System and method for entry of taxi route on control display unit

• US 8,428,872 B2
• Filed: 12/12/2007
• Issued: 04/23/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 12/12/2007
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: The Boeing Co.
• Original Assignee: The Boeing Co.
• Inventors: Clark, Samuel T., Smith, Robert P., Bowe, Roglenda R., Neff, Andrew D.
• Primary Examiner(s): Tarcza, Thomas
• Assistant Examiner(s): Khatib, Rami
• Application Number:
  US11/954,387
• Publication Number:
  US 20090157300A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,959 Days
• Field of Search: 701/201, 701/3, 701/400, 701/409, 701/418, 701/430, 701/432, 701/461, 701/487, 701/538, 701/540, 345/104, 345/179, 345/180, 345/182, 345/183, 382/189, 382/214
• US Class Current: 701/432
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 5/0021 located in the aircraft
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 5/0039 Modification of a flight plan

Abstract

A system and method is provided for receiving and displaying a taxiway navigation route on a control display unit having at least one entry field and a plurality of display lines. A plurality of taxi route segments are received from an entry field. The plurality of taxi route segments include at least a first taxi route segment and a second taxi route segment. The taxi route segments are assigned to separate display lines in the order in which the taxi route segments were received to form a taxiway navigation route. The taxi route segments are displayed on the control display unit in the order in which the taxi route segments were received. The display line in which the first taxi route segment is to be assigned can be selected. In addition, navigation data corresponding to the taxi route segments can be identified, retrieved, and assigned to the respective taxi route segment.

Claims

1. A method of receiving and displaying a taxiway navigation route on a control display unit comprising a scratchpad and a plurality of display lines, the method comprising:

entering a plurality of taxi route segments into a scratchpad so that the plurality of taxi route segments are all simultaneously displayed in the scratchpad, wherein the plurality of taxi route segments comprises at least a first taxi route segment and a second taxi route segment;

then selecting a single display line select key to select a first display line associated with the single display line select key;

after selecting the single display line select key, automatically assigning the taxi route segments to separate display lines in the order in which the taxi route segments were received to form a taxiway navigation route, wherein the first taxi route segment is automatically assigned to the first display line, and the second taxi route segment is automatically assigned to a second display line; and

after assigning the taxi route segments to separate display lines, automatically displaying the taxi route segments on the control display unit in the order in which the taxi route segments were received, wherein the first taxi route segment is automatically displayed on the first display line, and the second taxi route segment is automatically displayed on the second display line.

2. The method of claim 1 wherein the taxi route segments comprise at least one of a taxi-out navigation route or a taxi-in navigation route.

3. The method of claim 2 further comprising appending a flight navigation route to at least one of the taxi-out navigation route or the taxi-in navigation route.

4. The method of claim 1 wherein the entering the plurality of the taxi route segments into the scratchpad comprises inputting the plurality of the taxi route segments into the scratchpad using manual keypad entry, touchscreen entry, verbal entry, datalink entry, or stored and recall entry.

5. The method of claim 4 further comprising inputting delimiters between the plurality of taxi route segments.

6. The method of claim 5 wherein the delimiters are input automatically.

7. The method of claim 1 further comprising automatically displaying corresponding navigation data, comprising at least one of a taxi route segment heading, a taxi route segment length, a distance to an end of the taxi route segment, a time remaining until an end of the taxi route segment is reached, or a speed limit, adjacent to each of the respective first and second taxi route segments.

8. The method of claim 1 further comprising providing at least one navigation instruction which instructs a user as to what action to take during or at an end of at least one of the taxi route segments.

9. A system for receiving and displaying a taxiway navigation route on a control display unit, the system comprising:

a control display unit adapted to display data and receive user inputs comprising a scratchpad and a plurality of display lines, wherein the user can input into the scratchpad a plurality of taxi route segments comprising at least a first taxi route segment and a second taxi route segment so that the plurality of taxi route segments are all simultaneously displayed in the scratchpad;

a display line select key for selecting the first display line after the plurality of display lines are inputted into the scratchpad;

a processor in communication with the control display unit, wherein the processor is adapted to assign the plurality of taxi route segments to separate display lines in the order in which the taxi route segments were inputted to form a taxiway navigation route, wherein, when the display line select key is selected, the first taxi route segment is automatically assigned to the first display line, and the second taxi route segment is automatically assigned to the second display line; and

the processor is adapted to display the taxi route segments on the control display unit in the plurality of display lines in the order in which the taxi route segments were inputted, wherein, when the display line select key is selected, the first taxi route segment is automatically displayed in the first display line, and the second taxi route segment is automatically displayed in the second display line.

10. The system of claim 9 wherein the taxi route segments comprise at least one of a taxi-out navigation route or a taxi-in navigation route.

11. The system of claim 10 wherein the processor is adapted to append a flight navigation route to at least one of the taxi-out navigation route or the taxi-in navigation route.

12. The system of claim 9 wherein the processor is adapted to receive the plurality of taxi route segments by at least one of manual keypad entry, verbal entry, datalink entry, or stored and recall entry.

13. The system of claim 12 wherein the processor is adapted to receive delimiters between the plurality of taxi route segments.

14. The system of claim 13 wherein the processor is adapted to enter the delimiters automatically.

15. The system of claim 9 wherein the processor is adapted so that corresponding navigation data, comprising at least one of a taxi route segment heading, a taxi route segment length, a distance to an end of the taxi route segment, a time remaining until an end of the taxi route segment is reached, or a speed limit, is automatically displayed adjacent to each of the respective first and second taxi route segments.

16. The system of claim 9 wherein the processor further provides at least one navigation instruction which instructs the user as to what action to take during or at an end of at least one of the taxi route segments.