Method and device for displaying a flight plan of an aircraft

• US 8,050,860 B2
• Filed: 07/26/2007
• Issued: 11/01/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 07/31/2006
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Airbus Operations SAS (Airbus SE)
• Original Assignee: Airbus Operations SAS (Airbus SE)
• Inventors: Peyrucain, Eric, Taravella, Gautier, Roan, Véronique, Haas, Philippe
• Primary Examiner(s): Tran; Khoi
• Assistant Examiner(s): Sample; Jonathan L
• Application Number:
  US11/828,896
• Publication Number:
  US 20080027629A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,559 Days
• Field of Search: 701/206
• US Class Current: 701/206
• 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: G08G 5/0021 located in the aircraft
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 5/0034 Assembly of a flight plan
• CPC Class Codes: G09B 29/007 using computer methods

Abstract

The invention relates to a method and device for displaying a flight plan of an aircraft. The display device includes a display presenting unit making it possible to identify the flight phase of each waypoint of a flight plan which is displayed on a screen, and an activation unit making it possible to directly access a corresponding flight phase page.

Claims

1. A method of displaying a flight plan of an aircraft, comprising:

determining the flight plan of the aircraft using a plurality of successive waypoints;

presenting at least one main page including at least part of a set of indications which illustrates said flight plan on at least one viewing screen of the aircraft, said set of indications configured to identify said waypoints and providing additional information relating to the waypoints;

a scroll unit configured to scroll said set of indications presented on the viewing screen and for operator use;

determining a flight phase which is associated with a respective waypoint for each of said waypoints; and

presenting a plurality of indication sections, associated with said set of indications, on said viewing screen, each of said indication sections including;

an identification zone which designates a particular flight phase; and

the flight phase of said identification zone positioned on the viewing screen alongside or in proximity to one or more of said waypoints so that each of said waypoints of the flight plan is associated with the corresponding flight phase and is presented together on the viewing screen, wherein;

the identification zone of each of said indication sections is of an interactive type so that, when the identification zone is activated, the viewing screen replaces said main page with a flight phase page which provides information about the particular flight phase designated by said identification zone; and

an activation unit configured to activate an identification zone which is configured for use by the operator.

2. The method as claimed in claim 1, wherein instructions are provided for a direct return from a flight phase page to the main page.

3. The method as claimed in claim 1, wherein at least one auxiliary indication is presented on the viewing screen, which is situated on said set of indications at a datum of a waypoint of the flight plan, is of the interactive type, and allows the operator to directly access a particular modification page to directly modify a value of said datum.

4. The method as claimed in claim 1, wherein said set of indications presents a textual form and comprises lists of said waypoints and of associated information, which are viewed vertically on the viewing screen.

5. The method as claimed in claim 1, wherein said set of indications presents a textual and graphical binary form comprising:

a graphical view which illustrates a vertical plane and which presents graphically, by way of a main plot, said flight plan in said vertical plane; and

textual data relating to the waypoints which are associated with said main plot.

6. The method as claimed in claim 5, wherein an auxiliary plot illustrating a profile of terrain which corresponds to the terrain associated with said flight plan is presented on said set of indications.

7. The method as claimed in claim 5, wherein additional information relating to particular constraints is presented on said set of indications.

9. The method of claim 1 executed by an aircraft device.

8. A device for displaying a flight plan of an aircraft, comprising:

a flight management unit determining the flight plan of the aircraft which comprises a plurality of successive waypoints;

a display presenting unit presenting, on at least one viewing screen of the aircraft, at least one main page comprising at least part of a set of indications which illustrates said flight plan, the set of indications configured to identify said waypoints and providing additional information relating to said waypoints;

a scroll unit enabling an operator to scroll said set of indications presented on the viewing screen;

a flight phase unit determining, for each of said waypoints, a flight phase which is associated with a corresponding waypoint, said display presenting unit, on said viewing screen associated with said set of indications a plurality of indication sections, each of said indication sections including;

an identification zone which designates a the flight phase; and

the flight phase of said identification zone positioned on the viewing screen alongside or in proximity to one or more of said waypoints so that, for each waypoint of the flight plan, the corresponding flight phase is presented together on the viewing screen, wherein;

said display presenting unit are such that said identification zone of each of said indication section is of an interactive type so that, when the identification zone is activated, the viewing screen replaces said main page with a flight phase page which provides information about the flight phase designated by said identification zone; and

an activation unit enabling an operator to activate the identification zone.

10. The device specified under claim 8, wherein the device is an integral component of an aircraft.