| Patent application number | Description | Published |
|---|
| 20090319105 | METHOD AND APPARATUS FOR IMPROVING PILOT SITUATIONAL AWARENESS DURING FLARE TO TOUCHDOWN - A system and method for selectively alerting a pilot of an aircraft about distance remaining to the end of a runway. A position of the aircraft is received. A position of a runway is retrieved from a runway database. The retrieved position of the runway is compared to the received position of the aircraft to determine if the aircraft is within an alert envelope relative to the retrieved position of the runway. The position of the runway is subtracted from the position of the aircraft to determine a distance to the distal end of the runway. An alert to the pilot is generated based upon the distance to the distal end of the runway. | 12-24-2009 |
| 20100010694 | SYSTEM FOR MONITORING RNP FOR SAFE TERRAIN CLEARANCE - Systems and methods for monitoring Required Navigational Performance (RNP) Procedures and reducing nuisance Enhanced Ground Proximity Warning System warnings including a processor, a memory with RNP instructions and data, and a communication device. The processor accesses the RNP data and instructions from the memory, and uses the communication device to obtain flight information from a Flight Management System of an aircraft. When the processor determines that the aircraft is in RNP space, the processor projects an RNP envelope and modifies a warning envelope of an EGPWS to coincide with the RNP envelope if the EGPWS warning envelope extends farther than the RNP envelope. | 01-14-2010 |
| 20100030408 | INTEGRATED INCORRECT TAKE-OFF-SETTING ALERTING SYSTEM - A system implementable in an aircraft for generating a warning includes a processor, a first component configured to receive from a user a desired aircraft control-surface takeoff configuration, a second component configured to provide to the processor a first signal indicative of a current control-surface configuration of the aircraft, and a third component configured to provide to the processor a second signal indicative of the position of the aircraft. The processor may be configured to compare the aircraft position to the contents of a database, determine, based on the comparison, whether the aircraft is on a departure runway from which the aircraft is to depart, and generate an alarm if the aircraft is on the departure runway and the current control-surface configuration is different from the desired control-surface takeoff configuration. | 02-04-2010 |
| 20100036550 | SYSTEMS AND METHODS FOR IMPROVING PILOT SITUATIONAL AWARENESS DURING LANDING - Systems and methods for generating an alert to the pilot of an aircraft during a deep/long landing situation. An example system includes a database that stores runway information, a position sensor that produces aircraft position information and a processor that is in data communication with the database and the position sensor. The processor includes an advisory condition detection component that compares altitude of the aircraft to a predefined altitude limit, determines if the aircraft is beyond an airline defined landing zone limit and not on the ground, and generates an alert to the pilot based upon the comparison and the determination. An output device outputs the generated alert. The airline defined landing zone limit is a fixed distance value from the approach end of a runway or a percentage of the total length of a runway, whichever allows for greatest amount of runway remaining. | 02-11-2010 |
| 20100194599 | FLAPS OVERSPEED ADVISORY SYSTEM - A flap advisory system provides an advisory to a pilot informing that a speed of the aircraft should be attended to because of a current or desired flap setting. More specifically, the flap advisory system compares a measured airspeed of the aircraft either directly to a flap placard speed or to a marginal speed range set below the flap placard speed for a given flap setting. If the measured airspeed is determined to be excessive then the system provides an advisory indicating the airspeed is too fast. Further, the system may provide an advisory when a movement of a flap handle is detected such that continued movement of the flap handle would place the flaps in a setting that is inappropriate for the measured airspeed. | 08-05-2010 |
| 20100198432 | STABLE APPROACH MONITOR (SAM) SYSTEM - An improved stable approach monitor (SAM) system provides an audible advisory to a pilot when an aircraft is on a final landing approach. More specifically, the SAM system compares a measured airspeed of the aircraft to a predetermined flap placard speed. If the measured airspeed exceeds the predetermined flap placard speed then the improved SAM system provides an audible advisory indicating the airspeed of the aircraft is too fast. Advantageously, this audible advisory should prevent the pilot from attempting to deploy the flaps at an excessive airspeed and in turn focuses the pilot's attention on the problem at hand, which would be to reduce the airspeed of the aircraft. Once the airspeed is equal to or below the predetermined flap placard speed, the improved SAM system may provide another audible advisory informing the pilot to commence deployment of the flaps. | 08-05-2010 |
| 20100286851 | SYSTEMS AND METHODS FOR SELECTIVELY ALTERING A GROUND PROXIMITY MESSAGE - Systems and methods for selectively altering a ground proximity warning message. In an embodiment, a ground proximity warning system for a flight vehicle includes a processor that is configured to generate a look-ahead envelope that defines a region extending outwardly from the flight vehicle and to generate a terrain proximity message when the defined region intersects a terrain feature. An interface device is coupled to the processor that is operable to configure the system in a first operating mode wherein the generated terrain proximity message is selectively suppressed, and a second operating mode wherein the terrain proximity message is not suppressed. | 11-11-2010 |
| 20110029162 | Systems and methods for selectively altering a ground proximity message - Systems and methods for selectively altering a ground proximity warning message. In an embodiment, a ground proximity warning system for a flight vehicle includes a processor that is configured to generate a look-ahead envelope that defines a region extending outwardly from the flight vehicle and to generate a terrain proximity message when the defined region intersects a terrain feature. An interface device is coupled to the processor that is operable to configure the system in a first operating mode wherein the generated terrain proximity message is selectively suppressed, and a second operating mode wherein the terrain proximity message is not suppressed. | 02-03-2011 |
| 20110118909 | SYSTEMS AND METHODS OF DETECTING LOW TAKEOFF PERFORMANCE DUE TO INCORRECT WEIGHT INFORMATION - Systems and methods for performing V speeds verification. An example system determines if during a takeoff roll there is enough runway left for the aircraft to stop with a predetermined braking force. If an incorrect “too small” weight had been used to previously compute Vspeeds (e.g., V | 05-19-2011 |
| 20110118911 | STABILIZED APPROACH MONITOR - Systems and methods for suppressing an unstable alert when the aircraft is in the process of landing on a temporarily displaced threshold. In an example process, a processor on the aircraft determines the aircraft is on an approach to landing on a runway based on information received from one or more data sources on the aircraft, then retrieves predefined glideslope information for the runway from a memory device that is in signal communication with the processor. Next, the processor determines whether position of the aircraft is above the predefined glideslope by a first threshold amount. If the aircraft is determined to be above the predefined glideslope by the first threshold amount, the processor issues an unstable alert only if a flight path angle of the aircraft is greater than an angle of the predefined glideslope by a second threshold amount. | 05-19-2011 |
