Method for displaying an aeronautical flight plan comprising a step of flight data configuration

• US 9,202,381 B2
• Filed: 10/31/2013
• Issued: 12/01/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 11/30/2012
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Thales SA
• Original Assignee: Thales SA
• Inventors: Aymeric, Bruno, Andre, Ccile, Le Roux, Yannick, Michel, Franois
• Primary Examiner(s): CHEUNG, CALVIN K
• Application Number:
  US14/069,272
• Publication Number:
  US 20140156114A1
• Time in Patent Office: 761 Days
• Field of Search: None
• US Class Current: 1/1
• 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: G08G 5/0021 located in the aircraft
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 5/003 Flight plan management
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 5/0034 Assembly of a flight plan
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 5/0039 Modification of a flight plan

Abstract

The general field of the invention is that of methods of graphic representation, modification and validation of an aeronautical flight plan for an aircraft avionics system. The system comprises means for computing and generating said flight plan, a task management system, a visualization device displaying a graphic representation of said flight plan and a man-machine interface suitable for making selections, modifications or additions to the information contained in said graphic representation, said selections, modifications and additions being taken into account by the task management system, said graphic representation containing a timeline on which feature at least the various phases of the flight plan and the information corresponding to said phases. The method according to the invention contains a step of displaying at least one item of information depending on several parameters and the graphic representation of which depends on the level of available information about said parameters.

Claims

1. A method of graphic representation, modification and validation of an aeronautical flight plan for an aircraft avionics system, the aircraft avionics system comprising:

a flight management computer that generates the flight plan;

a task management system that manages tasks necessary for performance of the flight plan;

a visualization device displaying a graphic representation of the flight plan; and

a man-machine interface suitable for making selections of, modifications to, or additions to information contained in the graphic representation,

the selections, modifications, and additions being taken into account by the task management system,

the graphic representation containing;

a timeline that features one or more phases of the flight plan, and

information corresponding to the one or more phases,

wherein the method includes;

displaying at least one item of information depending on several parameters and the graphic representation of which depends on a level of available information about the parameters,

the parameters being classed into three categories;

absolutely necessary;

wherein, in response to this parameter being absent, the at least one item of information is not computed;

necessary;

wherein, in response to this parameter being absent, a default value is used and the at least one item of information is represented in shaded form; and

optional;

wherein, in response to this parameter being absent, a default value is used and the at least one item of information is represented in a normal way.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the at least one item of information includes information that is displayed as text composed of alphanumeric characters, wherein a contrast of the alphanumeric characters depends on the level of available information about the parameters.

3. The method of claim 2, further comprising:

selecting the information that is displayed as the text composed of the alphanumeric characters; and

in response to the selection of the information that is displayed as the text composed of the alphanumeric characters being made, opening a graphic window containing a list of names of the parameters, the parameters being able to be validated, modified, or completed using the man-machine interface.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the man-machine interface is a touch-sensitive surface arranged on the visualization device.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein the at least one item of information includes information that is displayed as text composed of alphanumeric characters, wherein a colour of the alphanumeric characters depends on the level of available information about the parameters.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein the at least one item of information includes information that is displayed as text composed of alphanumeric characters, wherein a size of the alphanumeric characters depends on the level of available information about the parameters.