Mobile Flight Map Overlays for Time-on-Target Speed 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 overlays on a mobile device screen to show a map with the aircraft's current location, waypoints, and time on target information, allowing users to adjust arrival times and receive recommendations for speed changes to achieve desired arrival times, while considering predicted flight conditions such as weather and wind aloft.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Adaptability or versatility
If multiple flight information elements (maps, time on target data, UI controls) are displayed on mobile device screens, then comprehensive flight planning capability is improved, but screen space limitations cause information density and usability to deteriorate
Solution Approach 1:
The user interface is segmented into multiple functional layers: a base map layer showing aircraft position and route, overlaying pop-up windows for time-on-target adjustments, and contextual menus for flight parameter modifications. This segmentation allows comprehensive flight planning tools to be presented without overwhelming the limited screen real estate, as users can access different functional segments through systematic interactions.
Solution Approach 2:
The interface employs nested pop-up windows where selecting a waypoint on the map opens a first-level pop-up with time adjustment controls, which can further trigger second-level pop-ups for detailed parameter editing. This nesting structure consolidates multiple levels of flight planning functionality within a compact hierarchical framework that adapts to mobile screen constraints while maintaining comprehensive adaptability.
2Ease of operation
If pop-up windows are used to display time on target adjustments and speed recommendations, then information accessibility is improved, but screen real estate for map visualization deteriorates
Solution Approach 1:
The pop-up windows are designed as dynamic, context-sensitive elements that appear and disappear based on user interaction with specific map features. When a user selects a waypoint, the relevant time-on-target pop-up appears positioned to minimize obstruction of the map. The windows can be dismissed or minimized to restore full map visibility, creating a dynamic balance between information accessibility and map visualization area.
Solution Approach 2:
The interface transitions from two-dimensional map display to three-dimensional layered presentation by introducing pop-up windows that extend vertically from the map plane. This dimensional transition allows comprehensive flight adjustment information to be presented without permanently reducing the horizontal map visualization area, as the additional information layers can be toggled independently.
3Manufacturing precision
If real-time speed recommendations and course adjustments are calculated and displayed, then flight plan accuracy is improved, but computational requirements and processing time deteriorate
Solution Approach 1:
The system performs preliminary calculations of time-on-target and speed recommendations during the flight planning phase, before the aircraft departs. By pre-computing these parameters based on predicted weather conditions and flight paths, the system reduces real-time computational requirements during flight, allowing rapid adjustments without significant processing delays while maintaining high flight plan accuracy.
Solution Approach 2:
The interface implements continuous feedback loops where real-time aircraft position, speed, and weather data are fed back into the calculation engine. This feedback mechanism allows the system to maintain accurate flight plans by making incremental adjustments based on actual conditions rather than performing complete recalculations, thereby preserving precision while minimizing processing time and computational resource consumption.
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. Responsive to receiving the input, second pop-up window in a third area of the screen displays a recommendation to perform a speed change to achieve the adjustment, and a second recommendation that indicates a numerical value of a recommended speed change to achieve the adjustment.