Flight Leg Termination Visualization in Cockpit Displays

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Solution Overview

Problem

Current flight management systems (FMS) require manual input from pilots to display flight leg terminations, which is time-consuming and reduces situational awareness, especially during mid-flight operations when attention is divided.

Innovation Solution

An automated system that retrieves flight plans from a navigation database, determines leg terminations, and displays them on a cockpit display, using ARINC 424 type leg combinations, enabling visual representation of aircraft paths and intended leg terminations, with dynamic updates based on intrinsic and extrinsic factors, and employing augmented or virtual reality for enhanced visualization.

Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles

VSEngineering Contradiction Analysis

1Ease of operation

If manual input is used to display flight leg terminations, then the display can be customized and updated, but it is time-consuming and reduces situational awareness

Engineering Contradiction:

Improveease of displaying flight leg terminationsVSAvoidtime required for manual input

Core Design Contradiction:

Ease of operationVSLoss of time

Solution Approach 1:

The system automatically retrieves flight plans from the navigation database, determines leg terminations, and displays them on the cockpit display without requiring manual pilot input. The FMS performs these functions autonomously, allowing the system to serve itself rather than requiring continuous human intervention for updating termination information

Inventive Principle:

Principle #25Self-service

Solution Approach 2:

The system pre-retrieves flight plan data from the navigation database and pre-determines all leg terminations along the route before flight operations begin. This preliminary processing ensures that termination information is ready for immediate display when needed, eliminating the need for manual lookup or input during critical flight phases

Inventive Principle:

Principle #10Preliminary action

2Loss of information

If manual input is used to display flight leg terminations, then pilots can control the information displayed, but situational awareness is reduced during mid-flight operations

Engineering Contradiction:

Improvecompleteness of flight leg termination informationVSAvoidsituational awareness during flight

Core Design Contradiction:

Loss of informationVSReliability

Solution Approach 1:

The system continuously monitors the aircraft's progress along the flight plan and automatically updates the display of leg terminations based on current position and flight status. This real-time feedback mechanism ensures that the most relevant termination information is always displayed without requiring pilot intervention to refresh or update the data

Inventive Principle:

Principle #23Feedback

Solution Approach 2:

The FMS autonomously manages the retrieval, processing, and display of flight leg termination information throughout the flight. The system self-updates termination data based on aircraft position and flight plan progression, ensuring complete and accurate information is always available without diverting pilot attention

Inventive Principle:

Principle #25Self-service

Data Source

PatentEP4024369A1Flight leg termination visualization systems and methods for flight leg termination visualization

Publication Date: 2022.07.06 GE AVIATION SYSTEMS LLC

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AI summary

Various flight leg visualization techniques are enabled. For instance, a method comprises retrieving, by a flight management system from a navigation database, a route of an aircraft associated with the flight management system, determining, by the flight management system, leg terminations on the route, determining, by the flight management system, a leg termination of the leg terminations to display, and displaying, by the flight management system, the leg termination.