Automatic monitoring of flight related radio communications

• US 8,704,701 B2
• Filed: 10/18/2011
• Issued: 04/22/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 10/18/2011
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: The Boeing Co.
• Original Assignee: The Boeing Co.
• Inventors: Pschierer, Karl Christian, Gaertner, Marco, Smith, Joshua Nicholas
• Primary Examiner(s): Sotomayor, John B
• Application Number:
  US13/275,774
• Publication Number:
  US 20130093612A1
• Time in Patent Office: 917 Days
• Field of Search: 342 29- 38, 342176-182
• US Class Current: 342/36
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 13/933 of aircraft or spacecraft
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 7/22 Producing cursor lines and indicia by electronic means
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 5/0008 with other aircraft
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 5/0013 with a ground station
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 5/0021 located in the aircraft

Abstract

The present disclosure is generally directed to processing air traffic controller (“ATC”) communication directed to aircraft other than the current aircraft. ATC communication is processed using speech recognition and the call sign and augmented flight information for other aircraft is identified. The corresponding aircraft icon on the display representing the aircraft on the display may be augmented by emphasizing the icon and displaying augmented flight information, along with an insignia. This information is displayed for a configurable time duration, after which the display reverts to displaying a conventional aircraft icon and associated flight information on the display. The pilot can subsequently select the aircraft icon and may be presented with a log of past ATC communications for the aircraft.

Claims

1. A method for displaying augmented flight information on a display comprising:

receiving air traffic controller (“

ATC”

) communication at a first aircraft regarding a second aircraft, the ATC communication including augmented flight information comprising a change to a vector of the second aircraft;

ascertaining the augmented flight information in the ATC communication for the second aircraft;

determining the second aircraft is not the first aircraft receiving the ATC communication; and

in response to determining the second aircraft is not the first aircraft, displaying at least a part of the augmented flight information on the display along with a visual indication identifying the second aircraft is a target aircraft of the ATC communication.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein providing a visual indication identifying the second aircraft as a target aircraft of the ATC communication comprises altering on the display a line, a line color, or a fill-in color of an emphasized aircraft icon representing the second aircraft.

3. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

displaying the emphasized aircraft icon associated with the second aircraft on the display for a duration; and

displaying the augmented flight information for the duration.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein determining the second aircraft is not the first aircraft receiving the ATC communication is accomplished by comparing a first call sign associated with the first aircraft stored in a memory of a processing system with a second call sign of a second aircraft indicated in the ATC communication.

5. The method of claim 2, wherein the augmented flight information includes one from the group of:

a change in heading of the second aircraft, a ground speed indication of the second aircraft, a relative flight level of the second aircraft, and a relative airspeed of the second aircraft.

6. The method of claim 2, wherein ascertaining the augmented flight information in the ATC communication involves processing the ATC communication indicating speech with a speech recognition module to ascertain the augmented flight information.

7. The method of claim of claim 5, further comprising the operation of:

providing the augmented flight information to a TCAS system.

8. The method of claim 6, wherein the second aircraft is identified by a call sign comprising a designator and a flight number.

9. The method of claim 2, further comprising:

displaying a conventional aircraft icon representing the second aircraft on the display;

receiving an input selecting the conventional aircraft icon;

displaying the emphasized aircraft icon representing the second aircraft on the display to a pilot of the first aircraft after the duration; and

displaying the augmented flight information for a second duration.

10. The method of claim 2, further comprising:

displaying an insignia on the display associated with the second aircraft.

11. A system for displaying augmented flight information comprising:

a radio receiver configured to receive wirelessly communicated air traffic control (“

ATC”

) communication in an aircraft, the radio receiver providing voice-based ATC communication signals;

a speech processing module configured to receive the voice-based ATC communication signals and to providing call sign data indicating a call sign for another aircraft and augmented flight information data representing augmented flight information for the another aircraft; and

a processor configured to

receive the call sign data and the augmented flight information data,

generate signals for displaying a visual indication identifying the another aircraft as a target of the ATC communication, and

generate signals for displaying the augmented flight information in alphanumeric form for the another aircraft associated with a displayed aircraft icon.

12. The system for displaying augmented flight information of claim 11, wherein the augmented flight information in alphanumeric form further comprise indicating a ground speed of the another aircraft.

13. The system for displaying augmented flight information of claim 12, further comprising:

a display controlled by a second processor configured to receive the signals for displaying the augmented information in alphanumeric form.

14. The system for displaying augmented flight information of claim 13, wherein the second processor is further configured to:

display the augmented flight information in alphanumeric form for a duration.

15. The system for displaying augmented flight information of claim 13, wherein the call sign comprises a designator and a flight number, and the processor is further configured to compare the designator and the flight number with a second designator and second flight number stored in a memory.

16. A computer readable medium storing instructions which when executed cause a processor in a first aircraft to:

receive a call sign data and an augmented flight information data regarding a second aircraft;

generate signals for displaying an aircraft icon associated with the second aircraft indicating the second aircraft is a target of an ATC communication; and

generate signals for displaying the augmented flight information in alphanumeric form for the second aircraft associated with the aircraft icon.

17. The computer readable medium of claim 16, further storing instructions which when executed cause the processor in the first aircraft to:

generate a signal for displaying an insignia associated with the call sign of the second aircraft.

18. The computer readable medium of claim 16, further storing instructions which when executed cause the processor in the first aircraft to:

display the augmented flight information for a limited duration.

19. The computer readable medium of claim 18, further storing instructions which when executed cause the processor in the first aircraft to:

receive input indication a selection of the aircraft icon; and

generate a second signal for displaying the augmented flight information in alphanumeric form for the second aircraft associated with the aircraft icon.