Aircraft Traffic Display Overlay on Existing Terrain Awareness Screens
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing aircraft navigation systems lack the capability to efficiently display collision avoidance and traffic synchronization information without requiring costly hardware upgrades or modifications to existing low-resolution displays.
Innovation Solution
Integrate CDTI data into the software of terrain awareness devices or radar devices, allowing them to overlay traffic symbology with terrain symbology on existing navigation displays without hardware changes, using existing processing resources.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If new CDTI functionality is added to existing aircraft navigation displays, then traffic collision avoidance capability is improved, but hardware upgrade cost and complexity increase
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies multi-functionality by enabling the terrain awareness device or radar device to perform both its original function and the additional CDTI traffic collision avoidance function. The processing circuitry is configured to determine terrain features, objects in the travel path, and traffic data, then generate appropriate graphical user interfaces for display on existing navigation displays. This allows one device to serve multiple purposes without requiring separate dedicated CDTI hardware.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent uses the existing navigation display as an intermediary to present the new CDTI information. Instead of requiring a completely new display system, the solution overlays traffic symbology and graphical representations on the existing display infrastructure, allowing the same physical hardware to convey multiple types of information.
2Ease of manufacture
If existing low-resolution displays are used for CDTI functionality, then installation cost is reduced, but display quality and information clarity deteriorate
Solution Approach 1:
The patent compensates for the limited resolution of existing displays by utilizing the temporal dimension through animated graphical representations that update continuously. The system generates graphical user interfaces showing terrain features, objects, and traffic data in a dynamic manner, allowing pilots to perceive detailed information through motion and changing visual patterns rather than relying solely on static high-resolution graphics.
Solution Approach 2:
The system applies different graphical representations and levels of detail to different elements on the display based on their importance and the available resolution. Critical traffic information receives enhanced graphical treatment while less critical elements use simpler representations, optimizing the use of limited display resources.
3Adaptability or versatility
If software modification is applied to existing terrain awareness or radar devices, then functionality is improved without hardware changes, but device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent segments the processing functions into distinct modules within the existing device. The processing circuitry is configured to separately determine terrain features, detect objects in the travel path, receive traffic data, and generate graphical user interfaces. This modular approach allows the software to be organized into manageable functional blocks that can be independently developed and tested.
Data Source
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AI summary
In some examples, a terrain awareness device includes processing circuitry configured to determine a terrain feature in a travel path of the ownship vehicle. The processing circuitry is also configured to present, on a display, a first graphical user interface indicating the terrain feature. The terrain awareness device also includes a memory configured to store a location of the terrain feature, and the terrain awareness device is configured to receive traffic data from a traffic device. The processing circuitry is further configured to determine a location of a second vehicle based on the traffic data and determine that the ownship first vehicle has been instructed to synchronize with a second vehicle. The processing circuitry is configured to generate a second graphical user interface indicating that the ownship vehicle has been instructed to synchronize with the second vehicle and present the second graphical user interface on the display.