Graphical depiction of four dimensional trajectory based operation flight plans

• US 8,725,320 B1
• Filed: 07/02/2012
• Issued: 05/13/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 05/17/2010
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: The Boeing Co.
• Original Assignee: The Boeing Co.
• Inventors: Pschierer, Karl Christian
• Primary Examiner(s): To, Toan
• Application Number:
  US13/540,385
• Time in Patent Office: 680 Days
• Field of Search: 701/5, 701/30, 701/34, 701/40, 701/465, 701/467, 701/468
• US Class Current: 701/5
• 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

Abstract

The different advantageous embodiments provide a system comprising a user interface and a computer. The user interface comprises a display. The computer is configured to display information about time and position of an aircraft in relation to a number of waypoints for a flight on the display. The information is displayed using a number of graphical display features.

Claims

1. A flight management system comprising:

a user interface comprising a display; and

a computer configured to display, on the display, information about time and position of an aircraft in relation to a number of waypoints for the aircraft in a flight plan of the aircraft, wherein the information is displayed using a number of graphical display features, and wherein the number of waypoints comprise one or more reference points in physical space used for navigation.

2. The system of claim 1, wherein the information includes a number of required times of arrival and a number of estimated times of arrival for the number of waypoints.

3. The system of claim 1, wherein the number of graphical display features includes a number of bars, a number of markers, and a number of colors.

4. The system of claim 1, wherein the number of graphical display features depict a deviation from a required value.

5. The system of claim 1, wherein the number of graphical display features includes a number of additional symbols depicting a deviation outside a threshold limit.

6. The system of claim 2, wherein the information includes latitude, longitude, altitude and a current time associated with the latitude, the longitude, and the altitude.

7. The system of claim 1, wherein the number of graphical features is integrated with navigation information presented on the display, and wherein the navigation information is selected from at least one of a navigational display and an electronic navigation chart.

8. The system of claim 1, wherein the display is a three dimensional primary flight display.