Patent Description:
Aircraft often include multiple displays in a cockpit, each display displaying data related to the aircraft or a flight plan. The displays may include, for example, vertical situation displays, lateral situation displays, synthetic vision displays, personal electronic devices, and the like. The displays are generally not redundant. In other words, each display generally displays relevant data or overlapping data (which may be the same), but from a different perspective. For example, a vertical situation display displays flight plan data from a vertical perspective and a lateral situation display displays flight plan data from a lateral perspective. As each display displays different data, often from a different perspective and/or from a different scale, it can often be challenging or time consuming to correlate data between the different displays.

<CIT> discloses a display system for an aircraft cockpit in which a cursor can be moved over sensitive objects on a plurality of display devices wherein the location of the cursor is detected on the associated viewing screen and a current geographic position of the cursor on the associated viewing screen is determined in order to display a characteristic signal representing the determined current geographic position of the cursor on the other displays.

According to the invention, an aircraft including a flight management system and a correlative display system is provided in claim <NUM>.

According to another aspect of the invention, a method of operating a correlative display system for a plurality of display systems on an aircraft is provided in claim <NUM>.

Furthermore, other desirable features and characteristics of the correlative display system and method will become apparent from the subsequent detailed description and the appended claims, taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings and the preceding background.

The detailed description will hereinafter be described in conjunction with the following drawing figures, wherein like numerals denote like elements, and wherein:.

With a user interface, such as a cursor control device (CCD) a pilot can select a feature on a first display system, such as a lateral map, and perform an action, such as an FMS direct to navigation on a waypoint. Additionally, a pilot may select a feature to get more information. For example, an airspace could have a pop-up window that provides the dimensions of the airspace. However, if the same airspace, waypoint or other feature is presented on another display, such as a vertical situation display or a synthetic vision system display, there is no correlation between the displays. In other words, a pilot could mistake a feature on one display system as a different feature on another display system as there has been no correlation between different display systems. This creates extra workload for the pilot as they would have had to figure out the corresponding feature on other display systems, which introduces potential errors in interpretation. Accordingly, as discussed in further detail below, a correlative display system is provided which connects features between display systems.

<FIG> is a block diagram of an aircraft <NUM>, in accordance with an embodiment. The aircraft <NUM> may be an airplane, a helicopter, a spacecraft, a drone, or the like, or any combination thereof. The aircraft includes multiple controls systems <NUM> for controlling the movement of the aircraft <NUM>. The controls systems <NUM> will vary depending upon the type of aircraft <NUM>, but may include, for example, one or more engines, rudders, wings, vertical stabilizers, flaps, landing gear, propellers, and the like.

The aircraft <NUM> further includes a flight management system (FMS) <NUM>. The flight management system <NUM> manages a flight plan of the aircraft and may use sensors <NUM> to guide the aircraft along the flight plan utilizing one or more of the control systems <NUM>. The sensors <NUM> may include, for example, a global positioning system (GPS) sensor, an altitude sensor, a wind speed sensor, a wind direction sensor, or the like.

The aircraft <NUM> further includes a correlative display system <NUM>. The correlative display system <NUM> links features between multiple display systems <NUM> on the aircraft <NUM>. Each of the display systems may display different data. The display systems <NUM> may include, for example, a vertical situation display, a synthetic vision system display, a lateral situation display system, waypoint list, a personal electronic device (e.g., a tablet computer, a laptop computer, a smart watch, etc.), or any other aircraft display system, and any combination thereof. While some of the displayed data may be displayed on more than one display system <NUM>, the data is displayed in a different format or from a different perspective (e.g., a vertical situation display and a lateral situation display may both display flight plan data, but from different perspectives). Furthermore, while <FIG> illustrates three display systems <NUM>, any number of display systems <NUM> on the aircraft may be part of the correlative display system <NUM>. One or more of the display systems <NUM> may be integrated into the aircraft <NUM>, as illustrated in <FIG>. However, one or more other display systems <NUM>, such as one ore more personal electronic devices, may be portable and brought onto the aircraft <NUM> by, for example, a crew member. When one of the display systems <NUM> is a personal electronic device, the display systems <NUM> may communicate with the aircraft <NUM> via any wired or wireless communication system (not illustrated) such that the personal electronic device can be integrated into the correlative display system <NUM>.

The correlative display system <NUM> further includes at least one processor <NUM> and a memory <NUM>. The processor <NUM> may be, for example, a central processing unit (CPU), a physics processing unit (PPU), a graphics processing unit (GPU), a field programmable gate array (FPGA), an application specific integrated circuit (ASIC), a microcontroller, or any other logic unit or combination thereof. The processor <NUM> may be dedicated to the correlative display system <NUM> or may be shared by one or more other systems aboard the aircraft <NUM>. The memory <NUM> may be any combination of volatile and non-volatile memory. The memory <NUM> may store non-transitory computer-readable instructions for implementing the correlative display system <NUM>, as discussed in further detail below. The memory <NUM> may be dedicated to the correlative display system <NUM> or may be shared by one or more other systems aboard the aircraft <NUM>.

The correlative display system <NUM> further includes a user interface <NUM>. The user interface <NUM> may include one or more of a touch screen, a mouse, a trackpad, a trackball, a scroll wheel, a microphone, or the like, or any combination thereof. Each display system <NUM> may have a unique user interface <NUM> dedicated to the respective display system <NUM> or a user interface <NUM> may be shared across one or more display systems <NUM>. A user, such as the pilot or another crew member, may input commands to the correlative display system <NUM> through the user interface <NUM>, as discussed in further detail below.

The display systems <NUM> may display, for example, a vertical profile of a flight plan, a horizontal profile of a flight plan, a waypoint list, obstacles along the planned flight path on a lateral and vertical map potentially having impact for the planned operations, VFR reference points, airspace elements, temporary flight restriction areas, significant weather events such as severe turbulence, lighting, storms,, or the like displaying a variety of different features. A processor <NUM> of the correlative display system <NUM> determines which feature is selected, hovered over, or otherwise interacted within a first display system <NUM>, determines where the corresponding feature is or would be displayed on other display systems <NUM>, and generates instructions to highlight or otherwise identify the feature on the other display systems <NUM>. The correlation may be based upon, for example, data from the FMS <NUM>.

<FIG> illustrates examples of the correlative display system <NUM>, in accordance with an embodiment. As seen in <FIG>, a cursor from the user interface <NUM> is hovering over a waypoint in a vertical situation display (i.e., one of the display systems <NUM>). The processor <NUM> identifies the feature, in this case a waypoint, and highlights the feature on other display system <NUM>, in this example a lateral situation display. <FIG> illustrates the opposite example where a cursor is hovering over a waypoint on a lateral situation display and the processor <NUM> highlights the corresponding waypoint on the vertical situation display. By automatically correlating and highlighting corresponding features, situational awareness for the pilot is improved, workload is reduced (as the pilot does not have to analyze multiple displays to deduce the corresponding features), and pilot interpretation errors are reduced.

The features which can be correlated include, but are not limited to, waypoints, constraints, airspaces, idents, runways, gates, taxiways, airports, aircraft, weather phenomena, or the like. <FIG> illustrates another correlative display system <NUM>, in accordance with an embodiment. As seen in <FIG>, an ident is hovered over in a vertical situation display. The processor <NUM> identifies the ident and highlights the same ident in all of the other displays where the ident is visible, in this example, a lateral situation display.

The features may be highlighted in any manner. In the examples illustrated in <FIG>, the highlighted feature is shown with a differently colored outline relative to other features on the respective display. However, the features may be highlighted using any combination of font color, background color, font, italicizing, bolding, outline, arrows or other indicators pointing at the feature, such as a geographic area or shape relevant to the events of interests, or the like, or any combination thereof.

The examples illustrated in <FIG> are simple examples of the correlative feature where the exemplary display systems <NUM> are adjacent (i.e., share the same screen), at relatively similar scales (e.g., a lateral situation display and a horizontal situation display may both have a one-hundred nautical mile range), and be displaying data in a similar format (e.g., a map). However, the display systems <NUM> may be not necessarily be adjacent, may have vastly different scales, and may be displaying the data in different formats. For example, a pilot may use a personal electronic device, such as a tablet computer), to display a list of waypoints for a flight plan. When the pilot selects a waypoint from the waypoint list, the processor <NUM> may identify the same waypoint on a lateral situation display having a scale of five-hundred nautical miles, a vertical situation display having a scale of twenty-five nautical miles, and on a synthetic vision display and highlight the waypoint on all of the differently displays, thereby improving the situational awareness across all of the different display systems <NUM>.

The examples illustrated in <FIG> also show examples of the correlative feature where the exemplary display systems <NUM> are both displaying the feature which is highlighted. However, the display systems <NUM> may not always show all of the features on the respective display which may be highlighted. In other words, the feature to be correlated across the display systems <NUM> may not be native to one of the display systems or may be hidden on a respective display system, as discussed in further detail below. For example, a weather phenomenon in a geographic referenced format would not normally displayed on a waypoint list. Similarly, terrain and airspace information is not usually represented by the type of text based display format such as a waypoint list. By correlating a selected feature across multiple display systems <NUM>, the operator of the aircraft receives a much better appreciation of where the feature is relative to the other data presented on the respective display system <NUM>.

According to another aspect of the invention, the correlative display system <NUM>, or a display system <NUM> itself, also performs feature decluttering. On display systems <NUM>, such as lateral and vertical situation displays, alphanumeric text is associated with waypoints, airports and other features. Depending upon the scale of the respective display, the alphanumeric text may overlap for features which are close together, making it difficult for the pilot to read, identify and locate features on the display. The correlative display system <NUM> provides a smart decluttering of feature labels by prioritizing features for display. The processor <NUM> is configured to detect overlapping identifiers (i.e., the text on the respective display system <NUM>) and remove the identifiers having lower priority. The priority of the identifiers is predefined based on the criticality of information. In one embodiment, for example, the 'TO' Waypoint has highest priority, followed by three Next waypoints. The priority keeps reducing for rest of the down-path waypoints except for a Destination waypoint which has priority lower than "TO" waypoint and higher than everything else. If any of the three Next waypoints overlap, the waypoint which has constraints associated to it will have the higher priority over others. However, the priorities can be customized by each pilot to suit their preferences. For example, waypoints with altitude constraints can be selected to have a higher priority than waypoints with speed constraints.

<FIG> illustrate waypoint decluttering at a variety of ranges. <FIG> illustrates a vertical situation display at a sixty nautical mile range, <FIG> illustrates a vertical situation display at a one-hundred nautical mile range and <FIG> illustrates a vertical situation display at a two-hundred fifty nautical mile range. As seen in <FIG>, the range allows all of the identifiers for all of waypoints to be displayed. However, as the range is increased in <FIG>, the text for the identifiers of waypoints would overlap. Accordingly, as discussed above, the processor <NUM> prioritizes the waypoints based upon a predefined priority list and removes the identifiers of lower priority waypoints for any having overlapping text. The decluttering improves the readability of the respective display system <NUM> by removing overlapping lower priority features, thereby improving the readability of high priority features. In other words, the decluttering makes it easier for a user to find an important feature by removing text which would overlap that feature.

<FIG> illustrate waypoint decluttering at a variety of ranges for a lateral situation display. <FIG> illustrates a lateral situation display at a ten nautical mile range, <FIG> illustrates a lateral situation display at a twenty nautical mile range and <FIG> illustrates a lateral situation display at a seventy nautical mile range. As seen in <FIG>, the range allows a lot of the waypoints and other features to be displayed. However, as the range is increased in <FIG> and <FIG>, the text for the waypoints and other features would overlap given the scale. Accordingly, as discussed above, the processor prioritizes the waypoints and removes the identifier for any lower priority waypoints having overlapping text.

In addition to waypoint identifier declutter, waypoint name, speed and altitude constraints may be grouped by the processor <NUM> to provide a clean and more modern user interface. In other words, the correlative display system may correlate data relative to a feature retrieved from the FMS <NUM> to reduce pilot workload and increase the readability of the data related to a feature. For example, for a waypoint having speed constraints, the speed text may be placed above the waypoint name and for the waypoints having altitude constraints, the altitude texts may be placed below the waypoint name. The group of texts may be vertically center justified with the waypoint symbol in lateral map and horizontally center justified for Vertical map. <FIG> illustrates an exemplary constraint display for a lateral situation display and <FIG> illustrates an exemplary constraint display for a vertical situation display.

The declutter logic and grouping of waypoint name and constraint texts applies for both lateral and vertical flight plan display. However, this does not mean that the waypoint identifiers displayed on, for example, a lateral situation display would always be displayed on a vertical situation display as well. As discussed above, a waypoint in one display may be decluttered in another display due to different scales used to render the respective maps. Accordingly, if a user hovers over or otherwise interacts with a feature on one display which has been decluttered in another display, the processor <NUM> of the correlative display system <NUM> may reintroduce the decluttered feature and highlight the feature in the other display as discussed above.

<FIG> illustrates an example of airspace declutter, in accordance with an embodiment. As seen in <FIG>, the system provides a smart declutter of terminal airspace. At higher ranges (i.e., the left side of <FIG>), the display only shows the perimeter airspace. As the range numbers get smaller (i.e., the right side of <FIG>), the system fades in additional airspace boundaries. This will improve readability and usability of map, in particular at higher ranges.

<FIG> illustrates an example of airport declutter in a super major airport display, in accordance with an embodiment. The system may provide a continuous depiction of, for example, thirty-eight airport labels at all ranges. The priority airports may include, but are not limited to, KSAV, KJFK, KLAX, KSFO, KBOS, KDEN, KDFW, KORD, KIAH, KPHX, KSEA, KMIA, CYYZ, ZBAA, ZSPD, EGLL, LFPG, EDDF, VHHH, PANC, UUDD, OMDB, RJTT, EGLL, VHHH, LFPG, WSSS, RKSI, VTBS, VIDP, WIII, WMKK, LEMD, ZUUU, VABB, VOBL, YSSY, SBGL. The continuous presentation of Super Major Airports will provide pilots with an enhanced persistent navigation orientation anchor points at large ranges. Here, the declutter priority is dependent upon the range settings and, at large display ranges, the large airport features with strategic geographic representations are of greater importance. In a similar context, when an aircraft is operating in an oceanic route or other geographic corridor, priority is also given to the airports useful for emergency diversions along the planned path.

<FIG> is a flow chart illustrating a method <NUM> of operating the correlative display system <NUM>, in accordance with an embodiment. The method begins when a user selects, hovers over or otherwise interacts with a feature using a user interface <NUM>, thereby generating instructions to correlate the feature on other displays. (Step <NUM>). The instruction may be generated by a processor <NUM>, such as the processor <NUM> associated with the display system <NUM>. A processor <NUM> may then determine a location of the feature on other display systems <NUM> of the correlative display system. (Step <NUM>). In one embodiment, for example, the processor <NUM> may communicate with the FMS <NUM> to determine the location of the feature on the other display systems. For example, when the selected feature is not native to the respective display system (e.g., a weather phenomenon relative to a list of waypoints), the data from the FMS <NUM> may be used to extrapolate where the feature would be relative to the data displayed on the respective display system <NUM>. In other embodiments, the display system <NUM> may know where the feature is. As discussed above, the display systems <NUM> themselves, or with the assistance of the correlative display system <NUM>, may declutter their respective display system <NUM>. In these instances, the location of certain features (e.g., waypoints, runway, idents, etc.) may already be known, and may merely have to be redisplayed on the respective display systems <NUM> if they have been decluttered.

The processor <NUM> then generated instructions to highlight the feature of the other display systems. (Step <NUM>). The highlighting may be done in a variety of different ways depending upon how data is typically displayed on the respective display system <NUM>. The feature, for example, may be highlighted using any combination of font color, background color, font, italicizing, bolding, outline, arrows or other indicators pointing at the feature, or the like, or any combination thereof.

Accordingly, the correlative display system <NUM> improves situational awareness of the crew by correlating data across multiple display systems, thereby giving the crew a better appreciation of the location of a feature relative to other features. This eliminates the need for pilots to themselves extrapolate the location of features across different display systems, reducing the workload on the crew.

Claim 1:
An aircraft, comprising:
a flight management system (<NUM>) configured to monitor flight plan data for the aircraft, the flight plan data indicative of a planned flight path; and
a correlative display system (<NUM>) communicatively coupled to the flight management system, the correlative display system comprising:
a plurality of displays (<NUM>), each of the plurality of displays displaying data relevant to the planned flight path;
a user interface system (<NUM>) configured to receive user input; and
a processor (<NUM>) communicatively coupled to the plurality of displays and the user interface, the processor configured to:
determine when the user input received by the user interface corresponds to a feature on a first of the plurality of displays;
identify the feature on the first of the plurality of displays;
determine (<NUM>) a location of the identified feature relative to the data displayed on each other of the plurality of displays, wherein the identified feature is not previously displayed on at least one of the other of the plurality of displays; and
generate (<NUM>) instructions for the other of the plurality of displays to highlight the feature at the determined location for each of the other plurality of displays,
characterized in that the correlative display system further comprises a memory (<NUM>) configured to store priority data associated with each feature, wherein the processor is further configured to:
determine when textual information corresponding to multiple features on any of the plurality of displays overlap;
compare the priority data corresponding to the overlapping features; and
generate instructions to declutter the plurality of displays by only displaying the highest priority feature of the overlapping features, wherein when the identified feature is a feature which has been decluttered from the display, the processor is further configured to generate instructions to redisplay the identified feature on a respective one of the plurality of displays.