Aircraft communications radio tuning aid system and method
First Claim
Patent Images
1. A method of displaying air traffic control communication information in an aircraft having an aircraft communications radio, the method comprising:
- processing data to determine one or more aircraft positions;
processing data to identify each air traffic control (ATC) communication station that is within a predetermined distance of the one or more aircraft positions;
processing data to determine which of the identified ATC communication stations are, or will be, within range of the aircraft communications radio;
rendering, on a display device, indicia representative of the identified ATC communication stations determined to be within the range of the aircraft communications radio; and
rendering a communication range graphic on the display device, the communication range graphic representative of the range of the aircraft communications radio.
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Abstract
Methods and apparatus are provided of displaying air traffic control communication information in an aircraft having an aircraft communications radio. Each air traffic control (ATC) communication station that is within a predetermined distance of an aircraft position is identified. Indicia representative of the identified ATC communication stations that are determined to be within the range of the aircraft communications radio are rendered on a display device.
22 Citations
18 Claims
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1. A method of displaying air traffic control communication information in an aircraft having an aircraft communications radio, the method comprising:
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processing data to determine one or more aircraft positions; processing data to identify each air traffic control (ATC) communication station that is within a predetermined distance of the one or more aircraft positions; processing data to determine which of the identified ATC communication stations are, or will be, within range of the aircraft communications radio; rendering, on a display device, indicia representative of the identified ATC communication stations determined to be within the range of the aircraft communications radio; and rendering a communication range graphic on the display device, the communication range graphic representative of the range of the aircraft communications radio. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15)
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16. A method of displaying air traffic control communication information in an aircraft having an aircraft communications radio, the method comprising:
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processing flight plan data to determine a current flight plan of the aircraft, the current flight plan including a plurality of legs; processing data to identify air traffic control (ATC) communication stations that will be within a predetermined distance of each of the plurality of legs; processing data to determine which of the identified ATC communication stations are active ATC communication stations and which are inactive ATC communication stations; determining if the current flight plan includes one or more uncontrolled airspace sections, an uncontrolled airspace section being at least a portion of one of more of the plurality of legs of the current flight plan that, when flown projected to be flown by the aircraft, will include no active ATC communication stations; determining a distance to void, the distance to void being a distance from an aircraft position to an uncontrolled airspace section; rendering, on the display device, the distance to void; rendering, on the display device, those portions of the current flight plan that are not uncontrolled sections in accordance with a first display paradigm; and rendering, on the display device, the one or more uncontrolled airspace sections in accordance with a second display paradigm, wherein; an active ATC communication station is one (i) within the predetermined distance of one of the plurality of legs and (ii) with which the aircraft communications radio may actively communicate, and an inactive ATC communication station is one with which the aircraft communications radio may not communicate. - View Dependent Claims (17)
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18. A method of displaying air traffic control communication information in an aircraft having an aircraft communications radio, the method comprising:
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processing flight plan data to determine a current flight plan of the aircraft; processing data to determine one or more aircraft positions; processing data to identify each air traffic control (ATC) communication station that is within a predetermined distance of the one or more aircraft positions; processing data to determine which of the identified ATC communication stations are, or will be, within range of the aircraft communications radio; processing data to determine which of the identified ATC communication stations are active ATC communication stations and which are inactive ATC communication stations, tuning the aircraft communications radio to one of the active ATC communication stations; determining a switchover time, the switchover time being a time it takes to get from the current aircraft position to an aircraft position at which a next one of the identified ATC communication stations on the current flight plan will become an active ATC communication station; rendering, on a display device, indicia representative of the identified ATC communication stations determined to be within the range of the aircraft communications radio; and rendering, on the display device, at least the switchover time, wherein; an active ATC communication station is one (i) that is or will be within the range of the aircraft communications radio and (ii) with which the aircraft communications radio may actively communicate, and an inactive ATC communication station is one with which the aircraft communications radio may not communicate.
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Specification