Airport taxiway navigation system
AssigneeThe Boeing Company
InventorsReagan Doose, Richard W. Ellerbrock, Glade L. Hulet, John M. Jauglias, Matthew T. Majka
Life of this patent
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Abstract
A method and system for providing taxiway navigational information to a crewmember of an airplane taxiing at an airport. An airport taxiway navigation system (“ATNS”) that executes on an onboard computer system that displays a map of the taxiways of an airport, receives the name of each taxiway of the taxi route specified by the taxi clearance, and highlights the taxiways on a displayed map to provide a visual indication of the cleared taxi route for the crewmembers.
Claims49
A method in an onboard computer for providing information for use in taxiing an aircraft at an airport, the method comprising:
- displaying, on a display, a map of the airport and a current position of the aircraft based on a current position information, the map showing taxiways of the airport;
- receiving, in an airport taxiway navigation system, position and direction information;
- estimating, using the airport taxiway navigation system, the current position information for the aircraft as the aircraft taxis at the airport;
- receiving, in the onboard computer, a taxi route specifying taxiways that the aircraft is to use to taxi at the airport, as specified by a taxi clearance received from at least one of:
- a ground control computer system, and a crewmember data entry device, wherein the taxi route comprises a sequential selection of each taxiway in the taxi route;
- highlighting on the map, using the onboard computer, a taxiway of the taxi route;
- determining, using the airport taxiway navigation system, if the aircraft is on the cleared taxi route;
- determining, using the airport taxiway navigation system, a track for the aircraft as it taxis;
- and
- generating a signal in the aircraft when the onboard computer determines that the aircraft has deviated from the taxi route.
A method for alerting when an aircraft at an airport deviates from at least one of:
- a horizontal limit on a current taxiway, and a cleared taxi route, the method comprising:
- displaying, on a display, a map of the airport, the map showing taxiways of the airport;
- receiving, in an airport taxiway navigation system, the cleared taxi route comprising taxiways that the aircraft is to use to taxi at the airport, as specified by a taxi clearance;
- highlighting on the map, using the airport taxiway navigation system, a taxiway of the cleared taxi route;
- receiving, in the airport taxiway navigation system, position information for the aircraft as it taxis at the airport;
- identifying the current taxiway as being the taxiway that the aircraft is currently on;
- determining, using the airport taxiway navigation system, if the aircraft is on the cleared taxi route;
- determining, using the airport taxiway navigation system, a track for the aircraft as it taxis;
- determining the horizontal limit on the current taxiway, based at least on:
- the current taxiway, and the track, the horizontal limit on the current taxiway indicating when the aircraft is near an edge of the current taxiway;
- and
- alerting, when the aircraft deviates from at least one of:
- the horizontal limit on the current taxiway, and the cleared taxi route.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.