Flight Deck Taxi Clearance Display With Predicted Ground Path

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Solution Overview

Problem

Flight crews experience high workload during taxiing operations, particularly at complex and unfamiliar airports, due to the need to navigate to a destination point without clear guidance, which can lead to mishaps.

Innovation Solution

A flight deck system that predicts a ground path from the runway exit to the destination point, displaying it on a flight deck display device, using a controller to set a destination point, estimate a stopping point, and determine a starting point and exit point for the aircraft.

Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles

VSEngineering Contradiction Analysis

1Reliability

If flight crews manually navigate to destination points without clear guidance, then they can operate without additional systems, but workload increases and safety decreases

Engineering Contradiction:
ImprovesafetyVSAvoidworkload
Core Design Contradiction:
ReliabilityVSEase of operation

Solution Approach 1:

The system performs preliminary actions by automatically determining the ground path, stopping point, and runway exit point before the flight crew needs this information. The controller calculates the complete taxi route from the destination point through the runway exit to the aircraft's stopping position, preparing all navigation guidance in advance to reduce crew workload during critical taxiing operations.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #10Preliminary action

2Reliability

If the system displays complete ground path information, then navigation safety improves, but system complexity increases

Engineering Contradiction:
Improvenavigation safetyVSAvoidsystem complexity
Core Design Contradiction:
ReliabilityVSDevice complexity

Solution Approach 1:

The controller performs multiple functions using a single integrated system: it determines the ground path to the destination, calculates the stopping point based on aircraft performance, identifies the optimal runway exit point, and displays all this information on the flight deck display device. This multi-functionality reduces the need for separate navigation systems while improving safety.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #6Universality (Multi-functionality)

3Manufacturing precision

If the system calculates precise stopping points and exit points, then taxiing precision improves, but computational requirements increase

Engineering Contradiction:
Improvetaxiing precisionVSAvoidcomputational power
Core Design Contradiction:
Manufacturing precisionVSPower

Solution Approach 1:

The system calculates the stopping point and runway exit point in advance during the approach and landing phase, when computational resources are available and the aircraft is still in controlled flight. By determining these critical parameters before the aircraft commits to the runway, the system achieves high precision without requiring intensive real-time computation during the critical taxiing maneuver.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #10Preliminary action

Data Source

PatentEP3855411B1Methods to initialize ground taxi clearance display
Publication Date: 2026.03.04 HONEYWELL INTERNATIONAL INC
  • EP3855411B1 patent drawingFigure 1
  • EP3855411B1 patent drawingFigure 2
  • EP3855411B1 patent drawingFigure 3

AI summary

A flight deck system and a method for providing a flight crew with a ground path to a destination at an aerodrome for taxiing is disclosed. The flight deck system includes a controller configured to: set a destination point on the ground at the aerodrome for an airborne aircraft that is preparing to land; estimate a stopping point for the aircraft on a runway; and predict a ground path for the aircraft to follow at the aerodrome from the runway to the destination point. To predict the controller is further configured to: determine a starting point on the runway for the predicted ground path; and determine a runway exit point to a taxiway. The controller is further configured to cause the predicted ground path to be displayed on a flight deck display device.