The Boeing Company

Other

Theboeing Company

Geun Il Kim

Roy S Alcantara

Steven J Moskalik

Gang Feng

Timothy Charles Rohr

Monica S Alcabin

Caroline Klein

Jose A Fregnani

Richard A Herald

John W Alaimo, Jr

Christie Marie Maldonado

Theresa J Hirsch

Susan Cheng

Tay Pham

Frank DiGiovanni

Yian Guan

Tim Rohr

Kevin Patrick Corbett

Jose Alexandre Tavares Guerreiro Fregnani

Timothy C Rohr

José A Fregnani

Christie M Maldonado

A method performed by an air vehicle having navigational equipment includes receiving an actual navigation performance (ANP) value from a neighboring air vehicle. The method also includes displaying a representation of the air vehicle and a representation of the neighboring air vehicle on a display. The method also includes determining a combined ANP (CANP) value based on the ANP value from the neighboring air vehicle and an ANP value of the air vehicle. The method also includes comparing a position of the air vehicle to the CANP value. The method also includes responsive to the position of the air vehicle being within a distance margin away from the neighboring air vehicle based on the CANP value, performing an action to increase a distance the air vehicle is from the neighboring vehicle.

Navigation performance in urban air vehicles

An improved system for updating a flight management system of an aircraft is described. A flight management system is configured to execute an operation. The flight management system can comprise a storage device storing thereon a database. The database is configured to store data usable by the flight management system to execute the operation and receive updates to the database that pertain to the operation executed by the flight management system. The updated database enables updating of the operation without updating the operational software of the flight management system.

Flight management system updates

A method and system for facilitating context based information is disclosed. A collection of user information generated from an application in a computing device of a user is received. The collection of user information includes information generated by a plurality of sensing modules associated with the application. A context based information from the collection of user information is determined. The context based information is generated based at least on a learning profile of the user. The context based information in an augmented reality view through a User Interface (UI) of the computing device in the application is provisioned.

Method and system for facilitating context based information

A flight management system which is capable of monitoring changes in airplane characteristics. The flight management system is configured with a datalink management function that enables the uploading of updated performance table data from a ground station via a datalink. Upon receipt of updated aerodynamic and propulsion performance data via the datalink, the flight management system creates or updates a set of airplane performance tables or curves in a database which can be utilized to compute more accurate flight profile and trip prediction parameters, such as estimated time of arrival and predicted fuel consumption quantity.

Flight management system having performance table datalink capability

An example method for in-flight determination of a gross weight of an aircraft includes causing an aircraft to perform a first flight operation defined by a first airspeed that is substantially constant and a descent rate that is substantially constant, determining the first airspeed and a first thrust that caused the aircraft to perform the first flight operation, the first thrust being substantially constant during the first flight operation, causing the aircraft to perform a second flight operation defined by a second airspeed that is substantially constant and a descent rate that is substantially constant, determining the second airspeed and a second thrust that caused the aircraft to perform the second flight operation, the second thrust being substantially constant during the second flight operation, and using the first thrust, the second thrust, the first airspeed, and the second airspeed to determine the gross weight of the aircraft.

Devices and methods for determining aircraft weight

A flight management system which has access to customized information concerning the actual characteristics of a specific airplane or a specific fleet of airplanes of the same model when computing a predicted flight profile and associated trip prediction parameters. This up-to-date airplane-specific or fleet-specific information is digital data configured as a separately loadable database called a 'customized performance database'. This customized performance database contains a smaller set of performance data&#x2014;such as fuel flow correction, drag coefficient correction, and re-optimized speed/altitude tables&#x2014;than is contained in the baseline performance database. The flight management system will continue to use a baseline performance database as a 'limit' on the numbers computed using the customized performance database. The customized performance database can include tables or curves that are customizable by airlines.

Flight management system having customized performance database

A method of indicating whether a GPS signal received by a vehicle is accurate includes obtaining the GPS signal and calculating position information of the vehicle based on the GPS signal. The method further includes obtaining position information of another vehicle via a broadcast. The method further includes calculating a first distance information to the other vehicle based on the position information of the other vehicle and the position information of the vehicle. The method further includes obtaining a second distance information to the other vehicle via a collision avoidance system on the vehicle. The method further includes comparing the first distance information to the second distance information, and generating an indicator that the vehicle and the other vehicle may have received an inaccurate GPS signal when a result of the comparison is higher than a threshold.

Systems and methods to detect GPS spoofing

A method of optimizing a cruise climb of an aircraft. The method includes using vertical navigation and lateral navigation to track the cruise climb; and using tracking of the cruise climb to adjust a climb rate of the aircraft to match an optimal climb rate.

Optimum cruise climb tracking for reduced fuel consumption using vertical and lateral navigation

Systems and methods for enhancing takeoff performance by displaying symbology representing an initial pitch angle target that optimizes the amount of payload that can be carried by an airplane. This is accomplished by determining an optimum initial pitch angle at rotation during takeoff which is associated with an optimum ratio of the takeoff safety speed to the stall speed that satisfies a specific set of climb/obstacle constraints. Targeting this optimum initial pitch angle allows the maximum takeoff gross weight that corresponds to the optimum takeoff safety speed/stall speed ratio to be selected.

Optimizing climb performance during takeoff using variable initial pitch angle target

A method includes receiving, at a flight management system of an aircraft, a required time of arrival (RTA) of the aircraft at a first location. The method includes receiving, at the flight management system, an input indicating an RTA index value. The method further includes modifying a speed of the aircraft based on the RTA and the RTA index value. The speed is determined by the flight management system as part of a flight plan of the aircraft.

Aircraft flight control using a required time of arrival index

A system using automatic dependent surveillance-broadcast (ADS-B) data and traffic alert and collision avoidance system (TCAS) data for determining navigation solutions for a vehicle is provided. The system has a communal position system (CPS) with a CPS sensor located in the vehicle. The CPS sensor receives ADS-B data and TCAS data from each of one or more proximate vehicles. The system further has a computer system coupled to the CPS. The computer system is configured to perform the steps of: checking the ADS-B data and the TCAS data for data reasonableness; performing data synchronization of the ADS-B data and the TCAS data; and computing a CPS position and a position accuracy based on the ADS-B data and the TCAS data. The navigation solutions include an alternate navigation solution, an independent navigation solution, and a complementary navigation solution.

System, apparatus, and method using ADS-B and TCAS data for determining navigation solutions for a vehicle

A flight management system which is capable of monitoring changes in airplane characteristics such as fuel flow and drag. When a predetermined event is triggered, the flight management system (FMS) creates or updates a set of 'dynamic' tables in a database which enable FMS performance algorithms to utilize the latest fuel flow and drag data. Using the updated aerodynamic and propulsion performance data in the dynamic tables, the flight management system is able to compute more accurate flight profile and trip prediction parameters such as estimated time of arrival and predicted fuel consumption quantity.

Systems and methods for providing airplane performance calculations

Systems and methods providing improved flight guidance are described. In some implementations, performance data from a plurality of completed flight segments of an aircraft are recorded and used to generate and/or update a regression model between one or more input parameters and one or more output parameters. Flight profile data for a current flight segment of the aircraft is estimated using the regression model and compared to flight profile data predicted based on pre-programmed performance data. The estimated and predicted flight profile data are compared to determine if a difference between the two exceeds a predetermined amount and flight guidance for a current flight segment is generated based on the estimated flight profile data if the difference exceeds the predetermined amount.

Systems and methods for providing improved flight guidance

A flight management system is modified so that it can deal with an unpredicted current event happening to an airplane based on non-standard maneuvers that have been carried out previously by other airplanes in similar circumstances. This allows the flight management system to adaptively or dynamically respond to a variety of flight path changes rather than rely solely on a set of fixed responses to predictable events during a flight. Specifically, the flight management system is configured to provide procedural recommendations to a flight crew in real time based on collaboratively filtered historical data such that the flight crew can make smarter choices while operating airplanes.

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Bellevue, WA, United States of America

Geun Il Kim