Flight plan sequencing methods for direct clearances

Abstract

Aircraft systems and methods are provided for assisting operation of an aircraft deviating from a flight plan to fly a shortcut to a downpath location. One method involves providing a graphical user interface (GUI) display including a graphical indication of a distance between a current aircraft location and a next downpath waypoint of the flight plan, and in response to a difference between the current aircraft location and the flight plan route exceeding a threshold, identifying a heading of the aircraft, determining a sequencing point corresponding to an intersection of the heading and a bisection of a downpath waypoint flight plan perpendicular to a heading associated with the downpath waypoint, calculating an updated distance between the current aircraft location and the sequencing point along the heading, and updating the graphical indication based on the updated distance.

Description

[0001] The project leading to this application has received funding from the SESAR Joint Undertaking under grant agreement No 874474 under European Union's Horizon 2020 research and invention programme.TECHNICAL FIELD

[0002] The subject matter described herein relates generally to vehicle systems, and more particularly, embodiments of the subject matter relate to aircraft systems and related displays for providing distance-to-go indicia when flying a clearance to proceed direct to a particular navigational reference point.BACKGROUND

[0003] Aircraft are typically operated in accordance with predefined routes or procedures, particularly in the vicinity of an airport or within other congested airspaces. Air traffic control (ATC) is typically responsible for managing traffic flow using these predefined routes or procedures and instructing aircraft to deviate from a particular route or procedure to achieve desired separation distances, aircraft sequencing, resolve potential conflicts between aircraft, and / or the like. For example, the ATC may instruct an aircraft to execute a holding procedure or otherwise fly a holding pattern to delay a particular aircraft. As another example, radar vectoring may be utilized by ATC for separation, safety, or other reasons.

[0004] In practice, the ATC may issue a clearance to an aircraft to proceed directly to a particular waypoint or other navigational reference point of a flight plan that is different from the next waypoint of the flight plan along the originally planned flight plan route. In response, the pilot of the aircraft may interact with a flight management system (FMS) to initiate a heading mode (HDG) of the FMS that causes the FMS to automatically roll and guide the aircraft to the desired heading for proceeding direct to the cleared waypoint and maintain guidance along that heading until recapturing the original flight plan course at that waypoint. To facilitate such heading automation, the FMS may construct a direct to sequencing leg in accordance with the ARINC 424 (A424) standards. However, due to A424 leg sequencing requirements, the original legs of the flight plan that are not being flown and bypassed by the direct to sequencing leg may be maintained as part of the active flight plan until the aircraft traverses a downpath waypoint or recaptures another leg of the flight plan. This, in turn, may result in inaccurate or misleading distance to go calculations for various waypoints of the flight plan. Accordingly, it is desirable to provide a FMS capable of accommodating and automating direct to clearances with A424 complaint leg sequencing with improved distance to go calculations. Other desirable features and characteristics will become apparent from the subsequent detailed description and the appended claims, taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings and this background.BRIEF SUMMARY

[0005] Systems and methods are provided for sequencing aircraft or other vehicles en route to a destination. One exemplary method involves providing a graphical user interface (GUI) display including a graphical indication of a distance between a current location of the vehicle and a downpath waypoint of a planned route of travel, determining a difference between the current location of the vehicle and the planned route of travel is greater than a threshold distance, and in response to the difference exceeding the threshold distance, identifying a heading of the vehicle, determining a sequencing point corresponding to an intersection of the heading of the vehicle and a bisection of a next downpath waypoint of the planned route of travel perpendicular to a second heading associated with the next downpath waypoint, and updating the GUI display based on a relationship between the current location of the vehicle and the sequencing point.

[0006] In another implementation, a method of assisting operation of an aircraft involves providing, by a flight management system (FMS) of the aircraft, a graphical user interface (GUI) display including a graphical indication of a distance between a current aircraft location and a downpath waypoint of a flight plan, and in response to a difference between the current aircraft location and a route associated with the flight plan exceeding a threshold distance, identifying a selected heading for the aircraft, determining a sequencing point corresponding to an intersection of the selected heading of the aircraft and a bisection of the downpath waypoint perpendicular to a second heading associated with the downpath waypoint, and updating the graphical indication of the distance based on a relationship between the current aircraft location and the sequencing point.

[0007] An apparatus for a computer-readable medium is also provided. The computer-readable medium has computer-executable instructions stored thereon that, when executed by a processing system, are configurable to cause the processing system to provide a graphical user interface (GUI) display including a graphical indication of a distance between a current aircraft location and a downpath waypoint of a flight plan for an aircraft, and in response to a difference between the current aircraft location and a route associated with the flight plan exceeding a threshold distance, identify a selected heading for the aircraft, determine a sequencing point corresponding to an intersection of the selected heading of the aircraft and a bisection of the downpath waypoint perpendicular to a second heading associated with the downpath waypoint, and update the graphical indication of the distance between the current aircraft location and the downpath waypoint based on a relationship between the current aircraft location and the sequencing point.

[0008] This summary is provided to describe select concepts in a simplified form that are further described in the Detailed Description. This summary is not intended to identify key or essential features of the claimed subject matter, nor is it intended to be used as an aid in determining the scope of the claimed subject matter.BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF DRAWINGS

[0009] Exemplary embodiments of the subject matter of the present disclosure will hereinafter be described in conjunction with the following drawing figures, wherein like numerals denote like elements, and wherein: FIG. 1 is a block diagram of a system for an aircraft in accordance with one or more exemplary embodiments; FIG. 2 is a flow diagram of a sequencing process suitable for implementation in connection with the aircraft system of FIG. 1 in one or more exemplary embodiments; FIGS. 3-4 depict an exemplary flight plan route and corresponding scenario of an aircraft proceeding direct along a heading to a downpath location in connection with the sequencing process of FIG. 2; and FIGS. 5-7 depict exemplary graphical user interface (GUI) displays suitable for presentation on a display device associated with an aircraft in connection with the sequencing process of FIG. 2 for the scenario depicted in FIGS. 3-4. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0010] The following detailed description is merely exemplary in nature and is not intended to limit the subject matter of the application and uses thereof. Furthermore, there is no intention to be bound by any expressed or implied theory presented in the preceding technical field, background, brief summary, or the following detailed description.

[0011] Embodiments of the subject matter described herein relate to systems and methods for providing updated distance-to-go information for downpath waypoints of a planned route of travel when deviating from the planned route and executing a shortcut to a downpath waypoint. For purposes of explanation, the subject matter is described herein primarily in the context of assisting a pilot, copilot or other aircraft operator following an air traffic controller (ATC) instruction or clearance in a heading mode (HDG) of a flight management system (FMS). That said, it should be appreciated that the subject matter is not necessarily limited to use with aircraft or any other particular type of vehicle, system or application, and may be similarly utilized in other applications, systems or environments, including, but not limited to use with other types of vehicles (e.g., automobiles, marine vessels, trains, etc.).

[0012] The subject matter described herein allows the software of the FMS to adapt to ATC instructions or clearances when switching between different modes of operation to temporarily deviate from a flight plan and recapture the flight plan at a different location while maintaining the sequence of flight legs and waypoints of the flight plan in accordance with A424 standards. As described in greater detail below, when the aircraft deviates from the flight plan by more than a threshold distance, the current heading of the aircraft is utilized to calculate or otherwise determine one or more sequencing points corresponding to downpath waypoints of the flight plan along a flight leg corresponding to the current heading of the aircraft. For example, for the next downpath waypoint of the flight plan, a corresponding sequencing point is identified based on an intersection of the current heading of the aircraft with a bisection of that next downpath waypoint perpendicular to a heading associated with that next downpath waypoint. The sequencing point for that downpath waypoint may then be utilized to calculate an updated distance between the current location of the aircraft along the flight leg and the location of the sequencing point and otherwise update a graphical indication of a distance-to-go before reaching the downpath waypoint. For example, in some implementations, the graphical indication of the distance-to-go may be dynamically updated to the updated distance along the flight leg between the current location of the aircraft and the sequencing point. In other implementations, the updated distance-to-go may be replaced with some sort of null indicia (e.g., dashes, x's or the like) while the aircraft is deviating from the flight plan route and then deleted upon the aircraft traversing the sequencing point, which, in turn, results in the downpath waypoint being removed from the flight plan route.

[0013] In a similar manner, additional sequencing points may be identified for subsequent downpath waypoints of the flight plan until reaching the downpath waypoint or flight leg of the flight plan where the flight leg corresponding to the current heading of the aircraft will rejoin the flight plan. In this regard, when a sequencing point for a subsequent downpath waypoint is in advance of the sequencing point for a preceding downpath waypoint, the sequencing point for that subsequent downpath waypoint may be automatically adjusted or otherwise modified to be located further downpath of the sequencing point for a preceding downpath waypoint of the flight plan, such that the respective sequencing points for the waypoints of the flight plan are maintained in the same sequential order along the flight leg for the current heading of the aircraft as their respective waypoints are ordered in the flight plan. As a result, the updated distance-to-go for those downpath waypoints may be maintained positive or otherwise greater than the distance-to-go for a preceding waypoint, thereby avoiding presentation of potentially confusing distance-to-go information. Thereafter, once the aircraft traverses the sequencing point for a respective waypoint of the flight plan, the respective waypoint (or flight leg associated therewith) may be automatically deleted or otherwise removed from the flight plan based on the sequencing point for that waypoint having been traversed by the aircraft. In this manner, the displayed distance-to-go information may be maintained consistent with the progress of the aircraft along the desired heading, while maintaining the sequencing points and flight legs for the downpath waypoints of the flight plan in accordance with the A424 standards until the aircraft traverses the respective sequencing points or recaptures the flight plan.

[0014] FIG. 1 depicts an exemplary embodiment of an aircraft system 100 which may be utilized with an aircraft 120. In an exemplary embodiment, the system 100 includes, without limitation, a display device 102, one or more user input devices 104, a processing system 106, a display system 108, a communications system 110, a navigation system 112, a flight management system (FMS) 114, one or more avionics systems 116, and a data storage element 118 suitably configured to support operation of the system 100, as described in greater detail below.

[0015] In exemplary embodiments, the display device 102 is realized as an electronic display capable of graphically displaying flight information or other data associated with operation of the aircraft 120 under control of the display system 108 and / or processing system 106. In this regard, the display device 102 is coupled to the display system 108 and the processing system 106, and the processing system 106 and the display system 108 are cooperatively configured to display, render, or otherwise convey one or more graphical representations or images associated with operation of the aircraft 120 on the display device 102. The user input device 104 is coupled to the processing system 106, and the user input device 104 and the processing system 106 are cooperatively configured to allow a user (e.g., a pilot, co-pilot, or crew member) to interact with the display device 102 and / or other elements of the system 100, as described in greater detail below. Depending on the embodiment, the user input device(s) 104 may be realized as a keypad, touchpad, keyboard, mouse, touch panel (or touchscreen), joystick, knob, line select key or another suitable device adapted to receive input from a user. In some exemplary embodiments, the user input device 104 includes or is realized as an audio input device, such as a microphone, audio transducer, audio sensor, or the like, that is adapted to allow a user to provide audio input to the system 100 in a "hands free" manner using speech recognition.

[0016] The processing system 106 generally represents the hardware, software, and / or firmware components configured to facilitate communications and / or interaction between the elements of the system 100 and perform additional tasks and / or functions to support operation of the system 100, as described in greater detail below. Depending on the embodiment, the processing system 106 may be implemented or realized with a general purpose processor, a content addressable memory, a digital signal processor, an application specific integrated circuit, a field programmable gate array, any suitable programmable logic device, discrete gate or transistor logic, processing core, discrete hardware components, or any combination thereof, designed to perform the functions described herein. The processing system 106 may also be implemented as a combination of computing devices, e.g., a plurality of processing cores, a combination of a digital signal processor and a microprocessor, a plurality of microprocessors, one or more microprocessors in conjunction with a digital signal processor core, or any other such configuration. In practice, the processing system 106 includes processing logic that may be configured to carry out the functions, techniques, and processing tasks associated with the operation of the system 100, as described in greater detail below. Furthermore, the steps of a method or algorithm described in connection with the embodiments disclosed herein may be embodied directly in hardware, in firmware, in a software module executed by the processing system 106, or in any practical combination thereof. For example, in one or more embodiments, the processing system 106 includes or otherwise accesses a data storage element (or memory), which may be realized as any sort of non-transitory short or long term storage media capable of storing programming instructions for execution by the processing system 106. The code or other computer-executable programming instructions, when read and executed by the processing system 106, cause the processing system 106 to support or otherwise perform certain tasks, operations, functions, and / or processes described herein.

[0017] The display system 108 generally represents the hardware, software, and / or firmware components configured to control the display and / or rendering of one or more navigational maps and / or other displays pertaining to operation of the aircraft 120 and / or onboard systems 110, 112, 114, 116 on the display device 102. In this regard, the display system 108 may access or include one or more databases suitably configured to support operations of the display system 108, such as, for example, a terrain database, an obstacle database, a navigational database, a geopolitical database, an airport database, a terminal airspace database, a special use airspace database, or other information for rendering and / or displaying navigational maps and / or other content on the display device 102.

[0018] In the illustrated embodiment, the aircraft system 100 includes a data storage element 118, which is capable of storing, maintaining or otherwise implementing one or more of the databases that support operations of the aircraft system 100 described herein. In some embodiments, the data storage element 118 contains aircraft procedure information (or instrument procedure information) for a plurality of airports and maintains association between the aircraft procedure information and the corresponding airports. Depending on the embodiment, the data storage element 118 may be physically realized using RAM memory, ROM memory, flash memory, registers, a hard disk, or another suitable data storage medium known in the art or any suitable combination thereof. As used herein, aircraft procedure information should be understood as a set of operating parameters, constraints, or instructions associated with a particular aircraft action (e.g., approach, departure, arrival, climbing, and the like) that may be undertaken by the aircraft 120 at or in the vicinity of a particular airport. An airport should be understood as referring to any sort of location suitable for landing (or arrival) and / or takeoff (or departure) of an aircraft, such as, for example, airports, runways, landing strips, and other suitable landing and / or departure locations, and an aircraft action should be understood as referring to an approach (or landing), an arrival, a departure (or takeoff), an ascent, taxiing, or another aircraft action having associated aircraft procedure information. An airport may have one or more predefined aircraft procedures associated therewith, wherein the aircraft procedure information for each aircraft procedure at each respective airport are maintained by the data storage element 118 in association with one another.

[0019] Depending on the embodiment, the aircraft procedure information may be provided by or otherwise obtained from a governmental or regulatory organization, such as, for example, the Federal Aviation Administration in the United States. In an exemplary embodiment, the aircraft procedure information includes instrument procedure information, such as instrument approach procedures, standard terminal arrival routes, instrument departure procedures, standard instrument departure routes, obstacle departure procedures, or the like, traditionally displayed on a published charts, such as Instrument Approach Procedure (IAP) charts, Standard Terminal Arrival (STAR) charts or Terminal Arrival Area (TAA) charts, Standard Instrument Departure (SID) routes, Departure Procedures (DP), terminal procedures, approach plates, and the like. In exemplary embodiments, the data storage element 118 maintains associations between prescribed operating parameters, constraints, and the like and respective navigational reference points (e.g., waypoints, positional fixes, radio ground stations (VORs, VORTACs, TACANs, and the like), distance measuring equipment, non-directional beacons, or the like) defining the aircraft procedure, such as, for example, altitude minima or maxima, minimum and / or maximum speed constraints, RTA constraints, and the like.

[0020] In exemplary embodiments described herein, the aircraft procedure information maintained by the data storage element 118 includes point merge procedures for one or more airports, where the point merge procedure defines an arcuate trajectory to be flown between an arrival procedure (e.g., a standard terminal arrival route) and an approach procedure (e.g., an instrument approach procedure, or the like). That said, although the subject matter may be described in the context of a point merge procedure for purpose of explanation, the subject matter is not necessarily limited to any particular type, combination or sequence of aircraft procedures and may be implemented for other aircraft procedures (e.g., a trombone arrival) in an equivalent manner.

[0021] Still referring to FIG. 1, in exemplary embodiments, the processing system 106 is coupled to the navigation system 112, which is configured to provide real-time navigational data and / or information regarding operation of the aircraft 120. The navigation system 112 may be realized as a global positioning system (GPS), inertial reference system (IRS), or a radio-based navigation system (e.g., VHF omni-directional radio range (VOR) or long range aid to navigation (LORAN)), and may include one or more navigational radios or other sensors suitably configured to support operation of the navigation system 112, as will be appreciated in the art. The navigation system 112 is capable of obtaining and / or determining the instantaneous position of the aircraft 120, that is, the current (or instantaneous) location of the aircraft 120 (e.g., the current latitude and longitude) and the current (or instantaneous) altitude or above ground level for the aircraft 120. The navigation system 112 is also capable of obtaining or otherwise determining the heading of the aircraft 120 (i.e., the direction the aircraft is traveling in relative to some reference). In the illustrated embodiment, the processing system 106 is also coupled to the communications system 110, which is configured to support communications to and / or from the aircraft 120. For example, the communications system 110 may support communications between the aircraft 120 and air traffic control or another suitable command center or ground location. In this regard, the communications system 110 may be realized using a radio communication system and / or another suitable data link system. In this regard, various embodiments of the communications system 110 hardware and / or other components configured to support data link communications to / from the aircraft 120 using a data link infrastructure and / or a data link service provider.

[0022] In exemplary embodiments, the processing system 106 is also coupled to the FMS 114, which is coupled to the navigation system 112, the communications system 110, and one or more additional avionics systems 116 to support navigation, flight planning, and other aircraft control functions in a conventional manner, as well as to provide real-time data and / or information regarding the operational status of the aircraft 120 to the processing system 106. Although FIG. 1 depicts a single avionics system 116, in practice, the system 100 and / or aircraft 120 will likely include numerous avionics systems for obtaining and / or providing real-time flight-related information that may be displayed on the display device 102 or otherwise provided to a user (e.g., a pilot, a co-pilot, or crew member). For example, practical embodiments of the system 100 and / or aircraft 120 will likely include one or more of the following avionics systems suitably configured to support operation of the aircraft 120: a weather system, an air traffic management system, a radar system, a traffic avoidance system, an autopilot system, an autothrust system, a flight control system, hydraulics systems, pneumatics systems, environmental systems, electrical systems, engine systems, trim systems, lighting systems, crew alerting systems, electronic checklist systems, an electronic flight bag and / or another suitable avionics system.

[0023] It should be understood that FIG. 1 is a simplified representation of the system 100 for purposes of explanation and ease of description, and FIG. 1 is not intended to limit the application or scope of the subject matter described herein in any way. It should be appreciated that although FIG. 1 shows the display device 102, the user input device 104, and the processing system 106 as being located onboard the aircraft 120 (e.g., in the cockpit), in practice, one or more of the display device 102, the user input device 104, and / or the processing system 106 may be located outside the aircraft 120 (e.g., on the ground as part of an air traffic control center or another command center) and communicatively coupled to the remaining elements of the system 100 (e.g., via a data link and / or communications system 110). Similarly, in some embodiments, the data storage element 118 may be located outside the aircraft 120 and communicatively coupled to the processing system 106 via a data link and / or communications system 110. Furthermore, practical embodiments of the system 100 and / or aircraft 120 will include numerous other devices and components for providing additional functions and features, as will be appreciated in the art. In this regard, it will be appreciated that although FIG. 1 shows a single display device 102, in practice, additional display devices may be present onboard the aircraft 120. Additionally, it should be noted that in other embodiments, features and / or functionality of processing system 106 described herein can be implemented by or otherwise integrated with the features and / or functionality provided by the FMS 114. In other words, some embodiments may integrate the processing system 106 with the FMS 114. In yet other embodiments, various aspects of the subject matter described herein may be implemented by or at an electronic flight bag (EFB) or similar electronic device that is communicatively coupled to the processing system 106 and / or the FMS 114.

[0024] In exemplary implementations, the communications system 110 includes or is otherwise realized as a CPDLC system, an ACARS system, or another system suitable for broadcasting or otherwise transmitting ADS-C broadcast messages from the aircraft 120 to a monitoring system at a ground operations center over a communications network, such as the Internet, a satellite network, a cellular network, or the like. The ground operations center may be realized as a control tower or other facility located on the ground that includes one or more monitoring systems equipped to track, analyze, and otherwise monitor operations of one or more aircraft 120. In this regard, the monitoring system may include a computer or other computing system at the ground operations center that may be operated by ground personnel, such as a flight dispatcher or air traffic controller, to monitor and track the flight of the aircraft 120. Accordingly, a monitoring system may generally include a user input device, a display device, a communications system, a processing system, and a data storage element suitably configured to support the subject matter described herein. In exemplary embodiments, the display device is realized as an electronic display that is capable of graphically displaying a flight tracking display or other imagery that includes information or other data associated with operation of the aircraft 120, as described in greater detail below. The user input device is coupled to the processing system, and the user input device and the processing system are cooperatively configured to allow ground personnel monitoring the aircraft 120 to interact with the flight tracking station to analyze flight tracking data contained in the ADS-C broadcast messages and communicate clearances or instructions to the aircraft 120.

[0025] FIG. 2 depicts an exemplary embodiment of a sequencing process 200 suitable for implementation by the aircraft system 100 to provide updated distance-to-go information and facilitate recapturing or rejoining a flight plan route after exiting a managed area navigation mode associated with an FMS (e.g., LNAV, RNAV, and / or the like). The various tasks performed in connection with the illustrated process may be implemented using hardware, firmware, software executed by processing circuitry, or any combination thereof. For illustrative purposes, the following description may refer to elements mentioned above in connection with FIG. 1. In practice, portions of the sequencing process 200 may be performed by different elements of a vehicle system. That said, exemplary embodiments are described herein in the context of the sequencing process 200 being primarily performed by a sequencing service at a processing system 106 or FMS 114. It should be appreciated that the sequencing process 200 may include any number of additional or alternative tasks, the tasks need not be performed in the illustrated order and / or the tasks may be performed concurrently, and / or sequencing process 200 may be incorporated into a more comprehensive procedure or process having additional functionality not described in detail herein. Moreover, one or more of the tasks shown and described in the context of FIG. 2 could be omitted from a practical embodiment of the sequencing process 200 as long as the intended overall functionality remains intact.

[0026] Referring to FIG. 2 with continued reference to FIG. 1, in exemplary implementations, the sequencing process 200 is automatically triggered or initiated by the FMS 114 in response to a pilot, co-pilot or other aircraft operator interacting with the FMS 114 or other onboard systems 112, 114, 116 to cause the aircraft 120 to deviate from a flight path or route defined by a flight plan for the aircraft 120 along a heading en route to a downpath waypoint or leg of the flight plan route by shortcutting or bypassing one or more intervening waypoints or legs of the flight plan. For example, while the FMS 114 is autonomously flying or otherwise operating the aircraft 120 along the flight plan route using area navigation in a managed mode, the ATC may issue a clearance or otherwise provide an instruction for the aircraft 120 to proceed directly to a particular waypoint or along a particular heading rather than continuing along the flight plan route. In response, the pilot, co-pilot or other aircraft operator may interact with the FMS 114 to program or otherwise enable another autonomous operating mode, such as a heading mode (HDG) of the FMS 114 that causes the FMS 114 to automatically roll and guide the aircraft to follow a heading input by the pilot. In exemplary implementations, the managed mode for autonomous area navigation may be maintained armed or otherwise configured for reinitiation, whereby the sequencing process 200 automatically identifies sequencing points and corresponding flight legs to facilitate rejoining the flight plan route in accordance with the A424 standards. For example, in one or more implementations, the sequencing process 200 is automatically initiated when the aircraft 120 deviates from the original flight plan route by more than a threshold distance while the managed mode for autonomous area navigation is maintained armed or otherwise enabled for reentry once the aircraft 120 is within the threshold distance of the flight plan route.

[0027] In exemplary implementations, the sequencing process 200 is performed in connection with the FMS 114 providing a graphical user interface (GUI) display including graphical indicia of distance-to-go information for forthcoming downpath waypoints of the flight plan route to provide situational awareness to a pilot, co-pilot or other aircraft operator of the estimated distance or time remaining before reaching a particular point in space. For example, a FMS GUI display may include a listing of upcoming waypoints of the flight plan that are downpath of the current location of the aircraft 120 along the flight plan route with corresponding indicia of the estimated distance between the current location of the aircraft 120 and the respective downpath waypoint as measured along the flight legs of the flight plan route (e.g., the along-track distance). When the current location of the aircraft 120 deviates from the flight plan route by more than a threshold distance (e.g., due to the pilot inputting a particular heading to proceed direct to a downpath waypoint), the FMS 114 automatically initiates the sequencing process 200 to automatically identify or otherwise determine sequencing points for the respective downpath waypoints being bypassed by the aircraft 120 for purposes of calculating updated distance-to-go information for the respective downpath waypoints measured along the current heading of the aircraft 120 (e.g., the along-track distance to the respective sequencing point along the current aircraft heading). In this regard, the sequencing points may be utilized to track or otherwise maintain the sequence of flight plan waypoints and corresponding flight legs in accordance with the A424 for automatic removal of waypoints and / or flight legs from the flight plan once the aircraft 120 has traversed a sequencing point beyond which the respective waypoint or flight leg of the original flight plan is unlikely to be flown.

[0028] Referring to FIG. 2, in exemplary implementations, the sequencing process 200 initializes or otherwise begins by automatically identifying or otherwise determining the flight leg of the original flight plan to be utilized as the capture leg for reengaging a managed mode of the FMS based on the current heading of the aircraft (task 202). For example, FIG. 3 depicts a flight plan route 300 for a flight plan including a sequence of flight legs 301, 303, 305, 307, 309 for traversing a sequence of navigational reference points 302, 304, 306, 308, 310 (or waypoints) while traveling from an initial departure airport 320 to a destination airport, where a pilot, co-pilot or other operator has interacted with the FMS 114 to deviate from the active leg 301 of the flight plan route 300 along a selected heading (e.g., 080°) that was input by the operator or otherwise instructed by ATC (e.g., to proceed direct to CPL waypoint 310). For example, the pilot may engage a HDG mode of the FMS 114 to autonomously fly the aircraft 120 along the input heading value 080° while maintaining an autonomous area navigation managed mode armed or enabled for reengagement upon reaching a downpath flight leg 309. In response to the distance 330 between the current location of the aircraft 120 and the active leg 301 of the flight plan route 300 exceeding a sequencing initiation threshold distance, the sequencing service may automatically utilize the input heading value for the aircraft 120 to identify or otherwise determine the downpath flight leg 309 as being intersected by a trajectory aligned with the input heading value, and thereby identify the downpath flight leg 309 en route to the CPL waypoint 310 as the capture leg for reengaging the managed mode of the FMS 114. In exemplary implementations, in accordance with the A424 standards, the FMS 114 automatically constructs or otherwise generates an A424 flight leg 340 to become the active flight leg of the flight plan corresponding to the flight leg between the current location of the aircraft 120 and the capture leg 309 that is aligned with the input aircraft heading and intersects the capture leg 309.

[0029] Referring again to FIG. 2, the sequencing process 200 continues by automatically identifying a next downpath waypoint of the flight plan route yet to be flown or traversed by the aircraft until reaching the downpath waypoint associated with the capture leg (task 204). For each respective intervening waypoint before reaching the waypoint associated with the capture leg, the sequencing process 200 automatically identifies or otherwise determines a corresponding location for a sequencing point to be associated with the respective waypoint along the heading for the aircraft based on an intersection of the aircraft heading and a bisection of the respective waypoint (task 206). For example, referring again to FIG. 3, the sequencing service may automatically identify the ACT waypoint 302 as the next downpath waypoint to be sequenced once the aircraft 120 deviates from the initial active flight leg 301 by more than a threshold distance. Based on the planned aircraft heading associated with ACT waypoint 302 (e.g., the heading of the downpath flight plan flight leg 303 emanating from the ACT waypoint 302), the sequencing service automatically calculates or otherwise determines a bisector line 311 through the ACT waypoint 302 that is perpendicular to the heading associated with the ACT waypoint 302 (e.g., perpendicular to the flight plan flight leg 303). The sequencing service then identifies a respective sequencing point 312 corresponding to a location along the flight leg 340 corresponding to the input aircraft heading value of 080° where the bisector line 311 perpendicular to planned flight leg 303 intersects the heading-based constructed A424 flight leg 340.

[0030] Referring again to FIG. 2, after identifying a sequencing point based on an intersection of the perpendicular bisection of the downpath waypoint with the heading-based flight leg, the sequencing process 200 analyzes the sequencing point in relation to the current aircraft location and / or other sequencing points to detect or otherwise identify when the sequencing point is out of sequence (task 208). In this regard, a sequencing point may be determined to be out of sequence when it is located behind the current aircraft location along the current aircraft heading or is otherwise located along the aircraft heading flight leg 340 at a location that would precede the sequencing point associated with another waypoint that precedes that respective waypoint in the original flight plan. When the sequencing point is out of sequence, the sequencing process 200 automatically modifies the location of the sequencing point to a downpath location ahead of the current aircraft location that is in accordance with the sequence of waypoints of the flight plan (task 210). In this regard, the sequencing service maintains the sequencing points associated with the respective waypoints of the flight plan route being bypassed by the aircraft 120 in the same order as their respective waypoints were maintained in the flight plan.

[0031] When the sequencing point is located ahead of the current aircraft location and in the correct sequence according to the flight plan, the sequencing process 200 calculates or otherwise determines an updated distance-to-go before effectively traversing the waypoint and removing the waypoint from the flight plan using the sequencing point (task 212). For example, referring to FIG. 3, the sequencing service may verify or otherwise confirm that the ACT waypoint sequencing point 312 is located ahead of the current aircraft location and otherwise in the correct sequence according to flight plan sequence and then calculate or otherwise determine an updated distance-to-go for reaching the ACT waypoint based on the along-track distance 332 between the current location of the aircraft 120 and the location of the ACT waypoint sequencing point 312 along the flight leg 340 corresponding to the current aircraft heading.

[0032] Referring again to FIG. 2, the loop defined by tasks 204, 206, 208, 210 and 212 repeats until reaching the downpath waypoint associated with the capture leg to be intersected by the current aircraft heading. In this regard, after sequencing the ACT waypoint 302, the sequencing service may automatically identify the UPL1 waypoint 304 as the next downpath waypoint to be sequenced. Based on the planned aircraft heading associated with UPL1 waypoint 304 (e.g., the heading of the downpath flight plan flight leg 305 emanating from the UPL1 waypoint 304), the sequencing service automatically calculates or otherwise determines a bisector line 313 through the UPL1 waypoint 304 that is perpendicular to the heading associated with the UPL1 waypoint 304 (e.g., perpendicular to the flight plan flight leg 305). The sequencing service then identifies a respective sequencing point 314 corresponding to a location along the aircraft heading where the bisector line 313 intersects the flight leg 340 corresponding to the input aircraft heading value of 080°. Thereafter, the sequencing service identifies the UPL1 waypoint sequencing point 314 as being out of order or otherwise not in accordance with the original flight plan sequence by virtue of the UPL1 sequencing point 314 being located on the flight leg 340 ahead of the location of the ACT waypoint sequencing point 312 and between the current location of the aircraft 120 and the location of the ACT waypoint sequencing point 312 (e.g., based on the distance between the current aircraft location and the UPL1 waypoint sequencing point 314 being less than the distance between the current aircraft location and the ACT waypoint sequencing point 312).

[0033] In response to identifying that the UPL1 sequencing point 314 is out of sequence, the sequencing service automatically modifies or otherwise adjusts the location of the UPL1 sequencing point 314 to a different location between the current aircraft location and the capture leg 309 and / or the capture leg waypoint 310 that is downpath of the ACT waypoint sequencing point 312, such that the order in which the aircraft 120 is expected to traverse the ACT waypoint sequencing point 312 and the UPL1 sequencing point 314 corresponds to the originally planned order in which the aircraft 120 was intended to traverse the ACT waypoint 302 and the UPL1 waypoint 304. In this manner, the sequencing service effectively determines and constructs an updated or alternative route of travel for the aircraft 120 along the constructed flight leg 340 after traversing the ACT waypoint sequencing point 312 via the modified UPL1 waypoint sequencing point 312 en route to the capture leg 309.

[0034] In a similar manner, the sequencing service may identify corresponding sequencing points 316, 318 for the remaining downpath waypoints 306, 308 being bypassed by the aircraft 120 that are behind the current location of the aircraft 120 or otherwise out of sequence with respect to the ACT waypoint sequencing point 312, and then automatically modify the location of the sequencing points for the remaining downpath waypoints 306, 308 to downpath locations that precede the capture CPL waypoint 310 but do not precede the modified location of the UPL1 sequencing point. For example, referring to FIG. 4, in some implementations, the sequencing service may automatically distribute the modified locations of the sequencing points 314, 316, 318 between the ACT waypoint sequencing point 312 and the capture CPL waypoint 310 along the anticipated flight path for the aircraft 120 en route to the capture CPL waypoint 310, for example, by distributing the modified locations of the sequencing points 314, 316, 318 along the capture leg 309 between the capture CPL waypoint 310 and the intersection of the current aircraft heading such that the modified sequencing points 314, 316, 318 are equidistant. That said, in other implementations, the sequencing service may superimpose the sequencing points 314, 316, 318 having modified locations at a respective common location along the capture leg 309 in advance of the capture CPL waypoint 310. In yet other implementations, the sequencing service may superimpose the sequencing points 314, 316, 318 having modified locations at the same location as the ACT waypoint sequencing point 312. In this regard, the subject matter described herein is not necessarily limited to any particular modified location or manner for modifying the location of the sequencing points provided the sequencing points are maintained in the same order according to the flight plan and reside along at least one of the constructed A424 flight leg 340 corresponding to the aircraft heading or the capture leg 309 intersected by the constructed A424 flight leg 340.

[0035] Referring again to FIG. 2, after modifying the locations of the sequencing points for the downpath waypoints being bypassed, the sequencing process 200 may automatically calculate updated distance-to-go information for the bypassed waypoints (e.g., task 212) and automatically update a FMS GUI display to include graphical indicia of the updated along-track distance between the current aircraft location and the respective sequencing point along the flight leg 340 corresponding to the current aircraft heading. For example, FIGS. 5-6 depict an exemplary sequence of states of the FMS GUI display 500, 600 corresponding to the scenario depicted in FIG. 3. In this regard, FIG. 5 depicts a state of the FMS GUI display 500 when the aircraft 120 receives a clearance instruction from ATC to fly a shortcut direct along heading of 080° prior to the aircraft 120 deviating from the initial flight plan leg 301. As shown, the FMS GUI display 500 includes a graphical representation of the upcoming sequence of waypoints 302, 304, 306, 308, 310 of the flight plan route 300 along with respective distances to go to reach a respective waypoint from a preceding waypoint or the current aircraft location (e.g., distance to go of 15.2 nautical miles from the current location of the aircraft 120 to the ACT waypoint 302, distance to go of 10.2 nautical miles to reach the UPL1 waypoint 304 from the ACT waypoint 302, etc.) and corresponding headings associated with the respective legs 301, 303, 305, 307, 309 of the flight plan route 300.

[0036] Turning now to FIG. 6, once the aircraft 120 deviates from the initial active flight leg 301 by more than a threshold distance, the sequencing service constructs the heading-based A424 flight leg 340 and then automatically identifies the sequencing point 312 corresponding to the ACT waypoint 302 where the bisector line 311 perpendicular to planned flight leg 303 intersects the direct heading flight leg 340. As shown, the updated FMS GUI display 600 includes a graphical representation of the upcoming sequence of waypoints 302, 304, 306, 308, 310 of the flight plan route 300, with the respective distance-to-go and heading information for the respective legs en route to those waypoints 302, 304, 306, 308, 310 being rendered using dashes or other null indicia, along with a graphical representation of the updated distance to go to reach the CPL 310 associated with the downpath capture leg 309 flying a direct heading of 080° along the A424 flight leg 340. That said, in other implementations, rather than rendering the distance-to-go for reaching the downpath waypoints 302, 304, 306, 308 being rendered using dashes or other null indicia, in alternative implementations, the graphical indicia for the respective downpath waypoints 302, 304, 306, 308 may be rendered using the updated distance-to-go for reaching the respective sequencing points 312, 314, 316, 318 along the direct shortcut flight leg 340.

[0037] Referring again to FIGS. 1-2, in exemplary implementations, the sequencing points determined in accordance with the sequencing process 200 are utilized to support operation of the respective autonomous operating modes of the FMS 114 in accordance with the A424 standards. In this regard, the sequencing points 312, 314, 316, 318 may be utilized to automatically remove flight legs and / or waypoints from the active flight plan once the respective sequencing points have been traversed, such that the aircraft 120 is unlikely to ever traverse the actual waypoints or flight legs associated with those sequencing points. For example, in response to the aircraft 120 traversing the ACT waypoint sequencing point 312, the FMS 114 may automatically remove the ACT waypoint 302 and / or the previously active leg 301 en route to the ACT waypoint 302 from the flight plan. In this regard, FIG. 7 depicts an updated FMS GUI display 700 that reflects the aircraft 120 traversing the ACT waypoint sequencing point 312, such that the ACT waypoint 302 is removed from the flight plan route 300 and removed from listing of upcoming waypoints on the FMS GUI display 700. Accordingly, the pilot or co-pilot may readily ascertain that the ACT waypoint 302 has effectively been traversed and that any attempt to return to the flight plan route 300 should utilize the UPL1 waypoint 304 as the next upcoming waypoint where the flight plan route 300 could be rejoined. In this regard, FIG. 7 depicts a scenario where the sequencing points for the downpath waypoints 304, 306, 308 were moved to downpath locations along the capture leg 309 as shown in FIG. 4, such that they are maintained on the FMS GUI display 700 until the aircraft 120 rejoins the flight plan route 300 at the capture leg 309.

[0038] While an autonomous area navigation managed mode of the FMS 114 is maintained armed or otherwise configured for reengagement, once the current location of the aircraft 120 is within a recapture threshold distance of the capture leg 309 (which may be the same distance threshold as the sequencing initiation threshold distance), the FMS 114 may automatically transition from the autonomous HDG mode to the autonomous area navigation managed mode, which, in turn, results the FMS 114 automatically designating the capture leg 309 as the active flight leg and / or the CPL waypoint 310 as the active or next waypoint, and thereby automatically deleting any preceding flight legs 303, 305, 307 and / or preceding waypoints 304, 306, 308 from the flight plan as having been effectively traversed by virtue of the direct to shortcut. Thus, once the aircraft 120 is within the reengagement threshold distance of the capture leg 309, the waypoints 304, 306, 308 are designated as sequenced and removed from the flight plan route 300, with the FMS GUI display 700 being dynamically updated to identify the capture leg 309 as the active leg with the respective distance to go until reaching the CPL waypoint 310 from the current location of the aircraft 120.

[0039] By virtue of the subject matter described herein, the FMS software can automatically construct an A424 flight leg for a shortcut or direct to clearance from a current aircraft location to a downpath waypoint or flight leg of the flight plan, and then utilized to sequence the waypoints being bypassed by the aircraft flying that constructed A424 flight leg. After sequencing the waypoints to be bypassed along the constructed A424 flight leg or otherwise downpath of the current aircraft location, the estimated distance-to-go for those respective bypassed waypoints may be dynamically updated to reflect the along-track distance between the current aircraft location and a perpendicular bisection of the respective waypoints along the constructed A424 flight leg. Thereafter, when the aircraft is within a threshold distance for recapturing an A424 flight leg of the original flight plan, the FMS software may automatically resume autonomous operation and execution of the original flight plan from that point forward by removing the constructed A424 flight legs and bypassed waypoints from the flight plan.

[0040] For the sake of brevity, conventional techniques related to aircraft procedures, avionics systems, FMSs, flight planning, and other functional aspects of the systems (and the individual operating components of the systems) may not be described in detail herein. Furthermore, the connecting lines shown in the various figures contained herein are intended to represent exemplary functional relationships and / or physical couplings between the various elements. It should be noted that many alternative or additional functional relationships or physical connections may be present in an embodiment of the subject matter.

[0041] As used herein, the word "exemplary" means "serving as an example, instance, or illustration." Thus, any embodiment described herein as "exemplary" is not necessarily to be construed as preferred or advantageous over other embodiments. All of the embodiments described herein are exemplary embodiments provided to enable persons skilled in the art to make or use the invention and not to limit the scope of the invention which is defined by the claims.

[0042] Those of skill in the art will appreciate that the various illustrative logical blocks, modules, circuits, and algorithm steps described in connection with the embodiments disclosed herein may be implemented as electronic hardware, computer software, or combinations of both. Some of the embodiments and implementations are described above in terms of functional and / or logical block components (or modules) and various processing steps. However, it should be appreciated that such block components (or modules) may be realized by any number of hardware, software, and / or firmware components configured to perform the specified functions. To clearly illustrate this interchangeability of hardware and software, various illustrative components, blocks, modules, circuits, and steps have been described above generally in terms of their functionality. Whether such functionality is implemented as hardware or software depends upon the particular application and design constraints imposed on the overall system. Skilled artisans may implement the described functionality in varying ways for each particular application, but such implementation decisions should not be interpreted as causing a departure from the scope of the present invention. For example, an embodiment of a system or a component may employ various integrated circuit components, e.g., memory elements, digital signal processing elements, logic elements, look-up tables, or the like, which may carry out a variety of functions under the control of one or more microprocessors or other control devices. In addition, those skilled in the art will appreciate that embodiments described herein are merely exemplary implementations.

[0043] The various illustrative logical blocks, modules, and circuits described in connection with the embodiments disclosed herein may be implemented or performed with a general purpose processor, a digital signal processor (DSP), an application specific integrated circuit (ASIC), a field programmable gate array (FPGA) or other programmable logic device, discrete gate or transistor logic, discrete hardware components, or any combination thereof designed to perform the functions described herein. A general-purpose processor may be a microprocessor, but in the alternative, the processor may be any conventional processor, controller, microcontroller, or state machine. A processor may also be implemented as a combination of computing devices, e.g., a combination of a DSP and a microprocessor, a plurality of microprocessors, one or more microprocessors in conjunction with a DSP core, or any other such configuration.

[0044] The steps of a method or algorithm described in connection with the embodiments disclosed herein may be embodied directly in hardware, in a software module executed by a processor, or in a combination of the two. A software module may reside in RAM memory, flash memory, ROM memory, EPROM memory, EEPROM memory, registers, hard disk, a removable disk, a CD-ROM, or any other form of non-transitory storage medium known in the art. An exemplary storage medium is coupled to the processor such that the processor can read information from, and write information to, the storage medium. In the alternative, the storage medium may be integral to the processor. The processor and the storage medium may reside in an ASIC.

[0045] The subject matter may be described herein in terms of functional and / or logical block components, and with reference to symbolic representations of operations, processing tasks, and functions that may be performed by various computing components or devices. Such operations, tasks, and functions are sometimes referred to as being computer-executed, computerized, software-implemented, or computer-implemented. In practice, one or more processor devices can carry out the described operations, tasks, and functions by manipulating electrical signals representing data bits at memory locations in the system memory, as well as other processing of signals. The memory locations where data bits are maintained are physical locations that have particular electrical, magnetic, optical, or organic properties corresponding to the data bits. It should be appreciated that the various block components shown in the figures may be realized by any number of hardware, software, and / or firmware components configured to perform the specified functions. For example, an embodiment of a system or a component may employ various integrated circuit components, e.g., memory elements, digital signal processing elements, logic elements, look-up tables, or the like, which may carry out a variety of functions under the control of one or more microprocessors or other control devices.

[0046] When implemented in software or firmware, various elements of the systems described herein are essentially the code segments or instructions that perform the various tasks. The program or code segments can be stored in a processor-readable medium or transmitted by a computer data signal embodied in a carrier wave over a transmission medium or communication path. The "computer-readable medium", "processor-readable medium", or "machine-readable medium" may include any medium that can store or transfer information. Examples of the processor-readable medium include an electronic circuit, a semiconductor memory device, a ROM, a flash memory, an erasable ROM (EROM), a floppy diskette, a CD-ROM, an optical disk, a hard disk, a fiber optic medium, a radio frequency (RF) link, or the like. The computer data signal may include any signal that can propagate over a transmission medium such as electronic network channels, optical fibers, air, electromagnetic paths, or RF links. The code segments may be downloaded via computer networks such as the Internet, an intranet, a LAN, or the like.

[0047] Some of the functional units described in this specification have been referred to as "modules" in order to more particularly emphasize their implementation independence. For example, functionality referred to herein as a module may be implemented wholly, or partially, as a hardware circuit comprising custom VLSI circuits or gate arrays, off-the-shelf semiconductors such as logic chips, transistors, or other discrete components. A module may also be implemented in programmable hardware devices such as field programmable gate arrays, programmable array logic, programmable logic devices, or the like. Modules may also be implemented in software for execution by various types of processors. An identified module of executable code may, for instance, comprise one or more physical or logical modules of computer instructions that may, for instance, be organized as an object, procedure, or function. Nevertheless, the executables of an identified module need not be physically located together, but may comprise disparate instructions stored in different locations that, when joined logically together, comprise the module and achieve the stated purpose for the module. Indeed, a module of executable code may be a single instruction, or many instructions, and may even be distributed over several different code segments, among different programs, and across several memory devices. Similarly, operational data may be embodied in any suitable form and organized within any suitable type of data structure. The operational data may be collected as a single data set, or may be distributed over different locations including over different storage devices, and may exist, at least partially, merely as electronic signals on a system or network.

[0048] In this document, relational terms such as first and second, and the like may be used solely to distinguish one entity or action from another entity or action without necessarily requiring or implying any actual such relationship or order between such entities or actions. Numerical ordinals such as "first," "second," "third," etc. simply denote different singles of a plurality and do not imply any order or sequence unless specifically defined by the claim language. The sequence of the text in any of the claims does not imply that process steps must be performed in a temporal or logical order according to such sequence unless it is specifically defined by the language of the claim. The process steps may be interchanged in any order without departing from the scope of the invention as long as such an interchange does not contradict the claim language and is logically coherent.

[0049] Furthermore, the foregoing description may refer to elements or nodes or features being "coupled" together. As used herein, unless expressly stated otherwise, "coupled" means that one element / node / feature is directly or indirectly joined to (or directly or indirectly communicates with) another element / node / feature, and not necessarily mechanically. For example, two elements may be coupled to each other physically, electronically, logically, or in any other manner, through one or more additional elements. Thus, although the drawings may depict one exemplary arrangement of elements directly connected to one another, additional intervening elements, devices, features, or components may be present in an embodiment of the depicted subject matter. In addition, certain terminology may also be used herein for the purpose of reference only, and thus are not intended to be limiting.

[0050] While at least one exemplary embodiment has been presented in the foregoing detailed description of the invention, it should be appreciated that a vast number of variations exist. It should also be appreciated that the exemplary embodiment or exemplary embodiments are only examples, and are not intended to limit the scope, applicability, or configuration of the invention in any way. Rather, the foregoing detailed description will provide those skilled in the art with a convenient road map for implementing an exemplary embodiment of the invention. It being understood that various changes may be made in the function and arrangement of elements described in an exemplary embodiment without departing from the scope of the invention as set forth in the appended claims.

Examples

Embodiment Construction

[0010]The following detailed description is merely exemplary in nature and is not intended to limit the subject matter of the application and uses thereof. Furthermore, there is no intention to be bound by any expressed or implied theory presented in the preceding technical field, background, brief summary, or the following detailed description.

[0011]Embodiments of the subject matter described herein relate to systems and methods for providing updated distance-to-go information for downpath waypoints of a planned route of travel when deviating from the planned route and executing a shortcut to a downpath waypoint. For purposes of explanation, the subject matter is described herein primarily in the context of assisting a pilot, copilot or other aircraft operator following an air traffic controller (ATC) instruction or clearance in a heading mode (HDG) of a flight management system (FMS). That said, it should be appreciated that the subject matter is not necessarily limited to use wit...

[0001] The project leading to this application has received funding from the SESAR Joint Undertaking under grant agreement No 874474 under European Union's Horizon 2020 research and invention programme.TECHNICAL FIELD

[0002] The subject matter described herein relates generally to vehicle systems, and more particularly, embodiments of the subject matter relate to aircraft systems and related displays for providing distance-to-go indicia when flying a clearance to proceed direct to a particular navigational reference point.BACKGROUND

[0003] Aircraft are typically operated in accordance with predefined routes or procedures, particularly in the vicinity of an airport or within other congested airspaces. Air traffic control (ATC) is typically responsible for managing traffic flow using these predefined routes or procedures and instructing aircraft to deviate from a particular route or procedure to achieve desired separation distances, aircraft sequencing, resolve potential conflicts between aircraft, and / or the like. For example, the ATC may instruct an aircraft to execute a holding procedure or otherwise fly a holding pattern to delay a particular aircraft. As another example, radar vectoring may be utilized by ATC for separation, safety, or other reasons.

[0004] In practice, the ATC may issue a clearance to an aircraft to proceed directly to a particular waypoint or other navigational reference point of a flight plan that is different from the next waypoint of the flight plan along the originally planned flight plan route. In response, the pilot of the aircraft may interact with a flight management system (FMS) to initiate a heading mode (HDG) of the FMS that causes the FMS to automatically roll and guide the aircraft to the desired heading for proceeding direct to the cleared waypoint and maintain guidance along that heading until recapturing the original flight plan course at that waypoint. To facilitate such heading automation, the FMS may construct a direct to sequencing leg in accordance with the ARINC 424 (A424) standards. However, due to A424 leg sequencing requirements, the original legs of the flight plan that are not being flown and bypassed by the direct to sequencing leg may be maintained as part of the active flight plan until the aircraft traverses a downpath waypoint or recaptures another leg of the flight plan. This, in turn, may result in inaccurate or misleading distance to go calculations for various waypoints of the flight plan. Accordingly, it is desirable to provide a FMS capable of accommodating and automating direct to clearances with A424 complaint leg sequencing with improved distance to go calculations. Other desirable features and characteristics will become apparent from the subsequent detailed description and the appended claims, taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings and this background.BRIEF SUMMARY

[0005] Systems and methods are provided for sequencing aircraft or other vehicles en route to a destination. One exemplary method involves providing a graphical user interface (GUI) display including a graphical indication of a distance between a current location of the vehicle and a downpath waypoint of a planned route of travel, determining a difference between the current location of the vehicle and the planned route of travel is greater than a threshold distance, and in response to the difference exceeding the threshold distance, identifying a heading of the vehicle, determining a sequencing point corresponding to an intersection of the heading of the vehicle and a bisection of a next downpath waypoint of the planned route of travel perpendicular to a second heading associated with the next downpath waypoint, and updating the GUI display based on a relationship between the current location of the vehicle and the sequencing point.

[0006] In another implementation, a method of assisting operation of an aircraft involves providing, by a flight management system (FMS) of the aircraft, a graphical user interface (GUI) display including a graphical indication of a distance between a current aircraft location and a downpath waypoint of a flight plan, and in response to a difference between the current aircraft location and a route associated with the flight plan exceeding a threshold distance, identifying a selected heading for the aircraft, determining a sequencing point corresponding to an intersection of the selected heading of the aircraft and a bisection of the downpath waypoint perpendicular to a second heading associated with the downpath waypoint, and updating the graphical indication of the distance based on a relationship between the current aircraft location and the sequencing point.

[0007] An apparatus for a computer-readable medium is also provided. The computer-readable medium has computer-executable instructions stored thereon that, when executed by a processing system, are configurable to cause the processing system to provide a graphical user interface (GUI) display including a graphical indication of a distance between a current aircraft location and a downpath waypoint of a flight plan for an aircraft, and in response to a difference between the current aircraft location and a route associated with the flight plan exceeding a threshold distance, identify a selected heading for the aircraft, determine a sequencing point corresponding to an intersection of the selected heading of the aircraft and a bisection of the downpath waypoint perpendicular to a second heading associated with the downpath waypoint, and update the graphical indication of the distance between the current aircraft location and the downpath waypoint based on a relationship between the current aircraft location and the sequencing point.

[0008] This summary is provided to describe select concepts in a simplified form that are further described in the Detailed Description. This summary is not intended to identify key or essential features of the claimed subject matter, nor is it intended to be used as an aid in determining the scope of the claimed subject matter.BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF DRAWINGS

[0009] Exemplary embodiments of the subject matter of the present disclosure will hereinafter be described in conjunction with the following drawing figures, wherein like numerals denote like elements, and wherein: FIG. 1 is a block diagram of a system for an aircraft in accordance with one or more exemplary embodiments; FIG. 2 is a flow diagram of a sequencing process suitable for implementation in connection with the aircraft system of FIG. 1 in one or more exemplary embodiments; FIGS. 3-4 depict an exemplary flight plan route and corresponding scenario of an aircraft proceeding direct along a heading to a downpath location in connection with the sequencing process of FIG. 2; and FIGS. 5-7 depict exemplary graphical user interface (GUI) displays suitable for presentation on a display device associated with an aircraft in connection with the sequencing process of FIG. 2 for the scenario depicted in FIGS. 3-4. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0010] The following detailed description is merely exemplary in nature and is not intended to limit the subject matter of the application and uses thereof. Furthermore, there is no intention to be bound by any expressed or implied theory presented in the preceding technical field, background, brief summary, or the following detailed description.

[0011] Embodiments of the subject matter described herein relate to systems and methods for providing updated distance-to-go information for downpath waypoints of a planned route of travel when deviating from the planned route and executing a shortcut to a downpath waypoint. For purposes of explanation, the subject matter is described herein primarily in the context of assisting a pilot, copilot or other aircraft operator following an air traffic controller (ATC) instruction or clearance in a heading mode (HDG) of a flight management system (FMS). That said, it should be appreciated that the subject matter is not necessarily limited to use with aircraft or any other particular type of vehicle, system or application, and may be similarly utilized in other applications, systems or environments, including, but not limited to use with other types of vehicles (e.g., automobiles, marine vessels, trains, etc.).

[0012] The subject matter described herein allows the software of the FMS to adapt to ATC instructions or clearances when switching between different modes of operation to temporarily deviate from a flight plan and recapture the flight plan at a different location while maintaining the sequence of flight legs and waypoints of the flight plan in accordance with A424 standards. As described in greater detail below, when the aircraft deviates from the flight plan by more than a threshold distance, the current heading of the aircraft is utilized to calculate or otherwise determine one or more sequencing points corresponding to downpath waypoints of the flight plan along a flight leg corresponding to the current heading of the aircraft. For example, for the next downpath waypoint of the flight plan, a corresponding sequencing point is identified based on an intersection of the current heading of the aircraft with a bisection of that next downpath waypoint perpendicular to a heading associated with that next downpath waypoint. The sequencing point for that downpath waypoint may then be utilized to calculate an updated distance between the current location of the aircraft along the flight leg and the location of the sequencing point and otherwise update a graphical indication of a distance-to-go before reaching the downpath waypoint. For example, in some implementations, the graphical indication of the distance-to-go may be dynamically updated to the updated distance along the flight leg between the current location of the aircraft and the sequencing point. In other implementations, the updated distance-to-go may be replaced with some sort of null indicia (e.g., dashes, x's or the like) while the aircraft is deviating from the flight plan route and then deleted upon the aircraft traversing the sequencing point, which, in turn, results in the downpath waypoint being removed from the flight plan route.

[0013] In a similar manner, additional sequencing points may be identified for subsequent downpath waypoints of the flight plan until reaching the downpath waypoint or flight leg of the flight plan where the flight leg corresponding to the current heading of the aircraft will rejoin the flight plan. In this regard, when a sequencing point for a subsequent downpath waypoint is in advance of the sequencing point for a preceding downpath waypoint, the sequencing point for that subsequent downpath waypoint may be automatically adjusted or otherwise modified to be located further downpath of the sequencing point for a preceding downpath waypoint of the flight plan, such that the respective sequencing points for the waypoints of the flight plan are maintained in the same sequential order along the flight leg for the current heading of the aircraft as their respective waypoints are ordered in the flight plan. As a result, the updated distance-to-go for those downpath waypoints may be maintained positive or otherwise greater than the distance-to-go for a preceding waypoint, thereby avoiding presentation of potentially confusing distance-to-go information. Thereafter, once the aircraft traverses the sequencing point for a respective waypoint of the flight plan, the respective waypoint (or flight leg associated therewith) may be automatically deleted or otherwise removed from the flight plan based on the sequencing point for that waypoint having been traversed by the aircraft. In this manner, the displayed distance-to-go information may be maintained consistent with the progress of the aircraft along the desired heading, while maintaining the sequencing points and flight legs for the downpath waypoints of the flight plan in accordance with the A424 standards until the aircraft traverses the respective sequencing points or recaptures the flight plan.

[0014] FIG. 1 depicts an exemplary embodiment of an aircraft system 100 which may be utilized with an aircraft 120. In an exemplary embodiment, the system 100 includes, without limitation, a display device 102, one or more user input devices 104, a processing system 106, a display system 108, a communications system 110, a navigation system 112, a flight management system (FMS) 114, one or more avionics systems 116, and a data storage element 118 suitably configured to support operation of the system 100, as described in greater detail below.

[0015] In exemplary embodiments, the display device 102 is realized as an electronic display capable of graphically displaying flight information or other data associated with operation of the aircraft 120 under control of the display system 108 and / or processing system 106. In this regard, the display device 102 is coupled to the display system 108 and the processing system 106, and the processing system 106 and the display system 108 are cooperatively configured to display, render, or otherwise convey one or more graphical representations or images associated with operation of the aircraft 120 on the display device 102. The user input device 104 is coupled to the processing system 106, and the user input device 104 and the processing system 106 are cooperatively configured to allow a user (e.g., a pilot, co-pilot, or crew member) to interact with the display device 102 and / or other elements of the system 100, as described in greater detail below. Depending on the embodiment, the user input device(s) 104 may be realized as a keypad, touchpad, keyboard, mouse, touch panel (or touchscreen), joystick, knob, line select key or another suitable device adapted to receive input from a user. In some exemplary embodiments, the user input device 104 includes or is realized as an audio input device, such as a microphone, audio transducer, audio sensor, or the like, that is adapted to allow a user to provide audio input to the system 100 in a "hands free" manner using speech recognition.

[0016] The processing system 106 generally represents the hardware, software, and / or firmware components configured to facilitate communications and / or interaction between the elements of the system 100 and perform additional tasks and / or functions to support operation of the system 100, as described in greater detail below. Depending on the embodiment, the processing system 106 may be implemented or realized with a general purpose processor, a content addressable memory, a digital signal processor, an application specific integrated circuit, a field programmable gate array, any suitable programmable logic device, discrete gate or transistor logic, processing core, discrete hardware components, or any combination thereof, designed to perform the functions described herein. The processing system 106 may also be implemented as a combination of computing devices, e.g., a plurality of processing cores, a combination of a digital signal processor and a microprocessor, a plurality of microprocessors, one or more microprocessors in conjunction with a digital signal processor core, or any other such configuration. In practice, the processing system 106 includes processing logic that may be configured to carry out the functions, techniques, and processing tasks associated with the operation of the system 100, as described in greater detail below. Furthermore, the steps of a method or algorithm described in connection with the embodiments disclosed herein may be embodied directly in hardware, in firmware, in a software module executed by the processing system 106, or in any practical combination thereof. For example, in one or more embodiments, the processing system 106 includes or otherwise accesses a data storage element (or memory), which may be realized as any sort of non-transitory short or long term storage media capable of storing programming instructions for execution by the processing system 106. The code or other computer-executable programming instructions, when read and executed by the processing system 106, cause the processing system 106 to support or otherwise perform certain tasks, operations, functions, and / or processes described herein.

[0017] The display system 108 generally represents the hardware, software, and / or firmware components configured to control the display and / or rendering of one or more navigational maps and / or other displays pertaining to operation of the aircraft 120 and / or onboard systems 110, 112, 114, 116 on the display device 102. In this regard, the display system 108 may access or include one or more databases suitably configured to support operations of the display system 108, such as, for example, a terrain database, an obstacle database, a navigational database, a geopolitical database, an airport database, a terminal airspace database, a special use airspace database, or other information for rendering and / or displaying navigational maps and / or other content on the display device 102.

[0018] In the illustrated embodiment, the aircraft system 100 includes a data storage element 118, which is capable of storing, maintaining or otherwise implementing one or more of the databases that support operations of the aircraft system 100 described herein. In some embodiments, the data storage element 118 contains aircraft procedure information (or instrument procedure information) for a plurality of airports and maintains association between the aircraft procedure information and the corresponding airports. Depending on the embodiment, the data storage element 118 may be physically realized using RAM memory, ROM memory, flash memory, registers, a hard disk, or another suitable data storage medium known in the art or any suitable combination thereof. As used herein, aircraft procedure information should be understood as a set of operating parameters, constraints, or instructions associated with a particular aircraft action (e.g., approach, departure, arrival, climbing, and the like) that may be undertaken by the aircraft 120 at or in the vicinity of a particular airport. An airport should be understood as referring to any sort of location suitable for landing (or arrival) and / or takeoff (or departure) of an aircraft, such as, for example, airports, runways, landing strips, and other suitable landing and / or departure locations, and an aircraft action should be understood as referring to an approach (or landing), an arrival, a departure (or takeoff), an ascent, taxiing, or another aircraft action having associated aircraft procedure information. An airport may have one or more predefined aircraft procedures associated therewith, wherein the aircraft procedure information for each aircraft procedure at each respective airport are maintained by the data storage element 118 in association with one another.

[0019] Depending on the embodiment, the aircraft procedure information may be provided by or otherwise obtained from a governmental or regulatory organization, such as, for example, the Federal Aviation Administration in the United States. In an exemplary embodiment, the aircraft procedure information includes instrument procedure information, such as instrument approach procedures, standard terminal arrival routes, instrument departure procedures, standard instrument departure routes, obstacle departure procedures, or the like, traditionally displayed on a published charts, such as Instrument Approach Procedure (IAP) charts, Standard Terminal Arrival (STAR) charts or Terminal Arrival Area (TAA) charts, Standard Instrument Departure (SID) routes, Departure Procedures (DP), terminal procedures, approach plates, and the like. In exemplary embodiments, the data storage element 118 maintains associations between prescribed operating parameters, constraints, and the like and respective navigational reference points (e.g., waypoints, positional fixes, radio ground stations (VORs, VORTACs, TACANs, and the like), distance measuring equipment, non-directional beacons, or the like) defining the aircraft procedure, such as, for example, altitude minima or maxima, minimum and / or maximum speed constraints, RTA constraints, and the like.

[0020] In exemplary embodiments described herein, the aircraft procedure information maintained by the data storage element 118 includes point merge procedures for one or more airports, where the point merge procedure defines an arcuate trajectory to be flown between an arrival procedure (e.g., a standard terminal arrival route) and an approach procedure (e.g., an instrument approach procedure, or the like). That said, although the subject matter may be described in the context of a point merge procedure for purpose of explanation, the subject matter is not necessarily limited to any particular type, combination or sequence of aircraft procedures and may be implemented for other aircraft procedures (e.g., a trombone arrival) in an equivalent manner.

[0021] Still referring to FIG. 1, in exemplary embodiments, the processing system 106 is coupled to the navigation system 112, which is configured to provide real-time navigational data and / or information regarding operation of the aircraft 120. The navigation system 112 may be realized as a global positioning system (GPS), inertial reference system (IRS), or a radio-based navigation system (e.g., VHF omni-directional radio range (VOR) or long range aid to navigation (LORAN)), and may include one or more navigational radios or other sensors suitably configured to support operation of the navigation system 112, as will be appreciated in the art. The navigation system 112 is capable of obtaining and / or determining the instantaneous position of the aircraft 120, that is, the current (or instantaneous) location of the aircraft 120 (e.g., the current latitude and longitude) and the current (or instantaneous) altitude or above ground level for the aircraft 120. The navigation system 112 is also capable of obtaining or otherwise determining the heading of the aircraft 120 (i.e., the direction the aircraft is traveling in relative to some reference). In the illustrated embodiment, the processing system 106 is also coupled to the communications system 110, which is configured to support communications to and / or from the aircraft 120. For example, the communications system 110 may support communications between the aircraft 120 and air traffic control or another suitable command center or ground location. In this regard, the communications system 110 may be realized using a radio communication system and / or another suitable data link system. In this regard, various embodiments of the communications system 110 hardware and / or other components configured to support data link communications to / from the aircraft 120 using a data link infrastructure and / or a data link service provider.

[0022] In exemplary embodiments, the processing system 106 is also coupled to the FMS 114, which is coupled to the navigation system 112, the communications system 110, and one or more additional avionics systems 116 to support navigation, flight planning, and other aircraft control functions in a conventional manner, as well as to provide real-time data and / or information regarding the operational status of the aircraft 120 to the processing system 106. Although FIG. 1 depicts a single avionics system 116, in practice, the system 100 and / or aircraft 120 will likely include numerous avionics systems for obtaining and / or providing real-time flight-related information that may be displayed on the display device 102 or otherwise provided to a user (e.g., a pilot, a co-pilot, or crew member). For example, practical embodiments of the system 100 and / or aircraft 120 will likely include one or more of the following avionics systems suitably configured to support operation of the aircraft 120: a weather system, an air traffic management system, a radar system, a traffic avoidance system, an autopilot system, an autothrust system, a flight control system, hydraulics systems, pneumatics systems, environmental systems, electrical systems, engine systems, trim systems, lighting systems, crew alerting systems, electronic checklist systems, an electronic flight bag and / or another suitable avionics system.

[0023] It should be understood that FIG. 1 is a simplified representation of the system 100 for purposes of explanation and ease of description, and FIG. 1 is not intended to limit the application or scope of the subject matter described herein in any way. It should be appreciated that although FIG. 1 shows the display device 102, the user input device 104, and the processing system 106 as being located onboard the aircraft 120 (e.g., in the cockpit), in practice, one or more of the display device 102, the user input device 104, and / or the processing system 106 may be located outside the aircraft 120 (e.g., on the ground as part of an air traffic control center or another command center) and communicatively coupled to the remaining elements of the system 100 (e.g., via a data link and / or communications system 110). Similarly, in some embodiments, the data storage element 118 may be located outside the aircraft 120 and communicatively coupled to the processing system 106 via a data link and / or communications system 110. Furthermore, practical embodiments of the system 100 and / or aircraft 120 will include numerous other devices and components for providing additional functions and features, as will be appreciated in the art. In this regard, it will be appreciated that although FIG. 1 shows a single display device 102, in practice, additional display devices may be present onboard the aircraft 120. Additionally, it should be noted that in other embodiments, features and / or functionality of processing system 106 described herein can be implemented by or otherwise integrated with the features and / or functionality provided by the FMS 114. In other words, some embodiments may integrate the processing system 106 with the FMS 114. In yet other embodiments, various aspects of the subject matter described herein may be implemented by or at an electronic flight bag (EFB) or similar electronic device that is communicatively coupled to the processing system 106 and / or the FMS 114.

[0024] In exemplary implementations, the communications system 110 includes or is otherwise realized as a CPDLC system, an ACARS system, or another system suitable for broadcasting or otherwise transmitting ADS-C broadcast messages from the aircraft 120 to a monitoring system at a ground operations center over a communications network, such as the Internet, a satellite network, a cellular network, or the like. The ground operations center may be realized as a control tower or other facility located on the ground that includes one or more monitoring systems equipped to track, analyze, and otherwise monitor operations of one or more aircraft 120. In this regard, the monitoring system may include a computer or other computing system at the ground operations center that may be operated by ground personnel, such as a flight dispatcher or air traffic controller, to monitor and track the flight of the aircraft 120. Accordingly, a monitoring system may generally include a user input device, a display device, a communications system, a processing system, and a data storage element suitably configured to support the subject matter described herein. In exemplary embodiments, the display device is realized as an electronic display that is capable of graphically displaying a flight tracking display or other imagery that includes information or other data associated with operation of the aircraft 120, as described in greater detail below. The user input device is coupled to the processing system, and the user input device and the processing system are cooperatively configured to allow ground personnel monitoring the aircraft 120 to interact with the flight tracking station to analyze flight tracking data contained in the ADS-C broadcast messages and communicate clearances or instructions to the aircraft 120.

[0025] FIG. 2 depicts an exemplary embodiment of a sequencing process 200 suitable for implementation by the aircraft system 100 to provide updated distance-to-go information and facilitate recapturing or rejoining a flight plan route after exiting a managed area navigation mode associated with an FMS (e.g., LNAV, RNAV, and / or the like). The various tasks performed in connection with the illustrated process may be implemented using hardware, firmware, software executed by processing circuitry, or any combination thereof. For illustrative purposes, the following description may refer to elements mentioned above in connection with FIG. 1. In practice, portions of the sequencing process 200 may be performed by different elements of a vehicle system. That said, exemplary embodiments are described herein in the context of the sequencing process 200 being primarily performed by a sequencing service at a processing system 106 or FMS 114. It should be appreciated that the sequencing process 200 may include any number of additional or alternative tasks, the tasks need not be performed in the illustrated order and / or the tasks may be performed concurrently, and / or sequencing process 200 may be incorporated into a more comprehensive procedure or process having additional functionality not described in detail herein. Moreover, one or more of the tasks shown and described in the context of FIG. 2 could be omitted from a practical embodiment of the sequencing process 200 as long as the intended overall functionality remains intact.

[0026] Referring to FIG. 2 with continued reference to FIG. 1, in exemplary implementations, the sequencing process 200 is automatically triggered or initiated by the FMS 114 in response to a pilot, co-pilot or other aircraft operator interacting with the FMS 114 or other onboard systems 112, 114, 116 to cause the aircraft 120 to deviate from a flight path or route defined by a flight plan for the aircraft 120 along a heading en route to a downpath waypoint or leg of the flight plan route by shortcutting or bypassing one or more intervening waypoints or legs of the flight plan. For example, while the FMS 114 is autonomously flying or otherwise operating the aircraft 120 along the flight plan route using area navigation in a managed mode, the ATC may issue a clearance or otherwise provide an instruction for the aircraft 120 to proceed directly to a particular waypoint or along a particular heading rather than continuing along the flight plan route. In response, the pilot, co-pilot or other aircraft operator may interact with the FMS 114 to program or otherwise enable another autonomous operating mode, such as a heading mode (HDG) of the FMS 114 that causes the FMS 114 to automatically roll and guide the aircraft to follow a heading input by the pilot. In exemplary implementations, the managed mode for autonomous area navigation may be maintained armed or otherwise configured for reinitiation, whereby the sequencing process 200 automatically identifies sequencing points and corresponding flight legs to facilitate rejoining the flight plan route in accordance with the A424 standards. For example, in one or more implementations, the sequencing process 200 is automatically initiated when the aircraft 120 deviates from the original flight plan route by more than a threshold distance while the managed mode for autonomous area navigation is maintained armed or otherwise enabled for reentry once the aircraft 120 is within the threshold distance of the flight plan route.

[0027] In exemplary implementations, the sequencing process 200 is performed in connection with the FMS 114 providing a graphical user interface (GUI) display including graphical indicia of distance-to-go information for forthcoming downpath waypoints of the flight plan route to provide situational awareness to a pilot, co-pilot or other aircraft operator of the estimated distance or time remaining before reaching a particular point in space. For example, a FMS GUI display may include a listing of upcoming waypoints of the flight plan that are downpath of the current location of the aircraft 120 along the flight plan route with corresponding indicia of the estimated distance between the current location of the aircraft 120 and the respective downpath waypoint as measured along the flight legs of the flight plan route (e.g., the along-track distance). When the current location of the aircraft 120 deviates from the flight plan route by more than a threshold distance (e.g., due to the pilot inputting a particular heading to proceed direct to a downpath waypoint), the FMS 114 automatically initiates the sequencing process 200 to automatically identify or otherwise determine sequencing points for the respective downpath waypoints being bypassed by the aircraft 120 for purposes of calculating updated distance-to-go information for the respective downpath waypoints measured along the current heading of the aircraft 120 (e.g., the along-track distance to the respective sequencing point along the current aircraft heading). In this regard, the sequencing points may be utilized to track or otherwise maintain the sequence of flight plan waypoints and corresponding flight legs in accordance with the A424 for automatic removal of waypoints and / or flight legs from the flight plan once the aircraft 120 has traversed a sequencing point beyond which the respective waypoint or flight leg of the original flight plan is unlikely to be flown.

[0028] Referring to FIG. 2, in exemplary implementations, the sequencing process 200 initializes or otherwise begins by automatically identifying or otherwise determining the flight leg of the original flight plan to be utilized as the capture leg for reengaging a managed mode of the FMS based on the current heading of the aircraft (task 202). For example, FIG. 3 depicts a flight plan route 300 for a flight plan including a sequence of flight legs 301, 303, 305, 307, 309 for traversing a sequence of navigational reference points 302, 304, 306, 308, 310 (or waypoints) while traveling from an initial departure airport 320 to a destination airport, where a pilot, co-pilot or other operator has interacted with the FMS 114 to deviate from the active leg 301 of the flight plan route 300 along a selected heading (e.g., 080°) that was input by the operator or otherwise instructed by ATC (e.g., to proceed direct to CPL waypoint 310). For example, the pilot may engage a HDG mode of the FMS 114 to autonomously fly the aircraft 120 along the input heading value 080° while maintaining an autonomous area navigation managed mode armed or enabled for reengagement upon reaching a downpath flight leg 309. In response to the distance 330 between the current location of the aircraft 120 and the active leg 301 of the flight plan route 300 exceeding a sequencing initiation threshold distance, the sequencing service may automatically utilize the input heading value for the aircraft 120 to identify or otherwise determine the downpath flight leg 309 as being intersected by a trajectory aligned with the input heading value, and thereby identify the downpath flight leg 309 en route to the CPL waypoint 310 as the capture leg for reengaging the managed mode of the FMS 114. In exemplary implementations, in accordance with the A424 standards, the FMS 114 automatically constructs or otherwise generates an A424 flight leg 340 to become the active flight leg of the flight plan corresponding to the flight leg between the current location of the aircraft 120 and the capture leg 309 that is aligned with the input aircraft heading and intersects the capture leg 309.

[0029] Referring again to FIG. 2, the sequencing process 200 continues by automatically identifying a next downpath waypoint of the flight plan route yet to be flown or traversed by the aircraft until reaching the downpath waypoint associated with the capture leg (task 204). For each respective intervening waypoint before reaching the waypoint associated with the capture leg, the sequencing process 200 automatically identifies or otherwise determines a corresponding location for a sequencing point to be associated with the respective waypoint along the heading for the aircraft based on an intersection of the aircraft heading and a bisection of the respective waypoint (task 206). For example, referring again to FIG. 3, the sequencing service may automatically identify the ACT waypoint 302 as the next downpath waypoint to be sequenced once the aircraft 120 deviates from the initial active flight leg 301 by more than a threshold distance. Based on the planned aircraft heading associated with ACT waypoint 302 (e.g., the heading of the downpath flight plan flight leg 303 emanating from the ACT waypoint 302), the sequencing service automatically calculates or otherwise determines a bisector line 311 through the ACT waypoint 302 that is perpendicular to the heading associated with the ACT waypoint 302 (e.g., perpendicular to the flight plan flight leg 303). The sequencing service then identifies a respective sequencing point 312 corresponding to a location along the flight leg 340 corresponding to the input aircraft heading value of 080° where the bisector line 311 perpendicular to planned flight leg 303 intersects the heading-based constructed A424 flight leg 340.

[0030] Referring again to FIG. 2, after identifying a sequencing point based on an intersection of the perpendicular bisection of the downpath waypoint with the heading-based flight leg, the sequencing process 200 analyzes the sequencing point in relation to the current aircraft location and / or other sequencing points to detect or otherwise identify when the sequencing point is out of sequence (task 208). In this regard, a sequencing point may be determined to be out of sequence when it is located behind the current aircraft location along the current aircraft heading or is otherwise located along the aircraft heading flight leg 340 at a location that would precede the sequencing point associated with another waypoint that precedes that respective waypoint in the original flight plan. When the sequencing point is out of sequence, the sequencing process 200 automatically modifies the location of the sequencing point to a downpath location ahead of the current aircraft location that is in accordance with the sequence of waypoints of the flight plan (task 210). In this regard, the sequencing service maintains the sequencing points associated with the respective waypoints of the flight plan route being bypassed by the aircraft 120 in the same order as their respective waypoints were maintained in the flight plan.

[0031] When the sequencing point is located ahead of the current aircraft location and in the correct sequence according to the flight plan, the sequencing process 200 calculates or otherwise determines an updated distance-to-go before effectively traversing the waypoint and removing the waypoint from the flight plan using the sequencing point (task 212). For example, referring to FIG. 3, the sequencing service may verify or otherwise confirm that the ACT waypoint sequencing point 312 is located ahead of the current aircraft location and otherwise in the correct sequence according to flight plan sequence and then calculate or otherwise determine an updated distance-to-go for reaching the ACT waypoint based on the along-track distance 332 between the current location of the aircraft 120 and the location of the ACT waypoint sequencing point 312 along the flight leg 340 corresponding to the current aircraft heading.

[0032] Referring again to FIG. 2, the loop defined by tasks 204, 206, 208, 210 and 212 repeats until reaching the downpath waypoint associated with the capture leg to be intersected by the current aircraft heading. In this regard, after sequencing the ACT waypoint 302, the sequencing service may automatically identify the UPL1 waypoint 304 as the next downpath waypoint to be sequenced. Based on the planned aircraft heading associated with UPL1 waypoint 304 (e.g., the heading of the downpath flight plan flight leg 305 emanating from the UPL1 waypoint 304), the sequencing service automatically calculates or otherwise determines a bisector line 313 through the UPL1 waypoint 304 that is perpendicular to the heading associated with the UPL1 waypoint 304 (e.g., perpendicular to the flight plan flight leg 305). The sequencing service then identifies a respective sequencing point 314 corresponding to a location along the aircraft heading where the bisector line 313 intersects the flight leg 340 corresponding to the input aircraft heading value of 080°. Thereafter, the sequencing service identifies the UPL1 waypoint sequencing point 314 as being out of order or otherwise not in accordance with the original flight plan sequence by virtue of the UPL1 sequencing point 314 being located on the flight leg 340 ahead of the location of the ACT waypoint sequencing point 312 and between the current location of the aircraft 120 and the location of the ACT waypoint sequencing point 312 (e.g., based on the distance between the current aircraft location and the UPL1 waypoint sequencing point 314 being less than the distance between the current aircraft location and the ACT waypoint sequencing point 312).

[0033] In response to identifying that the UPL1 sequencing point 314 is out of sequence, the sequencing service automatically modifies or otherwise adjusts the location of the UPL1 sequencing point 314 to a different location between the current aircraft location and the capture leg 309 and / or the capture leg waypoint 310 that is downpath of the ACT waypoint sequencing point 312, such that the order in which the aircraft 120 is expected to traverse the ACT waypoint sequencing point 312 and the UPL1 sequencing point 314 corresponds to the originally planned order in which the aircraft 120 was intended to traverse the ACT waypoint 302 and the UPL1 waypoint 304. In this manner, the sequencing service effectively determines and constructs an updated or alternative route of travel for the aircraft 120 along the constructed flight leg 340 after traversing the ACT waypoint sequencing point 312 via the modified UPL1 waypoint sequencing point 312 en route to the capture leg 309.

[0034] In a similar manner, the sequencing service may identify corresponding sequencing points 316, 318 for the remaining downpath waypoints 306, 308 being bypassed by the aircraft 120 that are behind the current location of the aircraft 120 or otherwise out of sequence with respect to the ACT waypoint sequencing point 312, and then automatically modify the location of the sequencing points for the remaining downpath waypoints 306, 308 to downpath locations that precede the capture CPL waypoint 310 but do not precede the modified location of the UPL1 sequencing point. For example, referring to FIG. 4, in some implementations, the sequencing service may automatically distribute the modified locations of the sequencing points 314, 316, 318 between the ACT waypoint sequencing point 312 and the capture CPL waypoint 310 along the anticipated flight path for the aircraft 120 en route to the capture CPL waypoint 310, for example, by distributing the modified locations of the sequencing points 314, 316, 318 along the capture leg 309 between the capture CPL waypoint 310 and the intersection of the current aircraft heading such that the modified sequencing points 314, 316, 318 are equidistant. That said, in other implementations, the sequencing service may superimpose the sequencing points 314, 316, 318 having modified locations at a respective common location along the capture leg 309 in advance of the capture CPL waypoint 310. In yet other implementations, the sequencing service may superimpose the sequencing points 314, 316, 318 having modified locations at the same location as the ACT waypoint sequencing point 312. In this regard, the subject matter described herein is not necessarily limited to any particular modified location or manner for modifying the location of the sequencing points provided the sequencing points are maintained in the same order according to the flight plan and reside along at least one of the constructed A424 flight leg 340 corresponding to the aircraft heading or the capture leg 309 intersected by the constructed A424 flight leg 340.

[0035] Referring again to FIG. 2, after modifying the locations of the sequencing points for the downpath waypoints being bypassed, the sequencing process 200 may automatically calculate updated distance-to-go information for the bypassed waypoints (e.g., task 212) and automatically update a FMS GUI display to include graphical indicia of the updated along-track distance between the current aircraft location and the respective sequencing point along the flight leg 340 corresponding to the current aircraft heading. For example, FIGS. 5-6 depict an exemplary sequence of states of the FMS GUI display 500, 600 corresponding to the scenario depicted in FIG. 3. In this regard, FIG. 5 depicts a state of the FMS GUI display 500 when the aircraft 120 receives a clearance instruction from ATC to fly a shortcut direct along heading of 080° prior to the aircraft 120 deviating from the initial flight plan leg 301. As shown, the FMS GUI display 500 includes a graphical representation of the upcoming sequence of waypoints 302, 304, 306, 308, 310 of the flight plan route 300 along with respective distances to go to reach a respective waypoint from a preceding waypoint or the current aircraft location (e.g., distance to go of 15.2 nautical miles from the current location of the aircraft 120 to the ACT waypoint 302, distance to go of 10.2 nautical miles to reach the UPL1 waypoint 304 from the ACT waypoint 302, etc.) and corresponding headings associated with the respective legs 301, 303, 305, 307, 309 of the flight plan route 300.

[0036] Turning now to FIG. 6, once the aircraft 120 deviates from the initial active flight leg 301 by more than a threshold distance, the sequencing service constructs the heading-based A424 flight leg 340 and then automatically identifies the sequencing point 312 corresponding to the ACT waypoint 302 where the bisector line 311 perpendicular to planned flight leg 303 intersects the direct heading flight leg 340. As shown, the updated FMS GUI display 600 includes a graphical representation of the upcoming sequence of waypoints 302, 304, 306, 308, 310 of the flight plan route 300, with the respective distance-to-go and heading information for the respective legs en route to those waypoints 302, 304, 306, 308, 310 being rendered using dashes or other null indicia, along with a graphical representation of the updated distance to go to reach the CPL 310 associated with the downpath capture leg 309 flying a direct heading of 080° along the A424 flight leg 340. That said, in other implementations, rather than rendering the distance-to-go for reaching the downpath waypoints 302, 304, 306, 308 being rendered using dashes or other null indicia, in alternative implementations, the graphical indicia for the respective downpath waypoints 302, 304, 306, 308 may be rendered using the updated distance-to-go for reaching the respective sequencing points 312, 314, 316, 318 along the direct shortcut flight leg 340.

[0037] Referring again to FIGS. 1-2, in exemplary implementations, the sequencing points determined in accordance with the sequencing process 200 are utilized to support operation of the respective autonomous operating modes of the FMS 114 in accordance with the A424 standards. In this regard, the sequencing points 312, 314, 316, 318 may be utilized to automatically remove flight legs and / or waypoints from the active flight plan once the respective sequencing points have been traversed, such that the aircraft 120 is unlikely to ever traverse the actual waypoints or flight legs associated with those sequencing points. For example, in response to the aircraft 120 traversing the ACT waypoint sequencing point 312, the FMS 114 may automatically remove the ACT waypoint 302 and / or the previously active leg 301 en route to the ACT waypoint 302 from the flight plan. In this regard, FIG. 7 depicts an updated FMS GUI display 700 that reflects the aircraft 120 traversing the ACT waypoint sequencing point 312, such that the ACT waypoint 302 is removed from the flight plan route 300 and removed from listing of upcoming waypoints on the FMS GUI display 700. Accordingly, the pilot or co-pilot may readily ascertain that the ACT waypoint 302 has effectively been traversed and that any attempt to return to the flight plan route 300 should utilize the UPL1 waypoint 304 as the next upcoming waypoint where the flight plan route 300 could be rejoined. In this regard, FIG. 7 depicts a scenario where the sequencing points for the downpath waypoints 304, 306, 308 were moved to downpath locations along the capture leg 309 as shown in FIG. 4, such that they are maintained on the FMS GUI display 700 until the aircraft 120 rejoins the flight plan route 300 at the capture leg 309.

[0038] While an autonomous area navigation managed mode of the FMS 114 is maintained armed or otherwise configured for reengagement, once the current location of the aircraft 120 is within a recapture threshold distance of the capture leg 309 (which may be the same distance threshold as the sequencing initiation threshold distance), the FMS 114 may automatically transition from the autonomous HDG mode to the autonomous area navigation managed mode, which, in turn, results the FMS 114 automatically designating the capture leg 309 as the active flight leg and / or the CPL waypoint 310 as the active or next waypoint, and thereby automatically deleting any preceding flight legs 303, 305, 307 and / or preceding waypoints 304, 306, 308 from the flight plan as having been effectively traversed by virtue of the direct to shortcut. Thus, once the aircraft 120 is within the reengagement threshold distance of the capture leg 309, the waypoints 304, 306, 308 are designated as sequenced and removed from the flight plan route 300, with the FMS GUI display 700 being dynamically updated to identify the capture leg 309 as the active leg with the respective distance to go until reaching the CPL waypoint 310 from the current location of the aircraft 120.

[0039] By virtue of the subject matter described herein, the FMS software can automatically construct an A424 flight leg for a shortcut or direct to clearance from a current aircraft location to a downpath waypoint or flight leg of the flight plan, and then utilized to sequence the waypoints being bypassed by the aircraft flying that constructed A424 flight leg. After sequencing the waypoints to be bypassed along the constructed A424 flight leg or otherwise downpath of the current aircraft location, the estimated distance-to-go for those respective bypassed waypoints may be dynamically updated to reflect the along-track distance between the current aircraft location and a perpendicular bisection of the respective waypoints along the constructed A424 flight leg. Thereafter, when the aircraft is within a threshold distance for recapturing an A424 flight leg of the original flight plan, the FMS software may automatically resume autonomous operation and execution of the original flight plan from that point forward by removing the constructed A424 flight legs and bypassed waypoints from the flight plan.

[0040] For the sake of brevity, conventional techniques related to aircraft procedures, avionics systems, FMSs, flight planning, and other functional aspects of the systems (and the individual operating components of the systems) may not be described in detail herein. Furthermore, the connecting lines shown in the various figures contained herein are intended to represent exemplary functional relationships and / or physical couplings between the various elements. It should be noted that many alternative or additional functional relationships or physical connections may be present in an embodiment of the subject matter.

[0041] As used herein, the word "exemplary" means "serving as an example, instance, or illustration." Thus, any embodiment described herein as "exemplary" is not necessarily to be construed as preferred or advantageous over other embodiments. All of the embodiments described herein are exemplary embodiments provided to enable persons skilled in the art to make or use the invention and not to limit the scope of the invention which is defined by the claims.

[0042] Those of skill in the art will appreciate that the various illustrative logical blocks, modules, circuits, and algorithm steps described in connection with the embodiments disclosed herein may be implemented as electronic hardware, computer software, or combinations of both. Some of the embodiments and implementations are described above in terms of functional and / or logical block components (or modules) and various processing steps. However, it should be appreciated that such block components (or modules) may be realized by any number of hardware, software, and / or firmware components configured to perform the specified functions. To clearly illustrate this interchangeability of hardware and software, various illustrative components, blocks, modules, circuits, and steps have been described above generally in terms of their functionality. Whether such functionality is implemented as hardware or software depends upon the particular application and design constraints imposed on the overall system. Skilled artisans may implement the described functionality in varying ways for each particular application, but such implementation decisions should not be interpreted as causing a departure from the scope of the present invention. For example, an embodiment of a system or a component may employ various integrated circuit components, e.g., memory elements, digital signal processing elements, logic elements, look-up tables, or the like, which may carry out a variety of functions under the control of one or more microprocessors or other control devices. In addition, those skilled in the art will appreciate that embodiments described herein are merely exemplary implementations.

[0043] The various illustrative logical blocks, modules, and circuits described in connection with the embodiments disclosed herein may be implemented or performed with a general purpose processor, a digital signal processor (DSP), an application specific integrated circuit (ASIC), a field programmable gate array (FPGA) or other programmable logic device, discrete gate or transistor logic, discrete hardware components, or any combination thereof designed to perform the functions described herein. A general-purpose processor may be a microprocessor, but in the alternative, the processor may be any conventional processor, controller, microcontroller, or state machine. A processor may also be implemented as a combination of computing devices, e.g., a combination of a DSP and a microprocessor, a plurality of microprocessors, one or more microprocessors in conjunction with a DSP core, or any other such configuration.

[0044] The steps of a method or algorithm described in connection with the embodiments disclosed herein may be embodied directly in hardware, in a software module executed by a processor, or in a combination of the two. A software module may reside in RAM memory, flash memory, ROM memory, EPROM memory, EEPROM memory, registers, hard disk, a removable disk, a CD-ROM, or any other form of non-transitory storage medium known in the art. An exemplary storage medium is coupled to the processor such that the processor can read information from, and write information to, the storage medium. In the alternative, the storage medium may be integral to the processor. The processor and the storage medium may reside in an ASIC.

[0045] The subject matter may be described herein in terms of functional and / or logical block components, and with reference to symbolic representations of operations, processing tasks, and functions that may be performed by various computing components or devices. Such operations, tasks, and functions are sometimes referred to as being computer-executed, computerized, software-implemented, or computer-implemented. In practice, one or more processor devices can carry out the described operations, tasks, and functions by manipulating electrical signals representing data bits at memory locations in the system memory, as well as other processing of signals. The memory locations where data bits are maintained are physical locations that have particular electrical, magnetic, optical, or organic properties corresponding to the data bits. It should be appreciated that the various block components shown in the figures may be realized by any number of hardware, software, and / or firmware components configured to perform the specified functions. For example, an embodiment of a system or a component may employ various integrated circuit components, e.g., memory elements, digital signal processing elements, logic elements, look-up tables, or the like, which may carry out a variety of functions under the control of one or more microprocessors or other control devices.

[0046] When implemented in software or firmware, various elements of the systems described herein are essentially the code segments or instructions that perform the various tasks. The program or code segments can be stored in a processor-readable medium or transmitted by a computer data signal embodied in a carrier wave over a transmission medium or communication path. The "computer-readable medium", "processor-readable medium", or "machine-readable medium" may include any medium that can store or transfer information. Examples of the processor-readable medium include an electronic circuit, a semiconductor memory device, a ROM, a flash memory, an erasable ROM (EROM), a floppy diskette, a CD-ROM, an optical disk, a hard disk, a fiber optic medium, a radio frequency (RF) link, or the like. The computer data signal may include any signal that can propagate over a transmission medium such as electronic network channels, optical fibers, air, electromagnetic paths, or RF links. The code segments may be downloaded via computer networks such as the Internet, an intranet, a LAN, or the like.

[0047] Some of the functional units described in this specification have been referred to as "modules" in order to more particularly emphasize their implementation independence. For example, functionality referred to herein as a module may be implemented wholly, or partially, as a hardware circuit comprising custom VLSI circuits or gate arrays, off-the-shelf semiconductors such as logic chips, transistors, or other discrete components. A module may also be implemented in programmable hardware devices such as field programmable gate arrays, programmable array logic, programmable logic devices, or the like. Modules may also be implemented in software for execution by various types of processors. An identified module of executable code may, for instance, comprise one or more physical or logical modules of computer instructions that may, for instance, be organized as an object, procedure, or function. Nevertheless, the executables of an identified module need not be physically located together, but may comprise disparate instructions stored in different locations that, when joined logically together, comprise the module and achieve the stated purpose for the module. Indeed, a module of executable code may be a single instruction, or many instructions, and may even be distributed over several different code segments, among different programs, and across several memory devices. Similarly, operational data may be embodied in any suitable form and organized within any suitable type of data structure. The operational data may be collected as a single data set, or may be distributed over different locations including over different storage devices, and may exist, at least partially, merely as electronic signals on a system or network.

[0048] In this document, relational terms such as first and second, and the like may be used solely to distinguish one entity or action from another entity or action without necessarily requiring or implying any actual such relationship or order between such entities or actions. Numerical ordinals such as "first," "second," "third," etc. simply denote different singles of a plurality and do not imply any order or sequence unless specifically defined by the claim language. The sequence of the text in any of the claims does not imply that process steps must be performed in a temporal or logical order according to such sequence unless it is specifically defined by the language of the claim. The process steps may be interchanged in any order without departing from the scope of the invention as long as such an interchange does not contradict the claim language and is logically coherent.

[0049] Furthermore, the foregoing description may refer to elements or nodes or features being "coupled" together. As used herein, unless expressly stated otherwise, "coupled" means that one element / node / feature is directly or indirectly joined to (or directly or indirectly communicates with) another element / node / feature, and not necessarily mechanically. For example, two elements may be coupled to each other physically, electronically, logically, or in any other manner, through one or more additional elements. Thus, although the drawings may depict one exemplary arrangement of elements directly connected to one another, additional intervening elements, devices, features, or components may be present in an embodiment of the depicted subject matter. In addition, certain terminology may also be used herein for the purpose of reference only, and thus are not intended to be limiting.

[0050] While at least one exemplary embodiment has been presented in the foregoing detailed description of the invention, it should be appreciated that a vast number of variations exist. It should also be appreciated that the exemplary embodiment or exemplary embodiments are only examples, and are not intended to limit the scope, applicability, or configuration of the invention in any way. Rather, the foregoing detailed description will provide those skilled in the art with a convenient road map for implementing an exemplary embodiment of the invention. It being understood that various changes may be made in the function and arrangement of elements described in an exemplary embodiment without departing from the scope of the invention as set forth in the appended claims.

Examples

Embodiment Construction

[0010]The following detailed description is merely exemplary in nature and is not intended to limit the subject matter of the application and uses thereof. Furthermore, there is no intention to be bound by any expressed or implied theory presented in the preceding technical field, background, brief summary, or the following detailed description.

[0011]Embodiments of the subject matter described herein relate to systems and methods for providing updated distance-to-go information for downpath waypoints of a planned route of travel when deviating from the planned route and executing a shortcut to a downpath waypoint. For purposes of explanation, the subject matter is described herein primarily in the context of assisting a pilot, copilot or other aircraft operator following an air traffic controller (ATC) instruction or clearance in a heading mode (HDG) of a flight management system (FMS). That said, it should be appreciated that the subject matter is not necessarily limited to use wit...

Claims

1. A method of assisting operation of a vehicle, the method comprising: providing a graphical user interface (GUI) display comprising a graphical indication of a distance between a current location of the vehicle and a downpath waypoint of a planned route of travel; determining a difference between the current location of the vehicle and the planned route of travel is greater than a threshold distance; and in response to the difference exceeding the threshold distance: identifying a heading of the vehicle; determining a sequencing point corresponding to an intersection of the heading of the vehicle and a bisection of a next downpath waypoint of the planned route of travel perpendicular to a second heading associated with the next downpath waypoint; and updating the GUI display based on a relationship between the current location of the vehicle and the sequencing point.

2. The method of claim 1, further comprising: constructing a route leg aligned with the heading of the vehicle between the current location of the vehicle and an intersection with a subsequent route leg of the planned route of travel; and calculating an along-track distance between the current location of the vehicle and the downpath waypoint along the route leg, wherein updating the GUI display comprises updating the GUI display to depict the along-track distance to reach the downpath waypoint.

3. The method of claim 1, further comprising: calculating an updated distance between the current location of the vehicle and the sequencing point along the heading; and updating the graphical indication based on the updated distance.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein updating the GUI display comprises removing the graphical indication in response to the current location of the vehicle traversing the sequencing point.

5. The method of claim 1, further comprising: determining a second sequencing point corresponding to a second intersection of the heading of the vehicle and a second bisection of a second downpath waypoint of the planned route of travel subsequent to the next downpath waypoint; and modifying a location of the second sequencing point when the second sequencing point is ahead of the sequencing point.

6. The method of claim 1, further comprising removing the next downpath waypoint from the planned route of travel when the aircraft traverses the sequencing point.

7. The method of claim 1, further comprising: determining a second sequencing point corresponding to a second intersection of the heading of the vehicle and a second bisection of a second downpath waypoint of the planned route of travel subsequent to the next downpath waypoint; and modifying a location of the second sequencing point when a second distance between the current location of the vehicle and the second sequencing point along the heading is less than the updated distance.

8. The method of claim 1, further comprising: determining a second sequencing point corresponding to a second intersection of the heading of the vehicle and a second bisection of a second downpath waypoint of the planned route of travel subsequent to the next downpath waypoint; and determining an updated route of travel for the vehicle including a modified sequencing point corresponding to the second downpath waypoint after the sequencing point when the second sequencing point is ahead of the sequencing point along the heading.

9. The method of claim 1, further comprising: determining a second sequencing point corresponding to a second intersection of the heading of the vehicle and a second bisection of a second downpath waypoint of the planned route of travel subsequent to the next downpath waypoint; and determining an updated route of travel for the vehicle including a modified sequencing point corresponding to the second downpath waypoint subsequent to the sequencing point when a second distance between the current location of the vehicle and the second sequencing point along the heading is less than the updated distance.

10. A method of assisting operation of an aircraft, the method comprising: providing, by a flight management system (FMS) of the aircraft, a graphical user interface (GUI) display comprising a graphical indication of a distance between a current aircraft location and a downpath waypoint of a flight plan; and in response to a difference between the current aircraft location and a route associated with the flight plan exceeding a threshold distance: identifying a selected heading for the aircraft; determining a sequencing point corresponding to an intersection of the selected heading of the aircraft and a bisection of the downpath waypoint perpendicular to a second heading associated with the downpath waypoint; and updating the graphical indication of the distance based on a relationship between the current aircraft location and the sequencing point.

11. The method of claim 10, further comprising: constructing a flight leg aligned with the selected heading of the aircraft between the current aircraft location and an intersection with a subsequent flight leg of the flight plan; and calculating an updated distance comprising along-track distance between the current aircraft location and the sequencing point along the flight leg, wherein updating the graphical indication comprises updating the graphical indication of the distance between the current aircraft location and the downpath waypoint based on the updated distance.

12. The method of claim 8, further comprising identifying the subsequent flight leg as a capture leg based on the intersection with the flight leg aligned with the selected heading.

13. The method of claim 12, further comprising: determining a second sequencing point corresponding to a second intersection of the selected heading of the aircraft and a second bisection of a second downpath waypoint of the flight plan subsequent to the downpath waypoint; and modifying a location of the second sequencing point when the second sequencing point is ahead of the sequencing point.

14. The method of claim 13, wherein modifying the location of the second sequencing point comprises modifying the location of the second sequencing point to a modified location between the sequencing point and a subsequent downpath waypoint associated with the capture leg.

15. A computer-readable medium having computer-executable instructions stored thereon that, when executed by a processing system, cause the processing system to: provide a graphical user interface (GUI) display comprising a graphical indication of a distance between a current aircraft location and a downpath waypoint of a flight plan for an aircraft; and in response to a difference between the current aircraft location and a route associated with the flight plan exceeding a threshold distance: identify a selected heading for the aircraft; determine a sequencing point corresponding to an intersection of the selected heading of the aircraft and a bisection of the downpath waypoint perpendicular to a second heading associated with the downpath waypoint; and update the graphical indication of the distance between the current aircraft location and the downpath waypoint based on a relationship between the current aircraft location and the sequencing point.

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