RTA Waypoint Visual Encoding for Time Constraints
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Solution Overview
Problem
Current air traffic control methods impose a high workload on controllers and underutilize runway capacities, especially in busy airports, due to reliance on aircraft current positions for separation, and pilots face challenges in recognizing Required Time of Arrival (RTA) constraints during various flight phases.
Innovation Solution
A system and method for presenting RTA waypoints with associated time constraints using a flight management system, display device, and controller circuit to visually encode RTA waypoints with preprogrammed symbols on an avionic display, indicating 'at', 'before', or 'after' constraints, improving human-machine interface and reducing workload.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Loss of information
If visual encoding schemes with multiple symbols are added to indicate different RTA constraint types, then information completeness is improved, but display complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies color changes by assigning different colors to symbols representing different RTA constraint types (at, before, after). This allows the display to convey multiple types of information through color differentiation without requiring additional symbols or increasing display complexity, thus resolving the contradiction between information completeness and display complexity.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent applies local quality by placing specific colored symbols at precise locations relative to waypoints on the display. Each waypoint receives a localized visual encoding (specific symbol and color) that indicates its RTA constraint type, allowing information to be conveyed efficiently at specific locations without overwhelming the entire display system.
2Loss of information
If multiple colored symbols are displayed at each waypoint to indicate constraint type, then information completeness is improved, but ease of detecting and measuring deteriorates due to visual clutter
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies the extraction principle by isolating the RTA constraint information into separate, distinct colored symbols that are placed next to waypoints rather than embedding multiple pieces of information within the waypoint marker itself. This extraction allows pilots to quickly detect and distinguish different constraint types without visual clutter, resolving the contradiction between information completeness and ease of detection.
3Productivity
If RTA constraints are implemented across multiple flight phases including descent and taxi, then air traffic control efficiency is improved, but pilot workload increases due to frequency of constraints
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies color changes to provide immediate visual differentiation between various RTA constraint types across different flight phases. This allows pilots to quickly recognize and respond to constraints during descent, taxi, and other phases without increasing cognitive workload, thus enabling expanded RTA usage while maintaining ease of operation.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent applies preliminary action by providing visual encoding of RTA constraints before pilots need to respond to them. The colored symbols are displayed in advance, allowing pilots to anticipate and prepare for upcoming constraints during descent and taxi phases, thereby reducing reactive workload while maintaining high air traffic control efficiency.
Data Source
AI summary
Systems and methods for presenting an RTA waypoint with associated time constraints. The system includes a flight management system (FMS) providing an assigned flight plan with a plurality of waypoints; a display device configured to render a current location and trajectory of the aircraft in a navigation display and in a vertical display; and a controller circuit. The system locates the RTA waypoint among the plurality of waypoints, as a function of the flight plan and the current location and trajectory of the aircraft. The system identifies a time constraint associated with the RTA waypoint. The system uses the time constraint to determine a type, from among an “at”, a “before”, and an “after”, for the RTA waypoint; and, assigns a preprogrammed visual encoding scheme for the type to the RTA waypoint. The system presents the RTA waypoint, using the visual encoding scheme, on the display device.