Mobile Flight Map Overlays for Time-on-Target Adjustment
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Solution Overview
Problem
Current mobile devices face challenges in meaningfully displaying aircraft flight information, including maps, time on target data, and user interface elements for adjusting flight times, due to limited screen space and the inability to accurately account for weather conditions and speed changes during flight planning.
Innovation Solution
The method involves displaying a map on a mobile device with overlays to show the aircraft's current location and waypoints, allowing users to adjust the time of arrival by inputting changes through a pop-up window, which calculates and displays the necessary course adjustments based on predicted flight conditions, including weather and speed changes.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of operation
If mobile devices are used to display flight information, then portability and accessibility are improved, but screen space is limited making it difficult to display maps, time on target data, and user interface elements meaningfully
Solution Approach 1:
The interface is segmented into multiple functional layers including a base map layer, overlay panels for time-on-target data, and pop-up windows for course adjustment. This allows different types of information to be displayed in separate, manageable sections rather than competing for the same limited screen real estate.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent utilizes the full screen area by implementing overlays that extend across the display and pop-up windows that appear at strategic locations. This multi-dimensional layout approach maximizes the use of available screen space while maintaining accessibility to all flight planning functions.
2Ease of operation
If current mobile device capabilities are used for flight planning, then portability is improved, but the ability to accurately account for weather conditions and speed changes is worsened
Solution Approach 1:
The system performs preliminary calculations of course adjustments by integrating predicted weather conditions and speed changes before the aircraft reaches the waypoint. This advance computation allows pilots to plan their approach with greater accuracy, compensating for anticipated environmental factors.
Solution Approach 2:
The system continuously monitors actual flight conditions and compares them against predicted conditions, then adjusts the time-on-target and course recommendations accordingly. This feedback loop improves measurement precision by adapting to real-world variations in weather and aircraft performance.
3Loss of information
If detailed flight information is displayed on mobile devices, then information completeness is improved, but interface complexity and difficulty of use are worsened
Solution Approach 1:
Flight information is segmented into logical groups (map data, time-on-target displays, course adjustment controls, weather information) and presented in separate overlay panels and pop-up windows. This organization allows pilots to access comprehensive information without being overwhelmed by a cluttered interface.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent introduces intermediary elements such as overlay panels and pop-up windows that mediate between the pilot and the complex flight planning data. These intermediaries present information in digestible formats and provide step-by-step guidance for making course adjustments, simplifying the interaction while maintaining information completeness.
Data Source
AI summary
A method of displaying, on a screen of a mobile device, time on target information for an aircraft in flight. The method includes displaying a current location of the aircraft on a map, a waypoint between a departure point and a destination point, a symbol indicating the waypoint in a first area of the screen overlapping the map, and a first pop-up window in a second area of the screen overlapping the first area. The first pop-up window displays a current arrival time at the waypoint and an input area to receive an adjustment to the current arrival time.