Automatic presentation of a shortcut prompt to view a downlink request message responsive to a confirm-response message

• US 8,626,358 B2
• Filed: 09/29/2010
• Issued: 01/07/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 09/29/2010
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Honeywell International Inc.
• Original Assignee: Honeywell International Inc.
• Inventors: McGuffin, Thomas F., Gupta, Reetu, Srinivasan, Divya Swarup Giriyappa
• Primary Examiner(s): Tran, Khoi
• Assistant Examiner(s): OH, HARRY Y
• Application Number:
  US12/893,293
• Publication Number:
  US 20120078447A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,196 Days
• Field of Search: 701/3
• US Class Current: 701/3
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 5/0013 with a ground station
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 5/0021 located in the aircraft

Abstract

A system to reduce head-down time for a flight crew is provided. The system includes a functional module including a set of screens used to receive and send controller pilot data link communications (CPDLC) messages between an aircraft and a ground system; a message composition screen communicatively coupled to the functional module; and a shortcut interface communicatively coupled to the functional module, wherein a shortcut prompt is automatically displayed when a confirm-response message received responsive to a previously-sent downlink request message is viewed, and wherein the previously-sent downlink request message is displayed when the shortcut interface is implemented.

Claims

1. A system to reduce head-down time for a flight crew, the system comprising:

a functional module including a set of screens used to receive and send controller pilot data link communications (CPDLC) messages between an aircraft and a ground system;

a message composition screen communicatively coupled to the functional module; and

a shortcut interface communicatively coupled to the functional module,

wherein a shortcut prompt is automatically displayed by a processor in the functional module responsive to a CPDLC confirm-response message being received responsive to a previously-sent downlink request message, and wherein the previously-sent downlink request message is displayed on the message composition screen responsive to the shortcut interface being implemented responsive to the shortcut prompt.

2. The system of claim 1, wherein the CPDLC confirm-response message responsive to the previously-sent downlink request message includes:

a message header including information indicative of a message identification number and information indicative of a message reference number, and wherein a message identification number of the downlink request message is the message reference number of the confirm-response message.

3. The system of claim 1, wherein the functional module further includes a processor;

and

a storage medium including a controller pilot data link communications (CPDLC) application executable by the processor.

4. The system of claim 1, wherein the functional module is one of a communication management unit, a communication management function, a flight management computer, a flight management function, an electronic flight bag, and an avionics module.

5. The system of claim 1, wherein the CPDLC confirm-response message is one of:

a controller pilot data link communications CONFIRM REQUEST message;

a controller pilot data link communications CONFIRM ASSIGNED LEVEL message;

a controller pilot data link communications CONFIRM ASSIGNED SPEED message;

a controller pilot data link communications CONFIRM ASSIGNED ROUTE message;

a controller pilot data link communications CONFIRM TIME OVER REPORTED WAYPOINT message;

a controller pilot data link communications CONFIRM NEXT WAYPOINT ETA message;

a controller pilot data link communications CONFIRM ENSUING WAYPOINT message; and

a controller pilot data link communications CONFIRM SQUAWK message.

6. The system of claim 1, wherein the functional module further includes:

a processor; and

a message log in a memory, wherein, responsive to;

receiving the confirm-response message, and

receiving a shortcut prompt at the shortcut interface,

the processor retrieves the previously-sent downlink request message from the message log and displays the previously-sent downlink request message on the message composition screen.

7. The system of claim 1, wherein the system is an air traffic control datalink system.

8. A method to reduce head-down time for a flight crew, the method comprising:

receiving a CPDLC confirm-response message responsive to a previously-sent downlink request message at a functional module;

displaying a shortcut prompt on a message composition screen responsive to receiving the confirm-response message; and

refilling the message composition screen with data in the downlink request message responsive to a user implementing a shortcut interface responsive to the displayed shortcut prompt.

9. The method of claim 8, further comprising:

determining if a message header of the CPDLC confirm-response message includes a message reference number.

10. The method of claim 9, if the message header of the CPDLC confirm-response message includes the message reference number, the method further comprises:

matching the message reference number in the message header of the CPDLC confirm-response message with a message identification number of the downlink request message, responsive to the user implementing the shortcut interface.

11. The method of claim 10, wherein refilling the message composition screen with data in the downlink request message comprises:

refilling the message composition screen with the downlink request message having the matching message identification number.

12. The method of claim 11, further comprising:

receiving updated data from the user, wherein the data in the downlink request message shown in the refilled message composition screen is modified; and

upon receiving a send-prompt, sending the modified downlink request message, the modified downlink request message having a message reference number that matches a message identification number in the message header of the confirm-response message.

13. The method of claim 11, further comprising:

upon receiving a send-prompt, resending the downlink request message that is refilling the message composition screen.

14. The method of claim 9, if the message header does not include the message reference number, the method further comprises:

retrieving a last-sent downlink request message; and

refilling the message composition screen with the last-sent downlink request message.

15. The method of claim 14, further comprising:

receiving updated data from the user, wherein the data in the last-sent downlink request message shown in the refilled message composition screen is modified; and

upon receiving a send-prompt, sending the modified downlink request message, the modified downlink request message having a message reference number that matches a message identification number in the message header of the confirm-response message.

16. The method of claim 14, further comprising:

upon receiving a send-prompt, sending the last-sent downlink request message that is refilling the message composition screen.

17. The method of claim 8, wherein refilling the message composition screen with data in the downlink request message comprises one of:

refilling the message composition screen with data in a previously-sent downlink request message having a message identification number that matches a message reference number of the confirm-response message; and

refilling the message composition screen with data in a last-sent downlink request message, the method further comprising;

modifying data in the downlink request message displayed on the message composition screen; and

upon receiving a send-prompt, sending the modified downlink request message related.

18. The method of claim 8, wherein receiving the CPDLC confirm-response message comprises receiving one of one of:

a controller pilot data link communications CONFIRM REQUEST message;

a controller pilot data link communications CONFIRM ASSIGNED LEVEL message;

a controller pilot data link communications CONFIRM ASSIGNED SPEED message;

a controller pilot data link communications CONFIRM ASSIGNED ROUTE message;

a controller pilot data link communications CONFIRM TIME OVER REPORTED WAYPOINT message;

a controller pilot data link communications CONFIRM NEXT WAYPOINT ETA message;

a controller pilot data link communications CONFIRM ENSUING WAYPOINT message; and

a controller pilot data link communications CONFIRM SQUAWK message.

19. A system to reduce head-down time for a flight crew, the system comprising:

a functional module including;

a set of screens used to receive and send controller pilot data link communications (CPDLC) messages between an aircraft and a ground system,

at least one CPDLC application;

a processor to execute the at least one CPDLC application;

a message composition screen communicatively coupled to the functional module; and

wherein a shortcut prompt is automatically displayed by a processor in the functional module responsive to a CPDLC confirm-response message being received responsive to a previously-sent downlink request message, and wherein the previously-sent downlink request message is displayed on the message composition screen responsive to the shortcut interface being implemented responsive to the shortcut prompt,

wherein the message header of the CPDLC confirm-response message includes a message identification number of the previously-sent downlink request message, and wherein a message header of a downlink request message sent responsive to the CPDLC confirm-response message includes the message identification number of the CPDLC confirm-response message.