Runway and taxiway turning guidance

• US 7,592,929 B2
• Filed: 04/06/2006
• Issued: 09/22/2009
• Est. Priority Date: 04/06/2006
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Honeywell International Inc.
• Original Assignee: Honeywell International Inc.
• Inventors: Pepitone, David
• Primary Examiner(s): Lee; Benjamin C
• Assistant Examiner(s): Fan; Hongmin
• Application Number:
  US11/399,240
• Publication Number:
  US 20070240056A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,265 Days
• Field of Search: 340/945, 340/948, 340/950, 340/954, 340/958, 340/932.2, 340/932.27, 701/3, 701/201, 701/208, 701/211, 701/213
• US Class Current: 340/945
• CPC Class Codes: G05D 1/0083 to help an aircraft pilot in the rolling phase
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 5/0021 located in the aircraft
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 5/065 Navigation or guidance aids, e.g. for taxiing or rolling

Abstract

A pilot is maneuvering an aircraft on a ground surface, such as a runway or taxiway. On a cockpit display, the pilot sees a scaled aircraft symbol overlaying a moving map on a cockpit display. The aircraft symbol represents the aircraft, while the moving map represents the ground surface on which the aircraft is located. The aircraft symbol depicts its nose gear and main gear with respect to the ground surface. The nose gear on the aircraft symbol rotates based on tiller angle. The cockpit display also shows edge guidance lines that allow the pilot to line up the main gear, while providing a margin of safety. Predictive symbology also overlays the moving map to provide an indication of whether the aircraft can safely turn on the ground surface.

Claims

1. A system for providing aircraft turning guidance, comprising:

a display processor that receives data and overlays symbology on a movable map that is displayed on a screen, wherein the symbology includes an aircraft symbol that has a rotatable nose gear, and wherein the nose gear rotates relative to the remainder of the aircraft symbol as an aircraft represented by the aircraft symbol turns.

2. The system of claim 1, wherein the data is selected from the group consisting of aircraft dimensional data, aircraft turning radius data, runway dimensional data, taxiway dimensional data, and data available from the aircraft.

3. The system of claim 1, wherein the screen is a component of a cockpit display.

4. The system of claim 1, wherein the aircraft symbol is scaled in size to be proportional to the movable map.

5. The system of claim 1, wherein the aircraft symbol is semi-transparent so that a relationship between wheels of the aircraft and a surface on which the aircraft is located are visualized.

6. The system of claim 1, wherein the nose gear rotates in proportion to a nose gear wheel steering angle.

7. The system of claim 1, wherein the movable map is an image of a surface on which the aircraft is located.

8. The system of claim 7, wherein the surface is at least one of a taxiway and a runway.

9. The system of claim 1, wherein the symbology further includes edge markings.

10. The system of claim 1, wherein the symbology further includes a current nose gear wheel steering angle line and a maximum nose gear wheel steering angle line.

11. The system of claim 10, wherein a length of the current nose gear wheel steering angle line represents a horizontal distance required to turn the aircraft 180°

at a current nose wheel gear steering angle.

12. The system of claim 10, wherein a length of the maximum nose gear wheel steering angle line represents a horizontal distance required to turn the aircraft 180°

at a full tiller nose wheel gear steering angle.

13. The system of claim 1, wherein the symbology further includes a turn radius trend vector.

14. The system of claim 1, wherein the symbology further includes a current steering angle.

15. A navigation display system, comprising in combination:

a screen for displaying data; and

a display processor for receiving data and providing an output on the screen

including symbology that overlays a movable map, wherein the symbology includes edge markings, an aircraft symbol with landing gear and rotatable nose gear, and a symbol that provides an indication of whether an aircraft is able to successfully e-an-turn and remain upon a surface on which the aircraft is located.

16. A method for providing turning guidance to a pilot who is maneuvering an aircraft on a ground surface;

comprising in combination;

generating an aircraft symbol that represents the aircraft on the ground surface, wherein the aircraft symbol has a rotatable nose gear;

superimposing the aircraft symbol over a moving map that represents the ground surface, wherein the aircraft symbol is dimensioned to be substantially proportional to the dimensions of the moving map; and

rotating the nose gear of the aircraft symbol relative to the remainder of the aircraft symbol based on a nose gear wheel steering angle input from the aircraft.

17. The method of claim 16, further comprising generating edge markings and superimposing the edge markings on the moving map.

18. The method of claim 16, further comprising generating a current nose gear wheel steering angle line and a maximum nose gear wheel steering angle line, and superimposing the current and maximum nose gear wheel steering angle lines on the moving map, wherein a length of the current nose gear wheel steering angle line represents a horizontal distance required to turn the aircraft 180°

at a current nose wheel gear steering angle, and wherein a length of the maximum nose gear wheel steering angle line represents a horizontal distance required to turn the aircraft 180°

at a full tiller nose wheel gear steering angle.

19. The method of claim 16, further comprising generating a turn radius trend vector and superimposing the turn radius trend vector on the moving map.

20. The method of claim 16, further comprising overlaying a current steering angle on the moving map.