Rockwell Collins, Inc.

Patrick Dennis McCusker

Sarah Barber

Richard D Jinkins

Richard Marcel Rademaker

Daniel L Woodell

Joel Michael Wichgers

Douglas A Bell

Eric N Anderson

Travis S VanDerKamp

Felix B Turcios

Brent James Nelson

Michael J Schmitt

Sethu R Rathinam

Alan E Siniff

Jason Davis

John M Connelly

Patrick J Cosgrove

Talha S Ansari

Carlo L Tiana

Michael James Krenz

Matthew J Carrico

Kirschen A Seah

Daniel Y Chiew

Bryan C Schultz

Timothy J Etherington

Richard E Heinrich

Marcin Kolesinski

Randy H Jacobson

Keith A Stover

Charles Bradford Dirks

Mark W Johnson

William George Doyen

Eric Itcia

Simon Critchley

Frederick M Rudolph

Fred W Powell, Jr

Christopher H Glass

Arnold Oldach

Harold Thomas Hauer

Matt Myers

Michael A Peterson

Bertrand Chaigneau

A system may include a display and a processor communicatively coupled to the display. The processor may be configured to: output, to the display, a synthetic vision system (SVS) taxi mode exocentric view of an aircraft while the aircraft is performing taxi operations, while the aircraft is on ground, and when the aircraft is not in a predetermined exclusion zone, the predetermined exclusion zone including portions of a runway where the aircraft is able to begin taking off; and output, to the at least one display, an SVS flight mode egocentric view from the aircraft when the aircraft is in the predetermined exclusion zone. The display may be configured to display the SVS taxi mode exocentric view until the aircraft is in the predetermined exclusion zone and display the SVS flight mode egocentric view when the aircraft is in the predetermined exclusion zone.

System and method to change SVS mode

Systems and methods for providing decision support guidance are provided. A method includes receiving airport information that includes a location of each airport of a plurality of airports. The method further includes determining a flight range of an ownship based on a location of the ownship and an amount of fuel remaining in the ownship, and determining if any airport of the plurality of airports is within the flight range of the ownship. The method further includes, for each airport within the flight range: determining an amount of time the ownship can maintain a current flight course before the airport is no longer within the flight range; and providing display data. The display data indicates the amount of time the ownship can maintain the current flight course before the airport is no longer within the flight range.

System and method for optimizing hold and divert operations

A system may include a display and a processor communicatively coupled to the display. The processor may be configured to: output, to the display, a synthetic vision system (SVS) taxi mode exocentric view of an aircraft when the aircraft is performing taxi operations and when the aircraft is on ground; receive a user input to switch the output of the SVS taxi mode exocentric view to an SVS flight mode egocentric view from the aircraft; and switch the output of the SVS taxi mode exocentric view to output, to the display, the SVS flight mode egocentric view when the aircraft is performing taxi operations and when the aircraft is on ground based at least on the user input to switch from the SVS taxi mode exocentric view to the SVS flight mode egocentric view.

System and method to momentarily switch SVS mode

An airborne platform includes an avionics controller circuit. The avionics controller circuit is configured to receive an ownship orientation from a sensor configured to detect the ownship orientation. The avionics controller circuit is configured to determine an orientation parameter based on the ownship orientation. The avionics controller circuit is configured to compare the orientation parameter to an orientation threshold. The avionics controller circuit is configured to determine the ownship to be in a wake vortex condition based on at least one wake vortex criteria, the at least one wake vortex criteria including the orientation parameter being greater than the orientation threshold for more than a predetermined period of time.

System and method for recovery from wake vortex encounters

An aircraft-based stall prediction and recovery system may be embodied in a flight control system connected to aural/visual annunciators and flight controls (e.g., throttles and control surfaces). Based on received environmental data, the stall prediction and recovery system may detect imminent upset conditions (e.g., underspeed or overspeed) based on minimum and maximum operating speeds for the current airframe, altitude, and atmospheric conditions. The stall prediction and recovery system may notify the crew of the imminent upset and advise corrective measures. If a stall warning is received, the stall prediction and recovery system may engage an auto-recovery mode, notifying the crew of the engagement and restoring the aircraft to a safe target airspeed via automated recovery procedures, e.g., correcting the aircraft angle of attack and/or attitude. Upon resolution of the stall, the stall prediction and recovery system may disengage the auto-recovery mode, notifying the crew via the annunciators.

System and method for prevention and recovery from high altitude stalls

Systems and methods for symbolically representing text-based obstacle data on an electronic map are disclosed. In embodiments, a system includes a receiver in communication with a remote server. The receiver is configured to receive one or more textual communications from the remote server. The system further includes an aircraft display system with a display and a controller. The controller is in communication with the display, the receiver, and a memory. The controller is configured to generate an electronic map at the display based on map data retrieved from the memory, wherein the map data includes geographic information and predetermined obstacle information. The controller is further configured to receive the one or more textual communications from the receiver and update the electronic map to include one or more symbolic representations based on obstacle data derived from the one or more textual communications.

System for symbolically representing text-based obstacle data on an electronic map

Systems and methods for navigating an aircraft display with a mobile device are disclosed. In embodiments, a system includes an aircraft display and a controller in communication with the aircraft display and a mobile device. The controller is configured to generate a graphical user interface at the aircraft display and mirror the graphical user interface at the mobile device. The controller is further configured to receive a user input via the mobile device and configured to update the graphical user interface at the aircraft display and the mobile device based upon the user input.

System for navigating an aircraft display with a mobile device

A system may include a display, an avionics server, and an automatic dependent surveillance-broadcast (ADS-B) receiver implemented in an aircraft. The avionics server may include a processor configured to host applications. The ADS-B receiver may be configured to receive ADS-B In data associated with traffic information from other aircraft in a vicinity of the aircraft. Execution of the applications may be configured to cause the processor to: generate geo-referenced aeronautical chart graphics data; output the geo-referenced aeronautical chart graphics data to the display; receive the ADS-B In data from the ADS-B receiver; generate geo-referenced traffic graphics data based on the received ADS-B In data; and output the geo-referenced traffic graphics data to the display. The display may be configured to receive the geo-referenced aeronautical chart graphics data and the geo-referenced traffic graphics data and display an image of a selected aeronautical chart overlaid with the traffic information.

Display of traffic overlaid on aeronautical chart

System and methods for incorporating virtual network computing ('VNC') into a cockpit display system ('CDS') are disclosed. A system and method for incorporating VNC into the CDS is comprised of a non-aircraft remote system and a CDS, where the non-aircraft remote system is comprised of a VNC client and a remote display unit, and the CDS comprised of, in part, a VNC server and a PM configured with a method employing an aviation-industry standard protocol (e.g., ARINC 661) and a VNC protocol. A Second method for incorporating VNC into the CDS is comprised of a non-aircraft remote system and a CDS, where the non-aircraft remote system is comprised of a VNC server and a remote display unit, and the CDS comprised of, in part, a VNC client and a processing module (&#x201c;PM&#x201d;) configured with a method employing an aviation-industry standard protocol and a VNC protocol.

ARINC 661 display system and methods incorporating non-ARINC 661 protocols

A system, device, and method for generating and presenting navigation chart information are disclosed. The navigation chart information presenting system may include a display system comprised of one or more display units receiving image data set representative of an image of navigation chart information from an image generator (IG). The IG may be configured to acquire navigation chart data and generate the image data set as a function of the navigation chart data. The navigation chart data could be representative of a plurality of sections shown in a first visual format of a navigation chart, where each section of the plurality of sections is comprised of a plurality of feature names and feature information associated with one of the plurality of feature names. The image data set could be representative of a plurality of page images comprised of at least a portion of the navigation chart information.

Navigation chart information generating and presenting system, device, and method

A system and method may monitor the biometric data of an operator in real time or near real time. Low cost electronic devices may monitor operator vital signs and biometric data allowing the system to determine stress levels, hydration levels, possible illness, body or blood chemical levels, incapacitation risks, and other biometric parameters of the operator, and proactively notify the operator, others aboard the vehicle, the vehicle control systems, or ground control to take responsive action. Industrial electronics may enable the system to monitor ambient workspace temperature, pressure, oxygen levels, and other environmental parameters, offering the system an additional second source of information to detect and address factors affecting the capacity of the operator. The system may further compare biometric and ambient parameters to archived operator, ambient, location, route, or vehicle performance data to determine and respond to long-term data patterns.

Crew biometrics and aircraft data analysis with real-time and proactive actions

A system and method may monitor an operator of a vehicle for signs of incapacity. Low cost electronic devices may monitor operator vital signs allowing the system to determine when the operator is active and normally operating the vehicle, operating the vehicle under a high workload, and/or has become inactive (potentially incapacitated). Industrial electronics may enable to system to monitor ambient workspace temperature, pressure, and oxygen levels and may offer the system an additional second source of information to detect ambient factors affecting the capacity of the operator. Should operator capacity be in question, the system may warn the operator and take an appropriate safety based action including application of a control and eventually assuming control of the vehicle.

Operator capacity monitor and engagement of emergency action system and method

Present novel and non-trivial system, device, and method for recording a modification of an existing route plan are disclosed. The disclosed system may be comprised of a flight management system ('FMS'), at least one human-machine interface ('HMI') device, at least one display unit, and a route modification generator (&#x201c;RMG&#x201d;). The disclosed device may be comprised of the RMG configured to perform the disclosed method, where such method may be comprised of receiving a request to modify an existing route plan; retrieving the route plan from the FMS; generating a message data set representative of one or more pre-formatted messages having one or more visually-conspicuous, user-interactive variable fields; updating the message data set in response to a user's selection of each field; sending the updated data set to the display unit; receiving a pilot's authorization to modify the route plan, and sending the accepted, modified flight plan to the FMS.

Aircraft recording system, device, and method responsive to a new command not stated in a flight plan

A system, device, and method for determining the integrity of sensor-based image(s) are disclosed. The integrity determination system may include one or more sources of passive sensor-based image data, one or more sources of an active sensor-based image data, and an image processing unit ('IPU'). The IPU may receive passive sensor-based image data; receive active sensor-based image data; and (1) determine the integrity of at least the passive sensor-based image data by comparison of the passive sensor-based image data with the active sensor-based image data, and/or (2) combine the passive sensor-based image data with the active sensor-based image data to produce third image data from which a pilot may manually determine the integrity of the first image data.

Sensor-based image(s) integrity determination system, device, and method

An airborne system for detecting and avoiding atmospheric particulates, which include a sensor coupled with an aircraft and configured to capture electromagnetic signals from a flight path of the aircraft, including infrared wavelengths, an output device configured to provide visual and an aural messages to a flight crew, and a processor coupled with sensor, the output device, and a non-transitory processor-readable medium storing processor-executable instructions for causing the processor to: receive a signal from the sensor via an input port; calculate a temperature difference between a first and second infrared wavelengths; determine a presence of atmospheric particulates in the flight path based on the temperature difference; generate an aural message and/or a visual message indicative of the presence of atmospheric particulates; and provide the message to a flight crew. The processor may calculate an alternate flight path and provide the alternate flight path to the flight crew.

Growing community of inventors

Walker, IA, United States of America

Patrick Dennis McCusker