Avionics display system and method for generating flight information pertaining to neighboring aircraft

• US 8,362,925 B2
• Filed: 05/05/2009
• Issued: 01/29/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 05/05/2009
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Honeywell International Inc.
• Original Assignee: Honeywell International Inc.
• Inventors: Brinkman, Ron, Langdon, Pat
• Primary Examiner(s): Mehmood, Jennifer
• Assistant Examiner(s): Fan, Hongmin
• Application Number:
  US12/435,753
• Publication Number:
  US 20100283635A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,365 Days
• Field of Search: 340/961, 340/971, 340/945, 340/903, 701/14, 701/301, 701/3, 701/4, 701/420, 701/300, 342/29, 342/455
• US Class Current: 340/961
• 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
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 5/0008 with other aircraft
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 5/0021 located in the aircraft
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 5/0052 for cruising combined instruments indicating more than one navigational value G01C23/00
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 5/0078 for monitoring traffic from the aircraft radar or analogous systems specially adapted for traffic control G01S13/91
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 5/0091 for monitoring atmospheric conditions radar or analogous systems specially adapted for meteorological use G01S13/95; meteorology G01W

Abstract

Embodiments of a process are provided suitable for implementation by an avionics display system deployed on a host aircraft and including a monitor. In one embodiment, the process includes the step of receiving air traffic data indicative of a first flight characteristic pertaining to a neighboring aircraft. The first flight characteristic is selected from the group consisting of: (i) the wake turbulence created by the neighboring aircraft, (ii) the current flight plan of the neighboring aircraft, and (iii) the airspace in which the neighboring aircraft'"'"'s current detection position should reside to ensure that the neighboring aircraft'"'"'s actual position resides within the an airspace currently assigned to the neighboring aircraft. A visual representation of the first flight characteristic is generated on the monitor.

Claims

1. A process to be carried out by an avionics display system deployed on a host aircraft and including a monitor, the process comprising:

receiving air traffic data indicative of a neighboring aircraft'"'"'s current detected position from a first air traffic data source;

attributing an error characteristic to the first air traffic data source based, at least in part, on the type of instrumentation utilized by the first air traffic data source to detect the neighboring aircraft'"'"'s current position;

identifying an airspace assigned to the neighboring aircraft at a given time;

reducing the volume of the assigned airspace as a function of the error characteristic attributed to the first air traffic data source to yield an error-compensated airspace for the neighboring aircraft; and

generating on the monitor a visual representation of the outer boundaries of the neighboring aircraft'"'"'s error-compensated airspace.

2. A process according to claim 1 wherein the step of generating comprises producing on the monitor a three dimensional wireframe indicating the outer boundaries of the neighboring aircraft'"'"'s error-compensated airspace.

3. A process according to claim 1 further comprising:

establishing the host aircraft'"'"'s time-projected flight path; and

generating a first alert if the host aircraft'"'"'s time-projected flight path intersects the neighboring aircraft'"'"'s error-compensated airspace.

4. A process according to claim 3 wherein the step of generating the first alert comprises altering the appearing the visual representation of the neighboring aircraft'"'"'s error-compensated airspace.

5. A process according to claim 3 further comprising the step of generating a second alert if the host aircraft'"'"'s time-projected flight path comes within a predetermined distance of the first neighboring aircraft'"'"'s error-compensated airspace.

7. A process according to claim 1 wherein the step of receiving comprises receiving from the neighboring aircraft Automatic Dependent Surveillance-Broadcast (ADS-B) data indicative of the current position of the neighboring aircraft, as estimated by instrumentation deployed onboard the neighboring aircraft.

8. A process according to claim 7 wherein the step of attributing comprises attributing an error characteristic to the first air traffic data source based, at least in part, upon the type of instrumentation deployed onboard the neighboring aircraft and utilized to detect the neighboring aircraft position.

9. A process according to claim 7 wherein the step of attributing comprises receiving data indicative of an error characteristic associated with the first air traffic data source as part of the ADS-B data provided by the neighboring aircraft.

6. An avionics display system for deployment onboard an aircraft including an air traffic data source, the air traffic data source providing the avionics display system with data indicative of at least one flight characteristic pertaining to a neighboring aircraft, the avionics display system comprising:

a monitor; and

a processor operatively coupled to the monitor, the processor configured to;

(i) receive air traffic data from the air traffic data source indicative of the current detected position of a neighboring aircraft;

(ii) attribute an error characteristic to the air traffic data source;

(iii) identify an airspace assigned to the neighboring aircraft at a given time, (iv) establish an error-compensated airspace for the neighboring aircraft by reducing the volume of the assigned airspace as a function of the magnitude of the error characteristic attributed to the air traffic data source, and (v) generate on the monitor;

a three dimensional wireframe indicating the outer boundaries of the neighboring aircraft'"'"'s error-compensated airspace.

10. An avionics display system according to claim 6 wherein the processor is further configured to:

(i) receive Automatic Dependent Surveillance-Broadcast (ADS-B) data from a neighboring aircraft indicative of the current position of the neighboring aircraft, as estimated by instrumentation deployed onboard the neighboring aircraft; and

(ii) attributing an error characteristic to the first air traffic data source based upon information contained within the ADS-B data.