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EP-3573038-B1 - ASSISTED VISUAL SEPARATION ENHANCED BY GRAPHICAL VISUALIZATION

EP3573038B1EP 3573038 B1EP3573038 B1EP 3573038B1EP-3573038-B1

Inventors

  • BOUDA, TOMAS
  • EICHLER, ZDENEK
  • KLANG, Pavel

Dates

Publication Date
20260506
Application Date
20190517

Claims (13)

  1. A method of providing visual assistance to a flight crew on an aircraft during flight, the method comprising: generating a graphical user interface, GUI, element (220) that displays a target aircraft symbol (226) that represents a target aircraft (106), a horizontal range symbol (224) that represents a pre- selected horizontal distance ahead of an ownship aircraft (104), an ownship symbol (222) that represents the ownship aircraft (104), a direction symbol (228) configured to indicate whether the distance between the ownship aircraft and target aircraft is increasing or decreasing, and a time symbol (230) configured to indicate the estimated time that it would take for the target aircraft to reach the pre-selected horizontal distance ahead of the ownship aircraft; positioning the ownship symbol, the horizontal range symbol, the target aircraft symbol, the direction symbol, and the time symbol on the GUI element, the positioning comprising: positioning the ownship symbol at a stationary position on the GUI element; positioning the horizontal range symbol at a stationary position away from the ownship symbol, using a fixed scaling factor, at a distance that is proportional to the pre- selected horizontal distance; and positioning the target aircraft symbol at a position on the GUI element away from the ownship symbol, using the fixed scaling factor, at a distance that is proportional to the actual horizontal distance between the ownship aircraft position and the target aircraft position; retrieving, from a traffic computer (408), a distance measurement that indicates the distance between the target aircraft and the ownship aircraft, a differential ground speed measurement that indicates the differential ground speed between the target aircraft and the ownship aircraft, and a time measurement that indicates the time before the target aircraft reaches the pre-selected horizontal distance; adjusting, on the GUI element, the position of the target aircraft symbol relative to the horizontal range symbol based on the distance measurement, the direction of the direction symbol based on the differential ground speed measurement, and the value of the time symbol based on the time measurement; and causing the GUI element and the symbols to be displayed on a cockpit display.
  2. The method of claim 1, wherein the direction symbol (228) is configured to indicate whether a horizontal distance between the ownship aircraft and target aircraft is increasing or decreasing.
  3. The method of claim 2, wherein the direction of the direction symbol (228) is indicative of whether the distance between the ownship aircraft and the target aircraft is increasing or decreasing.
  4. The method of claim 1, wherein the direction symbol (228) is configured to graphically indicate the speed range for the differential ground speed.
  5. The method of claim 4, wherein the direction symbol (228) comprises an arrow and the length of the arrow is configured to graphically indicate the speed range for the differential ground speed.
  6. The method of claim 4, wherein the direction symbol (228) comprises one or more chevrons and the number of chevrons graphically indicates the speed range for the differential ground speed.
  7. A graphical visualization system (402) for providing visual assistance to a flight crew on an aircraft during flight, the system comprising a widget generation module (404), the widget generation module comprising one or more processors configured by programming instructions on non-transient computer readable media, the widget generation module configured to: generate a graphical user interface, GUI element (220) that displays a target aircraft symbol (226) that represents a target aircraft (106), a horizontal range symbol (224) that represents a pre-selected horizontal distance ahead of an ownship aircraft (104), an ownship symbol (222) that represents the ownship aircraft (104), a direction symbol (228) configured to indicate whether the distance between the ownship aircraft and target aircraft is increasing or decreasing, and a time symbol (230) configured to indicate the estimated time that it would take for the target aircraft to reach the pre-selected horizontal distance ahead of the ownship aircraft; position the target aircraft symbol at a variable position on the GUI element away from the horizontal range symbol using a fixed scaling factor, wherein the distance between the target aircraft symbol and the horizontal range symbol is proportional to an actual horizontal distance between the target aircraft position and the pre-selected horizontal distance ahead of the ownship aircraft; position the ownship symbol at a stationary position on the GUI element, position the horizontal range symbol at a stationary position away from the ownship symbol at a distance that is proportional to the pre-selected horizontal distance, and position the target aircraft symbol at a position on the GUI element away from the ownship symbol at a distance that is proportional to the actual horizontal distance between the ownship aircraft position and the target aircraft position; retrieve, from a traffic computer (408), a distance measurement that indicates the horizontal distance between the target aircraft and the ownship aircraft, a differential ground speed measurement that indicates the differential ground speed between the target aircraft and the ownship aircraft and a time measurement that indicates the time before the target aircraft reaches the pre-selected horizontal distance; adjust, on the GUI element, the position of the target aircraft symbol relative to the horizontal range symbol based on the distance measurement, the direction of the direction symbol based on the differential ground speed measurement, and the value of the time symbol based on the time measurement; and cause the GUI element and the symbols to be displayed on a cockpit display.
  8. The system of claim 7, wherein the direction symbol (228) is configured to indicate whether a horizontal distance between the ownship aircraft and target aircraft is increasing or decreasing.
  9. The system of claim 7, wherein the direction of the direction symbol (228) is indicative of whether the distance between the ownship aircraft and the target aircraft is increasing or decreasing.
  10. The system of claim 7, wherein to adjust the direction of the direction symbol (228), the widget generation module is configured to remove the direction symbol from the GUI element when the distance between the target aircraft and the ownship aircraft remains constant.
  11. The system of claim 7, wherein the direction symbol (228) is configured to graphically indicate the speed range for the differential ground speed.
  12. The system of claim 11, wherein the direction symbol (228) comprises an arrow and the length of the arrow is configured to graphically indicate the speed range for the differential ground speed.
  13. The system of claim 11, wherein the direction symbol (228) comprises one or more chevrons and the number of chevrons graphically indicates the speed range for the differential ground speed.

Description

TECHNICAL FIELD The technology described in this patent document relates generally to assisted visual separation procedures in aircraft flight and more particularly to graphical visualizations to assist in maintaining visual separation from traffic to follow. BACKGROUND CDTI (Cockpit Display of Traffic Information) Assisted Visual Separation (CAVS) is an ADS-B In (Automatic dependent surveillance - broadcast) application. An advantage of the CAVS application is that it may allow the flight crew to maintain ownship separation from preceding traffic when visual contact is lost (e.g., due to hazy or night conditions) using the information provided by the CDTI as a substitute for an out-the-window view. An example CAVS maneuver may operate as follows. Air traffic control (ATC) may provide clearance instructions that include the identification of a target aircraft to follow to the flight crew of an ownship aircraft. The flight crew of the ownship aircraft may report "Traffic in sight", designate the target aircraft to follow in its aircraft equipment, and set an alerting distance threshold (e.g., a pre-selected horizontal distance). As an example, the pre-selected horizontal distance may be two nautical miles (2 nm). The flight crew may adjust the ownship aircraft speed or maneuver laterally based on out the window (OTW) information to maintain ownship separation. The flight crew may adjust the ownship aircraft speed or maneuver laterally based on information provided by CDTI to maintain ownship separation when visual contact is lost. The CAVS maneuver may terminate when the target aircraft to follow lands. Use of CAVS may increase the flight crew's situational awareness particularly during a busy approach phase of flight, decrease ATC workload and increase airport capacity. Use of CAVS, however, may cause the flight crew to interpret alphanumerical information instead of OTW information when visual contact is lost. Interpreting alphanumerical information is generally slower and more cognitively demanding than interpreting graphical information. Relevant prior art is disclosed in US 2015/120177 A1, US 2016/063866 A1, US 7848877 B2 and US 8566012 B1. Accordingly, it is desirable to provide an improved system for increasing the flight crew's situational awareness when using information displayed in the cockpit to maintain ownship separation when visual contact is lost. Furthermore, other desirable features and characteristics of the present invention will become apparent from the subsequent detailed description of the invention and the appended claims, taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings and the background of the invention. SUMMARY This summary is provided to describe select concepts in a simplified form that are further described in the Detailed Description. This summary is not intended to identify key or essential features of the claimed subject matter, nor is it intended to be used as an aid in determining the scope of the claimed subject matter. A method of providing visual assistance to a flight crew on an aircraft during flight is provided, as defined in claim 1. A graphical visualization system for providing visual assistance to a flight crew on an aircraft during flight is provided, as defined in claim 7. Furthermore, other desirable features and characteristics will become apparent from the subsequent detailed description and the appended claims, taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings and the preceding background. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS Aspects of the present disclosure are best understood from the following detailed description when read with the accompanying figures, wherein like numerals denote like elements, and wherein: FIG. 1 is a diagram depicting an example operating environment in which a visualization assistance GUI element may be utilized, in accordance with some embodiments;FIG. 2 is a diagram depicting an example cockpit display on which an example visualization assistance GUI element may be deployed, in accordance with some embodiments;FIGS. 3A and 3B depict example states of example visualization assistance GUI elements, in accordance with some embodiments;FIG. 4 is a block diagram of an example operating environment in which an example graphical visualization system for providing visual assistance to a flight crew on an aircraft during flight may be deployed, in accordance with some embodiments; andFIG. 5 is a process flow chart depicting an example process for providing visual assistance to a flight crew on an aircraft during flight, in accordance with some embodiments. DETAILED DESCRIPTION The subject matter described herein discloses apparatus, systems, techniques and articles for increasing the situational awareness of the flight crew when using information displayed in the cockpit such as CDTI to maintain ownship separation when visual contact is lost. The following detailed description is merely exemplary in nature and is not intended to limit