Flight path discontinuities

• US 9,443,434 B2
• Filed: 09/30/2014
• Issued: 09/13/2016
• Est. Priority Date: 09/30/2014
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: The Boeing Co.
• Original Assignee: The Boeing Co.
• Inventors: Hale, Ryan D., Bailey, Louis J.
• Primary Examiner(s): LANG, MICHAEL DEAN
• Application Number:
  US14/503,236
• Publication Number:
  US 20160093218A1
• Time in Patent Office: 714 Days
• Field of Search: 701/120
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 5/0004 Transmission of traffic-related information to or from an aircraft airborne radio transmission systems in general H04B7/185; airborne wireless networks H04W84/06
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 5/0013 with a ground station
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 5/0017 Arrangements for implementing traffic-related aircraft activities, e.g. arrangements for generating, displaying, acquiring or managing traffic information head-up displays G02B27/01; ground or aircraft-carrier-deck-installations B64F
• 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
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 5/0091 for monitoring atmospheric conditions radar or analogous systems specially adapted for meteorological use G01S13/95; meteorology G01W

Abstract

Systems and methods for processing aircraft flight information and flight plan information are described. Specific techniques are described for managing flight data in real time, sharing flight data between a plurality of systems, dynamically managing flight information, generating flight plan information, providing flight plan information to a user, and closing flight plan discontinuities.

Claims

1. A method of adding or removing flight information discontinuities, the method comprising:

accessing one or more flight objects on a computing device configured with an efficiency and operational flight object system operable to update a flight plan in real time, the one or more flight objects communicated via at least one network coupled to the computing device, the flight object comprising a software container containing flight plan information;

extracting, by the efficiency and operational flight object system, flight information from the one or more flight objects and identifying a flight plan in the flight information, the flight plan associated with a first subscriber;

automatically identifying, by the efficiency and operational flight object system, one or more discontinuities that can be added to the flight plan or removed from the flight plan;

receiving, by the efficiency and operational flight object system, an indication of a second subscriber for the flight plan; and

processing, by the efficiency and operational flight object system, the flight plan and generating flight information that adds or removes the one or more discontinuities, based at least in part on a communication protocol associated with the second subscriber.

2. The method of claim 1, further comprising removing the one or more discontinuities from the flight plan.

3. The method of claim 1, further comprising adding the one or more discontinuities to the flight plan.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the flight plan comprises at least an origin and destination.

5. The method of claim 1, further comprising rendering the generated flight information on a user interface of the computing device.

6. The method of claim 1, further comprising uploading, via at least one network, the flight information message for transmission to the second subscriber.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein the discontinuities comprise one or more of terminal or enroute procedures of a standard instrument departure, departure transition, enroute, standard terminal arrival route, arrival transitions, approaches and approach transitions.

8. A computing device configured to add or remove flight information discontinuities, the device comprising at least a processor and memory, the memory having stored thereon computer executable instructions that, when executed by the at least one processor, cause the device to at least:

access one or more flight objects received via at least one network coupled to the computing device, the flight object comprising a software container containing flight plan information;

identify a flight plan in the one or more flight objects;

determine a subscriber for the flight plan; and

generate flight information that adds or removes one or more discontinuities based on the flight plan and a communication protocol associated with the subscriber.

9. The computing device of claim 8, wherein the flight plan includes a flight path comprising at least an origin and destination.

10. The computing device of claim 8, further comprising computer executable instructions that, when executed by the at least one processor, cause the device to at least render the generated flight information on a user interface of the computing device.

11. The computing device of claim 8, further comprising computer executable instructions that, when executed by the at least one processor, cause the device to at least upload, via the at least one network, the flight plan for transmission to a target system associated with the subscriber.

12. The computing device of claim 8, wherein the discontinuities comprise one or more of terminal or enroute procedures of a standard instrument departure, departure transition, enroute, standard terminal arrival route, arrival transitions, approaches and approach transitions.

13. A system comprising at least a processor and memory, the memory having stored thereon computer executable instructions that, when executed by the at least one processor, cause the system to:

access one or more flight objects received via at least one network coupled to the computing device, the flight object comprising a software container containing flight plan information;

extracting flight information from the one or more flight objects and identifying a flight plan in the flight information, the flight plan associated with a first subscriber;

identifying one or more discontinuities that can be added to or removed from the flight plan;

receiving an indication of a second subscriber for the flight plan; and

processing the flight plan, generating flight information that includes or removes the one or more discontinuities, based at least in part on a communication protocol associated with the second subscriber.

14. The system of claim 13, wherein the flight plan comprises at least an origin and destination.

15. The system of claim 13, further comprising computer executable instructions that, when executed by the at least one processor, cause the system to at least render the generated flight information on a user interface of the system.

16. The system of claim 13, further comprising computer executable instructions that, when executed by the at least one processor, cause the system to at least upload, via the at least one network, the flight information for transmission to a target system associated with the subscriber.

17. The system of claim 13, wherein the discontinuities comprise one or more of terminal or enroute procedures of a standard instrument departure, departure transition, enroute, standard terminal arrival route, arrival transitions, approaches and approach transitions.