Displaying air traffic symbology based on relative importance

• US 8,160,755 B2
• Filed: 09/30/2008
• Issued: 04/17/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 09/30/2008
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Honeywell International Inc.
• Original Assignee: Honeywell International Inc.
• Inventors: Nichols, Troy, Suddreth, John G.
• Primary Examiner(s): Dager, Jonathan M
• Application Number:
  US12/242,202
• Publication Number:
  US 20100082184A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,295 Days
• Field of Search: None
• US Class Current: 701/3
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 11/206 Drawing of charts or graphs
• 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 method and system is provided for displaying aircraft symbology. The method includes displaying (302, 502, 702, 902, 1002) a symbol (202) for a first aircraft in a predetermined format, processing (304, 504, 704, 904, 1004) data related to flight conditions of the first aircraft and a second aircraft, determining (306, 506, 706, 906, 1006) a format for the display of the second aircraft based on the processed data, and displaying (308, 508, 708, 908, 1008) a symbol (212, 214, 216, 412, 416, 612, 614, 616, 812, 814, 816) for the second aircraft in accordance with the determined format.

Claims

1. A method for displaying aircraft symbology on a display, comprising:

displaying, for a first aircraft, a flight path including a current line segment at a first altitude and a planned line segment at a second altitude;

displaying a first symbol in a predetermined first size for the first aircraft flying at about the first altitude on the current line segment;

processing a third altitude for a second aircraft within the current line segment;

processing a fourth altitude for a third aircraft within the planned line segment;

determining a second size based on the processed third altitude for the display of a second symbol for the second aircraft, wherein the second size is inversely proportional to the distance from the second aircraft to the first line segment;

determining a third size based on the processed fourth altitude for the display of a third symbol for the third aircraft, wherein the third size is inversely proportional to the distance from the third aircraft to the second line segment; and

displaying the second and third symbols.

2. The method of claim 1 wherein the processing steps each comprise processing speed and heading and the determining steps are also based on the speed and heading of the second and third aircraft, respectively.

3. The method of claim 1 wherein the processing steps each comprise processing the lateral distance between the second aircraft and the current line segment, and the between the third aircraft and the planned line segment, and the determining steps are also based on the lateral distance of the second and third aircraft, respectively.

4. The method of claim 1 wherein the processing steps each comprise processing the rate of closure of the second aircraft and the third aircraft with the current and planned line segments, respectively.

5. The method of claim 1 wherein the displaying the second and third symbols comprises displaying the second and third symbols in one of a plurality of colors.

6. A system for displaying aircraft symbology for a base aircraft and a plurality of obstacle aircraft, comprising:

a processor configured for determining a flight plan including a current line segment and a planned line segment;

said processor configured for processing an altitude for each of the plurality of obstacle aircraft and determining a size for the display of each of the plurality of obstacle aircraft based on the difference in altitude from the closest of the current line segment and the planned line segment; and

a display configured for displaying a symbol for each of the plurality of obstacle aircraft in accordance with the determined size, and a predetermined symbol for the first aircraft.

7. The system of claim 6 wherein the display comprises a color display for displaying the plurality of obstacle aircraft in one of a plurality of colors based on the determined altitude.