Multi core vehicle management unified user interface system and method

• US 8,825,230 B2
• Filed: 05/31/2013
• Issued: 09/02/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 01/20/2012
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Lockheed Martin Corporation (Martin Marietta Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Lockheed Martin Corporation (Martin Marietta Corporation)
• Inventors: Pangilinan, Lester J., Olsen, John
• Primary Examiner(s): Cheung, Mary
• Assistant Examiner(s): Sweeney, Brian P
• Application Number:
  US13/906,474
• Publication Number:
  US 20130253737A1
• Time in Patent Office: 459 Days
• Field of Search: 701/3, 701/11
• US Class Current: 701/3
• 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: G06F 17/00 Digital computing or data processing equipment or methods, specially adapted for specific functions information retrieval, database structures or file system structures therefor G06F16/00
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 5/00 Traffic control systems for aircraft , e.g. air-traffic control [ATC]
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 5/0021 located in the aircraft
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 5/0039 Modification of a flight plan

Abstract

A computerized method for providing a unified user interface to a plurality of flight management components encapsulated within a flight management system. The method can include receiving a flight management system input dataset from a first flight management system user interface device. The method can also include creating, with a processor programmed to provide a unified user interface, a plurality of flight management system input data portions to be transmitted to a plurality of destination flight management system components. The plurality of flight management system input data portions can be based on the flight management system input dataset and each flight management system input data portion can correspond to one of said plurality of destination flight management system components. Each of said plurality of flight management system input data portions can be transmitted from the processor to said corresponding destination flight management system component.

Claims

1. A computerized method for providing a unified user interface to a plurality of flight management systems encapsulated within a flight management system, the method comprising:

receiving, at a processor programmed to provide a unified user interface, a flight management system input dataset from a flight management system user interface device;

creating, with the processor programmed to provide a unified user interface, a plurality of flight management system input data portions based on said flight management system input dataset, said plurality of flight management system input data portions to be transmitted to a plurality of destination flight management systems, each flight management system input data portion corresponding to one of said plurality of destination flight management systems;

transmitting, from the processor, each of said plurality of flight management system input data portions to said corresponding destination flight management system;

receiving, at the processor, a plurality of flight management system response messages from said plurality of destination flight management systems;

creating, with the processor, a unified flight management system response message based on said plurality of flight management system response messages; and

transmitting, from the processor, said unified flight management system response message to the flight management system user interface device,

whereby the unified flight management system response message causes the flight management system user interface device to display a consolidated view of the plurality of flight management system response messages.

2. A computerized method for providing a unified user interface to a plurality of flight management system components encapsulated within a flight management system, the method comprising:

receiving, at a processor programmed to provide a unified user interface, a flight management system input dataset from a flight management system user interface device;

creating, with the processor programmed to provide a unified user interface, a plurality of flight management system input data portions based on said flight management system input dataset, said plurality of flight management system input data portions to be transmitted to a plurality of destination flight management system components, each flight management system input data portion corresponding to one of said plurality of destination flight management system components;

transmitting, from the processor, each of said plurality of flight management system input data portions to said corresponding destination flight management system component;

receiving, at the processor, a plurality of flight management system component response messages from said plurality of destination flight management system components;

creating, with the processor, a unified flight management system response message based on said plurality of flight management system component response messages; and

transmitting, from the processor, said unified flight management system response message to the flight management system user interface device,

whereby the unified flight management system response message causes the flight management system user interface device to display a consolidated view of the plurality of flight management system component response messages, and

wherein said plurality of destination flight management system components includes a civil flight management system component and a tactical flight management system component, and said plurality of flight management system input data portions includes;

a civil flight management system input data portion to be transmitted to said civil flight management system component; and

a tactical flight management system input data portion to be transmitted to said tactical flight management system component.

3. The method of claim 2, wherein said flight management system input dataset includes an ordered plurality of waypoints including a plurality of civil waypoints and a plurality of tactical waypoints, and creating a plurality of flight management system data portions based on said flight management system input dataset includes:

populating said civil flight management system input data portion with said plurality of civil waypoints, and

populating said tactical flight management system input data portion with said plurality of tactical waypoints.

4. The method of claim 3, wherein said plurality of flight management system component response messages includes a civil flight plan based on said civil flight management system input data portion and a tactical flight plan based on said tactical flight management system input data portion, and creating a unified flight management system response message based on said plurality of flight management system component response messages includes creating a unified flight plan merging said civil flight plan and said tactical flight plan.

5. The method of claim 2,

wherein said flight management system input dataset includes an ordered plurality of flight plan waypoints, one of said ordered plurality of flight plan waypoints selected as a tactical flight plan entry waypoint, one of said ordered plurality of flight plan waypoints selected as a tactical flight plan exit waypoint,

wherein creating a plurality of flight management system input data portions based on said flight management system input dataset includes:

populating said civil flight management system input data portion to include said ordered plurality of waypoints excluding waypoints ordered between said tactical flight plan entry waypoint and said tactical flight plan exit waypoint, and

populating said tactical flight management system input data portion to include said ordered plurality of waypoints excluding waypoints ordered before said tactical flight plan entry waypoint and excluding waypoints ordered after said tactical flight plan exit waypoint,

wherein said plurality of flight management system component response messages includes a civil flight plan based on said civil flight management system input data portion and a tactical flight plan based on said tactical flight management system input data portion, and

wherein creating a unified flight management system response message based on said plurality of flight management system component response messages includes creating a unified flight plan merging said civil flight plan and said tactical flight plan.