Automatic integrated real-time flight crew information system

An airborne information dissemination system for subject aircraft within the range of a number of air traffic control facilities (ATCs) each providing a generalized broadcast of dynamic conditions data relative to the respective ATC, such data including updated position data corresponding to the position of every one of a plurality of aircraft relative to the respective ATC, said airborne information dissemination system comprising:

• receiver means in the subject aircraft for substantially concurrently receiving first dynamic conditions data from a first ATC and second dynamic conditions data from a second ATC, said first and second dynamic conditions data including position data relative to the corresponding ATC;
• means for storing each of said first and second dynamic conditions data therefrom updated at subsequent receptions of the dynamic conditions data;
• a display screen in the subject aircraft;
• means for generating a graphic display on said display screen from the stored dynamic conditions data, including representations of the current positions of the plurality of aircraft derived from the position data;
• means for selectably switching said graphic display on said display screen between a display of representations of the stored first dynamic conditions data and the stored second dynamic conditions data, irrespective of from which of said first ATC or second ATC said receiver means is receiving data.

An airborne information dissemination system for a subject aircraft within range of an air traffic control facility (ATC) providing a generalized broadcast of dynamic conditions data in computer readable format, such data including updated position data corresponding to the position of every one of a plurality of aircraft and meteorlogical data corresponding to meteorological conditions, the information dissemination system comprising:

• a receiver in the subject aircraft to receive the dynamic conditions data including the position data and the meteorological data;
• a display screen in the subject aircraft;
• an on-board computer having software means for integrating said position data with said meteorological data to generate integrated data;
• and
• means for operating on said integrated data to generate a graphic display on said display screen from the dynamic conditions data updated at subsequent receptions of the dynamic conditions data, including representations of the current positions of the plurality of aircraft derived from the position data integrated with representations of the meteorological conditions derived from the meteorological data.

An airborne air traffic monitoring system for a subject aircraft within range of an air traffic control facility (ATC) providing a generalized broadcast of updated position data corresponding to the position of every one of a plurality of aircraft, said system comprising:

• receiver means in the subject aircraft for receiving the position data at predetermined periodic time intervals;
• a display screen in the subject aircraft;
• means for generating a graphic display on said display screen of a representation of the current positions of the plurality of aircraft derived from the position data updated at subsequent receptions of the position data;
• and
• conflict warning means, including a computer, for providing a warning of a potential collision between the subject aircraft and a target aircraft of the plurality of aircraft, said conflict warning means including;
• means for storing the position data for the plurality of aircraft for a most recent number of said time intervals;
• first program means for using said stored position data to predict a point of closest approach of the target aircraft to the subject aircraft and to calculate a path of potential collision between the subject aircraft and the target aircraft;
• and
• second program means for displaying a representation of said target aircraft relative to the subject aircraft at said predicted point of closest approach and a representation of any recently calculated potential collision paths onto said display screen along with the display of the current position of the subject aircraft.

An airborne air traffic monitoring system for a subject aircraft within range of an air traffic control facility (ATC) providing a generalized broadcast of updated position data corresponding to the position of every one of a plurality of aircraft, said system comprising:

• receiver means in the subject aircraft for receiving the position data at predetermined periodic time intervals;
• a display screen in the subject aircraft;
• a computer including conflict warning means for using the position data to detect a potential collision between the subject aircraft and a target aircraft of the plurality of aircraft and for providing a warning therefor;
• and
• means for generating a first graphic display on said display screen when no potential collision is detected of a representation of the current positions of each of the plurality of aircraft derived from the position data, and for automatically substituting a second graphic display when a potential collision is detected of a representation of the positions of the target aircraft and the subject aircraft only, wherein the representation of the position of the target aircraft includes a track representing the consecutive positions of the target aircraft relative to the subject aircraft over a most recent number of said time intervals.