Automated Environmental Data Coverage Polygon for Aircraft
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Solution Overview
Problem
Current systems for providing environmental data to vehicles, such as aircraft, face challenges in efficiently transmitting relevant data while minimizing data size, often requiring pilots to compromise between simplicity and precision in selecting data coverage areas, which can lead to insufficient information and increased risk.
Innovation Solution
A method that automatically defines a data coverage area as a polygon, incorporating the flight plan vicinity, alternate destinations, and connection areas, with a smoothing process to remove narrow gaps and sharp angles, ensuring efficient and precise data transmission.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Quantity of substance
If the pilot manually selects the area of interest (AOI) to limit data coverage, then data transmission size is reduced, but the interface complexity increases and requires pilot expertise to balance simplicity and precision
Solution Approach 1:
The system automatically performs the AOI selection task that previously required pilot intervention. The processor autonomously determines the coverage polygon by integrating flight plan data with environmental data, eliminating the need for pilots to manually configure complex parameters while achieving optimal data reduction
Solution Approach 2:
The system pre-calculates the coverage polygon by combining the flight path vicinity area with alternate airport areas before data transmission. This preliminary integration of multiple geographic areas ensures that all potentially relevant environmental data is captured in advance, eliminating the need for pilots to make real-time decisions about data scope
2Ease of operation
If the coverage area is automatically limited to the flight path, then the interface is simple, but sufficient information is not provided as other potential significant areas are omitted
Solution Approach 1:
The system merges the flight path vicinity area with alternate airport areas to create a comprehensive coverage polygon. This combination ensures that both the primary flight path and potential alternate destinations are included in the data coverage, providing sufficient information without requiring pilot intervention to define multiple separate areas
Solution Approach 2:
The system pre-calculates the coverage polygon by combining the flight path vicinity area with alternate airport areas before data transmission. This preliminary integration of multiple geographic areas ensures that all potentially relevant environmental data is captured in advance, eliminating the need for pilots to make real-time decisions about data scope
3Loss of time
If the pilot limits the number of products or coverage area to reduce data size, then transmission time and cost are reduced, but the risk to aircraft, crew, passengers and cargo increases due to insufficient information
Solution Approach 1:
The system merges the flight path vicinity area with alternate airport areas to create a comprehensive coverage polygon. This combination ensures that both the primary flight path and potential alternate destinations are included in the data coverage, providing sufficient information without requiring pilot intervention to define multiple separate areas
Solution Approach 2:
The system automatically performs the AOI selection task that previously required pilot intervention. The processor autonomously determines the coverage polygon by integrating flight plan data with environmental data, eliminating the need for pilots to manually configure complex parameters while achieving optimal data reduction
Data Source
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AI summary
A method for providing environmental data to a vehicle such as an aircraft is provided. The method includes receiving a request from a vehicle to provide environmental data, and defining a route plan vicinity area as a part of a coverage polygon. The method further includes receiving alternate/back-up destinations selected from a list and defining and including in the coverage polygon one or more connection areas between the route plan vicinity area and the selected alternate/back-up destinations. The method smooths the coverage polygon and assembles environmental data for the smoothed coverage polygon. The assembled environmental data is sent to the vehicle.