AUTOMATED FLIGHT OBJECT PROCEDURE SELECTION SYSTEM

• US 20160093221A1
• Filed: 09/30/2014
• Published: 03/31/2016
• 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.
• Granted Patent: US 9,472,106 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 1/1
• 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: 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 5/0034 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
• 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: G08G 5/0095 Aspects of air-traffic control not provided for in the other subgroups of this main group

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 generating flight information in real time, comprising:

receiving flight information indicative of one or more flight objects on a computing device configured with an efficiency and operational flight object function operable to update a flight plan in real time, the one or more flight objects comprising a software container containing flight plan information;

extracting, by the efficiency and operational flight object function, the flight information from the one or more flight objects and rendering the flight information for viewing;

receiving, by the efficiency and operational flight object function, a flight plan entry associated with the flight information;

determining, by the efficiency and operational flight object function, optimized and efficiency flight plan routing, fuel loading, departure, arrival, and approach procedure flight information based on the flight plan entry;

generating, by the efficiency and operational flight object function, an optimized and efficiency flight plan routing, fuel loading, departure, arrival, and approach procedure flight information advisory; and

rendering the optimized and efficiency flight plan routing, fuel loading, departure, arrival, and approach procedure flight information advisory for viewing.

2. The method of claim 1, further comprising providing a user interface option to initiate selection of the optimized and efficiency flight plan routing, fuel loading, departure, arrival, and approach procedure flight information advisory.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the advisory includes runway, standard instrument departure, standard instrument departure transitions, standard terminal arrival procedure, standard terminal arrival procedure transition, approach and approach transition procedure.

4. The method of claim 1, further comprising providing at least one suggested advisory when one or more portions of the advisory are not in the current flight plan.

5. The method of claim 4, further comprising providing an option to accept the suggested advisory or request another suggestion.

6. The method of claim 4, wherein the suggested advisory is configurable.

7. A computing device for managing flight information in real time, the computing 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:

receiving flight information indicative of one or more flight objects via at least one network communicatively coupled to the computing device, the one or more flight objects comprising a software container containing flight plan information;

extracting the flight information from the one or more flight objects and rendering the flight information for viewing;

receiving a flight plan entry associated with the flight information;

determining optimized and efficiency flight plan routing, fuel loading, departure, arrival, and approach procedure flight information based on the flight plan entry;

generating an optimized and efficiency flight plan routing, fuel loading, departure, arrival, and approach procedure flight information advisory; and

rendering the optimized and efficiency flight plan routing, fuel loading, departure, arrival, and approach procedure flight information advisory for viewing.

8. The computing device of claim 7, wherein the one or more flight objects comprise flight information for a planned flight.

9. The computing device of claim 7, wherein the target system comprises one of a flight management computer or a system of a service provider.

10. The computing device of claim 7, further comprising computer executable instructions that, when executed by the at least one processor, cause the device to at least store and modify the one or more flight objects.

11. The computing device of claim 7, wherein the one or more flight objects comprise flight information of one or more procedures, and wherein the flight object processing function provides an option to search the one or more procedures to determine if any are pertinent to a current flight plan associated with the one or more flight information objects.

12. 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:

receiving data indicative of one or more flight objects via at least one network communicatively coupled to the system, the one or more flight objects comprising a software container containing flight plan information;

extracting flight information from the one or more flight objects and rendering the flight information for viewing;

receiving a flight plan entry associated with the flight information;

determining optimized and efficiency flight plan routing, fuel loading, departure, arrival, and approach procedure flight information based on the flight plan entry;

generating an optimized and efficiency flight plan routing, fuel loading, departure, arrival, and approach procedure flight information advisory; and

rendering the optimized and efficiency flight plan routing, fuel loading, departure, arrival, and approach procedure flight information advisory for viewing.

13. The system of claim 12, further comprising computer executable instructions that, when executed by the at least one processor, cause the system to at least provide at least one suggested procedure when none of the one or more procedures are in the current flight plan.

14. The system of claim 12, further comprising computer executable instructions that, when executed by the at least one processor, cause the system to at least provide an option to accept the at least one suggested procedure or request another suggestion.