Method and system for entering and displaying ground taxi instructions

• US RE41,396 E1
• Filed: 06/13/2008
• Issued: 06/22/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 06/17/2004
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: The Boeing Co.
• Original Assignee: The Boeing Co.
• Inventors: Trujillo, Eddie J., Jones, Wayne R., Snow, Michael P., Clark, Samuel T.
• Primary Examiner(s): NGUYEN, TAN QUANG
• Application Number:
  US12/139,416
• Time in Patent Office: 739 Days
• Field of Search: 701/120, 701/119, 701/3, 701/10, 701/14, 701/122, 340/945, 340/909, 340/958, 340/961, 340/972, 340/521, 340/959, 345/660
• US Class Current: 701/120
• 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
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 5/065 Navigation or guidance aids, e.g. for taxiing or rolling

Abstract

A system and method are provided for the efficient entry and display of ground taxi routes on an electronic airport map display. The system may include a touchscreen entry device, a display device, a computer, a map database, a vehicle position sensor and a transmitter/receiver. The system may be configured to check the ground taxi entries to ensure that each successive segment is contiguous with the last or next segment, and any gaps or discontinuities in the displayed taxi instructions may be annunciated. An intelligent display of next possible segments may be incorporated into the system.

Claims

1. A system for entry and display of at least one ground movement route for a vehicle, comprising:

an electronic entry device for entry of a series of ground movement segments, the electronic entry device including a graphical interface that allows a user to select the ground movement segments from an electronically displayed map, wherein said entry device is operatively connected to an output device;

a computer operatively connected to said electronic entry device and said output device, wherein said computer contains a software program which analyzes each instructions programming the computer to analyze individual ground movement segment segments in said series of a ground movement segments and ensures ensure that each said the individual ground movement segment joins segments join at least one of the following, ;

a previous segment, a subsequent segment, an initial vehicle position and a vehicle destination, and which automatically pans said electronically displayed map to center on at least one of a currently selected ground movement segment, said initial vehicle position and said vehicle destination;

an electronic database including map data that can be accessed by said computer and used to generate the electronically displayed map; and

a position determining device coupled to said computer.

2. A system according to claim 1, wherein said electronic entry device is at least one of a liquid crystal display (LCD), a cathode ray tube (CRT), a plasma display and a rear projection display.

3. A system according to claim 1, wherein said electronic entry device includes a touchscreen.

4. A system according to claim 1, wherein said position determining device includes at least one of a Global Positioning System (GPS), an inertial navigation system (INS), another aircraft system, a terrestrial based navigation system, and a manually input position.

5. A system according to claim 1, wherein said electronic entry device further includes a keyboard.

6. A system according to claim 1, wherein said electronic entry device further includes a cursor and a cursor control device.

7. A system according to claim 1, wherein said electronic entry device further includes speech recognition.

8. A system according to claim 1, wherein said electronic entry device uses a menu display for entry of said ground movement segments.

9. A system according to claim 1, wherein said system automatically changes the scale of said output device, to at least fully display a currently selected ground movement segment and intersections with said possible successive ground movement segments.

10. A system according to claim 1, wherein said output device separately displays ground movement segments that join at least one of, said previously entered ground movement segment, said subsequent ground movement segment, said initial vehicle position and said vehicle destination.

11. A system according to claim 10, wherein said system automatically pans said electronically displayed map to include at least one intersection with at least one of said previous ground movement segment, said initial vehicle position and said vehicle destination.

12. A system according to claim 11, wherein said system automatically pans said electronically displayed map to center on said currently selected ground movement segment and at least one of said previous ground movement segment, said initial vehicle position and said vehicle destination.

13. A system according to claim 12, wherein said system automatically pans said electronically displayed map to center on an intersection of at least two of, a last entered ground movement segment, a last selected ground movement segment, and said previous segment.

14. A system according to claim 1, further comprising a simultaneous pan and zoom feature.

15. A system according to claim 1, further comprising a transmitter and receiver for the wireless transmittal and receipt of data.

16. A system according to claim 1, wherein said electronic database includes predefined ground movement routes.

17. A system according to claim 1, wherein said electronic entry device is adapted to facilitate at least one of creation, storage and recall of ground movement segment routes.

18. A system according to claim 1, wherein said output device is at least one of, a cathode ray tube (CRT) type display, a liquid crystal (LCD) type display, a head-up (HUD) type display, a plasma display and a rear projection display.

19. A system according to claim 1, wherein said electronic entry device and said output device are simulated on a desktop computer.

20. A system according to claim 1, wherein the instructions program the computer to analyze the individual ground movement segments in the series of ground movement segments after the individual ground movement segments have been selected by the user.