Four dimensional trajectory based operation flight plans

• US 8,862,287 B1
• Filed: 05/17/2010
• Issued: 10/14/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 05/17/2010
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: The Boeing Co.
• Original Assignee: The Boeing Co.
• Inventors: Clark, Jason William, Korolev, Alexander, Baca, Diana Marie
• Primary Examiner(s): NGUYEN, HIEP VAN
• Application Number:
  US12/781,525
• Time in Patent Office: 1,611 Days
• Field of Search: 705 1- 3, 701/3
• 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

Abstract

The different advantageous embodiments provide a system comprising a computer, first program code stored on the computer, and second program code stored on the computer. The computer is configured to run the first program code to retrieve flight status information during a flight and generate four dimensional flight information. The four dimensional flight information includes a comparison of the flight status information to a flight plan for the flight. The computer is configured to run the second program code to depict the four dimensional flight information in a textual format.

Claims

1. A system comprising:

a computer;

a first program code stored on the computer, the computer configured to;

run the first program code to continually retrieve flight status information during a flight, such that flight status comprises an estimated time of arrival at each remaining waypoint in a flight plan for the flight, and generate four dimensional flight information, such that the four dimensional flight information comprises;

a required time of arrival, the estimated time of arrival, and a comparison of the flight status information to the flight plan for the flight, such that the comparison of the flight status information comprises a numerical time difference between the estimated time of arrival at each remaining waypoint in the flight plan for the flight and the required time of arrival at each remaining waypoint in the flight plan for the flight, respectively;

a second program code stored on the computer, such that the computer is configured to run the second program code to depict the four dimensional flight information in a textual format; and

a third program code stored on the computer and configured, when a deviation of the estimated time of arrival at a particular point from the required time of arrival for the particular point becomes greater than a specified value, to generate a new four-dimensional flight plan and transmit an air traffic control clearance request, such that the new four-dimensional flight plan changes the deviation to the specified value or lower, wherein the flight status information includes at least one of aircraft position information, time, and weather information.

2. The system of claim 1, wherein the four dimensional flight information includes aircraft latitude, longitude, altitude and a current time associated with the latitude, the longitude, and the altitude.

3. The system of claim 1, wherein the flight plan is a four dimensional flight plan for the flight.

4. The system of claim 1, wherein the computer is further configured to run the second program code to depict the four dimensional flight information in a tabular format.

5. The system of claim 1, such that the computer is configured to run the second program code to depict, using a flight management system, the four dimensional flight information in the textual format.

6. The system of claim 1, such that the first program code is implemented as part of a network environment.

7. The system of claim 1, such that the flight plan comprises at least one of:

waypoints, information about a route, a destination, and weather information for the route.

8. A method for four dimensional textual display, the method comprising:

receiving, by a computer, a flight plan for a flight;

initiating the flight using the flight plan;

continually retrieving, by the computer, flight status information during the flight;

calculating, by the computer, an estimated time of arrival for each remaining waypoint on the flight plan, using the flight status information retrieved;

integrating, by the computer, the flight status information and the estimated time of arrival for each remaining waypoint on the flight plan, into four dimensional flight information, such that the four dimensional flight information includes a comparison of the flight status information to the flight plan for the flight, such that the comparison of the flight status information comprises a numerical time difference between the estimated time of arrival at each remaining waypoint on the flight plan, and a required time of arrival at each remaining waypoint on the flight plan, respectively;

depicting, in a textual format on a display, the estimated time of arrival at each remaining waypoint on the flight plan and the comparison of the flight status information to the flight plan for the flight; and

the computer, when a deviation of the estimated time of arrival at a particular point from the required time of arrival for the particular point becomes greater than a specified value, generating a new four-dimensional flight plan and transmitting an air traffic control clearance request, such that the new four-dimensional flight plan changes the deviation to the specified value or lower, wherein the flight status information includes at least one of aircraft position information, time, and weather information.

9. The method of claim 8 further comprising:

depicting the comparison in a four dimensional tabular format using the display.

10. The method of claim 8, wherein the four dimensional flight information includes aircraft latitude, longitude, altitude and a current time associated with the latitude, the longitude, and the altitude.

11. The method of claim 8, such that depicting, in the textual format on the display, uses a flight management system.

12. A computer program product for managing information used to operate an aircraft in flight, the computer program product comprising:

a tangible computer recordable non-transitory storage medium;

a program code, stored on the computer recordable non-transitory storage medium, configured to receive a flight plan for the flight;

the program code, stored on the computer recordable non-transitory storage medium, configured to initiate the flight using the flight plan;

the program code, stored on the computer recordable non-transitory storage medium, configured to continually retrieve flight status information during the flight;

the program code, stored on the computer recordable non-transitory storage medium, configured to calculate an estimated time of arrival for each remaining waypoint on the flight plan, using the flight status information retrieved;

the program code, stored on the computer recordable non-transitory storage medium, configured to integrate the flight status information and the estimated time of arrival for each remaining waypoint on the flight plan, into four dimensional flight information, such that the four dimensional flight information includes a comparison of the flight status information to the flight plan for the flight, such that the comparison of the flight status information comprises a numerical time difference between the estimated times of arrival at each remaining waypoint on the flight plan and a required time of arrival at each remaining waypoint on the flight plan, respectively;

the program code, stored on the computer recordable non-transitory storage medium, for depicting, in a textual format on a display, the estimated time of arrival at each remaining waypoint on the flight plan and the comparison of the flight status information to the flight plan for the flight; and

the program code configured, when a deviation of the estimated time of arrival at a particular point from the required time of arrival for the particular point becomes greater than a specified value, to generate a new four-dimensional flight plan and transmit an air traffic control clearance request, such that the new four-dimensional flight plan changes the deviation to the specified value or lower, wherein the flight status information includes at least one of aircraft position information, time, and weather information.

13. The computer program product of claim 12 further comprising:

program code, stored on the computer recordable non-transitory storage medium, for depicting the comparison in a four dimensional textual format.

14. The computer program product of claim 12 further comprising:

program code, stored on the computer recordable non-transitory storage medium, for depicting the comparison in a four dimensional tabular format.

15. The computer program product of claim 12, wherein the four dimensional flight information includes aircraft latitude, longitude, altitude and a current time associated with the latitude, the longitude, and the altitude.

16. The computer program product of claim 12, such that depicting, in the textual format on the display, uses a flight management system.