Abstract:
A method for generating a flight display in an aircraft includes the steps of receiving an indication of an arrival or a departure procedure for the aircraft to follow, receiving an indication of a current position and altitude of the aircraft, and receiving a voice communication or information by digital data link regarding the arrival or departure procedure. The method further includes the steps of recognizing speech in the voice communication and transforming the speech to a restriction regarding the arrival or departure procedure and providing a flight display comprising a visual depiction of the arrival or departure procedure, the current position and altitude of the aircraft, and the restriction regarding the arrival or departure procedure. The method also provides improved situational awareness to pilots by providing appropriate alerts and indications in the context of these restrictions and the implications that these may have on the ownship with reference to the surrounding traffic and the emergent conditions.

Description:
TECHNICAL FIELD 
     The subject matter described herein relates generally to aircraft display systems and methods for providing aircraft displays, and more particularly, embodiments of the subject matter relate to aircraft display systems and associated methods that provide airport departure and arrival procedures. 
     BACKGROUND 
     Instrument procedures (e.g., instrument approach procedures or instrument departure procedures) are used to provide specific detailed instructions for the operation of aircraft in the airport terminal area, and allows air traffic control (ATC) to reduce radio frequency congestion by communicating only the name of the procedure to be flown, rather than having to provide the verbose instructions otherwise required. For example, instrument approach procedures allow a pilot to reliably land an aircraft in situations of reduced visibility or inclement weather by using instruments onboard the aircraft or on the ground, such as radios or other communication systems, navigation systems, localizers, glideslopes, and the like. Published aeronautical charts, such as, for example, Instrument Approach Procedure (IAP) charts, Standard Terminal Arrival (STAR) charts, or Terminal Arrival Area (TAA) charts Standard Instrument Departure (SID) routes, Departure Procedures (DP), terminal procedures, approach plates, and the like, that depict and describe the instrument procedures for various airports, runways, or other landing and/or departure locations are provided by a governmental or regulatory organization, such as, for example, the Federal Aviation Administration in the United States. These charts graphically illustrate and describe the specific procedures (e.g., minimum descent altitudes, minimum runway visual range, final course or heading, relevant radio frequencies, missed approach procedures) to be followed or otherwise utilized by a pilot for a particular approach or departure. A pilot maintains copies of these charts, in either printed or electronic form, for the various possible airports that the pilot may encounter during operation of the aircraft. For example, for worldwide operation, there are as many as 17,000 charts, and each airport may include multiple runways with multiple possible approaches and departures. 
     During the departure and arrivals phases of the flight, the flight crew of the aircraft is in a high workload situation. In the scenario of flying a STAR approach or a SID departure, level and speed restrictions need to be properly adhered to, especially in traffic-dense airports. Due to various factors such as weather, traffic, and airspace restrictions, among others, ATC sometimes needs to change the level and speed restrictions (i.e., in a manner that differs from the published procedure) of some of the aircraft flying in the airspace under its jurisdiction to suitably handle aircraft traffic in and around the airport. In these circumstances, ATC issues appropriate clearances to change the speed and altitude restrictions to some aircraft that are using these STARS and SIDS. Consequently, the flight crew has to be aware of these changed circumstances and needs to constantly monitor and execute these changed instructions. Additionally, the flight crew needs to be aware of the point when they need to switch to the chart-driven (published) restrictions, if they continue to exist. Further, there have been reported incidents wherein loss of situational awareness ensued and subsequent implications occurred due to non-adherence of such restrictions in an emerging scenario. 
     Accordingly, it is desirable to provide improved aircraft display systems and methods that assist the flight crew during high workload situations, such as during the execution of airport departure and arrival procedures. Additionally, it is desirable to provide such systems and methods that assist the flight crew in managing and monitoring changes from standard terminal procedures, such as may be requested by air traffic control. Still further, it is desirable to provide such systems and methods that enhance flight crew situational awareness in high traffic areas, such as the terminal area within the vicinity of an airport. Furthermore, other desirable features and characteristics of the present disclosure will become apparent from the subsequent detailed description and the appended claims, taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings and this background of this disclosure. 
     BRIEF SUMMARY 
     Aircraft display systems and methods for providing aircraft displays are disclosed herein. In one exemplary embodiment, a method for generating a flight display in an aircraft includes the steps of receiving an indication of an arrival or a departure procedure for the aircraft to follow, receiving an indication of a current position and altitude of the aircraft, and receiving a voice communication regarding the arrival or departure procedure. The method further includes the steps of recognizing speech in the voice communication and transforming the speech to a restriction regarding the arrival or departure procedure and providing a flight display comprising a visual depiction of the arrival or departure procedure, the current position and altitude of the aircraft, and the restriction regarding the arrival or departure procedure. These depictions are augmented by visual and aural alerts when safety or restrictions have been compromised. 
     This summary is provided to introduce a selection of concepts in a simplified form that are further described below in the detailed description. This summary is not intended to identify key features 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. 
    
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
       A more complete understanding of the subject matter may be derived from the following detailed description taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, wherein like reference numerals denote like elements, and wherein: 
         FIG. 1  is a block diagram of a display system suitable for use in an aircraft in accordance with one embodiment; 
         FIG. 2A  is a schematic of an uplink communication from an air traffic controller to an aircraft pilot that may form part of the communications system shown in  FIG. 1 ; 
         FIG. 2B  is a schematic of a downlink communication from an aircraft pilot to an air traffic controller that may also form part of the communications system shown in  FIG. 1 ; 
         FIG. 3  is schematic diagram of a microprocessor and a transceiver of an aircraft used for transmission of the communications shown in  FIGS. 2A and 2B , and which may also form part of the communications system shown in  FIG. 1 ; 
         FIG. 4  is a block diagram of a air traffic monitoring system suitable for use in an aircraft in accordance with one embodiment, and provided as part of the navigation system shown in  FIG. 1 ; 
         FIG. 5  is a flow diagram of an exemplary aircraft procedure display process suitable for use with the display system of  FIG. 1  in accordance with one embodiment; 
         FIG. 6  is a schematic view of an exemplary navigational map suitable for use with the aircraft procedure display process of  FIG. 5 , showing a briefing panel overlying an upper portion of the navigational map in accordance with one embodiment; 
         FIG. 7  provides a system diagram implementing a method for providing airport departure and arrival procedures; 
         FIG. 8  provides a flowchart illustrating a method for providing airport departure and arrival procedures using the system shown in  FIG. 7 ; 
         FIGS. 9A-9E  illustrate exemplary displays using the systems and methods shown in  FIGS. 7 and 8 . 
     
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION 
     The following detailed description is merely exemplary in nature and is not intended to limit the invention or the application and uses of the invention. Furthermore, there is no intention to be bound by any theory presented in the preceding background or the following detailed description. 
     Techniques and technologies may be described herein in terms of functional and/or logical block components, and with reference to symbolic representations of operations, processing tasks, and functions that may be performed by various computing components or devices. It should be appreciated that the various block components shown in the figures may be realized by any number of hardware, software, and/or firmware components configured to perform the specified functions. For example, an embodiment of a system or a component may employ various integrated circuit components, e.g., memory elements, digital signal processing elements, logic elements, look-up tables, or the like, which may carry out a variety of functions under the control of one or more microprocessors or other control devices. 
     For the sake of brevity, conventional techniques related to graphics and image processing, navigation, flight planning, aircraft controls, and other functional aspects of the systems (and the individual operating components of the systems) may not be described in detail herein. Furthermore, the connecting lines shown in the various figures contained herein are intended to represent exemplary functional relationships and/or physical couplings between the various elements. It should be noted that many alternative or additional functional relationships or physical connections may be present in an embodiment of the subject matter. 
     The embodiments provided in this disclosure relate to aircraft display systems and methods for providing aircraft displays that assist the flight crew and managing and monitoring ATC-initiated changes from published STARS and SIDS, and will be discussed in the context of an exemplary flight display system(s). In some embodiments, the disclosed system may be configured to retrieve the appropriate STAR/SID chart at the initiation of the procedure. The system may then obtain the current aircraft position information and altitude from various aircraft sensors, such as an aircraft global positioning system (GPS) and altimeter, and presents this information to the flight crew in the form of a graphical display along with the retrieved terminal procedure. In some embodiments, the system may then arm a voice-to-text converter that captures the pilot-ATC communication during the terminal procedure and continuously scans for any altitude or speed restriction information in this text. Next, the system may search and consolidate any clearance phrases transacted within the system. In some embodiments, the system may then translate the textual clearance information into a visual indicator on the display system. In order to enhance the flight crew&#39;s situational awareness, the system may further receive flight traffic information using Automatic Dependent Surveillance-Broadcast (ADS-B) technology, Traffic and Collision Avoidance System (TCAS) technology, and/or using similar technologies, and compute regions of probable conflict with reference to the clearance information and the traffic. In particular, the system may use ADS-B intent information to predict any possible loss of aircraft separation, including possible conflicts that may occur beyond the traffic advisory zone commonly associated with TCAS systems. Still further, in some embodiments, when ATC clearances cannot be achieved due to constraints on aircraft performance, suitable indications may be provided. 
     The exemplary aircraft display system outlined above may be embodied in accordance with the display system illustrated in  FIG. 1 . In particular,  FIG. 1  depicts an exemplary embodiment of a display system  100 , which may be located onboard an aircraft  114 . This embodiment of display system  100  may include, without limitation, a display device  102 , a navigation system  104 , a communications system  106 , and a flight management system  108  (FMS). The display system  100  further includes a user interface  110  for enabling interactivity with the display system  100  and a database  112  suitably configured to support operation of the display system  100 , as described in greater detail below. It should be understood that  FIG. 1  is a simplified representation of a display system  100  for purposes of explanation and ease of description, and  FIG. 1  is not intended to limit the application or scope of the subject matter in any way. In practice, the display system  100  and/or aircraft  114  will include numerous other devices and components for providing additional functions and features, as will be appreciated in the art. 
     In an exemplary embodiment, the display device  102  is coupled to the flight management system  108 , and the flight management system  108  is configured to display, render, or otherwise convey one or more graphical representations or images associated with operation of the aircraft  114  on the display device  102 , as described in greater detail below. The flight management system  108  is coupled to the navigation system  104  for obtaining real-time data and/or information regarding operation of the aircraft  114  to support operation of the flight management system  108 , for example including geographical coordinates, altitude, and airspeed, among others. In an exemplary embodiment, the user interface  110  is coupled to the flight management system  108 , and the user interface  110  and the flight management system  108  are configured to allow a user to interact with the display device  102  and other elements of display system  100 , as described in greater detail below. The communications system  106  is coupled to the flight management system  108  and configured to support communications between the aircraft  114  and another aircraft or ground location (e.g., air traffic control), as will be appreciated in the art. 
     In an exemplary embodiment, the display device  102  is realized as an electronic display configured to graphically display flight information or other data associated with operation of the aircraft  114  under control of the flight management system  108 , as will be understood. In an exemplary embodiment, the display device  102  is located within a cockpit of the aircraft  114 . It will be appreciated that although  FIG. 1  shows a single display device  102 , in practice, additional display devices may be present onboard the aircraft  114 . The user interface  110  may also be located within the cockpit of the aircraft  114  and adapted to allow a user (e.g., pilot, co-pilot, or crew member) to interact with the flight management system  108 , as described in greater detail below. In various embodiments, the user interface  110  may be realized as a keypad, touchpad, keyboard, mouse, touchscreen, joystick, microphone, or another suitable device adapted to receive input from a user. In an exemplary embodiment, the user interface  110  and flight management system  108  are cooperatively configured to enable a user to indicate, select, or otherwise manipulate one or more pop-up menus displayed on the display device  102 , as described below. It should be appreciated that although  FIG. 1  shows the display device  102  and user interface  110  within the aircraft  114 , in practice, either or both may be located outside the aircraft  114  (e.g., on the ground as part of an air traffic control center or another command center) and communicatively coupled to the flight management system  108 . 
     In an exemplary embodiment, the navigation system  104  is configured to obtain one or more navigational parameters associated with operation of the aircraft  114 . The navigation system  104  may be realized as a global positioning system (GPS), inertial reference system (IRS), or a radio-based navigation system (e.g., VHF omni-directional radio range (VOR) or long range aid to navigation (LORAN)), and may include one or more navigational radios or other sensors suitably configured to support operation of the navigation system  104 , as will be appreciated in the art. In an exemplary embodiment, the navigation system  104  is capable of obtaining and/or determining the current location of the aircraft  114  (e.g., with reference to a standardized geographical coordinate system) and the heading of the aircraft  114  (i.e., the direction the aircraft is traveling in relative to some reference) and providing these navigational parameters to the flight management system  108 . 
     In an exemplary embodiment, the communications system  106  is configured to support communications between the aircraft  114  and another aircraft or ground location (e.g., air traffic control). In this regard, the communications system  106  may be realized using a radio communication system or another suitable data link system. In accordance with one embodiment, the communications system  106  includes at least one radio configured to be tuned for an identified radio communication frequency, as will be appreciated in the art and described in greater detail below. 
     In an exemplary embodiment, the flight management system  108  (or, alternatively, a flight management computer) is located onboard the aircraft  114 . Although  FIG. 1  is a simplified representation of display system  100 , in practice, the flight management system  108  may be coupled to one or more additional modules or components as necessary to support navigation, flight planning, and other aircraft control functions in a conventional manner. In addition, the flight management system  108  may include or otherwise access a terrain database, navigational database (that includes STAR, SID, and en route procedures, for example), geopolitical database, or other information for rendering a navigational map or other content on the display device  102 , as described below. In this regard, the navigational map may be based on one or more sectional charts, topographic maps, digital maps, or any other suitable commercial or military database or map, as will be appreciated in the art. 
     In an exemplary embodiment, the flight management system  108  accesses or includes a database  112  that contains procedure information for a plurality of airports. As used herein, procedure information should be understood as a set of operating parameters or instructions associated with a particular action (e.g., landing, take off, taxiing) that may be undertaken by the aircraft  114  at a particular airport. In this regard, an airport should be understood as referring to a location suitable for landing (or arrival) and/or takeoff (or departure) of an aircraft, such as, for example, airports, runways, landing strips, and other suitable landing and/or departure locations. The database  112  maintains the association of the procedure information and the corresponding airport. In an exemplary embodiment, the procedure information maintained in the database  112  includes instrument procedure information conventionally displayed on a published chart (or approach plate) for the airport, as will be appreciated in the art. In this regard, the procedure information may comprise instrument approach procedures, standard terminal arrival routes, instrument departure procedures, standard instrument departure routes, obstacle departure procedures, or other suitable instrument procedure information. Although the subject matter is described below in the context of an instrument approach procedure for purposes of explanation, in practice, the subject matter is not intended to be limited to instrument approach procedure and may be implemented for instrument departure procedures and other procedures in a similar manner as described below. 
     In an exemplary embodiment, an airport has at least one approach having instrument approach procedure information associated therewith. In this regard, each airport (or landing location) may have one or more predefined approaches associated therewith. For example, an airport may comprise a plurality of possible approaches depending on the particular airport runway chosen for landing. In this regard, the database  112  maintains the association of the instrument approach procedure information and the corresponding approach for each airport or landing location. In a similar manner, an airport (or departure location) may have at least one departure route having instrument departure procedure information associated therewith, as will be appreciated in the art. In an exemplary embodiment, the flight management system  108  is suitably configured to utilize the database  112  for rendering instrument approach procedure information for an identified approach (or instrument departure procedure information for an identified departure route), as described in greater detail below. 
       FIGS. 2A, 2B, and 3  provide greater detail regarding additional features of the communications system  106  introduced above in the discussion of  FIG. 1 .  FIG. 2A  is a schematic of an uplink communication system  10 A from an air traffic controller to a pilot of the aircraft  114 . The system  10 A includes a headset  11 B that is worn by the pilot in the aircraft  114  and a headset  11 A worn by an air traffic controller in an air traffic control center  60 . Each headset  11 A and  11 B includes at least one speaker  14  and a microphone  16 . A controller wearing headset  11 A in the air traffic control center  60  speaks into the microphone  16 . The microphone  16  and speaker  14  are connected to a microprocessor display and transceiver  20 A. The transceiver  20 A is in communication with a radio transmission tower  40  that emits an uplink signal  40 A to be received by the aircraft  114 . In the aircraft  114 , a microprocessor display and transceiver  20 B receives the uplink signal  40 A and presents an audio equivalent through the speaker  14  of the pilot headset  11 B. As initially noted above, the communication from the traffic control center  60  to the aircraft  114  may include instructions regarding a STAR or a SID that is currently being executed by the aircraft  114 , including but not limited to changes in altitude and speed restrictions regarding the STAR or SID. 
       FIG. 2B  is a schematic of a downlink communication from the pilot to the controller. As shown, the communication system  10 B yields a downlink signal  40 B from the aircraft  60 . The pilot talks into the speaker  16  which is sent to the device  20 B. The device  20 B transmits and sends out the downlink radio transmission signal  40 B the tower  40  which in turn relays the received signal  40 B to the device  20 A. In some instances, this communication from the pilot to the control center  60  may include an acknowledgement of the instructions regarding the STAR or SID. 
       FIG. 3  is schematic diagram of microprocessor and transceiver  20 B of aircraft  114  used for transmission of downlink signals  40 B or reception of uplink signals  40 A from and to the center  60 . The microphone  16  and speaker  14  are in data communication with a communications management unit (CMU)  20 - 1 , which is a part of communications system  106 . The CMU  20 - 1  is also in signal communication with a very high frequency digital radio (VDR)  20 - 16  as described below. The CMU  20 - 1  includes a speech recognition processor  20 - 2  in signal communication with the microphone  16  and a command processor  20 - 6  in signal communication with the speech recognition processor  20 - 2  and in signal communication with the command processor  20 - 6  and the speaker  14 . The command processor  20 - 6  in turn is in signal communication with the VDR  20 - 16 . The VDR  20 - 16  generates and transmits a downlink radio signal  40 B or receives and conveys an uplink radio signal  40 A transmitted by center  60 . 
     The speech recognition processor  20 - 2  is configured to recognize the speech of either the pilot or the air traffic controller. In this regard, the speech recognition processor  20 - 2  may include an air traffic control phraseology database  20 - 3 , which includes digital signatures of standard ATC phraseology that the processor  20 - 2  may be expected to detect during such communications. In a particular embodiment, the speech recognition processor  20 - 2  is at least configured to recognize the speech of the air traffic controller, and in particular speech regarding speed and altitude restrictions, or other restrictions, in reference to a STAR or SID procedure. For example, during the execution of a STAR or SID procedure, the air traffic controller may issue a speed or altitude restriction to the pilot. This command is transmitted by uplink radio signal  40 A. It is then passed to VDR  20 - 16 , command processor  20 - 6 , and speech recognition processor  20 - 2 . It is also passed to speaker  14 . Speech recognition processor  20 - 2  recognizes the restriction, and communications system  106  passes this restriction to the flight management system  108 . 
       FIG. 4  provides greater detail regarding additional features of the navigation system  104  introduced above in the discussion of  FIG. 1 .  FIG. 1  illustrates a schematic view of an example air traffic monitoring system  420 . In one embodiment, the system  420  includes a TCAS system  410  aboard the host aircraft  114  that includes a processor  412 , a transmitter  414 , and a receiver  416 . The transmitter  414  generates an interrogation signal based upon surveillance alerts, such as approaching aircraft and threat potentials, produced by a surveillance radar  22 . The surveillance radar  422  transmits TCAS transmitter  414  interrogation signals and receives replies at a receiving device  434 . A target aircraft  424  includes a surveillance system  426  that receives the interrogation signal at a transmitter receiving device  428  and when interrogated generates a standard transponder reply signal via a transmitter  430 . The target aircraft  424  surveillance system  426  may also send an ADS-B reply signal via a navigational component such as a global positioning system (GPS)  432 , whenever ADS-B data is available. 
     ADS-B data provides automatic or autopilot capabilities (i.e., it is always on and requires no operator intervention) and uses accurate position and velocity data from aircraft navigation systems, including latitude and longitude measurements. ADS-B broadcasts aircraft position, altitude, velocity and other data that can be used by air traffic control and other aircraft to share the aircraft&#39;s position and altitude without the need for radar. 
     Whenever the system  420  is not broadcasting, it is listening for Mode-S squitters and reply transmissions at the same frequency used by Mode-S transponders to reply to interrogation signals. Mode-S is a combined secondary surveillance radar and a ground-air-ground data link system which provides aircraft surveillance and communication necessary to support automated air traffic control in dense air traffic environments. Once per second, the Mode-S transponder spontaneously and pseudo-randomly transmits (squits) an unsolicited broadcast. Whenever the Mode-S is not broadcasting, it is monitoring or listening for transmissions. Thus, a TCAS equipped aircraft can see other aircraft carrying a transponder. Once a transponder equipped target has been seen, the target is tracked and a threat potential is determined. Altitude information is essential in determining a target&#39;s threat potential. Comparison between the altitude information encoded in the reply transmission from the target aircraft  424  and the host aircraft  114  is made in the processor  412  and the pilot is directed to obtain a safe altitude separation by descending, ascending or maintaining current altitude. 
     Knowledge of the direction, or bearing, of the target aircraft  424  relative to the host aircraft  114  greatly enhances the pilot&#39;s ability to visually acquire the threat aircraft and provides a better spatial perspective of the threat aircraft relative to the host aircraft. The processor  412  can display bearing information if it is available. Bearing information is also used by the processor  412  to determine threat potential presented by an intruder aircraft. 
     The system  420  determines relative bearing by sending the interrogation signal to the target aircraft  424  and listening for replies that return from the target aircraft  424 . The reply from the target aircraft  424  may include a standard transponder reply or an ADS-B signal. The standard transponder reply gives an estimated bearing by measuring the multi-path interference from the target aircraft  424 , including phase and amplitude measurements, speed direction, and altitude. The ADS-B signal includes the more accurate bearing measurements of latitude and longitude. When the target aircraft  424  has generated replies to the TCAS  410  interrogation signal, the standard transponder reply or the ADS-B signal is received by the TCAS receiver  416  and stored in a memory device  418  coupled to the processor  412 . The memory device  418  collects varying signals and stores them in an internal database for later use by the processor  412  in determining bearing when ADS-B data is unavailable. 
     Algorithms within the processor  412  use the relationships between estimated bearing based on standard transponder replies versus bearing computed from ADS-B signals to generate a table or other multi-dimensional expression of the database of information stored in the memory  418 . Further, the processor  412  corrects values between the standard transponder reply and ADS-B signals to more accurately determine bearing, including averaging the standard transponder reply values and ADS-B values and associating the ADS-B values to previously stored standard transponder reply values. 
     In some embodiments, the traffic monitoring system  420  may include monitoring systems in addition to TCAS  410  and ADS-B. For example, other known monitoring systems include TIS-B, which is an aviation information service broadcast provided to aircraft using both the 1090 MHz extended squitter (1090 ES) and the universal access transceiver (UAT) band of ADS-B. Accordingly, such additional systems are intended to be included within the scope of the present disclosure. 
     Referring now to  FIG. 5 , in an exemplary embodiment, a display system  100  may be configured to perform an aircraft procedure display process  200  and additional tasks, functions, and operations described below. The various tasks may be performed by software, hardware, firmware, or any combination thereof. For illustrative purposes, the following description may refer to elements mentioned above in connection with  FIGS. 1-4 . In practice, the tasks, functions, and operations may be performed by different elements of the described system, such as the display device  102 , the navigation system  104 , the communications system  106 , the flight management system  108 , the user interface  110 , or the database  112 . It should be appreciated that any number of additional or alternative tasks may be included, and may be incorporated into a more comprehensive procedure or process having additional functionality not described in detail herein. 
     Referring again to  FIG. 5 , and with continued reference to  FIG. 1 , an aircraft procedure display process  200  may be performed to display or present aircraft procedure information (e.g., an instrument approach procedure (STAR) or instrument departure procedure (SID)) for a desired action (e.g., landing or takeoff) at an airport on a display device in order to enable a user, such as a pilot or crew member, to review and/or brief the procedure without reliance on paper charts. It should be appreciated that although the aircraft procedure display process  200  is described in the context of an approach (or instrument approach procedure) for purposes of explanation, the aircraft procedure display process  200  may be implemented for instrument departure procedures and other procedures in a similar manner as described herein. 
     In an exemplary embodiment, the aircraft procedure display process  200  initializes by displaying content on a display device associated with an aircraft (task  202 ), such as display device  102 . In an exemplary embodiment, and with further reference to  FIG. 6 , the aircraft procedure display process  200  displays a navigational map  300  (or terrain map) on the display device. For example, the aircraft procedure display process  200  may display and/or render a navigational map  300  associated with a current (or instantaneous) location of an aircraft on a display device in the aircraft. In this regard, the flight management system  108  may be configured to control the rendering of the navigational map  300 , which may be graphically displayed on the display device  102 . The flight management system may also be configured to render a graphical representation of the aircraft  302  on the map  300 , which may be overlaid or rendered on top of a background  304 . The background  304  may be a graphical representation of the terrain, topology, or other suitable items or points of interest corresponding to (or within a given distance of) a location of the aircraft  114 , which may be maintained by the flight management system  108  in a terrain database, a navigational database, a geopolitical database, or another suitable database. As described in greater detail below, the flight management system  108  may also render a graphical representation of an airport  306  overlying the background  304 . It should be appreciated that although the subject matter may be described herein in the context of a navigational map, the subject matter is not intended to be limited to a particular type of content displayed on the display device and the aircraft procedure display process  200  may be implemented with other types of content, such as, for example, an airport map or terminal map. 
     Although  FIG. 6  depicts a top view (e.g., from above the aircraft  302 ) of the navigational map  300 , in practice, alternative embodiments may utilize various perspective views, such as side views, three-dimensional views (e.g., a three-dimensional synthetic vision display), angular or skewed views, and the like. Further, depending on the embodiment, the aircraft  302  may be shown as traveling across the map  300 , or alternatively, as being located at a fixed position on the map  300 , and  FIG. 6  is not intended to limit the scope of the subject matter in any way. In an exemplary embodiment, the map  300  is associated with the movement of the aircraft, and the background  304  refreshes or updates as the aircraft travels, such that the graphical representation of the aircraft  302  is positioned over the terrain background  204  in a manner that accurately reflects the current (e.g., instantaneous or substantially real-time) real-world positioning of the aircraft  114  relative to the earth. In accordance with one embodiment, the map  300  is updated or refreshed such that it is centered on and/or aligned with the aircraft  302 . Although the navigational map  300  shown in  FIG. 6  is oriented north-up (i.e., moving upward on the map  300  corresponds to traveling northward), as described below, in other embodiments, the navigational map  300  may be oriented track-up or heading-up, i.e., aligned such that the aircraft  302  is always traveling in an upward direction and the background  304  adjusted accordingly. 
     In an exemplary embodiment, the aircraft procedure display process  200  continues by identifying a desired airport (e.g., a landing and/or departure location) for the aircraft (task  204 ). In this regard, an airport may comprise a runway, a landing strip, an airstrip, another suitable landing and/or departure location, and various combinations thereof having procedure information (e.g., instrument approach procedures or instrument departure procedures) associated therewith. In accordance with one embodiment, the aircraft procedure display process  200  may identify the desired airport using the navigational map  300  displayed on the display device  102 . For example, as shown in  FIG. 6 , the aircraft procedure display process  200  may display a plurality of airports  306 ,  308 ,  310  proximate aircraft  114  overlying the background  304  on the navigational map  300 , as will be appreciated in the art. The aircraft procedure display process  200  may identify the desired airport in response to a user selecting or indicating an airport displayed on the display device. For example, a user may manipulate the user interface  110  and indicate or otherwise select a first airport  306  (e.g., airport KRNO) displayed on the map  300  as the desired airport (e.g., by positioning a cursor or pointer over airport  306  and clicking or otherwise selecting airport  306 ). In another embodiment, the aircraft procedure display process  200  may identify the desired airport using a predetermined (or predefined) flight plan. For example, the flight management system  108  may maintain a flight plan that specifies airport  306  as the final entry (or destination) of the flight plan. 
     In an exemplary embodiment, the aircraft procedure display process  200  continues by identifying a desired aircraft action having associated procedure information for the identified airport (task  206 ). In this regard, an aircraft action should be understood as referring to an approach (or landing), a departure (or takeoff), taxiing, or another aircraft action having procedure information associated with the particular action. In accordance with one embodiment, the aircraft procedure display process  200  continues by identifying a desired STAR for the identified airport (if the aircraft were on the ground at an airport, it would be a desired SID). As used herein, an approach should be understood as referring to a predefined flight path or other guidance intended to facilitate a safe landing for an aircraft at a particular runway, landing strip, airstrip, or another suitable landing location. If the identified airport has only a single approach associated therewith (e.g., the airport is an airstrip or comprises a single runway), the aircraft procedure display process  200  may identify that approach as the desired approach. In accordance with one embodiment, if the identified aircraft has a plurality of possible approaches (e.g., the airport comprises a plurality of runways), the aircraft procedure display process  200  may identify or otherwise determine a default approach for use as a desired approach for the airport. For example, the aircraft procedure display process  200  may identify the most commonly used approach for the identified airport  306  as the default approach. Alternatively, the aircraft procedure display process  200  may identify the most recently used approach as the desired approach. In another embodiment, the aircraft procedure display process  200  determines and/or identifies the desired approach based on the current heading and/or location of the aircraft  114 . For example, the aircraft procedure display process  200  may identify the approach with a final approach course most closely aligned with the current heading of the aircraft  114  as the desired approach. 
     Reference is now made to  FIGS. 7 and 8 , which provide a system diagram and a method flowchart, respectively, setting forth various embodiments of a system  700  and method  800  for providing and displaying airport departure and arrival procedures.  FIGS. 7 and 8  illustrate the use and interaction among the various systems and methods described above with regard to  FIGS. 1-6  in accordance with these various embodiments. In particular, the embodiments provide a solution to the problem of not having sufficient awareness during execution of the STARS approaches and SID departures by providing systems and methods that first retrieve the appropriate STARS/SID chart when the procedure begins. This process is illustrated as step  801  in  FIG. 8 , and was described in greater detail above with regard to  FIG. 5 , and may be performed using the FMS  108  and user interface  110  as shown in  FIG. 7 , and as was described in greater detail above in  FIG. 1 . The system  700  then obtains the current position information including altitude from the sensors and then transforms the chart information and presents a “level and speed” awareness information on a navigation display and level awareness information on a vertical display, along with the position of the aircraft  114 . This process is illustrated as step  802  in  FIG. 8  and block  702  of  FIG. 7 , and may be performed using navigation system  104  and display device  102 , as were described in greater detail above regarding  FIG. 1 . It is to be noted that this vertical situational information is important in the absence of a vertical Required Navigation Performance (RNP) specification. 
     Thereafter, the system  700  arms the speech recognition system  20 - 2  that captures the pilot-ATC communication during the procedure and continuously scans for any altitude or speed restriction information in this text, using the ATC phraseology database  20 - 3 . This process is illustrated in  FIG. 8  as steps  803  (communicating) and  804  (converting) and may make use of the communication management unit  20 - 1 , which was described above with regard to  FIG. 3 , and is a part of the communications system  106 . The command processor block  20 - 6  within the system  700  then searches and consolidates any clearance phrases transacted within the system. This can be performed in accordance with the following exemplary algorithm: 
     Clearance Information Processing: 
     
       
         
               
             
           
               
                   
               
             
             
               
                 Get Textual Clearance from Voice to Text Convertor 
               
               
                 Use the ATC phraseology Database shown in FIGS. 3 and 7 to perform processing indicated in 
               
               
                 the steps below: 
               
               
                      Identify Aircraft “CALL SIGN” from the input Text 
               
               
                      Identify “Standard Phraseology Terms” (Eg: “CLEARED”, “PROCEED”, “VIA”, 
               
               
                      “RESUME”, “CLIMB”, “DIRECT TO”) from the input Text 
               
               
                     o Segregate VERBS (Actions, Eg: CLEARED) and ADJECTIVES (Constraints, Eg: 
               
               
                     VIA) 
               
               
                      Identify WAYPOINTS 
               
               
                      o Identify NOUNS (Eg: BATON, KODAP) 
               
               
                      Identify constraints related to FLIGHT LEVEL and SPD Information from the input 
               
               
                      Text 
               
               
                      o Identify ADJECTIVES/PHRASES (Eg: FL 100) 
               
               
                      String together VERBS-ADJECTIVES-NOUNS to form “Linking Tuple”s for 
               
               
                      information processing, and separate the Tuples using VERBs as the Tuple separator. 
               
               
                 Thus, construct “Linking Tuple”s of the form : 
               
               
                      o{ACTION -- CONSTRAINT - WAYPOINT} 
               
               
                      o{ACTION -- CONSTRAINT - FLIGHT LEVEL} 
               
               
                 Eg:  Clearance “PROCEED DIRECT TO BATON THEN CLEARED VIA KODAP ONE 
               
               
                 ALFA DEPARTURE CLIMB ON SID TO FLIGHT LEVEL 100” 
               
               
                 Linking Tuples: 
               
               
                      {PROCEED -- DIRECT TO - BATON} 
               
               
                      {CLEARED - VIA - KODAP} 
               
               
                      {CLIMB - SID - FL100} 
               
               
                 CHART INFORMATION PROCESSING: 
               
               
                      Get Chart Segment and WAYPOINTS Information with Chart Restrictions on FLIGHT 
               
               
                      Levels and SPEED Constraints 
               
               
                      For Every Segment on Chart, record Constraints (Charted Constraints) 
               
               
                 CONSTRAINT EVALUATION: 
               
               
                      Evaluate Mapping TUPLEs generated in “Clearance Information Processing” section 
               
               
                      with every segment produced in “Chart Information Processing” section, overriding any 
               
               
                      segment information recorded if ‘Mapping Tuple’ Constraint has overriding 
               
               
                      characteristics. Use the WAYPOINT (Noun) of each Tuple and cycle through the chart 
               
               
                      information, applying the constraint associated with each WAYPOINT 
               
               
                   
               
             
          
         
       
     
     Determine Extent of Constraint Coverage 
     An optional digital data-link path  20 C is also provided should the operations involve usage of this technology. This is also illustrated as step  805  in  FIG. 8 . The usage of a multiplexer  710  consolidates both the data link  20 C and the voice communication paths  20 B. 
     The “Clearance to Flight Segment Mapper” block  703  in  FIG. 7  then translates the textual clearance into a visible clearance level after locating the appropriate flight segment(s) on the display system. Note that these clearances may (a) apply to a portion of the chart; (b) remain in effect for the entire procedure; and/or (c) may provide a value different than what is provided in the charts. This is further illustrated at steps  806  through  808  in  FIG. 8 . Therefore the block  703  builds in a certain level of intelligence to decipher these subtleties. This block  703  therefore takes into account both the chart driven restrictions as well ATC driven restrictions and emphasizes the over-arching ATC directions, as shown with regard to steps  810  through  812  of  FIG. 8 . 
     In order to enhance the situational awareness, the system  700  further uses a “Clearance Evaluator” block  704 , which receives traffic information from ADS-B, TIS-B, and TCAS systems, as described above with regard to  FIG. 4 , and computes regions of probable conflict with reference to the cleared levels and the traffic, as further shown in step  809  of  FIG. 8 . This can be performed in accordance with the following exemplary algorithm: 
     Clearance Evaluation Processing: 
     
       
         
               
             
           
               
                   
               
             
             
               
                 For Every Aircraft &gt; X miles from Ownship &lt; Y miles from Ownship 
               
               
                 { 
               
               
                   Get Intent Data of A/cs from ADS-B message 
               
               
                   Estimate Position of A/Cs for every half-minute from 5 to 20 minutes 
               
               
                   (30 positions) 
               
               
                   Store Positions in TRAFFIC_DATA 
               
               
                 } 
               
               
                 For Aircraft 114 
               
               
                 { 
               
               
                   Get Intent Data of ownship from FMS 
               
               
                   Estimate Position of A/C for every half-minute from 5 to 20 minutes 
               
               
                   (30 positions) 
               
               
                   Store Positions in OWNSHIP_DATA 
               
               
                 } 
               
               
                 For Every Entry in TRAFFIC_DATA and OWNSHIP_DATA 
               
               
                 { 
               
               
                  Compute Distance between Traffic Entry position and Ownship for 
               
               
                 corresponding entries in TRAFFIC_DATA and OWNSHIP_DATA 
               
               
                   If Distance &lt;= Threshold for Safe Separation, Generate REGION 
               
               
                 OF CONFLICT INDICATION 
               
               
                 } 
               
               
                 For Every Entry in TRAFFIC_DATA 
               
               
                 { 
               
               
                  Estimate ALT of A/cs 
               
               
                  If ALT Estimated in TRAFFIC_DATA for every A/c is within the 
               
               
                 cleared ALT of aircraft 114 (block 706, level violation predictor), 
               
               
                 Generate ALERT (block 705, alerts generator) 
               
               
                 } 
               
               
                   
               
             
          
         
       
     
     This algorithm functions to minimize clutter and show regions where future events may lead to loss of separation on the display. In generating the traffic awareness information, the system uses ADS-B intent information to predict where this loss of separation could possibly happen, as shown using steps  815  and  816  in  FIG. 8 . This prediction is beyond the traffic advisory zone associated with TCAS systems (i.e., the trajectory sets of aircraft within the vicinity may be used for a more accurate prediction of these regions where loss of separation could occur). 
     Additionally when ATC clearances cannot be achieved due to constraints on aircraft performance, suitable indications are provided, as shown using steps  813  and  814  in  FIG. 8 . The following algorithm may be used for this purpose:
         Get &lt;Current ATC clearance—SPD and ALT&gt;   Compute Parameters required to meet &lt;ATC Clearances&gt; (Eg: If Curr ALT is 10000, Cleared ALT is 7000 at a distance of 5 miles, this indicates a ROD of 2500 feet per minute which may be unacceptable)   If Computed Parameters&gt;Bounds of aircraft  114  Performance Data, Generate INDICATIONS       

     Exemplary displays that may be generated in accordance with the embodiments shown in  FIGS. 7 and 8  and provided in  FIGS. 9A-9E .  FIG. 9A  illustrates a display including the a navigational chart (in both vertical and horizontal profiles), the arrival/departure procedure overlaid on the chart, the aircraft  114  position, a restriction issued by ATC regarding the procedure, and air traffic information, including regions of potential conflict (steps  810 ).  FIG. 9B  illustrates an exemplary visual display alert if the aircraft flies in such a manner as to violate the ATC-issued restriction (steps  811 - 812 ).  FIG. 9C  illustrates an exemplary visual display alert if the aircraft is unable to meet the ATC-issued restriction, for example due to aircraft performance criteria (steps  813 - 814 ). Further,  FIG. 9D  illustrates an exemplary visual display alert if there are regions of potential conflict with other aircraft, along a flight path flown in accordance with the ATC-issued restriction, as determined by the air traffic information (steps  815 - 816 ). 
       FIG. 8  (steps  817  and  818 ) address the situation where the ETAs (Expected Time of Arrival) have changed due to the modified restriction and deviates from the corresponding RTAs (Required Time of Arrival)s.  FIG. 9E  shows how the deviation between the RTAs/ETAs is provided on the displays in an intuitive manner. Circular reticules on the navigation display show the extent of slippage in the times of these parameters. One method of providing this intuitive display is to color code the circular reticule as follows:
         Extent of slippage &lt;10%—Reticule Color is GREEN   Extent of slippage between 11% to 40%—Reticule Color is AMBER   Extent of slippage between 41% to 70%—Reticule Color is YELLOW   Extent of slippage &gt;71%—Reticule Color is RED       

     While at least one exemplary embodiment has been presented in the foregoing detailed description, it should be appreciated that a vast number of variations exist. It should also be appreciated that the exemplary embodiment or embodiments described herein are not intended to limit the scope, applicability, or configuration of the claimed subject matter in any way. Rather, the foregoing detailed description will provide those skilled in the art with a convenient road map for implementing the described embodiment or embodiments. It should be understood that various changes can be made in the function and arrangement of elements without departing from the scope defined by the claims, which includes known equivalents and foreseeable equivalents at the time of filing this patent application.