Event-based flight management system, device, and method

• US 9,620,021 B1
• Filed: 04/20/2015
• Issued: 04/11/2017
• Est. Priority Date: 01/17/2013
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Rockwell Collins, Inc. (Rtx Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Rockwell Collins, Inc. (Rtx Corporation)
• Inventors: Barber, Sarah
• Primary Examiner(s): Edwards, Jerrah
• Assistant Examiner(s): Wallace, Donald J
• Application Number:
  US14/690,814
• Time in Patent Office: 722 Days
• Field of Search: None
• CPC Class Codes: B64D 43/00 Arrangements or adaptations of instruments arrangements of cameras B64D47/08; aeronautical measuring instruments per se G01C
• 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: G01C 23/005 Flight directors indicating arrangements specially adapted for rotary gyroscopes G01C19/32
• 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 5/0052 for cruising combined instruments indicating more than one navigational value G01C23/00

Abstract

A system and methods for generating one or more flight management strips presentable to a viewer on a display unit are disclosed. The flight management strip generating system may include a flight management system (FMS) and an event generator (EG). The EG may be configured to receive flight management data and generate event data representative of a flight management strip(s). In some embodiments, each flight management strip may be informative of FMS event(s) and comprised of a first row, a plurality of second rows, and one or more third rows. In some embodiments, a first flight management strip or at least one second management strip is informative of one FMS event and comprised of a plurality of rows. First rows may be reserved for a display of time(s), second rows for the display of FMS event(s), and third rows for the display of an FMS mode.

Claims

1. An event-based flight management system, such system comprising:

a flight management system (“

FMS”

); and

an event generator including at least one processor coupled to a non-transitory processor-readable medium storing processor-executable code and configured to;

receive flight management data representative of at least one future vertical mode action or future lateral mode action from the FMS, where

each future vertical mode action and each future lateral mode action is comprised of one FMS event;

generate event data representative of at least one flight management strip, where each flight management strip is

informative of a plurality of FMS events, and

comprised of a first row and a plurality of second rows, where

the first row is reserved for the display of at least one commencement time for the plurality of FMS events, and

each second row is vertically disposed from the first row and reserved for the display of visual information indicative of one of the plurality of FMS events; and

provide the event data to a presentation system; and

a presentation system configured to;

receive the event data, whereby

each flight management strip represented in the event data is presentable to at least one viewer on at least one visual display unit.

2. The system of claim 1, wherein

each future vertical mode action is comprised of

one vertical FMS event, or

one speed/thrust FMS event, and

each future lateral mode action is comprised of one lateral FMS event.

3. The system of claim 1, wherein

the first row displays at least one commencement time for the plurality of FMS events for each commencement time that is available, or

the first row does not display a commencement time for the plurality of FMS events when a commencement time for the plurality of FMS events is not available.

4. The system of claim 1, wherein

at least one commencement time is expressed as

a time-to-go,

a time in between sequential FMS events, or

a coordinated universal time.

5. The system of claim 1, wherein the display of visual information indicative of one FMS event is comprised of an icon, text, or both.

6. The system of claim 1, wherein

each flight management strip is further comprised of

at least one third row reserved for the display of second visual information indicative of a future vertical mode or a future lateral mode, and

comprised of an icon, text, or both.

7. The system of claim 1, wherein the event generator is at least one processor of the FMS.

8. The system of claim 1, wherein at least one visual display unit is comprised of a visual display of a portable electronic device.

9. An event-based flight management method, such method comprising:

receiving by at least one processor coupled to a non-transitory processor-readable medium storing processor-executable code flight management data representative of at least one future vertical mode action or future lateral mode action from a flight management system (“

FMS”

), where

each future vertical mode action and each future lateral mode action is comprised of one FMS event;

generating event data representative of at least one flight management strip, where

each flight management strip is

informative of a plurality of FMS events, and

comprised of a first row and a plurality of second rows, where

the first row is reserved for the display of at least one commencement time for the plurality of FMS events, and

each second row is vertically disposed from the first row and reserved for the display of visual information indicative of one of the plurality of FMS events; and

providing the event data to a presentation system, whereby

each flight management strip represented in the event data is presentable to at least one viewer on at least one visual display unit.

10. The method of claim 9, wherein

each future vertical mode action is comprised of

one vertical FMS event, or

one speed/thrust FMS event, and

each future lateral mode action is comprised of one lateral FMS event.

11. The method of claim 9, wherein

the first row displays at least one commencement time for the plurality of FMS events for each commencement time that is available, or

the first row does not display a commencement time for the plurality of FMS events when a commencement time for the plurality of FMS events is not available.

12. The method of claim 9, wherein

at least one commencement time is expressed as

a time-to-go,

a time in between sequential FMS events, or

a coordinated universal time.

13. The method of claim 9, wherein the display of visual information indicative of one FMS event is comprised of an icon, text, or both.

14. The method of claim 9, wherein

each flight management strip is further comprised of

at least one third row reserved for the display of second visual information indicative of a future vertical mode or a future lateral mode, and comprised of an icon, text, or both.

15. An event-based flight management method, such method comprising:

receiving by at least one processor coupled to a non-transitory processor-readable medium storing processor-executable code flight management data representative of at least one future vertical mode action or future lateral mode action, where

each future vertical mode action and each future lateral mode action is comprised of one FMS event;

generating event data representative of a first flight management strip and at least one second flight management strip, where

the first flight management strip is informative of a first FMS event, and

comprised of a first row and a second row, where

the first row is reserved for the display of at least one commencement time for the first FMS event, and

the second row is vertically disposed from the first row and reserved for the display of first visual information indicative of the first FMS event, and

each second flight management strip is

informative of a second FMS event occurring at the at least one commencement time, and

comprised of one third row only vertically disposed from the first and second rows and reserved for the display of second visual information indicative of the second FMS event without the display of the at least one commencement time; and

providing the event data to a presentation system, whereby

the first flight management strip and the at least one second flight management strip represented in the event data are presentable to at least one viewer on at least one visual display unit.

16. The method of claim 15, wherein

each future vertical mode action is comprised of

one vertical FMS event, or

one speed/thrust FMS event, and

each future lateral mode action is comprised of one lateral FMS event.

17. The method of claim 15, wherein

the first row displays at least one commencement time for each commencement time that is available, or

the first row does not display a commencement time when a commencement time is not available.

18. The method of claim 15, wherein

at least one commencement time is expressed as

a time-to-go,

a time in between sequential FMS events, or

a coordinated universal time.

19. The method of claim 15, wherein the display of the first visual information and the second visual information are comprised of an icon, text, or both.

20. The method of claim 15, wherein

the first flight management strip, at least one second flight management strip, or both are further comprised of a fourth row reserved for the display of third visual information

indicative of a future vertical mode or a future lateral mode, and

comprised of an icon, text, or both.