Transmission, receipt, combination, sorting, reporting, and presentation of vehicle specific environmental conditions and hazards information utilizing a ground station

• US 8,131,407 B1
• Filed: 12/03/2008
• Issued: 03/06/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 05/26/2000
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: DTN, LLC (TBG AG)
• Original Assignee: Aerotech Research (USA), Inc.
• Inventors: Robinson, Paul A.
• Primary Examiner(s): Jeanglaude, Gertrude Arthur
• Application Number:
  US12/315,391
• Time in Patent Office: 1,189 Days
• Field of Search: 701/3, 701/10, 701/14, 701/201, 701/202, 701/210, 701/211, 701/300, 340/425.5, 340/438, 340/439, 340/945
• 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

Abstract

A method for transmitting data and/or information when a scaled environmental condition occurs in a location along a specified path and/or within a predetermined altitude parameter and/or within a predetermined geographic location that satisfies a predetermined display requirement, including receiving at least some data and/or information; determining whether the received data and/or information represents an environmental condition that is in a location along a specified path and/or within a predetermined altitude parameter and/or within a predetermined geographic location that satisfies a predetermined display requirement; preparing, if the received data and/or information represents an environmental condition that is in a location along a specified path and/or within a predetermined altitude parameter and/or within a predetermined geographic location that satisfies the predetermined display requirement, the data and/or information for transmission; and transmitting the prepared data and/or information.

Claims

1. A method for transmitting data and/or information when a scaled environmental condition occurs in a location along a specified path and/or within a predetermined time parameter and/or within a predetermined altitude parameter and/or within a predetermined geographic location that satisfies a predetermined display requirement, comprising:

receiving at least some data and/or information;

determining whether the received data and/or information represents an environmental condition that is in a location along a specified path and/or within a predetermined time parameter and/or within a predetermined altitude parameter and/or within a predetermined geographic location that satisfies a predetermined display requirement;

preparing, if the received data and/or information represents an environmental condition that is in a location along a specified path and/or within a predetermined time parameter and/or within a predetermined altitude parameter and/or within a predetermined geographic location that satisfies the predetermined display requirement, the data and/or information for transmission; and

transmitting the prepared data and/or information.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the transmitted data and/or information contains information relating to the position and severity of the environmental condition(s).

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the transmitted data and/or information includes rerouting information for the aircraft based on at least one of, avoidance of environmental condition severe enough to affect the aircraft, best fuel economy, fuel burn, trip costs, comfortable ride, occupant safety, fastest traverse of a particular region, changing configuration of the aircraft and/or airspace management.

4. The method of claim 3, wherein the rerouting information includes information regarding an alternate heading, path, waypoint, and/or speed.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein the transmitted data and/or information is based on transmitted from another aircraft.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein the environmental condition represents a hazard to the aircraft.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein the transmitted data and/or information is transmitted to aircraft automatically in textual or graphical form.

8. The method in claim 7 wherein the alert is displayed on a display onboard an aircraft in textual or graphical form after receipt on the aircraft.

9. The method of claim 1, wherein the transmitted data and/or information is transmitted manually in textual form, verbally, or graphically.

10. The method in claim 9 wherein the alert is displayed on a display onboard an aircraft in textual or graphical form after receipt on the aircraft.

11. The method of claim 1, wherein the transmitted data and/or information is displayed on a ground station display in textual or graphical form.

12. The method of claim 1, wherein the received data and/or information has been scaled to the particular receiving aircraft.

13. The method of claim 1, wherein the received data and/or information exceeds a predetermined threshold value for the aircraft.

14. The method of claim 1, wherein the data and/or information relating to the environmental condition and/or the dynamic aircraft information is transmitted from at least one of aircraft-based, satellite-based, or ground-based monitoring and/or sensing equipment.

15. The method of claim 1, wherein the request for environmental condition information is automatically generated at a determined time.

16. The method of claim 1, wherein receiving at least some data and/or information comprises receiving at least some data and/or information from at least two sources.

17. A method for planning or updating a travel route for an aircraft, comprising:

receiving information regarding a first travel route from a first location to a second location;

receiving environmental condition information regarding environmental conditions along the first travel route;

determining, based on the first travel route, the environmental condition information, aircraft information, and aircraft specific information, whether any environmental condition along the first travel route represents an environmental condition that is severe enough to affect the aircraft;

creating, if any environmental condition represents an environmental condition that is severe enough to affect the aircraft, a second travel route, wherein the second travel route is based on at least one of, avoidance of any environmental condition along the first travel route that is severe enough to affect the aircraft, best fuel economy for the aircraft, fuel burn for the aircraft, trip costs for the aircraft, comfortable ride for the aircraft, aircraft occupant safety, fastest traverse of a particular region, changing configuration of the aircraft, and/or airspace management; and

transmitting information regarding the second travel route.

18. The method of claim 17, wherein the information regarding the second travel route is automatically transmitted in textual, graphical, or verbal form.

19. The method of claim 17, wherein the information regarding the second travel route is manually transmitted in textual, graphical, or verbal form.

20. The method of claim 17, wherein the information regarding the second travel route is transmitted for display on a ground-based display.

21. The method of claim 17, wherein the information regarding the second travel route is transmitted for display on a display onboard an aircraft.

22. The method of claim 17, wherein the received environmental condition information is scaled for a particular aircraft for which a travel route is to be planned or updated.