Weather avoidance tool system

• US 9,243,922 B2
• Filed: 02/28/2013
• Issued: 01/26/2016
• Est. Priority Date: 02/28/2012
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Blue Eagle Fund, LLC
• Original Assignee: Delta Air Lines Incorporated
• Inventors: Watts, William Henry
• Primary Examiner(s): Tarcza, Thomas
• Assistant Examiner(s): EVANS, GARRETT F
• Application Number:
  US13/781,573
• Publication Number:
  US 20130226452A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,062 Days
• Field of Search: None
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G01C 21/3407 specially adapted for specific applications
• CPC Class Codes: G01W 2001/003 Clear air turbulence detection or forecasting, e.g. for aircrafts
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 5/0021 located in the aircraft
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 5/0034 Assembly of a flight plan
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 5/0091 for monitoring atmospheric conditions radar or analogous systems specially adapted for meteorological use G01S13/95; meteorology G01W

Abstract

A method of providing a simplified practice for dealing with aviation turbulence and other weather hazards that allows the end users to better communicate turbulence as a state of the atmosphere metric and the additional weather threats affecting the flight is described. The method provides an Atmospheric State Index (ASI) that allows all the users to work with a standardized metric that describes the turbulence as the state of the atmosphere and a similar scale for other weather risks to the flight. This system makes the correlation between the forecast and aircraft reports for turbulence easier to interpret for the end users. This approach concentrates on turbulence as a weather hazard with a more objective and easier to use metric. This configuration provides a transition for moving from a system based on turbulence Pilot Reports (PIREPS) to a more objective data driven process in the air traffic environment.

Claims

1. A computer-implemented method for executing a path of air travel through a three dimensional travel region having at least two travel hazards each having varying degrees of intensity, said method comprising the steps of:

receiving, via one or more processors, data relating to each of said at least two travel hazards, said at least two travel hazards comprising a first hazard of a first hazard type and a second hazard of a second hazard type, and said data comprising first hazard data indicative of a deterministic intensity of the first hazard and second hazard data indicative of a deterministic intensity of the second hazard;

wherein at least one of said first hazard data or said second hazard data further comprise live reports indicative of observed weather conditions and deterministic future forecasts;

converting, via the one or more processors, each of said first hazard data and said second hazard data to fit to an atmospheric state intensity scale defined by a plurality of deterministic intensity values common across the first hazard type and the second hazard type, such that said first hazard data is indicative of the deterministic intensity of said first hazard along said atmospheric state intensity scale, and such that said second hazard data is indicative of the deterministic intensity of said second hazard along said atmospheric state intensity scale, wherein a first value of said plurality of deterministic intensity values is indicative of the deterministic intensity of said first hazard and a second value of said plurality of deterministic intensity values is indicative of the deterministic intensity of said second hazard determined based at least in part on a deterministic model; and

generating, via a display device in communication with the one or more processors, a graphical display indicative, in a uniform and integral fashion, of;

(1) the path of air travel through the three dimensional travel region, (2) the deterministic intensity of said first hazard along said atmospheric state intensity scale, (3) the deterministic intensity of said second hazard along said atmospheric state intensity scale, and (4) the location of the live reports.

2. The method as claimed in claim 1, wherein said first hazard is turbulence and said second hazard is icing.

3. The method as claimed in claim 1, wherein at least one of said first hazard data and said second hazard data comprises data dependent upon aircraft response characteristics that can further be used to describe an atmospheric state.

4. The method as claimed in claim 1, further comprising steps for:

displaying, via the display device, said first hazard data and said second hazard data in the form of two different screen displays comprising a first screen display and a second screen display, said first screen display displaying information indicative of the deterministic intensity of the first hazard using said atmospheric state intensity scale, and said second screen display displaying information indicative of the deterministic intensity of the second hazard using said atmospheric state intensity scale.

5. The method as claimed in claim 4, wherein said first screen display and said second screen display are displayed in the alternative via a toggle feature.

6. The method as claimed in claim 1, further comprising steps for:

organizing, via the one or more processors, at least a portion of said first hazard data and said second hazard data into a plurality of data points, each of said plurality of data points comprising information indicative of a hazard type, a hazard location in space, a hazard intensity, a hazard probability indicative of a probability associated with a deterministic hazard, and a time.

7. The method as claimed in claim 1, further comprising steps for:

establishing, via the one or more processors, a travel tolerance parameter (TTP) following said atmospheric state intensity scale for each of said first hazard and said second hazard, such that a first TTP is set for said first hazard, and a second TTP is set for said second hazard; and

using, via the one or more processors, the first hazard data, the second hazard data, the first TTP, and the second TTP to execute a path of air travel through said three dimensional travel region.

8. The method as claimed in claim 7, wherein said first hazard is turbulence and said second hazard is icing.

9. The method as claimed in claim 7, further comprising steps for:

displaying, via a display device, said first hazard data and said second hazard data in the form of two different screen displays comprising a first screen display and a second screen display, said first screen display displaying information indicative of the deterministic intensity of the first hazard using said atmospheric state intensity scale, and said second screen display displaying information indicative of the intensity of the second hazard using said atmospheric state intensity scale, and wherein the information displayed via said first screen display is based at least in part on said first TTP and the information displayed via said second screen display is based at least in part on said second TTP.

10. The method as claimed in claim 7, further comprising steps for:

organizing, via the one or more computer processors, at least a portion of said first hazard data and said second hazard data into a plurality of data points, each of said plurality of data points comprising information indicative of a hazard type, a hazard location in space, a hazard intensity, a hazard probability indicative of a probability associated with a deterministic hazard, and a time.

11. The method as claimed in claim 10, wherein said first TTP and said second TTP are established at least partially in light of one of pilot training, employer guidelines, or other pilots.

12. The method as claimed in claim 11, wherein said first TTP and said second TTP are established at least partially in light of a type of flight equipment being used.

13. The method as claimed in claim 12, wherein said first TTP and said second TTP each have a probability element.

14. The method as claimed in Claim 9, wherein said first screen display comprises a first color gradation corresponding to one or more deterministic intensities of the atmospheric state intensity scale, and said second screen display comprises a second color gradation corresponding to one or more deterministic intensities of the atmospheric state intensity scale.

15. The method as claimed in Claim 10, wherein said first screen display and said second screen display each displays at least one of the deterministic future forecasts or the live reports.

16. The method as claimed in claim 7, further comprising steps for:

generating, via the one or more computer processors, an altered path of air travel based at least in part on the path of air travel, changes in at least one of the first hazard data and the second hazard data, and upon recognition that said path of air travel is incompatible with at least one of said first TTP and said second TTP.

17. The method as claimed in claim 16, wherein said first hazard is turbulence and said second hazard is icing.

18. The method of claim 16, further comprising steps for:

determining an expected completion time of said path of air travel; and

updating the expected completion time of said path of air travel based on the altered path of air travel.

23. The method as claimed in claim 7, further comprising steps for generating an alert upon a determination that at least one of the first TTP or the second TTP is exceeded by the first hazard data or the second hazard data.

19. A weather avoidance system for executing a path of air travel through a three dimensional travel region, the system comprising:

one or more memory storage areas comprising data related to at least two travel hazards each having varying degrees of deterministic intensity, said at least two travel hazards comprising a first hazard of a first hazard type and a second hazard of a second hazard type; and

one or more computer processors configured to;

receive data relating to each of said at least two travel hazards, said data comprising first hazard data indicative of a deterministic intensity of the first hazard and second hazard data indicative of a deterministic intensity of the second hazard;

wherein at least one of said first hazard data or said second hazard data further comprise live reports and deterministic future forecasts;

convert each of said first hazard data and said second hazard data to fit to an atmospheric state intensity (“

ASI”

) scale defined by a plurality of deterministic intensity values common across the first hazard type and the second hazard type, such that said first hazard data is indicative of the deterministic intensity of said first hazard along said ASI scale, and such that said second hazard data is indicative of the deterministic intensity of said second hazard along said ASI scale, wherein a first value of said plurality of deterministic intensity values is indicative of the deterministic intensity of said first hazard and a second value of said plurality of deterministic intensity values is indicative of the deterministic intensity of said second hazard determined based at least in part on a deterministic model; and

generate a graphical display indicative, in a uniform and integral fashion of;

(1) the path of air travel through the three dimensional travel region, (2) the deterministic intensity of said first hazard along said atmospheric state intensity scale, (3) the deterministic intensity of said second hazard along said atmospheric state intensity scale, and (4) the location of the live reports.

20. The system of claim 19, wherein the one or more processors are further configured to:

establish a travel tolerance parameter (TTP) following said ASI scale for each of said first hazard and said second hazard, such that a first TTP is set for said first hazard, and a second TTP is set for said second hazard; and

use said first TTP and said second TTP to further execute said path of air travel through said three dimensional travel region.

24. The system of claim 20, wherein the one or more computer processors are further configured to generate an alert upon a determination that at least one of the first TTP or the second TTP is exceeded by the first hazard data or the second hazard data.

21. A non-transitory computer program product comprising at least one computer-readable storage medium having computer-readable program code portions embodied therein, the computer-readable program code portions comprising:

(A) a first executable portion configured for receiving data relating to at least two travel hazards each having varying degrees of intensity, said at least two travel hazards comprising a first hazard of a first hazard type and a second hazard of a second hazard type, and said data comprising first hazard data indicative of a deterministic intensity of the first hazard and second hazard data indicative of a deterministic intensity of the second hazard, wherein at least one of said first hazard data or said second hazard data further comprise live reports and deterministic future forecasts;

(B) a second executable portion configured for converting each of said first hazard data and said second hazard data to fit to an atmospheric state intensity (“

ASI”

) scale defined by a plurality of deterministic intensity values common across the first hazard type and the second hazard type, such that said first hazard data is indicative of the deterministic intensity of said first hazard along said ASI scale, and such that said second hazard data is indicative of the deterministic intensity of said second hazard along said ASI scale, wherein a first value of said plurality of deterministic intensity values is indicative of the deterministic intensity of said first hazard and a second value of said plurality of deterministic intensity values is indicative of the deterministic intensity of said second hazard determined based at least in part on a deterministic model; and

(C) a third executable portion configured for generating a graphical display indicative, in a uniform and integral fashion, of;

(1) a path of air travel through a three dimensional travel region, (2) the deterministic intensity of said first hazard along said atmospheric state intensity scale, (3) the deterministic intensity of said second hazard along said atmospheric state intensity scale, and (4) the location of the live reports.

22. The non-transitory computer program product of claim 21, further comprising a fourth executable portion configured for establishing a travel tolerance parameter (TTP) following said ASI scale for each of said first hazard and said second hazard, such that a first TTP is set for said first hazard, and a second TTP is set for said second hazard;

and,

Wherein said third executable portion is additionally configured for using said first TTP and said second TTP to execute said path of air travel through said three dimensional travel region.

25. The non-transitory computer program product of claim 22, further comprising a fifth executable portion configured to generate an alert upon a determination that at least one of the first TTP or the second TTP is exceeded by the first hazard data or the second hazard data.