Vehicle Management Automation for Alternate Airport Selection

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Solution Overview

Problem

Existing flight management systems rely heavily on manual pilot entries for alternate destination selection, lacking automation and real-time data integration for safe and efficient diversion to alternate airports.

Innovation Solution

A vehicle management system (VMS) that integrates real-time flight tracking, weather, and airport data to automatically identify and evaluate alternate destinations based on proximity, flight distance, ETA, and fuel levels, providing navigation estimates and updating the system accordingly.

Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles

VSEngineering Contradiction Analysis

1Extent of automation

If manual pilot entries are used for alternate destination selection, then the system complexity is reduced, but the extent of automation and real-time data integration deteriorates

Engineering Contradiction:

Improveautomated alternate destination selectionVSAvoidsystem complexity

Core Design Contradiction:

Extent of automationVSDevice complexity

Solution Approach 1:

The Flight Management System automatically performs alternate destination selection by integrating real-time data from multiple sources (weather, airport information, flight conditions) and evaluating alternatives based on pre-established criteria, enabling the system to serve itself without requiring manual pilot intervention for each selection

Inventive Principle:

Principle #25Self-service

Solution Approach 2:

The VMS integrates multiple functions including flight tracking, weather monitoring, airport data access, and automated decision-making into a single system, allowing one system to perform multiple tasks that previously required separate manual operations

Inventive Principle:

Principle #6Universality (Multi-functionality)

2Productivity

If automated alternate destination selection is implemented, then the extent of automation improves, but the device complexity increases

Engineering Contradiction:

Improvedecision-making efficiencyVSAvoidsystem complexity

Core Design Contradiction:

ProductivityVSDevice complexity

Solution Approach 1:

The system pre-establishes evaluation criteria and data integration protocols before they are needed, so that when alternate destination selection is required, the automated process can immediately evaluate options based on pre-configured parameters without requiring complex real-time calculations

Inventive Principle:

Principle #10Preliminary action

3Reliability

If real-time data integration is performed, then the reliability of alternate destination selection improves, but the use of energy and computational resources increases

Engineering Contradiction:

Improvesafety of diversionVSAvoidcomputational resources

Core Design Contradiction:

ReliabilityVSUse of energy by moving object

Solution Approach 1:

The system dynamically adjusts the level of data integration and evaluation depth based on flight conditions, prioritizing critical parameters (such as weather conditions and fuel levels) while reducing computation for less critical factors, thereby maintaining reliability while managing computational resource consumption

Inventive Principle:

Principle #35Parameter changes

Data Source

PatentUS12437656B2Alternate destination management and selection

Publication Date: 2025.10.07 THE BOEING CO

AI summary

The present disclosure provides for alternate destination selection and management onboard a vehicle. The alternate destination selection includes receiving, at a vehicle management system (VMS) an alternate destination request selecting and determining a plurality of navigation estimates based on the request and updating the VMS according to the alternate destination and the plurality of navigation estimates.