Smiths Aerospace, Inc.

General Electric Company

Ge Aviation Systems Limited

Randy Lynn Walter

Courtney L Albers

Gerald W Vanbaren

John L Schroeder

Donald G Hodges

A user interface for an integrated autopilot and flight management system for an aircraft includes a plurality of tactical parameter controls for operation of the autopilot and a plurality of strategic parameter controls for operation of the flight management system.

Simplified user interface for an aircraft

A flight management system for use in automatically generating a flight path trajectory for an aircraft. The flight path trajectory includes a plurality of waypoints and a plurality of vectors that extend between each waypoint of the plurality of waypoints. The flight management system includes a processor that is configured to calculate a first flight path trajectory including an origin waypoint and a destination waypoint. A tactical command that indicates a change in flight trajectory is received. A second flight path trajectory based at least in part on the tactical command is calculated. The calculated second flight path trajectory includes a departure waypoint along the first flight path trajectory, an intercept waypoint along the first flight path trajectory, and a departure vector from the departure waypoint to the intercept waypoint.

Flight management system with integrated tactical commands for use with an aircraft and method of operating same

A computing network uses Time Division Multiplexing (TDM) to divide the time on a bus into a plurality of frames, each frame having a plurality of time slots. Each time slot is assigned no more than one of the plurality of devices within a collision domain, the assignments indicating the identity of the device permitted to transmit packets onto the network during the assigned time slot. A bus cadence unit simultaneously sends an epoch packet initiating the frame. The epoch packet contains a time slot assignment table containing the time slot assignments, the device identification, as well as a time slot offset and duration. Each device on the network is configured to measure a frame interval between repeating epoch packets. The measured frame interval is further processed in each receiving node to obtain a calibrated frame interval. The calibrated frame interval is used to accurately synchronize transmissions of data from the various devices onto the network. A time slot protocol governor in each node controls access to the bus to only the assigned time slot or slots using the calibrated frame interval to reduce or eliminate synchronization errors.

Time slot protocol

An airport map display system for an aircraft displays the airport paved surfaces and structures to a pilot or crew member. The system displays runways, taxiways, connectors, ramps, gates, and buildings. Hold and yield points may also be displayed. A compact set of specific data points and associated pavement width values is used to store unique data for each airport.

Airport map system with compact feature data storage

An airport map display system provides situational awareness to a pilot of an airport's runways, taxiways, and other features relative to the pilot's aircraft. Data representative of an airport map is translated and communicated between aircraft systems using a data interchange method that facilitates efficient throughput of information used to represent an airport map. In addition, data representative of taxi routes, modified taxi routes, and current position of the aircraft at the airport are also translated and communicated using a compact data interchange method. Airport map data is scaled so that it is compatible with display systems previously incompatible with displaying some airport maps. Aircraft equipped with raster displays are manipulated to display map symbology by redefining existing vector group labels. For retrofit applications, the airport map display system is activated when a preexisting input (e.g., an &ldquo;ARPT&rdquo; button) is activated when a taxi-related page is active.

Airport map display system and data interchange method

A taxi planning system for aircraft provides an intuitive user interface for entering and selecting taxi plans quickly and easily. The system includes predefined reduced selection menus that prompt the pilot with feasible taxi choices. Predefined standard routes allow the pilot to select a taxi route with a minimum of keystrokes and in a minimum of time. A display screen communicates the selection menus and standard routes to the pilot who makes a selection with as little as one keystroke. A database comprising a linked list structure facilitates a flexible system that is able to represent a wide variety of airport runways, taxiways, gates, ramps, and other airport structures. The selected taxi route is communicated to other aircraft systems such as head-down displays, head-up displays, flight management computers, communication systems, and the like.

Aircraft taxi planning system and method

An airport feature display system for aircraft provides visual guidance cues and awareness to track the specified taxi path on a HUD. The guidance cues include symbology representative of the position of selected airport features such as runway and taxiway edges, taxi routes, and airport signage. Data representative of the airport features is communicated between aircraft systems using a data interchange method that facilitates efficient throughput of the large quantities of data required to represent the airport features.

Growing community of inventors

Ada, MI, United States of America

Randy Lynn Walter