Airport taxiway navigation system

摘要

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.

主权项

1. 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.