Aircraft speed guidance display

• US 9,815,567 B2
• Filed: 09/13/2012
• Issued: 11/14/2017
• Est. Priority Date: 09/21/2011
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: The Boeing Co.
• Original Assignee: The Boeing Co.
• Inventors: Fucke, Lars
• Primary Examiner(s): Beaulieu, Yonel
• Application Number:
  US13/614,383
• Publication Number:
  US 20130253738A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,888 Days
• Field of Search: 701 1, 701 14
• CPC Class Codes: B64D 45/00 Aircraft indicators or protectors not otherwise provided for camouflage F41H3/00
• 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 5/0021 located in the aircraft

Abstract

The invention relates to systems and methods for displaying flight information representative of a deviation from a specified four-dimensional flight path. Particularly, but not exclusively, the invention relates to a cockpit display for enabling pilots to arrive at a particular location at a particular time and to achieve the necessary changes to aircraft speed to achieve a preferred ground speed.

There is described a system and a method that displays flight information relating to a predetermined flight path. The predetermined flight path specifies locations and corresponding scheduled times. A current location of an aircraft along the predetermined flight path is monitored. A current time at which the aircraft is at the current location is determined. A scheduled time for the aircraft to be at the current location is provided. A time deviation between the current time and the scheduled time is calculated. The time deviation is displayed.

Claims

1. A method of displaying flight information relating to a predetermined flight path that specifies locations and scheduled times corresponding thereto, the method comprising the steps of:

monitoring a current location of an aircraft along the predetermined flight path;

determining a current time at which the aircraft is at the current location;

providing a scheduled time for the aircraft to be at the current location;

calculating, by a processor, a time deviation between the current time and the scheduled time; and

displaying the time deviation on a time deviation scale, the time deviation scale comprising divisions that represent discrete values of time for early and late time deviations of the current time from the scheduled time for the current location, a corresponding time value being displayed in association with each respective division; and

controlling at least one of a thrust of an engine of the aircraft or a configuration of the aircraft in response to the time deviation on the time deviation scale.

2. The method of claim 1, further comprising the step of providing a desired ground speed for the aircraft at the current location.

3. The method in accordance with claim 2, wherein the desired ground speed is a scheduled ground speed.

4. The method in accordance with claim 2, further comprising the steps of:

monitoring a current ground speed of the aircraft;

calculating a ground speed deviation between the current ground speed and the desired ground speed; and

displaying the ground speed deviation on a ground speed deviation scale, the ground speed deviation scale comprising divisions that represent discrete values of ground speed deviation for slower and faster ground speed deviations of the current ground speed from the desired ground speed, a corresponding ground speed deviation value being displayed in association with each respective division.

5. The method in accordance with claim 2, further comprising the step of displaying the desired ground speed.

6. The method in accordance with claim 5, further comprising the steps of:

monitoring the aircraft'"'"'s current ground speed data, current airspeed data, current heading data, and current track data;

defining a maximum operating airspeed for the aircraft;

calculating a maximum permissible ground speed deviation based upon the defined maximum operating airspeed, the current airspeed data, the current ground speed data, the current heading data, and the current track data; and

displaying the maximum permissible ground speed deviation.

7. The method in accordance with claim 6, further comprising the steps of:

defining a minimum operating airspeed for the aircraft;

calculating a minimum permissible ground speed deviation based upon the defined minimum operating airspeed, the current airspeed data, the current ground speed data, the current heading data, and the current track data; and

displaying the minimum permissible ground speed deviation.

16. The method of claim 4, wherein displaying the time deviation and the ground speed deviation comprises displaying the time deviation scale and the ground speed deviation scale together in a straight-line form.

17. The method of claim 4, wherein displaying the time deviation and the ground speed deviation comprises displaying the time deviation scale and the ground speed deviation scale arranged as a sector of a circle.

18. The method of claim 17, further comprising displaying the time deviation on one side of the sector of the circle and displaying the ground speed deviation on an opposite side of the sector of the circle.

19. The method of claim 18, wherein the time deviation scale comprises a non-linear scale and the ground speed deviation scale comprises a linear scale.

20. The method of claim 18, further comprising moving an origin of the ground speed deviation scale with an indicator of the time deviation, the origin of the ground speed deviation scale corresponding to the indicator of the time deviation.

21. The method of claim 4, further comprising displaying the time deviation and the ground speed deviation in association with one another.

22. The method of claim 1, wherein the time deviation scale further comprises:

a first portion comprising a plurality of late time deviations; and

a second portion comprising a plurality of early time deviations.

8. A system for displaying flight information comprising:

a flight path storage memory arranged to store data relating to a predetermined flight path that includes specified locations along the flight path and scheduled times corresponding thereto;

a location determination unit arranged to output location data defining a current location of an aircraft along the predetermined flight path;

a timer unit arranged to output time data defining a current time at which the aircraft is at the current location;

a processor arranged to receive the location data and the time data, to determine a scheduled time from the scheduled times stored in the flight path memory corresponding to the current location, and to calculate a time deviation between the current time and the scheduled time; and

a display arranged to display the time deviation on a time deviation scale, the time deviation scale comprising divisions that represent discrete values of time for early and late time deviations of the current time from the scheduled time for the current location, a corresponding time value being displayed in association with each respective division, wherein at least one of a thrust of an engine of the aircraft or a configuration of the aircraft is controlled in response to the time deviation on the time deviation scale.

9. The system in accordance with claim 8, wherein the system is arranged to provide a desired ground speed.

10. The system in accordance with claim 9, wherein:

the flight path storage memory is arranged to store scheduled ground speeds corresponding to the specified locations along the flight path; and

the desired ground speed is a scheduled ground speed corresponding to the current location.

11. The system in accordance with claim 9, wherein:

the processor is further arranged to calculate scheduled ground speeds corresponding to the specified locations along the flight path, based upon the specified locations along the flight path and the scheduled times corresponding thereto; and

the desired ground speed is a scheduled ground speed corresponding to the current location.

12. The system in accordance with claim 11, further comprising a ground speed determination unit arranged to output ground speed data defining a measured current ground speed of the aircraft, wherein:

the processor is further arranged to receive the ground speed data and to calculate a ground speed deviation between the measured current ground speed and the desired ground speed corresponding to the current location; and

the display is further arranged to display the ground speed deviation on a ground speed deviation scale, the ground speed deviation scale comprising divisions that represent discrete values of ground speed deviation for slower and faster ground speed deviations of the current ground speed from the desired ground speed, a corresponding ground speed deviation value being displayed in association with each respective division.

13. The system in accordance with claim 12, wherein the display is further arranged to display the scheduled ground speed.

14. The system in accordance with claim 9, further comprising:

a ground speed determination unit arranged to output ground speed data defining a measured current ground speed of the aircraft, and track data defining a measured track of the aircraft; and

aircraft sensors comprising an airspeed sensor and a heading sensor, the airspeed sensor being arranged to output airspeed data defining a measured current airspeed of the aircraft, and the heading sensor being arranged to output heading data defining a current heading of the aircraft, wherein;

the aircraft has a defined maximum operating airspeed;

the processor is further arranged to receive the airspeed data from the airspeed sensor, the ground speed data and the track data from the ground speed determination unit, and the heading data from the heading sensor;

the processor is further arranged to calculate a maximum permissible ground speed deviation based upon the defined maximum operating airspeed, the airspeed data, the ground speed data, the heading data, and the track data; and

the display is further arranged to display the maximum permissible ground speed deviation.

15. The system in accordance with claim 14, wherein:

the aircraft has a defined minimum operating airspeed;

the processor is further arranged to calculate a minimum permissible ground speed deviation based upon the defined minimum operating airspeed, the airspeed data, the ground speed data, the heading data, and the track data; and

the display is further arranged to display the minimum permissible ground speed deviation.