Systems and methods for use in identifying at least one alternate airport

• US 9,064,407 B2
• Filed: 02/12/2014
• Issued: 06/23/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 01/05/2012
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: The Boeing Co.
• Original Assignee: The Boeing Co.
• Inventors: Otto, Willard Kyle, Clark, Jason William, Hendrian, Matthew B., Schwartz, Samantha Ann
• Primary Examiner(s): Cheung, Mary
• Assistant Examiner(s): MAZZARA, ANNE MARIE
• Application Number:
  US14/178,996
• Publication Number:
  US 20140163851A1
• Time in Patent Office: 496 Days
• Field of Search: 701/120
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/06 Resources, workflows, human or project management; Enterprise or organisation planning; Enterprise or organisation modelling
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 50/40 Business processes related to the transportation industry shipping G06Q10/083
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 5/0039 Modification of a flight plan
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 5/0056 in an emergency situation, e.g. hijacking
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 5/0095 Aspects of air-traffic control not provided for in the other subgroups of this main group
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 5/025 Navigation or guidance aids radar or analogous systems specially adapted for landing purposes G01S13/913

Abstract

Systems and methods for use in identifying at least one alternate airport for an aircraft. One example method includes identifying a plurality of airports based on static data associated with the plurality of airports, and identifying, at a processing device, at least one preferred airport from the plurality of airports based on dynamic data associated with at least the at least one preferred airport, wherein the static data and/or the dynamic data is associated with at least one weight that enables at least one of the plurality of airports to be identified based on a relative importance of the static data and/or the dynamic data.

Claims

1. A computer-implemented method for use in identifying at least one alternate airport for an aircraft, said method comprising:

identifying a plurality of airports based on static data associated with the plurality of airports; and

identifying, at a processing device, at least one preferred airport from the plurality of airports based on dynamic data associated with at least the at least one preferred airport, wherein at least one of the static data and the dynamic data is associated with at least one weight that enables at least one of the plurality of airports and the at least one preferred airport to be identified based on a relative importance of the at least one of the static data and the dynamic data.

2. The method of claim 1, further comprising prioritizing a plurality of preferred airports based on at least traffic density information included in the dynamic data, wherein identifying at least one preferred airport includes identifying the plurality of preferred airports.

3. The method of claim 1, further comprising providing the at least one preferred airport for presentation to an operator of the aircraft.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the static data associated with the plurality of airports includes a runway parameter and city information for each of the plurality of airports.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein the dynamic data associated with the at least one preferred airport includes a runway condition for the at least one preferred airport.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein the dynamic data associated with the at least one preferred airport includes at least one of a current weather condition and a forecasted weather condition for the at least one preferred airport.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein the dynamic data associated with the at least one preferred airport includes forecasted visibility information for the at least one preferred airport.

8. The method of claim 1, further comprising determining the aircraft has been diverted from a destination airport, prior to identifying the plurality of airports.

9. The method of claim 1, wherein identifying at least one preferred airport further comprises identifying the at least one preferred airport based on at least one minimum indicated by a type of the aircraft and an operator of the aircraft.

10. The method of claim 1, further comprising receiving dynamic data associated with the plurality of airports.

11. A flight plan system for use in identifying at least one alternate airport for an aircraft, said flight plan system comprising:

a memory device storing static data associated with a first plurality of airports; and

a processing device coupled to said memory device and configured to;

identify a second plurality of airports from the first plurality of airports based on the static data; and

identify at least one preferred airport from the second plurality of airports based on dynamic data associated with the at least one preferred airport, wherein at least one of the static data and the dynamic data is associated with at least one weight that enables at least one of the second plurality of airports and the at least one preferred airport to be identified based on a relative importance of the at least one of the static data and the dynamic data.

12. The flight plan system of claim 11, wherein the static data includes location information for each of at least the second plurality of airports, and the dynamic data includes visibility information and traffic density information for at least the at least one preferred airport.

13. The flight plan system of claim 11, further comprising a communication interface configured to communicate, through aviation radio signals, to receive the dynamic data associated with the second plurality of airports.

14. The flight plan system of claim 11, further comprising an input device coupled to said processing device, wherein said processing device is further configured to receive, via said input device, an input requesting the at least one preferred airport.

15. The flight plan system of claim 11, further comprising an electronic flight bag.

16. The flight plan system of claim 11, wherein said memory and said processor are within an aircraft.

17. The flight plan system of claim 11, further comprising a display device coupled to said processing device, wherein said processing device is further configured to display, at said display device, the at least one preferred airport to an operator.

18. The flight plan system of claim 11, wherein the dynamic data includes forecasted visibility information for the at least one preferred airport.

19. One or more non-transitory computer-readable storage media having computer-executable instructions embodied thereon, wherein, when executed by at least one processing device, said computer-executable instructions cause the at least one processing device to:

identify a plurality of airports based on static data associated with a plurality of airports; and

identify a plurality of preferred airports from the plurality of airports based on dynamic data associated with the plurality of preferred airports, wherein at least one of the static data and the dynamic data is associated with at least one weight that enables at least one of the plurality of airports and the plurality of preferred airports to be identified based on a relative importance of the at least one of the static data and the dynamic data.

20. The non-transitory computer-readable storage media of claim 19, wherein the computer-executable instruction further cause the at least one processing device to prioritize the plurality of preferred airports based on at least traffic density information included in the dynamic data.