Airport map system with compact feature data storage

• US 6,862,519 B2
• Filed: 02/20/2002
• Issued: 03/01/2005
• Est. Priority Date: 12/04/2001
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Smiths Aerospace, Inc. (Smiths Group International Holdings Ltd.)
• Original Assignee: Smiths Aerospace, Inc. (Smiths Group International Holdings Ltd.)
• Inventors: Walter, Randy L.
• Primary Examiner(s): Black, Thomas G.
• Assistant Examiner(s): To, Tuan C
• Application Number:
  US10/079,204
• Publication Number:
  US 20030105580A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,105 Days
• Field of Search: 342/456, 342/29, 342/457, 342/36, 342/37, 342/450, 342/454, 244/114.R, 701/9, 701/16, 701/120, 701/301, 701/208, 701/213, 340/963, 340/945, 340/961, 340/972, 340/947, 340/958, 340/951, 340/970, 345/619, 455/66, 455/431
• US Class Current: 701/120
• 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 5/065 Navigation or guidance aids, e.g. for taxiing or rolling

Abstract

An airport map display system for an aircraft displays the airport paved surfaces and structures to a pilot or crew member. The system displays runways, taxiways, connectors, ramps, gates, and buildings. Hold and yield points may also be displayed. A compact set of specific data points and associated pavement width values is used to store unique data for each airport.

Claims

1. An airport map system comprising:

a display screen suitable for displaying a map of an airport;

a data storage unit for storing airport map data representative of airport surface features comprising runways and taxiways, wherein runways are defined in said airport map data by two location data points and a width value; and

a processor in communication with said display screen and said data storage unit.

2. The airport map system of claim 1, wherein said airport map data comprises runway data that includes one location point at each end of the runway.

3. The airport map system of claim 2, wherein said surface features comprise buildings and each of said buildings are defined by a sequence of location points that represent the outline of said buildings.

4. The airport map system of claim 3, wherein said location points are representative of latitude and longitude coordinates.

5. The airport map system of claim 1, wherein said runways are represented by runway data, and said runway data comprises two location points that define a centerline of a runway.

6. The airport map system of claim 1, wherein said taxiways are represented by taxiway data, and said taxiways are defined by two location points that define the centerline of the taxiway.

7. The airport map system of claim 1, wherein said surface features comprise ramp areas and wherein said ramp areas are represented by ramp data, said ramp data defined by a sequence of location points that define the outline of said ramp area.

8. The airport map system of claim 1, wherein said surface features comprise a hold and yield data and said hold and said yield data are defined by a single location point.

9. The airport map system of claim 1, wherein said surface features comprise gate data and said gate data is defined by a single location point and a desired aircraft heading.

10. The airport map system of claim 1, wherein said airport map data is stored in a linked list.

11. The airport map system of claim 10, wherein said linked list comprises a taxi path ID record comprising a pointer to a taxi point record.

12. The airport map system of claim 1, wherein the taxiways are defined in said airport map data by two location points and a width value.

13. The airport map system of claim 1, wherein said airport surface features comprise arc transitions, and wherein each of said arc transitions are defined in said airport map data by two location data points, a width value, and a radius of the arc transition.

14. The airport map system of claim 1, wherein the airport map data comprises data defining straight and arc shaped travel ways, wherein the straight travel ways are defined by two location data points and a width value, and the arc travel ways are defined by two location data points, a width value, and an arc radius.

15. The airport map system of claim 1, wherein said airport map data requires less than three thousand bytes of data storage space to represent said airport surface features of a single airport.

16. A method of storing data representative of airport surface features comprising the steps of:

determining two runway location points defining the centerline for a runway;

determining a runway width value for said runway;

storing said two runway location points and said runway width value in at least one taxi point record; and

storing an identifier for said runway and a first pointer in a first taxi path ID record, said first pointer indicating the address of said taxi point records containing said runway location points.

17. The method of storing data of claim 16 further comprising the steps of:

determining two taxiway location points defining the centerline for a taxiway;

determining a taxiway width value for said taxiway;

storing said two taxiway location points and said taxiway width value in at least one taxi point record; and

storing an identifier for said taxiway and a second pointer in a second taxi path ID record, said second pointer indicating the address of said taxi point records containing said taxiway location points.

18. The method of storing data of claim 16 further comprising the steps of:

determining a sequence of location points representative of the parameter of a structure;

storing said sequence of location points in a plurality of taxi point records; and

storing a structure identifier for said structure and a third pointer into a third taxi path ID record, said third pointer indicating the address of one of said plurality of taxi point records.

19. The method of storing data of claim 16 further comprising the steps of:

determining a gate location point representative of the location of a gate;

determining a desired aircraft heading for said gate;

storing said gate location point in a first taxi point record;

storing said desired aircraft heading in said second taxi point record; and

storing a gate identifier for said gate and a fourth pointer into a fourth taxi path ID record, said fourth pointer indicating the address of said first and second taxi point record.

20. The method of storing data of claim 16 further comprising the steps of:

determining two location data points defining an arc transition;

determining a radius of the arc transition;

determining a width value of the arc transition;

storing said location points, width value, and radius of the arc transition in at least one taxi point record; and

storing an identifier for said arc transition in a third pointer at a third taxi path ID record, said third pointer indicating the address of said arc transition records containing said arc transition location points.

21. An airport map system comprising:

a display screen suitable for displaying a map of an airport;

a data storage unit for storing airport map data representative of airport surface features comprising runways and taxiways, wherein the airport map data comprises data defining straight and arc shaped taxiways, wherein the straight taxiways are defined by two location data points and a width value, and an arc radius; and

a processor in communication with said display screen and said data storage unit.

22. The airport map system of claim 21, wherein the runways are defined in said airport map data by two location data points and a width value.