Aviation display depiction of weather threats

• US 9,625,577 B1
• Filed: 04/25/2016
• Issued: 04/18/2017
• Est. Priority Date: 09/27/2011
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Rockwell Collins, Inc. (Rtx Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Rockwell Collins, Inc. (Rtx Corporation)
• Inventors: Finley, Jeffery A., Robertson, Roy E., Dyche, Hubert C., Koenigs, Gregory J., Dickerson, Charles J.
• Primary Examiner(s): BYTHROW, PETER M
• Application Number:
  US15/137,645
• Time in Patent Office: 358 Days
• CPC Class Codes: B64D 15/20 Means for detecting icing or initiating de-icing
• 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: G01S 13/89 for mapping or imaging
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 13/95 for meteorological use
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 13/953 mounted on aircraft
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 7/04 Display arrangements
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 7/062 in which different colours are used
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 11/001 Texturing; Colouring; Generation of texture or colour inpainting G06T5/77
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 11/60 Editing figures and text; Combining figures or text
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 5/0091 for monitoring atmospheric conditions radar or analogous systems specially adapted for meteorological use G01S13/95; meteorology G01W
• CPC Class Codes: Y02A 90/10 Information and communication technologies [ICT] supporting adaptation to climate change, e.g. for weather forecasting or climate simulation

Abstract

A method for indicating a weather threat to an aircraft is provided. The method includes inferring a weather threat to an aircraft and causing an image to be displayed on an aviation display in response to a determination by aircraft processing electronics that the inferred weather threat to the aircraft is greater than a measured weather threat to the aircraft.

Claims

1. A method, comprising:

determining a first threat level associated with a threat posed to an aircraft by a weather characteristic based on radar return data;

detecting a weather threat to the aircraft;

determining a second threat level posed to the aircraft by the weather threat; and

causing a pattern to be overlaid on an image of the weather characteristic displayed on an aviation display, wherein the pattern is overlaid on a location of the aviation display corresponding to the location of the weather characteristic in response to determining that the second threat level is greater than the first threat level.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the pattern comprises a speckled pattern allowing an underlying color of the weather characteristic to show through between the speckles.

3. The method of claim 1, further comprising detecting the weather threat to the aircraft based on at least one of a wind speed, a wind direction, and a size of a weather cell, and wherein the weather threat comprises a blow off region.

4. The method of claim 3, wherein the weather threat to the aircraft is located in a region downwind of the weather cell, and wherein the weather cell is capable of producing at least one of hail, lightning, and turbulence.

5. The method of claim 1, further comprising detecting the weather threat to the aircraft based on a temperature and reflectivity, wherein the weather threat comprises an electrified region capable of producing a lightning strike.

6. The method of claim 5, wherein the electrified region is a non-active high voltage region, and wherein the aircraft increases a likelihood of the non-active high voltage region striking.

7. The method of claim 1, further comprising changing at least one of the size and shape of the pattern in response to a change in a level of the detected turbulence threat to the aircraft.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein the weather characteristic is a precipitation rate.

9. An apparatus, comprising:

processing electronics configured to;

determine a first threat level associated with a threat posed to an aircraft by a weather characteristic based on radar return data;

determine a weather threat to the aircraft;

determine a second threat level posed to the aircraft by the weather threat;

cause a portion of an image of the weather characteristic displayed on a display to be adjusted based on the second threat level exceeding the first threat level.

10. The apparatus of claim 9, wherein the processing electronics are configured to cause a color of a portion of the image to be adjusted in response to the probability of at least one of hail, lightning, and turbulence within a weather cell exceeding a threshold.

11. The apparatus of claim 10, wherein adjusting the color of a portion of the image comprises changing the color to a color indicating an increased severity.

12. The apparatus of claim 9, wherein the processing electronics are configured to cause a portion of the image to change color based on temperature and reflectivity as a function of altitude.

13. The apparatus of claim 9, wherein the processing electronics are configured to adjust a color of a portion of the image in response to at least one of an inference of lightning and hail within a weather cell.

14. The apparatus of claim 10, wherein the weather characteristic is a precipitation rate and the weather threat is turbulence.

15. A system, comprising:

a processing circuit configured to;

determine a first threat level associated with a threat posed to an aircraft by a weather characteristic based on radar return data;

determine a weather threat to the aircraft using an algorithm to infer one of a blow off region from an anvil, an electrified region of airspace, an updraft, and whether a weather cell will grow into a path of the aircraft;

determine a second threat level posed to the aircraft by the weather threat; and

cause an icon to be overlaid on an image of the weather characteristic displayed on an aviation display in response to the second threat level exceeding the first threat level.

16. The system of claim 15, wherein the weather cell is at an altitude below the aircraft, and wherein the processing circuit is further configured to determine a growth rate of a weather cell.

17. The system of claim 15, wherein the weather threat to the aircraft is determined based on a probability that a weather cell will grow into the flight path of the aircraft.

18. The system of claim 17, wherein the size of the icon is representative of a size of the weather threat.

19. The system of claim 18, wherein the processing circuit is further configured to adjust the size of the icon based on how close a weather cell is predicted to be to a current or predicted flight path of the aircraft.

20. The system of claim 15, wherein the blow off region from an anvil is inferred from a wind speed, a wind direction, and a size of a weather cell, wherein the electrified region of airspace is inferred from a temperature and a reflectivity, wherein the updraft is inferred from a temperature and a reflectivity as a function of altitude, and wherein whether a weather cell will grow into a path of the aircraft is inferred from a change in an altitude of an echo top of a weather cell over time.