of aircraft, wherein the processing unit utilizes the first subgroup of points defining a first exclusion zone to determine a first surface pathway of travel of the airport for the first type of aircraft, wherein the processing unit utilizes the second subgroup of points defining a second exclusion zone to determine a second surface pathway of travel of the airport for the second type of aircraft.

10. The head up guidance system of claim 6, wherein the plurality of points are divided into at least a first subgroup of points for a first vehicle usage and a second subgroup of points for a second vehicle usage, wherein the processing circuit utilizes the first subgroup of points defining a first exclusion zone to determine a first surface pathway of travel of the airport for the first vehicle usage, wherein the processing circuit utilizes the second subgroup of points defining a second exclusion zone to determine a second surface pathway of travel of the airport for the second vehicle usage.

18. The head up guidance system of claim 6 further comprising a moving map display in a vehicle for displaying the one or more exclusion zones and resulting one or more surface pathways of the airport, wherein the processing unit generates display information for the one or more exclusion zones and provides the display information to the moving map display.

19. The head up guidance system of claim 18, wherein the resulting one or more surface pathways of the airport comprise an intersection with three or more intersecting surface pathways.

11. A method for representing a moving map for a vehicle, the method comprising:

receiving a plurality of points representing one or more exclusion zones, the plurality of points defining boundaries of the one or more exclusion zones associated with an airport, the one or more exclusion zones being prohibited for aircraft travel, wherein one or more areas outside of the one or more exclusion zones are defined by the boundaries of the one or more exclusion zones and form one or more surface pathways of travel of the airport, wherein the one or more surface pathways of travel are not part of an exclusion zone;

determining the one or more surface pathways of travel of the airport based on the recieved plurality of points representing one or more exclusion zones;

generating a moving map display showing the one or more surface pathways of travel for the vehicle based on the received plurality of points; and

providing a representation of the vehicle on the moving map display showing the position of the vehicle relative to the one or more surface pathways of travel.

12. The method of claim 11, wherein the points are represented by a longitude and a latitude.

13. The method of claim 11, wherein the points define a three-dimensional space.

14. The method of claim 11, further comprising dividing the plurality of points into at least a first subgroup of points for a first type of aircraft and a second subgroup of points for a second type of aircraft, wherein the first subgroup of points defining a first exclusion zone determines a first surface pathway of travel of the airport for the first type of aircraft, wherein the second subgroup of points defining a second exclusion zone determines a second surface pathway of travel of the airport for the second type of aircraft.

15. The method of claim 11, further comprising dividing the plurality of points into at least a first subgroup of points for a first vehicle usage and a second subgroup of points for a second vehicle usage, wherein the first subgroup of points defining a first exclusion zone determines a first surface pathway of travel of the airport for the first vehicle usage, wherein the second subgroup of points defining a second exclusion zone determines a second surface pathway of travel of the airport for the second vehicle usage.

20. The method of claim 11, wherein the one or more surface pathways of the airport comprise an intersection with three or more intersecting surface pathways.