Automatic real-time flight plan updates

• US 9,697,737 B2
• Filed: 09/30/2014
• Issued: 07/04/2017
• Est. Priority Date: 09/30/2014
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: The Boeing Co.
• Original Assignee: The Boeing Co.
• Inventors: Bailey, Louis J., Hale, Ryan D.
• Primary Examiner(s): SOOFI, YAZAN A
• Application Number:
  US14/503,179
• Publication Number:
  US 20160093217A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,008 Days
• Field of Search: 701120
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 5/0013 with a ground station
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 5/0021 located in the aircraft
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 5/0026 located on the ground
• 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 providing flight plan information to a user, the method comprising:

receiving, by a first computing device configured with an efficiency and operational flight object system operable to update a flight plan in real time, a flight object via a communication network communicatively coupled to the first computing device, the flight object comprising a software container containing flight plan information, the efficiency and operational flight object system operable to update the flight plan for efficiency and optimization in reference to the flight plan and an aircraft associated with the flight plan;

processing the flight object to identify flight plan information pertaining to a planned flight associated with an aircraft;

receiving, by the first computing device, real time flight information pertaining to the aircraft as the aircraft conducts the planned flight;

based on the real time flight information, updating the flight plan information contained in the flight object;

receiving a selection of one of a plurality of communications channels that employ different communications technologies and are selectable based on selection criteria; and

sending the updated flight plan information to a target system using the selected communications channel, wherein only the selected communications channel is used for sending the updated flight plan information.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the real time flight information is associated with one or more indications of significance.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the real time flight information comprises user notes.

4. The method of claim 3, wherein the user notes comprises one or more of flight events, personal comments, or operational requirements.

5. The method of claim 1, further comprising making the real time flight information and updated flight plan information available for viewing on the computing device.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein:

said real time flight information is sent from a system on-board the aircraft to an off-board system;

said updating the flight plan information is performed by the off-board system; and

said providing the updated flight plan information to the first computing device is performed by the off-board system.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein:

the first computing device and a second computing device are on-board computing devices that are communicatively coupled;

said real time flight information is sent from a system on-board the aircraft to the first and second computing devices;

said updating the flight information is performed by the second computing device; and

said providing the updated flight information to the first computing device is performed by the second computing device.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein the first computing device is a mobile computing device and the real time flight information is received manually from the user.

9. The method of claim 1, wherein the first computing device is a mobile computing device and the current and predicted flight information and user notes is received via an input mechanism on the mobile computing device.

10. The method of claim 9, wherein the input mechanism comprises an image capture device.

11. The method of claim 6, wherein the real time flight information is received using automatic dependent surveillance-broadcast (ADS-B).

12. The method of claim 1, wherein the real time flight information includes one or more of time sequencing of a waypoint, weather, turbulence, fuel on board, fuel at destination, and estimated time of arrival at the destination.

13. The method of claim 2, wherein the indications of significance comprises one or more of “

personal,”

“

current flight only,”

“

unofficial,” and

“

official”

.

14. A computing device configured to provide flight information to a user, the device comprising at least a display, a processor, and memory, the memory having stored thereon computer executable instructions that, when executed by the processor, cause the device to at least:

receive a flight object via a communication network, the flight object comprising a software container containing flight plan information;

automatically compile real time flight information in real time, the information pertaining to an aircraft as the aircraft conducts a planned flight;

based on the real time flight information, updating flight plan information contained in the flight object, the flight plan information updated for efficiency and optimization in reference to a flight plan for the planned flight and an aircraft associated with the flight plan;

receiving a selection of one of a plurality of communications channels that are selectable based on selection criteria; and

sending the updated flight plan information to a target system using the selected communications channel, wherein only the selected communications channel is used for sending the updated flight plan information.

15. The computing device of claim 14, wherein the updated flight information is received from another computing device communicatively coupled to the communication network.

16. The computing device of claim 14, wherein the updated flight information is received from an efficiency and operational flight object system executing on the computing device.

17. The computing device of claim 14, wherein the real time flight information comprises user notes.

18. The computing device of claim 14, wherein the real time flight information is associated with one or more indications of significance.

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

receive a flight object via a communication network communicatively coupled to the system, the flight object comprising a software container containing flight plan information;

identify, from the flight object, flight information pertaining to a planned flight associated with an aircraft;

receive real time flight information pertaining to the aircraft with respect to the planned flight;

based on the real time flight information, updating the flight information contained in the flight object, the flight information updated for efficiency and optimization in reference to a flight plan for the planned flight and an aircraft associated with the flight plan;

receiving a selection of one of a plurality of communications channels that are selectable based on selection criteria; and

sending the updated flight plan information to a target system using the selected communications channel, wherein only the selected communications channel is used for sending the updated flight plan information.

20. The system of claim 19, wherein the updated flight information is received a computing device communicatively coupled to the communication network.

21. The system of claim 19, wherein the real time flight information is associated with one or more indications of significance.