EP-4737860-A1 - METHODS AND SYSTEMS FOR VEHICLE PASSING ASSISTANCE

EP4737860A1EP 4737860 A1EP4737860 A1EP 4737860A1EP-4737860-A1

Abstract

Aircraft systems and methods are provided for assisting operation of an aircraft utilizing a passing corridor to overtake another aircraft. One method involves providing, on a display device, a graphical user interface (GUI) display including a graphical representation of a planned route of travel and a second graphical representation of the vehicle operating in the passing corridor adjacent to the route corridor corresponding to the planned route of travel, identifying a merge location within the passing corridor for returning to the planned route of travel within the route corridor based on the relative speed difference and respective location associated with another vehicle operating in the route corridor, and providing a graphical indication of the merge location within the passing corridor on the GUI display on the display device.

Inventors

Samuthirapandian, Subash
Heine, Christopher
MANGIPUDI, Ramani

Assignees

Honeywell International Inc.

Dates

Publication Date: 20260506
Application Date: 20251006

Claims (15)

A method of assisting operation of a vehicle, the method comprising: providing, on a display device, a graphical user interface (GUI) display comprising a first graphical representation of a planned route of travel for the vehicle and a second graphical representation of the vehicle operating in a passing corridor adjacent to a route corridor encompassing at least a portion of the planned route of travel; identifying a merge location within the passing corridor for returning to the planned route of travel within the route corridor based at least in part on a relationship between a first location of the vehicle within the passing corridor and a second location of a second vehicle within the route corridor; and providing, on the GUI display on the display device, a graphical indication of the merge location within the passing corridor.
The method of claim 1, further comprising: determining an avoidance zone based at least in part on the relationship between the first location of the vehicle and the second location of the second vehicle and a threshold separation distance; and providing, on the GUI display on the display device, a third graphical representation of the avoidance zone between the second graphical representation of the vehicle and the planned route of travel.
The method of claim 1, further comprising: providing, on the GUI display on the display device, a selectable GUI element to add the merge location to the planned route of travel; and in response to selection of the selectable GUI element, automatically updating the planned route of travel at an onboard system of the vehicle to include the merge location between the first location of the vehicle and a downpath waypoint associated with the planned route of travel.
The method of claim 1, further comprising: providing, on the GUI display on the display device, a third graphical representation of a navigational segment between the first location of the vehicle and the merge location; and providing, on the GUI display on the display device, a second graphical indication of an adjustment to a current speed of the vehicle proximate the third graphical representation of the navigational segment based at least in part on the relationship between the first location of the vehicle and the second location of the second vehicle and a second relationship between the current speed of the vehicle and a second speed of the second vehicle.
The method of claim 1, wherein identifying the merge location comprises calculating the merge location within the passing corridor based at least in part on the relationship between the first location of the vehicle and the second location of the second vehicle, a second relationship between a first speed of the vehicle and a second speed of the second vehicle, and a threshold separation distance.
The method of claim 5, wherein calculating the merge location comprises calculating the merge location resulting in a second navigational segment between the merge location and the portion of the planned route of travel predicted to maintain the threshold separation distance between the vehicle and the second vehicle at a predicted time for the vehicle returning to the planned route of travel along the second navigational segment.
The method of claim 1, wherein: the route corridor comprises a first three-dimensional volume of space encompassing the portion of the planned route of travel; and the passing corridor comprises a second three-dimensional volume of space adjacent to the first three-dimensional volume of space.
The method of claim 1, wherein: the vehicle comprises an aircraft; the planned route of travel comprises a flight plan for the aircraft; and the second vehicle comprises a second aircraft.
The method of claim 1, wherein the vehicle comprises an urban air mobility (UAM) vehicle.
A computer-readable medium having computer-executable instructions stored thereon that, when executed by a processing system, cause the processing system to: provide, on a display device, a graphical user interface (GUI) display comprising a first graphical representation of a planned route of travel for a vehicle and a second graphical representation of the vehicle operating in a passing corridor adjacent to a route corridor encompassing at least a portion of the planned route of travel; identify a merge location within the passing corridor for returning to the planned route of travel within the route corridor based at least in part on a relationship between a first location of the vehicle within the passing corridor and a second location of a second vehicle within the route corridor; and provide, on the GUI display on the display device, a graphical indication of the merge location within the passing corridor.
The computer-readable medium of claim 10, wherein the computer-executable instructions are configurable to cause the processing system to: determine an avoidance zone based at least in part on the relationship between the first location of the vehicle and the second location of the second vehicle and a threshold separation distance; and provide, on the GUI display on the display device, a third graphical representation of the avoidance zone between the second graphical representation of the vehicle and the planned route of travel.
The computer-readable medium of claim 10, wherein the computer-executable instructions are configurable to cause the processing system to: provide, on the GUI display on the display device, a selectable GUI element to add the merge location to the planned route of travel; and in response to selection of the selectable GUI element, automatically update the planned route of travel at an onboard system of the vehicle to include the merge location between the first location of the vehicle and a downpath waypoint associated with the planned route of travel.
The computer-readable medium of claim 10, wherein the computer-executable instructions are configurable to cause the processing system to: provide, on the GUI display on the display device, a third graphical representation of a navigational segment between the first location of the vehicle and the merge location; and provide, on the GUI display on the display device, a second graphical indication of an adjustment to a current speed of the vehicle proximate the third graphical representation of the navigational segment based at least in part on the relationship between the first location of the vehicle and the second location of the second vehicle and a second relationship between the current speed of the vehicle and a second speed of the second vehicle.
The computer-readable medium of claim 10, wherein the computer-executable instructions are configurable to cause the processing system to calculate the merge location within the passing corridor based at least in part on the relationship between the first location of the vehicle and the second location of the second vehicle, a second relationship between a first speed of the vehicle and a second speed of the second vehicle, and a threshold separation distance.
The computer-readable medium of claim 10, wherein the vehicle comprises an urban air mobility (UAM) vehicle.

Description

CROSS REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATION This application claims priority to India Provisional Patent Application No. 202411082707, filed October 29, 2024, the entire content of which is incorporated by reference herein. TECHNICAL FIELD The subject matter described herein relates generally to vehicle systems, and more particularly, embodiments of the subject matter relate to aircraft systems and related displays for assisting pilots and other operators passing other traffic. BACKGROUND Aircraft are typically operated in accordance with predefined routes or procedures, particularly in the vicinity of an airport or within other congested airspaces. Air traffic control (ATC) is typically responsible for managing traffic flow using these predefined routes or procedures and instructing aircraft to deviate from a particular route or procedure to achieve desired separation distances, aircraft sequencing, resolve potential conflicts between aircraft, and/or the like. For example, the ATC may instruct an aircraft to execute a holding procedure or otherwise fly a holding pattern to delay a particular aircraft. As another example, radar vectoring may be utilized by ATC for separation, safety, or other reasons. Urban air mobility (UAM) vehicles and other aircraft have the potential for a new mode of transportation for public use within cities or other urban areas, which could alleviate ground traffic congestion issues and be advantageous for different industries or applications (e.g., emergency services, medical transport, air taxis, public transport, and/or the like). In anticipation of various different types of UAM vehicles operating in an urban area, governments and regulatory agencies are defining airspace corridors and corresponding protocols or procedures to facilitate safe operation in urban areas. Due to the presence of skyscrapers, towers, and other buildings or obstacles, the number of potential corridors or airways for operation in an urban area may be limited. As a result, increasing utilization of UAM vehicles is likely to correspondingly increase UAM traffic density and may potentially deter or reduce the efficiency of different missions (e.g., when air traffic and attendant separation requirements limits speed or available airways or route corridors). Accordingly, it is desirable to provide methods and systems for assisting a pilot or other operator of a UAM vehicle passing other UAM vehicles or otherwise navigating UAM traffic within predefined corridors. 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 this background. BRIEF SUMMARY Systems and methods are provided for assisting operation of an aircraft or other vehicle utilizing a passing corridor to overtake another aircraft or vehicle. One exemplary method involves providing, on a display device, a graphical user interface (GUI) display including a first graphical representation of a planned route of travel for the vehicle and a second graphical representation of the vehicle operating in a passing corridor adjacent to a route corridor encompassing at least a portion of the planned route of travel, identifying a merge location within the passing corridor for returning to the planned route of travel within the route corridor based at least in part on a relationship between a first location of the vehicle within the passing corridor and a second location of a second vehicle within the route corridor, and providing, on the GUI display on the display device, a graphical indication of the merge location within the passing corridor. In another embodiment, a method is provided for assisting operation of an aircraft operating in at least one of a route corridor and a passing corridor adjacent to the route corridor, wherein the route corridor encompasses at least a portion of a flight plan of the aircraft. The method involves providing, on a display device, a GUI display comprising a first graphical representation of the flight plan for the aircraft and a second graphical representation of the aircraft, determining a transition location in advance of the aircraft for transitioning between the at least one of the route corridor and the passing corridor to the other one of the route corridor and the passing corridor based at least in part on a first location of the aircraft, a second location of a second aircraft within the route corridor and a relative speed difference between the aircraft and the second aircraft, and providing, on the GUI display on the display device, a graphical indication of the transition location. In another embodiment, an apparatus for a non-transitory computer-readable medium is provided. Computer-executable instructions stored on the computer-readable medium, when executed by a processing system, cause the processing system to provide, on a display device, a GUI display including a first graphical r