Rockwell Collins, Inc.

Rcokwell Collins, Inc.

Sarah Barber

Felix B Turcios

Patrick Dennis McCusker

Kirschen A Seah

Douglas A Bell

Carlo L Tiana

Travis S VanDerKamp

Kenneth A Zimmerman

Bryan C Schultz

Bradley R Thompson

Matthew J Carrico

Brent James Nelson

Jason C Wenger

Michael J Schmitt

Michael James Krenz

James H Doty

Eric N Anderson

Richard D Jinkins

Sethu R Rathinam

Randy H Jacobson

Alex Postnikov

Christopher A Scherer

Alan E Siniff

Victor E Villagomez

Andrew M Pelzer

George W Palmer

Steve L Oehlert

Daniel L Woodell

Weston James Lahr

David L Leedom

David A Gribble

Peggy Wu

Timothy J Etherington

Timothy R Fannin

Christopher L George

Keith A Stover

Michael P Matessa

Timothy J Wittkop

Charles Bradford Dirks

Pamela K Hahn

Wade T Johnson

Roger D Burns

Arjun Harsha Rao

Roger L Yum

Gary L Owen

Philippe Salmon

Steve Paramore

Hung-i B Tsai

Stephen R Johnson

Patrick J Cosgrove

James E Sisson

Bernard S McCaffrey

Norm W Arons

Maureen A Lehman

Lyndon L Dunbar

Tiffany D Williamson

John C Frank

Deborah L Hardin

Hannah C Lehman

David W Jennings

Alexandre Lemort

Michael J Beccario

Alena L Benson

Craig D Pettit

Ian G Kiefer

Ernest A Snider

Fabrice Guillermin

Justin T Zellmer

Bryon S Kanne

Christel P Gray

Laetitia Bornes

Travis S VanderKamp

Christopher Truong

Terry L Olson

Daniel S Skultety

Christoper A Scherer

Simon A Grosvenor

Christopher H Glass

Arnold Oldach

Anthony Deniau

Terri L Engels

A method for heads-up control and interactive display of traffic targets via a heads-up display (HUD) includes: receiving position data from proximate aircraft (e.g., within a threshold range); arranging the aircraft into an ordered sequence based on proximity or other criteria; overlaying interactive symbology onto the HUD synthetic display corresponding to the proximate aircraft (including any aircraft within range but outside the HUD field of view, e.g., behind the aircraft or pilot); accepting control input from a user via a heads-up controller (e.g., manual control or voice command) and focusing a cursor on each proximate aircraft in sequence based on the control input; selecting, via the heads-up controller, focused aircraft via the heads-up controller; and designating, via the heads-up controller, selected aircraft for CDTI Assisted Visual Separation (CAVS) or other traffic applications.

Method for interactive heads-up display and control of traffic targets

A status information management system correlates checklist data from all stored checklists to create a holistic, function level representation of aircraft health. Components are associated with defined function level categories. When a component fault is detected, the contextual information management system identifies each function level category that includes that component, and flags that function level category as having a fault. Such flags may be represented on a display where each function level category is displayed. A flight crew member selecting the function level category may see all systems impacted by the component fault. When selecting a function level category, the information management system may render a graphical depiction of the aircraft and the systems included in the function level category. The component fault may be depicted along with an impact criticality to the rendered systems.

System contextual information manager

A system may include a vehicle. The vehicle may include an array of haptic devices. The system may further include at least one processor configured to: determine a location of an object or occurrence relative to the user; based at least on the location of the object or occurrence relative to the user, select at least one haptic device of the array of haptic devices to be driven and function as a directional haptic alert to the user, wherein the directional haptic alert is indicative of a direction from the user toward the object or occurrence; and output at least one command to cause a driving of the selected at least one haptic device, wherein the driving of the selected at least one haptic device is perceivable by the user as the directional haptic alert.

Vehicular directional alerting system and method using haptic alerts and optional multi-modal alerts

An electronic checklist system is disclosed. The system configured to acquire an electronic checklist (ECL), the ECL including a plurality of tasks, each task including a command sequence including one or more command items. The system configured to display the plurality of tasks via a display and receive an initiation input via a user interface. The system configured to transmit one or more communications configured to initiate a performance of one or more automatable actions corresponding to the tasks, the one or more automatable actions configured to at least one of change or measure one or more system states. The system configured to receive system state data. The system configured to display, based on the system state data, one or more completion status graphics indicative of a completion of at least a portion of the plurality of tasks.

Electronic checklist command sequencer

A system, a device, and a method. The system may include a display configured to present images to a pilot and a processor communicatively coupled to the display. The processor may be configured to generate a speed performance monitor graphical user interface (GUI), the speed performance monitor GUI depicting flight deck interval management (FIM) information. The processor may be further configured to output graphical data associated with the speed performance monitor GUI to the display for presentation to the pilot.

Flight interval management graphical speed performance monitor

A voice-activated system for interactive heads-up display (HUD) and control of traffic targets is disclosed. In embodiments, the HUD receives and decodes traffic information from onboard surveillance systems to identify proximate aircraft within a threshold range and the positions of each aircraft. The HUD arranges proximate aircraft into an ordered sequence based on distance from ownship or other priority criteria. When the HUD is active, interactive symbols are displayed at the positions of the proximate aircraft. A heads-up controller includes a microphone and switch operable by the pilot to signal incoming spoken instructions. The pilot can use voice commands to activate or deactivate the traffic overlay system or set parameters. Voice commands allow the pilot to highlight, select, and designate traffic targets for visual separation or other traffic applications based on the locations of traffic targets or by verbally identifying specific traffic targets.

Heads-up user interface and voice activated controls for display of traffic targets

A system and method for actuating a critical aircraft system via a virtual guarded switch includes a touchscreen-based Virtual Guarded Switch (VGS) used to replace physical guarded switches. Aircraft systems display the VGS on traditional touch screen displays either via pilot selection or automatically as a result of an abnormal condition. The VGS maintains protection against inadvertent touchscreen activation while remaining familiar, quick, and easy to understand and use.

Virtual guarded switch

A system for interactive heads-up display (HUD) and control of traffic targets is disclosed. In embodiments, the HUD receives and decodes traffic information from onboard surveillance systems to identify proximate aircraft within a threshold range and the relative positions of each aircraft. The HUD arranges the proximate aircraft into an ordered sequence based on distance from ownship or other priority criteria. When the HUD is active, interactive symbols are displayed at the relative positions of the proximate aircraft (e.g., or at the edges of the display for air traffic within range but outside the HUD field of view). A heads-up controller is operable by the pilot and allows the pilot to highlight each interactive symbol in sequence with a displayable cursor, selecting and designating the associated proximate aircraft for spacing or traffic applications without taking pilot focus off the HUD.

Heads-up user interface and controls for interactive heads-up display of traffic targets

A system for flight and task management timeline display is disclosed. In embodiments, the timeline display is positioned on an edge of a primary flight display (PFD) or other avionics display, divided lengthwise into time (e.g., absolute time) and space (e.g., relative time and distance) scales. The timeline display expands situational awareness into the temporal dimension by positioning waypoints in the flight path based on the relative time to passage or flyover. The time scale corresponds to an adjustable time range and automatically scrolls lengthwise according to the current time, but can be manually zoomed or scrolled in past and future directions as well. Based on updates from the flight management system (FMS), the space scale displays relative time-distanced events, notifications for reminders and tasks, and waypoints positioned according to the likely times they will be encountered (or, in the case of reminders and tasks, must be fulfilled).

Flight and task management timeline display with absolute and relative time scaling

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 non-avionics computing device, a data network switch, and avionics computing devices. The non-avionics computing device may be configured to execute a situation awareness program. Each of the avionics computing devices may be communicatively coupled to the data network switch. The avionics computing devices may include a first avionics computing device communicatively coupled to the non-avionics computing device. The first avionics computing device may be configured to: receive avionics data from other of the avionics computing devices; filter the avionics data from the other of the avionics computing devices based on a predetermined relevance to the situation awareness program; and output the filtered avionics data to the non-avionics computing device.

Aviation situation awareness and decision information system

A method for oversteering an aircraft to perform an optimal turn along a taxiway includes determining a learning environment based on at least one of a taxiway width, a taxiway centerline, and a taxiway radius of curvature, selecting an action for an agent in the environment, determining a reward for the determined environment and the selected action, repeating the steps of selecting the action and determining the reward to determine a model supporting an optimal turn, and using the determined model to at least one of determine control signals for an aircraft and providing guidance to a user to perform the optimal turn along the taxiway. The agent is an aircraft having a minimum turn radius. The action includes a nose wheel displacement and a nose wheel angle. The reward is determined based on a distance between a path of one or more landing gear wheels and a path of the taxiway.

Autonomous judgmental oversteering determination system for aircraft taxiing

A system may include a display and a processor. The processor may be configured to: receive aircraft traffic data and ownship data; generate and update a linear map based on the aircraft traffic data and the ownship data; and output the linear map as graphical data to the display. The display may be configured to display the linear map to a user. The linear map may depict a one-dimensional relationship between an ownship and designated traffic. The linear map may convey a range between the ownship and the designated traffic and may convey a closure rate between the ownship and the designated traffic. The linear map may include: a graphical threshold indicator; a graphical ownship indicator; a graphical scale; and a graphical designated traffic indicator.

Aircraft system and method to provide linear map of traffic

Present novel and non-trivial system, device, and method for streamlining a user's interface with an aircraft display unit. The system is comprised of a tactile interface device, a voice recognition device, a display unit, and a bimodal interface processor ('BIP'). Both the tactile interface device and the voice recognition device are configured to provide tactile and voice input data to the BIP, and the display unit is configured with at least one page comprised of user-selectable widget(s) and user-enterable widget(s). The BIP is configured to receive the tactile input data corresponding to selections of each user-selectable widget and each user-enterable widget unless the latter has been inhibited by an activation of the user-enterable widget. The BIP is further configured to receive voice input data corresponding to each user-enterable widget unless the user-enterable widget has not been activated. The activation of each user-enterable widget is controlled through tactile input data.

Bimodal user interface system, device, and method for streamlining a user's interface with an aircraft display unit

Growing community of inventors

Cedar Rapids, IA, United States of America

Sarah Barber