Traffic display system, aircraft including the display system and method of displaying off-scale traffic in the display system

• US 7,755,516 B2
• Filed: 08/20/2007
• Issued: 07/13/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 08/20/2007
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: The Boeing Co.
• Original Assignee: The Boeing Co.
• Inventors: Shafaat, Taji, Snow, Michael P., Bowe, Roglenda R., Clark, Samuel T.
• Primary Examiner(s): Swarthout; Brent
• Application Number:
  US11/841,453
• Publication Number:
  US 20090051570A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,058 Days
• Field of Search: 340/933, 340/980, 340945-972, 701/3, 701 9- 16, 701/120, 701/301, 342/357.17, 342/29, 342/36
• US Class Current: 340/961
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 5/0021 located in the aircraft
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 5/0078 for monitoring traffic from the aircraft radar or analogous systems specially adapted for traffic control G01S13/91

Abstract

A aircraft traffic display system, aircraft including the display system and a method of displaying aircraft and vehicle traffic in the display system. The system includes an ownship location finder determining ownship location and maps, including airport maps stored in map storage. A traffic information collector collecting information on airport and other traffic. A local display displays ownship on a moving map at a selected range and all airport traffic within range, or a filtered subset thereof. An off-scale traffic processor monitors off-scale traffic beyond the selected range and identifies of-interest off-scale traffic. The local display also provides an indication of any of interest off-scale traffic. The indication may visibly indicate status (e.g., air or ground) of respective said off-scale traffic and may include traffic specific information.

Claims

1. A traffic display system comprising:

an ownship location finder determining ownship location;

a map storage storing maps including maps of a plurality of airports;

a traffic information collector collecting information on traffic in a selected area;

a local display displaying a map section of one of said stored maps for said selected area, said map section being for a selected range and selected by ownship location, said local display further mapping ownship at said ownship location on said map section and mapping all traffic within said section at respective collected locations; and

an off-scale traffic processor monitoring traffic external to said map section as off-scale traffic and identifying of interest said off-scale traffic, said local display providing on said map section an indication of said of interest off-scale traffic, wherein each displayed said indication of off-scale traffic includes traffic type, traffic identification (ID), position, heading, speed, thrust, in-air/on-ground status, vehicle center of gravity (CG), pilot eye reference point (ERP), and taxi route.

2. A traffic display system as in claim 1, wherein said traffic display system is a flight deck traffic display system, said off-scale traffic processor identifies said traffic that is relevant-traffic from collected traffic information, relevant-traffic being within a selected relative altitude of ownship.

3. A flight deck traffic display system as in claim 2, wherein said relevant-traffic further includes only traffic identified as having groundspeed above a minimum.

4. A flight deck traffic display system as in claim 2, wherein said selected area is an airport and said off-scale traffic processor identifies runway and taxiway relevant-traffic headed towards an intersection with ownship heading and at least one of a runway-runway intersection, a runway-taxiway intersection, a taxiway-taxiway intersection, or a point in space as of interest.

5. A flight deck traffic display system as in claim 2, wherein said selected area is an airport and said off-scale traffic processor identifies a runway box for each runway with only relevant-traffic in a runway box being of interest.

6. A flight deck traffic display system as in claim 5, wherein said off-scale traffic processor identifies each said runway box with traffic on a corresponding runway having a heading aligned within a minimum angle of said corresponding runway.

7. A flight deck traffic display system as in claim 6, wherein said off-scale traffic processor identifies all relevant-traffic ahead of ownship in ownship said runway box as of interest.

8. A flight deck traffic display system as in claim 2, wherein said selected area is an airport and during ownship approach and landing said off-scale traffic processor identifies all intersecting runway relevant-traffic headed towards an intersection with ownship runway as of interest.

9. A flight deck traffic display system as in claim 1, wherein said each displayed indication further includes altitude, track, acceleration, distance from ownship, distance from intersection with ownship, time from ownship, time from intersection with ownship, and takeoff/landing runway.

10. A flight deck traffic display system as in claim 1, wherein said each displayed indication visibly indicates status of respective said off-scale traffic.

11. A flight deck traffic display system as in claim 1, wherein each off-scale traffic said indication of off-scale traffic on an on-scale runway is provided at said on-scale runway and each off-scale traffic said indication of off-scale traffic on an off-scale runway is provided at a display corner closest to the respective off-scale traffic relative to ownship.

12. An aircraft flight deck comprising a display as in claim 1.

13. A traffic display system as in claim 1, wherein the map storage further stores airport map runway-runway intersection points, runway-taxiway intersection points, taxiway-taxiway intersection points, gate and hold line location information, ILS protected area information, Land &

Hold Short locations, Automatic Terminal Information Services (ATIS) information, and NOtices To AirMen (NOTAM) information.

14. A flight deck traffic display system as in claim 1, wherein said selected area is an airspace volume.

15. A flight deck traffic display system as in claim 2, wherein said relevant-traffic further includes only traffic identified as within a specified horizontal distance of ownship.

16. A flight deck traffic display system as in claim 2, wherein said relevant-traffic further includes only traffic identified as on a path converging or potentially converging with at least one of ownship, ownship track, extended ownship heading line, or ownship.

17. A flight deck traffic display system as in claim 2, wherein said relevant-traffic further includes only traffic identified as at least one of coupled with ownship to provide ownship guidance information or selected for traffic information.

18. A flight deck traffic display system as in claim 2, wherein said relevant-traffic includes aircraft, ground vehicles, pedestrians, construction equipment, and obstacles.

19. A flight deck traffic display system as in claim 2, wherein said relevant-traffic is traffic being below a selected maximum altitude Above Ground Level (AGL).

20. A flight deck traffic display system as in claim 2, wherein said selected area is an airport and said off-scale traffic processor identifies runway and taxiway traffic that is converging or potentially converging on an intersection with ownship or ownship path, track, or extended heading line as of interest.

21. A method of displaying traffic, said method comprising:

collecting information on ownship location;

mapping said ownship location on an area map;

displaying a segment of said area map, said segment including the mapped said ownship location;

collecting local traffic information, local traffic within said displayed segment being mapped on said displayed segment, remaining said local traffic being off-scale traffic;

identifying of interest off-scale traffic; and

using a processor for providing an indication on said display of identified said of interest off-scale traffic, wherein displayed said traffic is airport traffic and when said indication of off-scale traffic is provided for traffic on an off-scale runway, providing said indication further comprises locating said indication at a display corner closest to the respective off-scale traffic relative to ownship.

22. A method as in claim 21, wherein the step of identifying of interest off-scale traffic comprises identifying relevant-traffic, relevant-traffic being within a selected relative altitude of ownship.

23. A method as in claim 22, wherein displayed said traffic is airport traffic and the step of identifying of interest off-scale traffic comprises identifying runway and taxiway relevant-traffic headed towards an intersection with ownship heading and at least one of a runway-runway intersection, a runway-taxiway intersection, a taxiway-taxiway intersection, or a point in space.

24. A method as in claim 22, wherein displayed said traffic is airport traffic and the step of identifying of interest off-scale traffic comprises identifying a runway box for each runway, and identifying only relevant-traffic in each said runway box.

25. A method as in claim 24, wherein the step of identifying of interest off-scale traffic comprises identifying each said runway box with relevant-traffic having a heading aligned within a minimum angle of said corresponding runway.

26. A method as in claim 25, wherein the step of identifying of interest off-scale traffic comprises identifying all relevant-traffic ahead of ownship in ownship said runway box.

27. A method as in claim 25, wherein the step of identifying of interest off-scale traffic comprises identifying all relevant-traffic ahead of ownship when ownship is in, and aligned within a selected angle of, said runway box.

28. A method as in claim 22, wherein displayed said traffic is airport traffic and during ownship takeoff, approach and landing the step of identifying of interest off-scale traffic comprises identifying all intersecting runway relevant-traffic headed towards an intersection with ownship runway.

29. A method as in claim 22, wherein displayed said traffic is airport traffic and during ownship taxi the step of identifying of interest off-scale traffic comprises identifying at least one of the next or subsequent intersecting runway relevant-traffic converging on an intersection ahead of ownship.

30. A method as in claim 22, wherein said relevant-traffic is traffic identified as being below a selected maximum altitude above ground level (agl).

31. A method as in claim 21, wherein displayed said traffic is airport traffic and the step of providing said indication of off-scale traffic comprises displaying corresponding traffic type, traffic identification (ID), position, heading, speed, thrust, in-air/on-ground status, vehicle center of gravity (CG), pilot eye reference point (ERP), and taxi route.

32. A method as in claim 29, the step of providing said indication of off-scale relevant-traffic further comprising visibly indicating status of respective said off-scale traffic.

33. A method as in claim 21, wherein displayed said traffic is airport traffic and when said indication of off-scale traffic is provided for traffic on an on-scale runway, the step of providing said indication further comprises locating said indication at said on-scale runway.

34. A method as in claim 21, wherein displayed said traffic is airport traffic and when said indication of off-scale traffic is provided for traffic, the step of providing said indication further comprises locating said indication at the intersection of the display edge and a line drawn from at least one of ownship to the off-scale traffic, the display center to the off-scale traffic, the intersection point of ownship and traffic tracks, or some other selected display location to the off-scale traffic.

35. An aircraft including a display in a traffic display system in a cockpit, said traffic display system comprising:

an ownship location finder determining ownship location;

a map storage storing maps including a plurality of airport maps;

a traffic information collector collecting information on traffic and identifying any said traffic within a selected volume of airspace as relevant-traffic;

a local display displaying a map section of one of said stored maps selected by ownship location, said map section being for a selected range, said local display further mapping ownship at said ownship location on said map section and mapping all traffic within said section at respective collected locations; and

an off-scale traffic processor monitoring traffic external to said map section as off-scale traffic, and identifying a runway box for each runway and of interest said off-scale traffic from said relevant-traffic in any said runway box, said local display providing on said map section an indication of said of interest off-scale traffic, wherein said off-scale traffic processor identifies each said runway box with traffic on a corresponding runway having a heading aligned to within a minimum angle of said corresponding runway and all relevant-traffic ahead of ownship in ownship said runway box as of interest.

36. An aircraft as in claim 35, wherein said off-scale traffic processor identifies runway relevant-traffic headed towards an intersection with ownship heading as of interest.

37. An aircraft as in claim 35, wherein during ownship takeoff, approach and landing said off-scale traffic processor identifies all intersecting runway relevant-traffic headed towards an intersection ahead of and on ownship runway as of interest.

38. An aircraft as in claim 35, wherein each displayed said indication visibly indicates status of respective said off-scale traffic and includes traffic type, traffic identification (ID), position, heading, speed, thrust, in-air/on-ground status, vehicle center of gravity (CG), pilot eye reference point (ERP), and taxi route.

39. An aircraft as in claim 35, wherein each off-scale traffic said indication of off-scale traffic on an on-scale runway is provided at said on-scale runway and each off-scale traffic said indication of off-scale traffic on an off-scale runway is provided at a display corner closest to the respective off-scale traffic relative to ownship.

40. An aircraft as in claim 35, wherein said relevant-traffic further includes only traffic having groundspeed above a minimum.

41. An aircraft as in claim 35, wherein said relevant-traffic is on-ground traffic and traffic with an altitude ≦

750′

above ground level (agl).

42. A flight deck traffic display system comprising:

an ownship location finder determining ownship location;

a map storage storing maps including maps of a plurality of airports;

a traffic information collector collecting information on traffic in a selected area;

a local display displaying a map section of one of said stored maps for said selected area, said selected area being an airport, said map section being for a selected range and selected by ownship location, said local display further mapping ownship at said ownship location on said map section and mapping all traffic within said section at respective collected locations; and

an off-scale traffic processor monitoring traffic external to said map section as off-scale traffic and identifying a runway box for each runway and of interest said off-scale traffic, said local display providing on said map section an indication of said of interest off-scale traffic,

wherein said off-scale traffic processor identifies said traffic that is relevant-traffic from collected traffic information, relevant-traffic being within a selected relative altitude of ownship and in a runway box, and

wherein said off-scale traffic processor identifies each said runway box with traffic on a corresponding runway having a heading aligned within a minimum angle of said corresponding runway.

43. A traffic display system comprising:

an ownship location finder determining ownship location;

a map storage storing maps including maps of a plurality of airports;

a traffic information collector collecting information on traffic in a selected area;

a local display displaying a map section of one of said stored maps for said selected area, said map section being for a selected range and selected by ownship location, said local display further mapping ownship at said ownship location on said map section and mapping all traffic within said section at respective collected locations; and

an off-scale traffic processor monitoring traffic external to said map section as off-scale traffic and identifying of interest said off-scale traffic, said local display providing on said map section an indication of said of interest off-scale traffic, wherein each off-scale traffic said indication of off-scale traffic on an on-scale runway is provided at said on-scale runway and each off-scale traffic said indication of off-scale traffic on an off-scale runway is provided at a display corner closest to the respective off-scale traffic relative to ownship.

44. A flight deck traffic display system comprising:

an ownship location finder determining ownship location;

a map storage storing maps including maps of a plurality of airports;

a traffic information collector collecting information on traffic in a selected area;

a local display displaying a map section of one of said stored maps for said selected area, said map section being for a selected range and selected by ownship location, said local display further mapping ownship at said ownship location on said map section and mapping all traffic within said section at respective collected locations; and

an off-scale traffic processor monitoring traffic external to said map section as off-scale traffic and identifying of interest said off-scale traffic, said local display providing on said map section an indication of said of interest off-scale traffic,

wherein said traffic display system is a traffic display system, said off-scale traffic processor identifies said traffic that is relevant-traffic from collected traffic information, relevant-traffic being within a selected relative altitude of ownship, said relevant-traffic further including only traffic identified as on a path converging or potentially converging with at least one of ownship, ownship track, extended ownship heading line, or ownship.

45. A method of displaying airport traffic, said method comprising:

collecting information on ownship location;

mapping said ownship location on an area map;

displaying a segment of said area map, said segment including the mapped said ownship location;

collecting local traffic information, local traffic within said displayed segment being mapped on said displayed segment, remaining said local traffic being off-scale traffic;

using a processor for identifying of interest off-scale traffic comprising a runway box for each runway and identifying only relevant-traffic in each said runway box, relevant-traffic being within a selected relative altitude of ownship;

wherein identifying of interest off-scale traffic further comprises identifying each said runway box with relevant-traffic having a heading aligned within a minimum angle of said corresponding runway; and

providing an indication on said display of identified said of interest off-scale traffic.

46. A method of displaying airport traffic, said method comprising:

collecting information on ownship location;

mapping said ownship location on an area map;

displaying a segment of said area map, said segment including the mapped said ownship location;

collecting local traffic information, local traffic within said displayed segment being mapped on said displayed segment, remaining said local traffic being off-scale traffic;

identifying of interest off-scale traffic; and

providing an indication on said display of identified said of interest off-scale traffic, providing said indication further comprising locating said indication at the intersection of the display edge and a line drawn from at least one of ownship to the off-scale traffic, the display center to the off-scale traffic, the intersection point of ownship and traffic tracks, or some other selected display location to the off-scale traffic.

47. An aircraft including a display in a traffic display system in a cockpit, said traffic display system comprising:

an ownship location finder determining ownship location;

a map storage storing maps including a plurality of airport maps;

a traffic information collector collecting information on traffic and identifying any said traffic within a selected volume of airspace as relevant-traffic;

a local display displaying a map section of one of said stored maps selected by ownship location, said map section being for a selected range, said local display further mapping ownship at said ownship location on said map section and mapping all traffic within said section at respective collected locations; and

an off-scale traffic processor monitoring traffic external to said map section as off-scale traffic, and identifying a runway box for each runway and of interest said off-scale traffic from said relevant-traffic in any said runway box, said local display providing on said map section an indication of said of interest off-scale traffic, wherein each displayed said indication visibly indicates status of respective said off-scale traffic and includes traffic type, traffic identification (ID), position, heading, speed, thrust, in-air/on-ground status, vehicle center of gravity (CG), pilot eye reference point (ERP), and taxi route.