Methods and systems for inputting taxi instructions

• US 8,280,618 B2
• Filed: 02/10/2010
• Issued: 10/02/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 02/10/2010
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Honeywell International Inc.
• Original Assignee: Honeywell International Inc.
• Inventors: Feyereisen, Thea L., Suddreth, John G., Nichols, Troy
• Primary Examiner(s): Tran, Khoi
• Assistant Examiner(s): HOLLOWAY, JASON R
• Application Number:
  US12/703,491
• Publication Number:
  US 20110196599A1
• Time in Patent Office: 965 Days
• Field of Search: 701/14, 701/207, 701/208, 701/212, 701/120, 701/419, 701/431, 701/432, 701/443, 701/488, 701/516, 701/539, 701/540, 340/947, 340/948, 340/950, 340/951, 340/958, 340/972, 340/982
• US Class Current: 701/120
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 5/0021 located in the aircraft
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 5/065 Navigation or guidance aids, e.g. for taxiing or rolling

Abstract

Methods and systems are provided for providing information relating to taxiing an aircraft at an airport having a plurality of taxi paths. One exemplary method involves identifying a first aircraft location on a first taxi path and a first aircraft heading along the first taxi path, and determining a first subset of possible taxi paths from the plurality of taxi paths based on the first aircraft location and the first aircraft heading, such that each respective taxi path of the first subset intersects the first taxi path at a respective intersection location in the first aircraft heading from the first aircraft location. The method continues by receiving a first input, and when the first input corresponds to a second taxi path of the first subset, providing indication of the second taxi path.

Claims

1. A method for providing information relating to taxiing an aircraft at an airport having a plurality of taxi paths, the method comprising:

identifying, by a processing system, a first aircraft location on a first taxi path of the plurality of taxi paths;

identifying, by the processing system, a first aircraft heading at the first aircraft location;

determining, by the processing system, a first subset of possible taxi paths for selection from the plurality of taxi paths based on the first aircraft location and the first aircraft heading, wherein each respective taxi path of the first subset intersects the first taxi path in the first aircraft heading from the first aircraft location;

limiting, by the processing system, a speech recognition vocabulary using the first subset, resulting in a limited speech recognition vocabulary, wherein each taxi path in the limited speech recognition vocabulary intersects the first taxi path in the first aircraft heading from the first aircraft location;

receiving an audio input;

recognizing, by the processing system, the audio input as a second taxi path of the first subset using the limited speech recognition vocabulary; and

providing indication of the second taxi path in response to recognizing the audio input as the second taxi path.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein determining the first subset further comprises:

excluding, from the first subset, one or more taxi paths of the plurality of taxi paths that intersect the first taxi path in a direction opposite the first aircraft heading from the first aircraft location.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein providing indication of the second taxi path comprises displaying a portion of the first taxi path between the first aircraft location and an intersection of the first taxi path and the second taxi path using a visually distinguishable characteristic.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein when the audio input corresponds to a hold instruction for the second taxi path, providing indication of the second taxi path comprises graphically indicating the hold instruction proximate an intersection of the first taxi path and the second taxi path.

9. The method of claim 1, further comprising displaying, on a display device onboard the aircraft, a graphical representation of the first subset.

10. The method of claim 1, wherein determining the first subset further comprises determining the second taxi path intersects the first taxi path at an intersection location in the first aircraft heading from the first aircraft location.

11. The method of claim 1, wherein determining the first subset further comprises:

excluding, from the first subset, one or more taxi paths that intersect the first taxi path based at least in part on an operating characteristic of the aircraft.

12. The method of claim 11, wherein excluding the one or more taxi paths comprises:

excluding a third taxi path of the plurality of taxi paths based at least in part on a velocity of the aircraft and a distance between the first aircraft location and an intersection of the first taxi path and the third taxi path.

13. The method of claim 11, wherein excluding the one or more taxi paths comprises:

excluding a third taxi path of the plurality of taxi paths based at least in part on a turning radius of the aircraft and an angle of intersection between the third taxi path and the first taxi path.

14. The method of claim 1, wherein providing indication of the second taxi path comprises indicating when a location of the aircraft along the first taxi path is proximate the second taxi path.

15. The method of claim 3, further comprising:

determining an anticipated heading of the aircraft along the second taxi path;

determining a second subset of possible taxi paths for selection from the plurality of taxi paths based on the anticipated heading of the aircraft along the second taxi path, wherein each respective taxi path of the second subset intersects the second taxi path in the anticipated heading of the aircraft from an intersection of the first taxi path and the second taxi path;

limiting the speech recognition vocabulary using the second subset, resulting in a second limited speech recognition vocabulary, wherein each taxi path in the second limited speech recognition vocabulary intersects the second taxi path in the anticipated heading from the intersection of the first taxi path and the second taxi path;

receiving a second audio input; and

recognizing the second audio input as a third taxi path of the second subset using the second limited speech recognition vocabulary; and

displaying a portion of the second taxi path between the first taxi path and the third taxi path using the visually distinguishable characteristic in response to recognizing the second audio input as the third taxi path.

5. A method for displaying taxi instructions for taxiing a vehicle at a ground location having a plurality of taxi routes, the method comprising:

obtaining, by a processing system, an initial location of the vehicle along a first taxi route of the plurality of taxi routes;

obtaining, by the processing system, a heading of the vehicle along the first taxi route;

identifying, by the processing a set of possible taxi routes from the plurality of taxi routes based on the heading of the vehicle, the set of possible taxi routes comprising a subset of the plurality of taxi routes, wherein each possible taxi route intersects the first taxi route in front of the initial location;

receiving an audio input indicative of a desired taxi route;

recognizing, by the processing system, the audio input as a second taxi route from among the set of possible taxi routes as the desired taxi route based on the audio input using a recognition vocabulary limited to the set of possible taxi routes; and

in response to recognizing the second taxi route, graphically indicating the second taxi route on a display device associated with the vehicle.

6. The method of claim 5, wherein identifying the set of possible taxi routes further comprises:

excluding, from the set of possible taxi routes, one or more taxi routes of the plurality of taxi routes that intersect the first taxi route in a direction opposite the heading of the vehicle.

16. The method of claim 5, further comprising:

determining an anticipated heading of the vehicle along the second taxi route;

identifying a second set of possible taxi routes from the plurality of taxi routes, wherein each possible taxi route of the second set intersects the second taxi route in the anticipated heading from an intersection of the first taxi route and the second taxi route;

receiving a second audio input indicative of a second desired taxi route;

recognizing the second audio input as a third taxi route from among the second set of possible taxi routes as the second desired taxi route based on the second audio input using a second recognition vocabulary limited to the second set of possible taxi routes; and

in response to recognizing the third taxi route, graphically indicating the third taxi route on the display device.

7. A system for an aircraft comprising:

a data storage element, the data storage element maintaining information pertaining to a plurality of taxi paths for an airport;

a display device;

an audio input device capable of receiving an audio input indicative of a desired taxi path; and

a processing system coupled to the data storage element, the display device, and the audio input device, wherein the processing system is configured to;

obtain a first aircraft location on a first taxi path of the plurality of taxi paths;

obtain a first aircraft heading along the first taxi path at the first aircraft location;

determine a first subset of possible taxi paths for selection from the plurality of taxi paths based on the first aircraft heading and the first aircraft location, wherein each taxi path of the first subset intersects the first taxi path in the first aircraft heading from the first aircraft location;

recognize the audio input as a second taxi path from among the first subset based on the audio input utilizing a recognition vocabulary limited to the first subset; and

graphically indicate, on the display device, a first taxi segment corresponding to at least a portion first taxi path between the first aircraft location and an intersection of the first taxi path and the second taxi path.

8. The system of claim 7, further comprising an avionics system onboard the aircraft and coupled to the processing system, wherein the processing system is configured to provide the second taxi path to the avionics system, the avionics system being configured to notify a user when a location of the aircraft along the first taxi path is proximate to the second taxi path.

17. A method for providing information relating to taxiing an aircraft at an airport having a plurality of taxi paths, the method comprising:

identifying, by a processing system, an aircraft location on a first taxi path of the plurality of taxi paths;

identifying, by the processing system, an aircraft heading at the aircraft location;

determining, by the processing system, a first subset of possible taxi paths for selection from the plurality of taxi paths based on the aircraft location and the aircraft heading, wherein each respective taxi path of the first subset intersects the first taxi path in the aircraft heading from the aircraft location; and

limiting a speech recognition vocabulary using the first subset, resulting in a limited speech recognition vocabulary utilized by the processing system to perform a speech recognition algorithm to determine whether a received audio input signal from an audio input device corresponds to a second taxi path of the first subset, wherein each taxi path in the limited speech recognition vocabulary intersects the first taxi path in the aircraft heading from the aircraft location; and

providing indication of the second taxi path in response to recognizing the audio input as the second taxi path.