Flight Path Altitude Threshold Alerting System
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Solution Overview
Problem
Current avionics systems lack timely and effective display of minimum obstruction clearance altitudes, particularly outside defined airways or procedures, leading to cluttered information and increased risk of altitude threshold violations, especially in unstructured airspace.
Innovation Solution
A system and method for displaying a flight path with real-time altitude awareness, determining threshold altitudes, and highlighting potential violations, using a flight management system coupled with a display to provide clear and timely alerts to pilots, reducing clutter and enhancing terrain clearance awareness.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Loss of information
If comprehensive terrain and flight information is displayed on electronic instrumentation displays, then information density and situational awareness are improved, but visual clutter and cognitive load increase
Solution Approach 1:
The patent extracts and highlights only the critical threshold altitude information from the comprehensive flight data, separating it from other less critical information. This allows pilots to focus on the most important altitude thresholds without being overwhelmed by the complete set of flight parameters and terrain data.
Solution Approach 2:
The system applies different visual qualities to different types of information on the display. Critical threshold altitudes receive special highlighting (such as color changes or intensity modifications) while other information maintains standard display characteristics, enabling pilots to quickly identify and prioritize critical altitude information.
2Reliability
If minimum safe altitude information is displayed for all flight procedures, then terrain clearance safety is improved, but display clutter increases
Solution Approach 1:
The system pre-calculates and identifies threshold altitudes that are likely to be violated based on the current flight path and aircraft performance characteristics. By preparing this information in advance and only displaying when relevant, the system maintains safety awareness without requiring continuous display of all possible altitude information.
Solution Approach 2:
Rather than displaying all minimum safe altitude information for every possible flight procedure, the system selectively displays only those threshold altitudes that are relevant to the current flight context and have a higher probability of being violated, providing sufficient safety information without excessive clutter.
3Reliability
If EGPWS is used for terrain warning, then last-ditch safety warning is provided, but timely procedural altitude alerting is lacking
Solution Approach 1:
The system performs preliminary calculations of threshold altitudes and potential violations before the aircraft actually reaches dangerous proximity to terrain or obstacles. This allows warning pilots in advance of potential altitude violations, giving them time to take corrective action rather than waiting for last-ditch EGPWS warnings.
Solution Approach 2:
The system skips the intermediate step of waiting for EGPWS to detect a dangerous situation by directly calculating and alerting pilots to threshold altitude violations based on flight plan data and aircraft performance, providing earlier warning without requiring the aircraft to rush into dangerous terrain proximity first.
4Manufacturing precision
If detailed altitude constraint information is displayed for each flight segment, then procedural compliance is improved, but information density and pilot workload increase
Solution Approach 1:
The system extracts only the critical threshold altitude values from the complete set of procedural altitude constraints, separating essential safety information from less critical compliance data. This allows pilots to maintain procedural compliance awareness without being presented with every single altitude constraint.
Solution Approach 2:
The system displays a partial set of altitude constraint information - specifically those threshold altitudes most relevant to current flight conditions and violation risk - rather than displaying all procedural altitude requirements, reducing information quantity while maintaining compliance precision.
Data Source
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AI summary
A system and method display general terrain clearance awareness, whether the aircraft is off route, on airway, off procedure, or on procedure, so altitude thresholds are not violated and EGPWS alerts are avoided, while reducing clutter in displaying the information. Altitude, location, and rate of change in altitude are considered in determining whether the aircraft will exceed the threshold altitude. A flight path or an area to be entered is highlighted when the threshold altitude will be violated by the aircraft with the current flight path. The threshold altitude may be a minimum or maximum allowed altitude, or the terrain.