Route Modeler Optimizing Environmental and Economic Flight Characteristics

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Solution Overview

Problem

Current systems fail to effectively quantify and prioritize environmental and economic characteristics of aircraft routes, neglecting entity preferences and not generating new routes based on these considerations, which are crucial for reducing emissions, fuel use, and operating costs while improving passenger comfort.

Innovation Solution

A route modeler is configured to identify areas of interest, generate new routes, and adjust values for environmental and economic characteristics based on entity weightings, enabling the selection of routes that optimize performance values.

Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles

VSEngineering Contradiction Analysis

1Measurement precision

If traditional route planning methods are used, then route selection is simple and quick, but environmental and economic characteristics cannot be effectively quantified and prioritized

Engineering Contradiction:

Improvequantification of environmental and economic characteristicsVSAvoidroute modeling system complexity

Core Design Contradiction:

Measurement precisionVSDevice complexity

Solution Approach 1:

The patent transforms qualitative route characteristics into quantitative parameters by assigning numerical values to environmental and economic attributes. The route modeler calculates performance values based on weighted combinations of multiple characteristics (fuel burn, emissions, noise, time), converting subjective assessments into objective measurable data that enables precise comparison and optimization of routes.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #35Parameter changes

2Productivity

If multiple environmental and economic characteristics are considered, then route optimization improves, but the complexity of evaluating and comparing routes increases

Engineering Contradiction:

Improveroute optimization qualityVSAvoidcharacteristic evaluation complexity

Core Design Contradiction:

ProductivityVSDevice complexity

Solution Approach 1:

The patent merges multiple environmental and economic characteristics into a single integrated performance value through weighted summation. By combining fuel burn, emissions, noise, time, and other characteristics into one comprehensive metric, the system simplifies the evaluation process while maintaining consideration of all relevant factors, enabling straightforward comparison between different routes.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #5Merging (Combining)

Solution Approach 2:

The route modeler acts as an intermediary that processes multiple complex characteristics and transforms them into a simplified performance value. This intermediary component handles the complexity of multi-criteria evaluation internally while presenting a simple comparative output to users, bridging the gap between complex environmental/economic data and decision-making needs.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #24Intermediary (Mediator)

3Manufacturing precision

If entity preferences and weightings are incorporated, then route selection accuracy improves, but the time and computational resources required increase

Engineering Contradiction:

Improveroute selection accuracyVSAvoidroute evaluation time

Core Design Contradiction:

Manufacturing precisionVSLoss of time

Solution Approach 1:

The system performs preliminary actions by pre-calculating and storing performance values for multiple routes based on entity-specific weightings. By preparing these evaluations in advance rather than computing them on-demand, the system reduces the time required for actual route selection while maintaining high accuracy, as the computationally intensive weighting calculations have already been completed.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #10Preliminary action

4Object-generated harmful factors

If new routes are generated based on environmental and economic considerations, then emission reduction and fuel efficiency improve, but the complexity of route generation and comparison increases

Engineering Contradiction:

Improveemissions and fuel burnVSAvoidroute generation complexity

Core Design Contradiction:

Object-generated harmful factorsVSDevice complexity

Solution Approach 1:

Instead of generating routes and then evaluating them, the system inverts the process by first establishing environmental and economic criteria, then generating routes that inherently satisfy these criteria. The route modeler uses the specified weightings and characteristics to guide route generation, ensuring that environmentally and economically optimal routes are created directly rather than selected from suboptimal alternatives.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #13The other way round (Inversion)

Data Source

PatentUS9310204B2Route modeler for improving desired environmental and economic flight characteristics

Publication Date: 2016.04.12 THE BOEING CO

AI summary

A method and apparatus for processing routes is disclosed. An area of interest associated with a number of routes for a number of aircraft and an identification of a number of weightings for a number of characteristics for the number of routes are identified. The number of characteristics includes at least one of a number of environmental characteristics or a number of economic characteristics. A number of new routes are generated based on information about the number of routes associated with the area of interest. Values are identified for characteristics in the number of characteristics for each new route in the number of new routes and for each route in the number of routes based on the information. A performance value is identified for the each new route and for the each route based on the values and the number of weightings for the number of characteristics.