System and method for terminal charts, airport maps and aeronautical context display

• US 8,234,066 B2
• Filed: 03/04/2011
• Issued: 07/31/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 11/29/2006
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: The Boeing Co.
• Original Assignee: The Boeing Co.
• Inventors: Wipplinger, Patrick R., Ellerbrock, Rick W., Wiesemann, Thorsten
• Primary Examiner(s): Tran, Khoi
• Assistant Examiner(s): HOLLOWAY, JASON R
• Application Number:
  US13/040,864
• Publication Number:
  US 20110251786A1
• Time in Patent Office: 515 Days
• Field of Search: 701/3, 701/411, 701430-432, 701/454, 701/455, 701/457, 701/459, 701/460, 340/995.11, 340/995.14, 340/995.15, 340/995.17, 340/995.27
• US Class Current: 701/457
• CPC Class Codes: G01C 23/005 Flight directors indicating arrangements specially adapted for rotary gyroscopes G01C19/32
• CPC Class Codes: G09B 29/007 using computer methods
• CPC Class Codes: G09B 29/10 Map spot or coordinate position indicators; Map reading aids optical projection apparatus per se G03B
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/12 Discovery or management of network topologies
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/22 comprising specially adapted graphical user interfaces [GUI]

Abstract

The present disclosure relates to an aircraft that may have a fuselage and a cockpit located within the fuselage. A display may be located within the cockpit, with the display being controlled by a display control system. The display control system may have a graphical user interface module that generates at least one of a primary display or a context display, and receives at least one user input, and an image control module. The image control module may generate primary display data for display on the primary display based on the at least one user input. The image control module may determine, based on the primary display data, whether the context display is displayed, and may automatically display the context display as an overlay in a corner portion of the primary display when the at least one user input causes a portion of information associated therewith to be unavailable for display on the primary display.

Claims

1. An aircraft comprising:

a fuselage;

a cockpit located within the fuselage;

a display located within the cockpit, the display controlled by a display control system, the display control system including;

a graphical user interface module that generates a primary display and a context display on a display screen, and receives at least one user input;

an image control module that generates primary display data for display on the primary display based on the at least one user input, and determines, based on a magnification level being used for the primary display data, whether the context display is displayed, and automatically displays the context display on the display screen as an overlay in a corner portion of the primary display when the at least one user input causes a portion of information associated therewith to be unavailable for display on the primary display;

the display control system determining when to present the context display based on whether a route of travel provided by the user input can be displayed from a starting point of the route of travel, to an ending point of the route of travel, on the primary display; and

the image control module is also configured to determine when the entire route of travel is displayed on the primary display to automatically remove the context display from the primary display.

2. The aircraft of claim 1, wherein the user input comprises a selected geographic data to assist in the navigation of the mobile platform.

3. The aircraft of claim 2, wherein the selected geographic data comprises at least one of:

the route of travel;

the starting point for the route of travel;

the ending point for the route of travel;

an airport map; and

a terminal chart.

4. The aircraft of claim 2, wherein the user input further comprises at least one of:

a request to zoom a portion of the selected geographic area;

or

a request to pan a portion of the selected geographic area.

5. The aircraft of claim 4, wherein the request to pan a portion of the selected geographic area is provided by a user input to at least one of the primary display or the context display, and the request to zoom a portion of the selected geographic area is provided by a user input to the primary display.

6. A mobile platform comprising:

a display system configured to display geographical data to assist a mobile platform operator with navigating the mobile platform;

the display system having an image control module configured to;

provide a map associated with a route of the mobile platform into or out of a predetermined area;

generate a primary display on a display screen based on the map, the primary display displaying at least a portion of the route of the mobile platform on the map to assist in the navigation of the mobile platform;

automatically generating a context display as an overlay on the primary display, over a corner of the primary display, if an entire length from an origin of the route to a destination of the route of the mobile platform cannot be displayed in full on the primary display, the context display including the entire map displayed at a magnification level less than that used for the primary display, and illustrating an entire route of the mobile platform from the origin to the destination;

display an indicator of the portion of the map being displayed on the primary display, within the context display; and

the image control module is also configured to determine when the entire route of travel is displayed on the primary display to automatically remove the context display from the primary display.

7. The mobile platform of claim 6, wherein the display system is further configured to:

determine the origin of the route for the mobile platform; and

determine an airport map associated with the origin of the route for the mobile platform.

8. The mobile platform of claim 6, wherein the display system comprises a display system that is further configured to:

determine the origin of the route for the mobile platform; and

determine a terminal chart associated with the origin of the route for the mobile platform.

9. The mobile platform of claim 6, wherein the display system comprises a display system that is further configured to determine a map by:

determining the destination of the route for the mobile platform; and

determining an airport map associated with the destination of the route for the mobile platform.

10. The mobile platform of claim 6, wherein the display system comprises a display system that is further configured to:

determine the destination of the route of the mobile platform; and

determine a terminal chart associated with the destination of the route of the mobile platform.

11. The mobile platform of claim 6, wherein the display system comprises a display system that is further configured to move the indicator based on at least one of a zoom request or a pan request.

12. The mobile platform of claim 11, wherein the display system further comprises a display system that is configured to:

reposition the map on the primary display in response to the pan request;

resize the indicator and the primary display based on the zoom request; and

automatically remove the context display if the zoom request results in the primary display being of a magnification level that enables displaying the entire length of the route to be presented on the primary display.

13. The mobile platform of claim 12, wherein the display system comprises a display system configured to receive a request from the primary display to increase or decrease the magnification of the map.

14. The mobile platform of claim 12, wherein the display system comprises a display system configured such that the pan request further comprises one of:

receiving a request from the primary display to reposition the map displayed within the primary display;

or

receiving a request from the context display to reposition the map displayed within the primary display.

15. A mobile platform comprising:

a fuselage;

a cockpit;

a display system in the cockpit for use by an operator of the mobile platform, the display system including;

a graphical user interface module that generates a primary display and a context display, and receives at least one user input; and

an image control module that generates;

a primary display on a display screen of the display system, the primary display including a map and at least a portion of a route of travel of the mobile platform overlayed on the map,

a context display automatically generated to form an overlay on a corner portion of the primary display, and wherein the context display shows an entire length of the route of travel at a magnification level less than that being used for the primary display, the context display being generated automatically when it is determined that the entire length of the route of travel cannot be displayed on the primary display; and

the image control module is also configured to determine when the entire route of travel is displayed on the primary display to automatically remove the context display from the primary display.

16. The mobile platform of claim 15, further comprising presenting an indicator on the context display as an overlay that indicates a portion of the primary display that is being displayed on the context display.

17. The mobile platform of claim 15, wherein the indicator is moved in accordance with a zoom request input by a user through the graphical user interface module.

18. The mobile platform of claim 17, wherein the indicator is moved in accordance with a pan request input by a user through the graphical user interface module.

19. The mobile platform of claim 15, wherein the context display is presented in a corner portion of the primary display.