Methods and systems for displaying a vertical profile for an aircraft procedure with nonuniform scaling

• US 9,852,493 B2
• Filed: 02/22/2016
• Issued: 12/26/2017
• Est. Priority Date: 04/21/2009
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Honeywell International Inc.
• Original Assignee: Honeywell International Inc.
• Inventors: Wilson, Jr., Blake W., Burgin, Roger W., Chytil, Michael
• Primary Examiner(s): He, Yingchun
• Application Number:
  US15/049,784
• Publication Number:
  US 20160171650A1
• Time in Patent Office: 673 Days
• Field of Search: None
• CPC Class Codes: G01C 21/20 Instruments for performing navigational calculations G01C21/24, G01C21/26 take precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 3/40 Scaling of whole images or parts thereof, e.g. expanding or contracting
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 5/0021 located in the aircraft
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 5/025 Navigation or guidance aids radar or analogous systems specially adapted for landing purposes G01S13/913

Abstract

Methods and systems are provided for presenting procedure information for a vertical profile on a display device associated with an aircraft. A method comprises displaying a first segment of the plurality of segments comprising a vertical profile with a first vertical scale and a first horizontal scale, wherein the first horizontal scale is based on a first distance associated with the first segment. The method further comprises displaying a second segment of the plurality of segments with the first vertical scale and a second horizontal scale, wherein the second horizontal scale is based on a second distance associated with the second segment. The first horizontal scale and the second horizontal scale are not equal. In this manner, the vertical profile has a nonuniform horizontal scale and a uniform vertical scale across segments.

Claims

1. A display system comprising:

a database containing procedure information for an action comprising a plurality of navigational segments;

a display device; and

a processing architecture coupled to the display device and the database to render a vertical profile of the action on the display device, the vertical profile having a uniform vertical scale, wherein;

the vertical profile comprises;

a first navigational segment of the plurality of navigational segments rendered on the display device with a first horizontal scale based on a first distance associated with the first navigational segment; and

a second navigational segment of the plurality of navigational segments rendered on the display device with a second horizontal scale based on a second distance associated with the second navigational segment;

the first navigational segment and the second navigational segment are displayed with the same horizontal display dimensions; and

the first horizontal scale and the second horizontal scale are not equal.

2. The display system of claim 1, wherein the first navigational segment and the second navigational segment are allocated display dimensions within a viewing area on the display device such that a first horizontal dimension of the first navigational segment is equal to a second horizontal dimension of the second navigational segment, wherein the first horizontal scale is equal to a ratio of the first horizontal dimension of the first navigational segment to the first distance and the second horizontal scale is equal to a ratio of the second horizontal dimension of the second navigational segment to the second distance.

3. The display system of claim 1, wherein the vertical profile further comprises:

a first graphical representation of terrain corresponding to the first navigational segment, wherein the first graphical representation of terrain is rendered within the first navigational segment based on the uniform vertical scale and the first horizontal scale; and

a second graphical representation of terrain corresponding to the second navigational segment, wherein the second graphical representation of terrain is rendered within the second navigational segment based on the uniform vertical scale and the second horizontal scale.

4. The display system of claim 3, wherein:

the action comprises an aircraft action; and

the vertical profile further comprises a graphical representation of an aircraft within the first navigational segment based on an instantaneous position of the aircraft corresponding to the first navigational segment, wherein the graphical representation of the aircraft is positioned within the first navigational segment based on the uniform vertical scale and the first horizontal scale.

5. The display system of claim 1, further comprising a navigation system coupled to the processing architecture to obtain an instantaneous position of an aircraft, wherein:

the action comprises an aircraft action; and

the vertical profile further comprises a graphical representation of the aircraft within the first navigational segment based on the instantaneous position of the aircraft corresponding to the first navigational segment, wherein the graphical representation of the aircraft is positioned within the first navigational segment based on the uniform vertical scale and the first horizontal scale.

6. The display system of claim 1, the action comprising an approach, wherein the processing architecture is configured to display a graphical representation of a flight path for the approach on the display device within the vertical profile, wherein the graphical representation of the flight path is influenced by the uniform vertical scale, the first horizontal scale, and the second horizontal scale.

7. The display system of claim 6, wherein the vertical profile further comprises:

a first graphical representation of terrain corresponding to the first navigational segment, wherein the first graphical representation of terrain is rendered within the first navigational segment based on the uniform vertical scale and the first horizontal scale; and

a second graphical representation of terrain corresponding to the second navigational segment, wherein the second graphical representation of terrain is rendered within the second navigational segment based on the uniform vertical scale and the second horizontal scale.

8. The display system of claim 1, wherein:

the first distance is equal to a first ground distance between a first navigational reference point and a second navigational reference point defining the first navigational segment; and

the second distance is equal to a second ground distance between the second navigational reference point and a third navigational reference point defining the second navigational segment.

9. The display system of claim 8, the action comprising an approach, wherein the processing architecture is configured to display:

a first graphical representation of a first portion of a flight path for the approach from the first navigational reference point to the second navigational reference point on the display device within the first navigational segment of the vertical profile, wherein the first graphical representation of the first portion of the flight path is influenced by the uniform vertical scale and the first horizontal scale; and

a second graphical representation of a second portion of the flight path for the approach from the second navigational reference point to the third navigational reference point on the display device within the second navigational segment of the vertical profile, wherein the second graphical representation of the second portion of the flight path is influenced by the uniform vertical scale and the second horizontal scale.

10. The display system of claim 9, wherein the vertical profile further comprises:

a first graphical representation of terrain corresponding to the first navigational segment, wherein the first graphical representation of terrain is rendered within the first navigational segment based on the uniform vertical scale and the first horizontal scale; and

a second graphical representation of terrain corresponding to the second navigational segment, wherein the second graphical representation of terrain is rendered within the second navigational segment based on the uniform vertical scale and the second horizontal scale.

11. The display system of claim 10, further comprising a navigation system coupled to the processing architecture to obtain an instantaneous position of an aircraft, wherein the processing architecture is configured to display a graphical representation of the aircraft within the first navigational segment based on the instantaneous position of the aircraft corresponding to the first navigational segment, wherein the graphical representation of the aircraft is positioned within the first navigational segment based on the uniform vertical scale and the first horizontal scale.

12. The display system of claim 1, wherein the same horizontal display dimensions are allocated to the first navigational segment and the second navigational segment in a piecewise linear manner.

13. The display system of claim 1, wherein the same number of columns of pixels are allocated to the first navigational segment and the second navigational segment.

14. A method for presenting procedure information for a vertical profile of an action comprising a plurality of navigational segments on a display device, the method comprising:

displaying a first navigational segment of the plurality of navigational segments with a vertical scale and a first horizontal scale, the first horizontal scale being based on a first distance associated with the first navigational segment and first horizontal display dimensions of the first navigational segment on the display device, the first distance being equal to a first ground distance between a first navigational reference point and a second navigational reference point defining the first navigational segment; and

displaying a second navigational segment of the plurality of navigational segments with the vertical scale and a second horizontal scale, the second horizontal scale being based on a second distance associated with the second navigational segment and second horizontal display dimensions of the second navigational segment on the display device, the second distance being equal to a second ground distance between the second navigational reference point and a third navigational reference point defining the second navigational segment, wherein the first horizontal scale and the second horizontal scale are not equal and the first horizontal display dimensions and the second horizontal display dimensions are equal.

15. The method of claim 14, further comprising:

displaying a first graphical representation of terrain within the first navigational segment, wherein the first graphical representation of terrain is displayed based on the vertical scale and the first horizontal scale; and

displaying a second graphical representation of terrain within the second navigational segment, wherein the second graphical representation of terrain is displayed based on the vertical scale and the second horizontal scale.

16. The method of claim 14, further comprising displaying a graphical representation of a vehicle on the display device within the first navigational segment, wherein the graphical representation of the vehicle is positioned based on the vertical scale and the first horizontal scale such that the graphical representation of the vehicle accurately reflects an instantaneous position of the vehicle.

17. The method of claim 14, further comprising:

allocating the first horizontal display dimensions to the first navigational segment, the first horizontal scale being equal to a ratio of the first horizontal display dimensions to the first distance; and

allocating the second horizontal display dimensions to the second navigational segment, the second horizontal scale being equal to a ratio of the second horizontal display dimensions to the second distance.

18. The method of claim 17, wherein:

allocating the first horizontal display dimensions to the first navigational segment comprises allocating a first number of columns of pixels to the first navigational segment, the first horizontal scale being equal to the first number divided by the first distance; and

allocating the second horizontal display dimensions to the second navigational segment comprises allocating a second number of columns of pixels to the second navigational segment, the second horizontal scale being equal to the second number divided by the second distance, wherein;

the first distance and the second distance are unequal; and

the first number and the second number are equal.

19. A method for presenting procedure information for an action between a first navigational reference point and a second navigational reference point on a display device associated with a vehicle, the method comprising:

allocating equal horizontal display dimensions to a first navigational segment of a plurality of navigational segments of a vertical profile and a second navigational segment of the plurality of navigational segments in a piecewise linear manner;

rendering a vertical profile for the action on the display device, wherein the vertical profile is rendered with a uniform vertical scale and a nonuniform horizontal scale, wherein rendering the vertical profile with the nonuniform horizontal scale comprises;

rendering the first navigational segment with the uniform vertical scale and a first horizontal scale based on a first distance associated with the first navigational segment and the allocated horizontal display dimensions; and

rendering the second navigational segment of the plurality of navigational segments with the uniform vertical scale and a second horizontal scale based on a second distance associated with the second navigational segment and the allocated horizontal dimensions, wherein the first horizontal scale and the second horizontal scale are not equal; and

rendering a graphical representation of the vehicle on the display device within the vertical profile, wherein the graphical representation of the vehicle is positioned within the vertical profile based on the nonuniform horizontal scale and the uniform vertical scale such that the graphical representation of the vehicle accurately reflects an instantaneous position of the vehicle.

20. The method of claim 19, further comprising updating the nonuniform horizontal scale based on the instantaneous position of the vehicle.