Patent Publication Number: US-2023154341-A1

Title: Graphical user interface (gui) for selection and display of enroute charts in an avionics chart display system

Description:
CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS 
     The present application is related to and claims the benefit of the earliest available effective filing dates from the following listed applications (the “Related Applications”) (e.g., claims earliest available priority dates for other than provisional patent applications (e.g., under 35 USC § 120 as a continuation in part) or claims benefits under 35 USC § 119(e) for provisional patent applications, for any and all parent, grandparent, great-grandparent, etc. applications of the Related Applications). 
     RELATED APPLICATIONS 
     U.S. Provisional Patent Application Ser. No. 63/278,576 entitled SYSTEMS AND METHODS FOR GENERATION, SELECTION, AND DISPLAY OF MAP-BASED CHART DATABASES FOR USE WITH CERTIFIED AVIONICS SYSTEMS and filed Nov. 12, 2021; and 
     Concurrently filed U.S. patent application Ser. No. ______ entitled SYSTEM AND METHOD FOR ENHANCING SITUATIONAL AWARENESS VIA PANEL SELECTOR DISPLAY WHILE VIEWING MULTIPANEL AVIONICS CHARTS and having docket number 131438US01. 
     Said U.S. Patent Applications 63/278,576 and ______ are herein incorporated by reference in their entirety. 
     BACKGROUND 
     Aeronautical charts are an essential navigational reference for pilots, traditionally propagated as foldable paper charts. For example, terminal charts provide navigational reference for pilots operating under Visual Flight Rules (VFR) and/or Instrument Flight Rules (IFR); in particular, terminal charts provide geographical information (e.g., landmarks, populated places, facilities, terrain elevations, natural features, airspace boundaries) as well as operating information (e.g., approach/departure procedures) for the Class B airspace surrounding major airports. Increasingly, terminal charts are being displayed electronically, e.g., via electronic flight bags (EFB) or other like cockpit display devices. However, these conventional EFB devices may not be able to provide the same level of functionality for enroute charts, which provide navigational information for pilots operating under IFR (and, e.g., who may not be proximate to an originating or destination airport). For example, enroute charts eschew visual landmarks and terrain features for details about fixes and beacons; waypoints and airways; minimum altitudes; and other navigational/radionavigational aids between airports. Enroute charts may be classified as high-altitude or low-altitude, e.g., based on navigational aids for aircraft above or below a transitional altitude (e.g., FL 180 (Flight Level 180, or 18,000 feet)). Enroute charts may additionally include high/low (“hi-lo”) providing a combination of high-altitude and low-altitude navigational aids, as well as area charts showing congested terminal areas at a large scale. 
     SUMMARY 
     An aircraft-based display system configured for display of a graphical user interface (GUI) associated with the display of avionics charts (e.g., terminal charts, enroute charts) is disclosed. In embodiments, the display system displays within the GUI an enroute selector configured for engagement by a pilot, operator, or other user of the display system. In response to user engagement with the enroute selector, the display system displays within the GUI an enroute menu of enroute charts selectable by a user, the enroute menu including enroute charts previously selected by the user. Each enroute chart comprises a sequence of component panels and includes a play button in the enroute menu; the user may select an enroute chart from the enroute menu, designating the selected chart as the active chart and displaying the active chart. In response to user engagement with the play button, the display system displays within the GUI an enroute selection menu including drop-down menus for user selection of a geographic region and/or a chart type (e.g., high-altitude, low-altitude, high/low). The enroute selection menu includes a selection list of all enroute charts of a selected chart type in a selected region, each listed enroute chart selectable by the user. The enroute selection menu includes a visual graphic display showing enroute charts of the selected chart type within the selected region. 
     In some embodiments, the display system displays within the GUI an ownship indicator showing the position of the aircraft relative to the visual graphic display. 
     In some embodiments, the display system displays within the GUI a non-displayable ownship indicator showing that the position of the aircraft cannot be displayed within the visual graphic display. 
     In some embodiments, the enroute selection menu includes identifiers for the active enroute chart and/or the active panel (e.g., currently selected, currently displayed, last displayed) of the active enroute chart. 
     In some embodiments, the enroute menu includes listed enroute charts corresponding to the ownship position, e.g., the current position of the aircraft. 
     In some embodiments, the listed current-position enroute charts including an indicator of the specific panel within the current-position enroute chart corresponding to the ownship position. 
     In some embodiments, the enroute menu includes an indicator of the active panel of each listed enroute chart; if a listed enroute chart is selected from the enroute menu, the currently active panel is displayed. 
     In some embodiments, the active panel of an enroute chart is the most recently displayed, or last displayed, panel. 
     In some embodiments, the enroute menu includes listed enroute charts not previously displayed and therefore not associated with an active panel; the listed enroute chart may indicate that there is not yet an active panel for that chart. 
     In some embodiments, the display system displays within the GUI a panel selector toggle configured for user engagement. In response to user engagement, a panel selector display will be activated or deactivated, the panel selector display configured for selecting an active panel of the active enroute chart. 
     In embodiments, the panel selector display includes a thumbnail display superimposed over the displayed active enroute chart (or, e.g., the currently displayed active panel thereof) and showing the full active enroute chart divided into its component panels, indicating the current active panel. 
     In some embodiments, the display system accepts control input from the user and, in response to the control input, highlights or selects an active enroute chart from the visual graphic display. 
     In some embodiments, the selection list of the enroute selection menu includes scroll controls and a cursor for selecting the active enroute chart. 
     In some embodiments, the enroute selection menu indicates if an active enroute chart is out of date. 
     In a further aspect, a method for selection and display of enroute charts within a GUI for chart display is also disclosed. In embodiments, the method includes displaying (e.g., via an aircraft-based display system configured for providing a GUI for the selection and display of avionics charts) an enroute selector configured for engagement by a pilot, operator, or other user of the aircraft display system. The method includes, in response to engagement with the enroute selector by the user, displaying within the GUI an enroute menu listing enroute charts for selection by the user, each enroute chart comprising a sequence of component panels and including a play button, the enroute menu including charts previously selected by the user. The method includes, in response to a selection by the user of an enroute chart via the enroute menu, designating the selected chart as the active enroute chart and displaying the selected active enroute chart. The method includes, in response to engagement by the user with the play button, displaying within the GUI an enroute selection menu including: drop-down menus for the selection of a geographic region and a chart type; a visual graphic display for graphically depicting the selectable enroute charts of a selected type within a selected region; and a selection list for listing the selectable enroute charts of the selected type and region. 
     This Summary is provided solely as an introduction to subject matter that is fully described in the Detailed Description and Drawings. The Summary should not be considered to describe essential features nor be used to determine the scope of the Claims. Moreover, it is to be understood that both the foregoing Summary and the following Detailed Description are example and explanatory only and are not necessarily restrictive of the subject matter claimed. 
    
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
       The detailed description is described with reference to the accompanying figures. The use of the same reference numbers in different instances in the description and the figures may indicate similar or identical items. Various embodiments or examples (“examples”) of the present disclosure are disclosed in the following detailed description and the accompanying drawings. The drawings are not necessarily to scale. In general, operations of disclosed processes may be performed in an arbitrary order, unless otherwise provided in the claims. In the drawings: 
         FIG.  1    is a block diagram illustrating a display system configured for display of avionics charts according to example embodiments of this disclosure; 
         FIG.  2    is a partial view of a graphical user interface (GUI) for displaying terminal charts of the display system of  FIG.  1   ; 
         FIG.  3    is an illustration of a main enroute menu of the display system of  FIG.  1   ; 
         FIGS.  4 A through  4 C  are illustrations respectively of an enroute chart GUI of the display system of  FIG.  1   , an enroute region selector of the enroute chart GUI of  FIG.  4 A , and a panel selector display of the display system of  FIG.  1   ; 
       and  FIG.  5    is a flow diagram illustrating a method for displaying enroute charts via a graphical user interface (GUI) for displaying terminal charts according to example embodiments of this disclosure. 
     
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION 
     Before explaining one or more embodiments of the disclosure in detail, it is to be understood that the embodiments are not limited in their application to the details of construction and the arrangement of the components or steps or methodologies set forth in the following description or illustrated in the drawings. In the following detailed description of embodiments, numerous specific details may be set forth in order to provide a more thorough understanding of the disclosure. However, it will be apparent to one of ordinary skill in the art having the benefit of the instant disclosure that the embodiments disclosed herein may be practiced without some of these specific details. In other instances, well-known features may not be described in detail to avoid unnecessarily complicating the instant disclosure. 
     As used herein a letter following a reference numeral is intended to reference an embodiment of the feature or element that may be similar, but not necessarily identical, to a previously described element or feature bearing the same reference numeral (e.g., 1, 1a, 1b). Such shorthand notations are used for purposes of convenience only and should not be construed to limit the disclosure in any way unless expressly stated to the contrary. 
     Further, unless expressly stated to the contrary, “or” refers to an inclusive or and not to an exclusive or. For example, a condition A or B is satisfied by any one of the following: A is true (or present) and B is false (or not present), A is false (or not present) and B is true (or present), and both A and B are true (or present). 
     In addition, use of “a” or “an” may be employed to describe elements and components of embodiments disclosed herein. This is done merely for convenience and “a” and “an” are intended to include “one” or “at least one,” and the singular also includes the plural unless it is obvious that it is meant otherwise. 
     Finally, as used herein any reference to “one embodiment” or “some embodiments” means that a particular element, feature, structure, or characteristic described in connection with the embodiment is included in at least one embodiment disclosed herein. The appearances of the phrase “in some embodiments” in various places in the specification are not necessarily all referring to the same embodiment, and embodiments may include one or more of the features expressly described or inherently present herein, or any combination or sub-combination of two or more such features, along with any other features which may not necessarily be expressly described or inherently present in the instant disclosure. 
     Broadly speaking, embodiments of the inventive concepts disclosed herein are directed to expanding the user interface for displaying terminal charts via electronic flight bag (EFB) or other flight displays to provide for the selection and display of enroute charts, which are associated with different characteristics than terminal charts. For example, while the look and feel of the GUI remains consistent, the enroute selection GUI may provide enhanced graphical information to simplify the selection and display of desired enroute charts. Further, the selection and display of enroute charts is provided with enhanced context and situational awareness; allowing for graphical enroute chart selection in addition to textual chart selection. 
     Referring to  FIG.  1   , a display system  100  for displaying avionics charts (e.g., aeronautical charts) is shown. The display system  100  may include graphical user interface (GUI)  102 , main enroute menu  104 , enroute selection GUI  106 , enroute region selector  108 , enroute chart type selector  110 , chart graphic display  112 , chart selection list  114 , and panel selector toggle  116 . In embodiments, the display system  100  may be a cockpit display, e.g., primary flight display (PFD), navigational display, electronic flight bag (EFB), or any other display configured for navigation of an aircraft (e.g., ownship) and incorporating a display unit, data storage, and graphics generation processors. 
     In embodiments, the GUI  102  for selection and display of terminal charts may include an enroute (ENRTE) selector  118  configured for engagement by a user of the GUI (e.g., a pilot or operator). For example, engagement of the enroute selector  118  by the user may cause the GUI to display the main enroute menu  104 , via which the user may be offered several options for selecting an enroute chart for display. In embodiments, each enroute chart listed by the main enroute menu  104  may allow the user to select that enroute chart for display, and may further include a play button  120  via which the user may engage with that particular enroute chart. For example, if the user selects a listed enroute chart for display, that enroute chart is displayed (e.g., and designated the active enroute chart  122 ). 
     In some embodiments, each enroute chart may be divided into a sequence of panels. For example, enroute charts may be too large to display at once (e.g., particularly within a flight display or EFB) such that a user may make effective use of the geographical information set contained within the enroute chart (e.g., natural features, manmade landmarks and facilities, potential obstructions, navigational and radionavigational aids). Accordingly, in embodiments enroute charts may be divided into a sequence of panels such that when an enroute chart is selected for display, only a particular panel of the selected enroute chart is displayed in detail. For example, if the selected enroute chart has previously been displayed by the user, the most recently displayed panel of the selected enroute chart may remain the active panel to be displayed if that enroute chart is selected. If, however, a selected enroute chart has not yet been displayed, no active panel may be associated with that enroute chart, and thus the display system  100  may select (e.g., according to software logic) an active panel of the selected enroute chart for display. 
     In embodiments, engagement with any enroute chart listed by the main enroute menu  104  may cause the GUI  102  to display the selected enroute chart (specifically, an active panel of the selected enroute chart) while engagement with a play button  120  may cause the GUI  102  to display the enroute selection GUI  106 . The enroute selection GUI  106  may allow the user to select a geographic region via the enroute region selector  108  and select a chart type via the enroute chart type selector  110 . For example, as described in greater detail below, enroute charts may be grouped by the geographic region they collectively portray. Similarly, more than one type of enroute chart (e.g., high-altitude, low-altitude, high/low, area) may be associated with a given region, e.g., if the region in question (or portions thereof) include both high-altitude and low-altitude navigational aids. In embodiments, selection of a geographic region and chart type may configure the chart graphic display  112  and chart selection list  114  to allow selection by the user of all charts associated with a particular region and chart type, respectively by graphic or textual means. 
     In embodiments, the enroute selection GUI  106  may allow the user to activate or deactivate the panel selector toggle  116 , e.g., toggling a panel selector display on or off. For example, the panel selector display may provide enhanced situational awareness by showing the currently displayed active panel  124  of the current active enroute chart  122  in the context of its associated enroute chart as a whole, and by allowing the user to select a different or new component panel of the active enroute chart for display. The panel selector toggle  116  and panel selector display are described in greater detail by concurrently filed patent application Ser. No. ______ ((having docket number 131438US01), which application is herein incorporated by reference in its entirety. 
     Referring to  FIG.  2   , the terminal chart GUI  102  is shown. 
     In embodiments, the enroute selector  118  may be implemented as an enroute selection button (e.g., labeled with ENRTE, ENR, or any other appropriately descriptive text or icon/s). For example, pressing or otherwise engaging with the enroute selector  118  (e.g., via keyboard, keypad, peripheral device, cursor, mouse, trackball, direct contact with a touchscreen surface on which the terminal chart GUI  102  is displayed, or any other appropriate input device of the display system ( 100 ,  FIG.  1   )) may cause the terminal chart GUI  102  to display the main enroute menu ( 104 ,  FIG.  1   ). Similarly, in embodiments the panel selector toggle  116  may be implemented as a button with which the user may engage to toggle the panel selector display on or off, as described in greater detail below. 
     Referring also to  FIG.  3   , the main enroute menu  104  is shown. 
     In embodiments, the main enroute menu  104  may present candidate enroute charts for selection by the user (and display to the user). For example, the main enroute menu  104  may display (e.g., under the heading “Any ENR”, meaning “any enroute”, or any other appropriate textual or iconic description indicating no relationship between the enroute chart and the current position of the aircraft) one or more candidate enroute charts  304  listed by name (e.g., high altitude charts H—06, H—04, low altitude charts L—07, L—09). 
     In some embodiments, the main enroute menu  104  may include current position enroute charts  306  listed under headings  308  (e.g., “Current Hi”, “Current Lo”) indicating that the current position enroute charts are the respective high-altitude and low-altitude (e.g., or high/low or area, if applicable) enroute charts corresponding to the current position of the aircraft (ownship position), e.g., as determined by positioning systems of the aircraft. For example, the current position enroute charts  306  may be colored or shaded differently from the candidate enroute charts  304  (e.g., magenta vs. cyan) to indicate the different status of the current position enroute charts. 
     In embodiments, when a current position enroute chart  308  or candidate enroute chart  302  is selected for display by the user, a component panel of the selected enroute chart is displayed (e.g., the active panel). For example, if a candidate enroute chart  302  has been previously selected, the last displayed panel of the selected enroute chart displayed by the display system ( 100 ,  FIG.  1   ) remains the active panel, and will be displayed (as the active panel ( 124 ,  FIG.  1   )) when that enroute chart is selected again (as the active enroute chart ( 122 ,  FIG.  1   )). Similarly, the active panel of a current position enroute chart  308  may be the particular panel within the current position enroute chart corresponding to the current position of the ownship, and may update as the ownship position changes relative to the enroute chart and to its component panels (e.g., when the aircraft leaves the coverage area of one enroute chart and enters the coverage area of an adjacent enroute chart). 
     In embodiments, listings in the main enroute menu  104  for current position enroute charts  308  and candidate enroute charts  302  may include the active panel when this information is available (e.g., H—06 Panel 6, L—04 Panel 5) or many not include the active panel (e.g., L—07, L—09). For example, if additional panels of a current position enroute chart  308  or candidate enroute chart  302  are displayed, the listings for these enroute charts in the main enroute menu  104  may update to indicate the last displayed panel. 
     In some embodiments, a candidate enroute chart  302  may not have been previously selected. For example, the candidate enroute chart “FAA—WTRS” ( 302   a ) may not have an associated active panel, as there is no last displayed panel recognized by the display system  100 ; the listing for the candidate enroute chart may indicate the absence of an active panel (“Select to choose panel”). When the “FAA—WTRS” candidate enroute chart  302   a  is selected, the display system  100  may select an active panel for display by software logic if no active panel is otherwise indicated, updating the listing in the main enroute menu  104  to indicate the last displayed panel. 
     In some embodiments, selection of a current position enroute chart  308  or candidate enroute chart  302  via the main enroute menu  104  may cause the display of a cursor in the panel selector toggle ( 116 ,  FIG.  1   ), allowing the selection of an active panel. For example, the listing for the selected current position enroute chart  308  or candidate enroute chart  302  may be updated to indicate the new active panel. 
     In embodiments, each candidate enroute chart  302  listed by the main enroute menu  104  may include a play button  120  (e.g., play key). Engagement of any play button  120  by the user may cause the display system  100  to display the enroute selection GUI ( 106 ,  FIG.  1   ). 
     Referring now to  FIGS.  4 A through  4 C , the enroute selection GUI  106 , enroute region selector  108 , and panel selector display  400  are respectively shown. The enroute selection GUI  106  may include enroute region selector  108 , enroute chart type selector  110 , chart graphic display  112 , chart selection list  114 , panel selector toggle  116 , enroute selector  118 , ownship indicator  402 , non-displayable ownship indicator  404 , active enroute chart identifier  406 , scroll controls  408 , and active chart currency indicator  410 . 
     In embodiments, the enroute selection GUI  106  may allow the user to select an enroute region (e.g., via the enroute region selector  108 ) and a chart type (e.g., via the enroute chart type selector  110 ). For example, the enroute region selector  108  and enroute chart type selector  110  may be implemented as drop-down menus listing all available enroute regions and all available chart types for a given region (e.g., high, low, hi-lo, area). 
     In embodiments, the chart graphic display  112  may provide a graphical representation of all available charts for the enroute region selected by the enroute region selector  108  (e.g., FAA enroute charts for the continental United States) of the chart type selected by the enroute chart type selector  110  (e.g., high altitude charts). In some embodiments, the chart graphic display  112  may additionally show other types of charts (e.g., FAA low-altitude charts for the continental United States) in the background. Similarly, the chart selection list  114  may list all available charts for the selected enroute region and chart type. For example, selection of the chart selection list  114  may place a cursor within the chart selection list and activate the scroll controls  408 , allowing the user to scroll through the chart selection list and select an enroute chart for display (and designation as the active enroute chart). 
     In some embodiments, the current position of the aircraft (e.g., ownship position) may be indicated by an ownship indicator  402  within the chart graphic display  112 . For example, if the current position of the aircraft is within the enroute region currently selected for display by the chart graphic display  112 , the ownship indicator  402  may be superimposed over or otherwise displayed within the chart graphic display  112  to indicate the ownship position as accurately as possible. It should be noted that, due primarily to the scale of the enroute region displayed by the chart graphic display  112 , the ownship indicator  402  may be of limited use as a navigational aid but may enhance overall situational awareness. 
     In some embodiments, the current position of the aircraft may be outside the enroute region selected by the enroute region selector  108  and displayed by the chart graphic display  112 , and therefore cannot be represented within the chart graphic display  112 . For example, the non-displayable ownship indicator  404  may show that the current position of the aircraft is non-displayable by the chart graphic display  112 . 
     In embodiments, the chart graphic display  112  may allow graphic selection of an active enroute chart in addition to the textual selection provided by the chart selection list  114 . For example, the user may (e.g., via cursor, touchscreen, mouse, trackball, or any other appropriate input device) highlight an enroute chart ( 412 ) displayed by the chart graphic display  112 , e.g., FAA high altitude chart USA H—03. In embodiments, a highlighted enroute chart  412  may be designated as the new active enroute chart ( 122 ,  FIG.  1   ) (replacing the previous active enroute chart, if one was designated) and displayed by the display system ( 100 ,  FIG.  1   ). 
     In embodiments, referring in particular to  FIG.  4 C , when the user engages with the panel selector toggle  116 , the panel selector display  400  may be activated (e.g., toggled on) or deactivated/toggled off (e.g., if the panel selector display is currently active). For example, the panel selector display  400  (as described in greater detail by concurrently filed patent application Ser. No. ______ (having docket number 131438US01), which application is herein incorporated by reference in its entirety) may display a graphical representation (e.g., thumbnail display) of the active enroute chart  122  (e.g., including a subset of the geographical information set contained within the active enroute chart). In embodiments, the panel selector display  400  may be superimposed over a portion of the displayed active panel  124  of the active enroute chart  122  and may include an active panel indicator  414  indicative of the current active panel (e.g., panel 2). For example, the panel selector display  400  may include dividers  416  (e.g., vertical and/or horizontal) indicative of the division of the active enroute chart  122  into its component panels. In some embodiments, the panel selector display  400  may be rotated through horizontal and vertical orientations. For example, if the displayed active panel  124  is rotated from a horizontal to a vertical orientation (e.g., 90-degree rotation), the panel selector display  400  may likewise rotate 90 degrees (e.g., while maintaining a consistent orientation relative to the displayed active panel. It should be noted that while the active enroute chart  122  and panel selector display  400  are always displayed in rectangular format, the underlying enroute charts may not align perfectly with cardinal directions (e.g., chart H—12, as shown by  FIG.  4 A ). 
     In some embodiments, the active chart currency indicator  410  may indicate whether the active enroute chart  122  is current or out of date. For example, enroute charts are periodically reissued (e.g., FAA charts are reissued every 56 days), and new enroute charts may or may not include procedural changes relative to their counterpart enroute charts in a previous edition. 
     Referring now to  FIG.  5   , the method  500  may be implemented by embodiments of the aircraft-based display system  100  and may include the following steps. 
     At a step  502  the display system, within the GUI for displaying terminal charts associated with an airport, displays an enroute selector button with which the user (pilot, operator) may engage for selection and display of enroute charts. 
     At a step  504 , in response to user engagement with the enroute selector button, the display system displays a main enroute menu including enroute charts selectable by the user, each enroute chart comprising a set of component panels. For example, the main enroute menu may include enroute charts previously selected by the user. Each enroute chart listed by the main enroute menu is selectable by the user (e.g., by engaging with the text corresponding to the listed enroute chart) and further includes a play button or key. 
     At a step  506 , in response to user selection of an enroute chart from the main enroute menu, the display system designates the selected enroute chart as the new active enroute chart and displays the selected enroute chart. For example, if the selected enroute chart is a previously displayed enroute chart, the last displayed panel of the selected enroute chart will remain the active panel and will be displayed. 
     At a step  508 , in response to engagement with a play button, the display system displays an enroute selection GUI. For example, the enroute selection GUI includes drop-down menus for selection of an enroute region and a chart type (e.g., high-altitude, low-altitude, high/low, area). Further, the enroute selection GUI includes a selection list for displaying all available enroute charts for the selected enroute region and of the selected chart type, and a chart graphic display for representing the set of available enroute charts graphically. 
     CONCLUSION 
     It is to be understood that embodiments of the methods disclosed herein may include one or more of the steps described herein. Further, such steps may be carried out in any desired order and two or more of the steps may be carried out simultaneously with one another. Two or more of the steps disclosed herein may be combined in a single step, and in some embodiments, one or more of the steps may be carried out as two or more sub-steps. Further, other steps or sub-steps may be carried in addition to, or as substitutes to one or more of the steps disclosed herein. 
     Although inventive concepts have been described with reference to the embodiments illustrated in the attached drawing figures, equivalents may be employed and substitutions made herein without departing from the scope of the claims. Components illustrated and described herein are merely examples of a system/device and components that may be used to implement embodiments of the inventive concepts and may be replaced with other devices and components without departing from the scope of the claims. Furthermore, any dimensions, degrees, and/or numerical ranges provided herein are to be understood as non-limiting examples unless otherwise specified in the claims.