WEATHER INFORMATION NETWORK INCLUDING GRAPHICAL DISPLAY

WEATHER INFORMATION NETWORK

INCLUDING GRAPHICAL DISPLAY

GOVERNMENT ^RIGHTS

[0001] This invention

was made

under ContractNo.

NCC-1-288, awarded by NASA. The government

has certain rights in the invention.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

1. Fieldofthe Invention

[0002]

The

present invention relates generallyto aweather informationnetwork, and,

more

particularly, to a

method of and

a system forproviding graphicalweather informationto an

aircraft.

2. DescriptionoftheRelatedArt

[0003] Conventionally, to acquirereal-time graphicalinformation about

oncoming

weather while enroute, aircraft pilots

had

torely

upon

onboard weatherradar systems.

The

usefulness of suchradar systems, however, islimited.

Even

the

most

advancedradarsystems canonly provide aglimpse of weatherwithin a

few

hundred mileradius

of

the aircraft. In addition,

heavy

rain

sometimes

can

overcome

theaircraft's radar so that it isunableto penetrate clouds

and

detectweatherconditions

on

theother side oftheclouds. This

phenomenon, known

as precipitation attenuation, hasbeen identifiedas a contributing factor in

many

weather-relatedaccidents. Finally,pilots requirea

myriad

of weatherinformation thatonboard weatherradarsystems

do

notprovide. Forthis information, pilots

must

rely

upon

voice

communications

with groundpersonnel ortextual

communications

throughthe Aircraft

Communications

Addressingand Reporting System, better

known

as

ACARS. Both

ofthese

communication

routes, however,rely

upon

adispatcher

on

the groundto relaytimely

and

accurate informationto the aircraft. Duringpeaktimes, therecan beasubstantial lag

between

thetime a request forinformation is

made

andthetimethatinformation is sentto the aircraft. Additionally, information obtained in this

manner

iseither oralortextual and,

DC_MAIN34476v1

therefore, requires thepilot to visualize the location and scopeofpotential weatherhazards.

Thiscanbea difficult

and

stressful task, especially

when

trying tonavigate an aircraft in inclement weather.

[0004] U.S. Patent

No.

6,014,606 discloses asystem forautomaticallytransmittingweather information

from

aground stationto an aircraftviasatellite broadcast.

Once

theweather informationisreceivedonboard the^aircraft, it is processed

and

displayedto the pilot

on

a cockpit display screen.

According

to the '606 patent, thetypes of weatherinformationthat arebroadcast^to the aircraftcan includeradarmosaic images, lightning images,

and

surface observations forvarious airports including temperature, visibility, ceiling,precipitation,

dew

point, andthe like.

[0005]

One

shortcoming ofthesystem disclosed inthe '606 patentisthat itleaves pilotsto surmise,based

on

information ^thatis suggestive at best,as tothe existence, location, and severityof

some

oftheweather hazards with

which

they are

most

concerned, suchas convection, turbulence,

and

icing. For example, even with^the systemdisclosed in the '606 patent, apilot

would

haveto speculate astothe location andseverityofconvective activity

based

on

textualreports, oral advisories, and images ofradar andlightning.

None

ofthese types ofinformation, however,provides acomplete

and

accuratepicture ofthe locationand severityofconvective activity. Instead, thepilot

must

assimilate all ofthisinformation

and make

a

judgment

call. This scenario is even

more

difficult forturbulence

and

icing hazards, as radarmosaics andlightning images

do

not provide

any

indication

of

these hazards.

Further,

what

relevant informationthatis available requires thepilotto

make

a

judgment

based

on

oral andtextual

messages and

otherindirect indicators. This is a time

consuming

and mentally exhausting exercise^thatcandistractthepilot fromthetaskat

hand —

flying the aircraft. Moreover, errors in

judgment

can potentially endangerthepassengers

and

crew, not to mention wastetime and^{fuel spent}back-trackingoron misguided detours.

[0006] Anothersignificant

drawback

ofthe systemdescribed in the '606 patent is its failure to provide for

two-way communication

between theonboard ^userinterface

and

the ground

station. Broadcasts are inherently unreliable, so ifonlya portion ofa broadcast is received, orperhaps

none

ofit at all, thepilotis unable torequestretransmission ofthebroadcast

from

DC_MAIN34476v1

the

ground

station. Instead, thepilot

must

wait forthenextbroadcast, which, depending

on

theproximity

and

severityofadverseweatherahead, couldbetoo late. Additionally, the foregoing system doesnotpermit pilots torequest informationthat

may

notnormally be broadcast in theregionin

which

they are flying, nordoes it allowpilots to limit

what

types of information aretransmitted to theaircraft, or

how

frequently suchinformation is updated, based

on

theirindividual preferences.

[0007] Accordingly, thereis a

need

inthe artforan

improved

weather information

network

thataddresses the shortcomings

of

conventional systems

and methods

suchas noted above.

SUMMARY ^{OF THE INVENTION}

[0008]

The

present invention addresses the foregoing shortcomingsin the art

by

providing a

method of and

system forprovidingpilots withthe information

and

tools theyneedto

make more

^informed

and

intelligent decisions

when

approachingadverse weather.

Such method and

apparatus enhancesthepilot's situational awareness

by

displaying nearreal-time weather information forregions allover theworld,thus improving flight

economy and

safety and increasingthe likelihoodof an on-time arrival.

[0009] In

one

aspect, thepresent invention relates toan apparatus forprovidingweather information onboard an aircraft.

The

^{apparatus includes} a processorunit^thatprocesses weather information afterit is received onboardthe aircraft

from

aground-based source

and

a graphicaluser interfacethatprovides a graphicalpresentationoftheweatherinformation to a user onboard theaircraft.

By

"graphical presentation"it is

meant

that atleast

some

^types of weatherinformationare illustrated pictorially ratherthan merely^{in text}form.

An example

of a graphical displayof weatherinformation is an

image

orpattern superimposed

on

a

map

ofa geographic region,wherein the

image

or pattern indicates the location or characteristics

of

a particularweather

phenomenon,

such asconvection,turbulence, icing, cloudcover,

precipitation, etc. Another

example would be

a cross-sectional displayof weather

information taken along a route ofthe aircraft.

The

graphicaluserinterface also includes

one

or

more

user-selectable options forgraphicallydisplaying at leastone ofconvection

information, turbulence information, icing information, weathersatelliteinformation,

DC MAIN34476v1

SIGMET

information, significantweatherprognosis information, and

winds

aloft

information. Preferably, the graphical userinterface furtherincludes auser-selectableoption thatallows theusertorequest specific weatherinformation for transmission

from

the ground- based sourceto the aircraft. Advantageously, thisoption, or anotheroption, allowsthe user to select

what

weatherinformationis automaticallytransmitted

from

the ground-based source.

[0010] In anotheraspect, the present inventionrelates to an apparatus forprovidingweather informationonboard an aircraftthatincludes atleasta processorunit

and

a graphical user interface.

The

processorunitprocesses weatherinformation afteritis receivedonboard the aircraft

from

aground-based source.

The

graphical user interfaceprovides a plan

view

ofthe weatherinformation andposition

of

theaircraft to a useronboard theaircraft, and includes a user-selectableoption for centeringtheplan

view

onthe positionoftheaircraft, even as the positionofthe aircraft changes. Optionally, the graphical userinterface furtherincludes a user-selectable option for orienting theplan

view

sothat theaircraft trackpoints upward.

[0011] In still anotheraspect, thepresent inventionrelates to anapparatus forproviding weatherinformationonboard an aircraft thatincludes aprocessorunit

and

agraphicaluser interface.

The

processorunitprocessesweatherinformation, including three-dimensional weather information,afterit isreceivedonboardthe aircraft

from

aground-basedsource.

By

"three-dimensional weatherinformation" itis

meant

thatthe weatherinformation is specific to latitude, longitude,

and

altitude.

The

graphicaluser interface provides aplan

view

ofthe weather information fora selectedaltitude to auser onboard theaircraft, and

which

includes a user-selectableoption ^for changingthe selected altitude.

[0012] In yetanotheraspect,the present inventionrelates to a

method

ofproviding convection informationto an aircraft.

Namely,

the

method

includes the steps ofcollecting convection information ata datacenter, transmitting theconvection information

from

the data centerto anaircraft, andgraphically displaying the convection informationonboard the

aircraft. Preferably, theconvection informationincludesboth convectiveactivity observations

and

forecasts.

DC_MAIN34476v1

[0013] Ina further aspect, thepresent inventionrelates to a

method

ofproviding turbulence informationto anaircraft.

The method

includes the steps ofcollectingturbulence

informationat a datacenter, transmitting the turbulence information

from

the data centerto

an aircraft, and graphically displayingtheturbulence informationonboard theaircraft.

Preferably, theturbulence informationincludes bothturbulence observations and forecasts.

[0014] In anotheraspect, thepresent inventionrelates to a

method

^ofproviding icing information to an^aircraft.

The method

includesthe steps ofcollecting icinginformation ata datacenter, transmitting the icing informationfromthe datacenterto an aircraft,

and

graphicallydisplaying the icinginformation onboardthe aircraft. Preferably, the icing information includesbothicing observationsand ^forecasts.

[0015] Ina stillfurther aspect, the present invention relates to a

method

ofproviding weathersatellite informationto anaircraft.

The method

includesthe steps ofcollecting weathersatellite information ata data center,transmitting theweathersatellite information

from

the data centerto anaircraft, andgraphically displayingthe weather satellite

information

onboard

theaircraft. Preferably, theweather satellite informationis altitude based.

[0016] In anotheraspect, thepresent invention relates to a

method

ofproviding

SIGMET

informationto an aircraft,including the steps ofcollecting

SIGMET

information ata data center,transmitting the

SIGMET

information fromthedatacenterto anaircraft,

and

graphicallydisplaying the

SIGMET

information onboard the aircraft.

[0017] Inyet anotheraspect, thepresent inventionrelates to a

method

ofproviding significantweatherprognosis informationto an aircraft.

Namely,

the

method

includes the stepsofcollecting significantweatherprognosis information^at adatacenter, transmittingthe significantweatherprognosis information from the data centerto anaircraft, andgraphically displaying the significantweatherprognosis informationonboardthe aircraft.

[0018] Ina further aspect, thepresent invention relatesto a

method

ofproviding

winds

aloft information to anaircraft, includingthe steps ofcollecting

winds

aloftinformationat a data

DC_MAIN34476v1

center, transmitting the

winds

aloftinformationfromthe data centerto anaircraft,

and

graphicallydisplaying the

winds

aloft informationonboardthe aircraft. Preferably, the

winds

aloftinformation includesboth

winds

aloftobservations

and

forecasts.

[0019]

A

^betterunderstanding

of

these andother aspects, features,

and

advantagesofthe present invention

may

be had

by

referencetothedrawings and to the

accompanying

description, in

which

there are illustratedanddescribed

some

preferred

embodiments of

the invention.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0020] FIG. ¹ is a schematic illustrationofaweatherinformationnetworkaccordingto the presentinvention.

[0021] FIG. 2 is a schematic illustrationofa

VHF/UHF-implemented

telephony

communication

route accordingto apreferred

embodiment

ofthepresent invention.

[0022] FIG. 3 is a schematic illustrationofa satellite-implemented telephony

communication

route accordingto anotherpreferred

embodiment

ofthepresentinvention.

[0023] FIG.

4

isa schematic illustrationofa

VDL

broadcast

communication

route according tostill another preferred

embodiment

ofthe present invention.

[0024] FIG. 5 is aschematic illustrationofasatellitebroadcast

communication

route according to yet anotherpreferred

embodiment

ofthe presentinvention.

[0025] FIG. 6 is a schematic illustrationofapreferredarrangement ofaircraft-based equipment accordingto thepresent invention.

[0026] FIG. 7 is aschematic illustrationofanotherpreferred arrangement ofaircraft-based equipment accordingtothe present invention.

DC MAIN34476v1

[0027] FIG. 8is atypicalscreen display accordingto thepresent invention.

[0028] FIG. 9is anothertypical screendisplay accordingto the present invention.

[0029] FIG. 10 is still another typical screen displayaccordingtothepresent invention.

[0030] FIG. 11 isyet anothertypical screendisplay accordingto thepresentinvention.

[0031] FIG. 12 is atypical screen display illustratingapreferredweatherradarmosaic featureofthepresentinvention.

[0032] FIG. 13 is a typical screen displayillustrating a preferred convectionfeature ofthe presentinvention.

[0033] FIG. 14 is a typical screen displayillustrating apreferredturbulence feature ofthe presentinvention.

[0034] FIG. 15 isatypical screen displayillustrating a preferredaspectoftheturbulence feature

shown

in FIG. 14.

[0035] FIG. 16is a typical screen displayillustrating apreferredweathersatellite feature

component

ofthepresentinvention.

[0036] FIG. 17 is a typical screen displayillustrating a preferredicing feature ofthepresent invention.

[0037] FIG. 18 isatypical screen displayillustratingapreferred

SIGMET

featureofthe presentinvention.

[0038] FIG, 19is a typical screen displayillustrating apreferred aspectofthe

SIGMET

feature

shown

inFIG. 18.

DCMAIN34476v1

[0039] FIG.

20

is atypicalscreen displayillustrating apreferred

METAR and TAF

^feature

ofthepresent invention.

[0040] FIG. 21 isatypical screen displayillustrating a preferred aspectofthe

METAR and

TAF

feature

shown

in FIG. 20.

[0041] FIG. 22 is atypicalscreen displayillustrating apreferred significantweather prognosis featureofthepresent invention.

[0042] FIG. 23 is atypicalscreen displayillustrating apreferred

winds

aloft feature ofthe presentinvention.

[0043] FIG.

24

is atypicalscreen displayillustrating apreferred surface analysis feature

of

thepresent invention.

[0044] FIG. 25 isatypical screen displayillustrating a preferred centering feature ofthe presentinvention.

[0045] FIG. 26 isatypical screen displayillustrating a preferred

zoom

^{in feature}ofthe present invention.

[0046] FIG. 27 isatypical screen displayillustrating apreferred

zoom

out featureofthe present invention.

[0047] FIG. 28 isatypical screen displayillustrating anotherpreferred

METAR

and

TAF

featureofthepresentinvention.

[0048] FIG.

29

is atypicalscreen displayillustrating apreferredaspect ofthe

METAR and

TAF

feature

shown

in FIG. 28.

[0049] FIG. 30 isatypicalscreen displayillustrating anotherpreferred aspectofthe

METAR

and

TAF

feature

shown

in FIG.28.

DC.MAIN34476v1

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[0050] FIG. 31 is atypical screen displayillustrating stillanotherpreferredaspect

of

the

METAR

and

TAF

^feature

shown

in FIG. 28.

[0051] FIG. 32 isatypicalscreen display illustrating apreferredupdate feature ofthe present invention.

[0052] FIG. 33 isatypical screen display illustrating apreferred aspectofthe update feature

shown

inFIG. 32.

[0053] FIG. 34 is atypicalscreen displayillustrating apreferrednavigational aid feature

of

thepresent invention.

[0054] FIG. 35 is a typical screen displayillustrating apreferredrange arc featureofthe present invention.

[0055] FIG. 36 is atypicalscreen displayillustrating atrack

up

feature ofthepresent invention,

[0056] FIG. 37 is atypical screen displayillustrating the layeringofmultiple weather components.

[0057] FIG. 38 is atypicalscreen displayillustrating aconflictdepiction feature ofthe present invention.

[0058]

Throughout

thefigures, like reference numerals have

been

used for likeor correspondingparts.

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

[0059]

The

present invention is directed to anentireweatherinformation network, including the collectionandprocessingof weatherinformation at a datacenter, the

DC_MAIN34476 v1

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communication

ofthatinformationto an aircraft,andthe displayof suchinformationto a useronboardthe aircraft.

1.

The Data

Center

[0060]

As

depictedinFIG. 1, thedatacenter 100collects weatherinformation from a varietyof weather sources 105.

The

weatherinformation thenis compiled, packaged,

and queued

for further transmissionto anaircraft 110 via one ofseveralpossible

communication

routes, such as

shown

in

FIGS.

^2-6.

[0061]

The

weather sources 105

may

include commercial providerssuch as,for example, Kavouras, theNational Center forAtmospheric Research

(NCAR),

^theNational

Weather

Service

(NWS), Weather

Service Information (WSI), andthe like.

Weather

information

may

also

come from

othersources, suchas theFederal Aviation Administration

(FAA),

Airline Operations

Communication (AOC),

oreven aircraftsthemselves.

[0062] Preferably, the datacenter collects weather informationrelatingto a^pluralityofdata sets orweathercomponents, such as, forexample,the following:

[0063] (1)Convective activityobservations and forecasts: This data set, available from

NCAR,

includes observations and forecasts ofconvective hazards andtheir severity.

[0064] (2)Turbulenceobservations

and

^forecasts: This dataset, available

from NCAR,

includes observations

and

forecasts ofthe location

and

severityof non-convectiveturbulence, also

know

asclear airturbulence. Preferably, thisis a three-dimensional set including

altitude-specific turbulence data.

[0065] (3) Icing observations and^forecasts: This dataset, available

from NCAR,

^includes

observations and forecasts ofairborne icing hazards and their severity. Preferably,this is a three-dimensional setincludingaltitude-specific icing data.

DC_MAIN34476v1

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[0066] (4) Altitude-based weathersatelliteinformation:This three-dimensional data set, available

from

Kavouras, consistsofsatellite imagesdepictingcloudcover.

[0067] (5)

SIGMETs

and convective

SIGMETs: SIGMETs,

short for significant meteorological information, aremanually-generatedwarnings ofadverse meteorological conditions thatcouldaffect anaircraft. Convective

SIGMETs,

alsocalled

WSTs,

are issued fortornadoes, severe thunderstorms, large hail, andstrong

wind

gusts.

SIGMET and WST

informationare available from

NWS.

Herein, theterm

SIGMET encompasses

both

SIGMETs and WSTs.

[0068] (6) High-levelsignificant weatherprognosis: This is aforecastofhazards to high- altitude aircrafts, including thunderstorms and

cumulonimbus

clouds, tropical cyclones, severesquall lines, moderateorsevere turbulence, moderate orsevere icing, widespread sand storms anddust storms, well-defined surfaceconvergence zones, surface frontswith speed

and

directionof

movement,

tropopause heights,jet streams,

and

^volcanic eruptions. This forecastis available from

NWS.

[0069] (7)

Winds

aloft: This three-dimensional dataset, available from

NWS,

consists of

wind

direction andvelocity observations andforecasts forvariousaltitudes.

[0070] (8)

Weather

radarmosaic: Thisdataset, available from Kavouras, includes amosaic ofallprecipitation, whetherliquid, solid, ormixed, that is detected

by

weatherradar within a coveragearea.

[0071] (9)

METARs

and

SPECIs: METARs

arehourly surfaceweatherobservations

from

airports aroundtheworld, including information regarding temperature, dewpoint,

wind

speed

and

^direction, gusts, ceiling, visibility,

runway

visualrange, pressure, severeweather

notifications,and other

comments. A METAR

^{for aparticular airportis identified}

^by

^a

uniquefour-lettercode, assigned

by

the International Civil Aviation Organization

(ICAO).

SPECIs

provide essentially the

same

information as

METARs,

but instead of being issued hourly, theyare issued only

when

^dictated

^by

^{changingweather}conditions.

METAR

and

DC.MAIN34476v1

-12-

SPECI

informationis availablethrough

NWS.

Herein,theterm

METAR encompasses

both

METARs and

SPECIs.

[0072] (10)

TAFs: TAFs

are concise forecasts ofexpected meteorological conditions at airports aroundtheworldduring aspecified period, usually

24

hours.

TAP

information is

availablethrough

NWS.

[0073] (11) Surface analysis: This data set, available

from NWS,

indicates current surface conditions, including areas of high and

low

pressurecenters, ridges andtroughs, and linesof constant pressure (i.e., isobars).

[0074] (12)

NOTAMs: NOTAMs,

shortfor noticesto airmen, are

FAA-generated

notices concerningmiscellaneous factors that affectaircrafts.

[0075] (13)

EPIREPs: EPIREPs,

shortfor electronicpilotreports, are aircraft-generated reports regardingactualpilot observations. In accordance withthepresent invention,

EPIREPs

can besent first

from

the originatingaircraftto the data centerbeforebeing forwarded to other aircrafts, or theycan be sentdirectly

from

oneaircraftto another.

[0076] Currentlyonly

some

ofthe foregoing components, such asweathersatellite

information,

METARs, ^TAFs,

and

SIGMETs,

provide

worldwide

coverage.

The

restare limited to smaller geographicregions, suchas the continental United States, thePacific, the Atlantic, the Caribbean,

and

Europe.

As

weatherinformationtechnologydevelops, itis

expectedthatmost, ifnot all,

of

the datasets will soonprovide

worldwide

coverage.

[0077]

The

weathersources ¹05 collectthe information innearreal-time and immediately relaythat informationtothe datacenter 100, either in text formator as atwo-or three- dimensional grid, depending

on

the particular data set.

Weather

information

may

berelayed to thedatacenter 100

by any

suitableroute, such as viasatellitebroadcast or

FTP

push.

Currentconditions, such asconvective activity andturbulence, preferably are updated at least

onceeveryfive minutes. Forecastinformation,

on

the other hand,

may

be updatedless frequently, such as

on

anhourlybasis.

DC_MAIN34476v1

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[0078]

Once

received atthe data center 100, the weather informationis automatically filtered

and

depositedonto a

main

server (not shown).

From

there, the information ispulled overto aprocessor(not shown),

where

itisdecompressed, reformatted, recompressed, and

prioritized, beforebeing sentbacktothe

main

server.

The

processed information then is

queued

for furthertransmissionto anaircraft 110. Preferably, all

incoming

weather informationis archived

on

an optical drive(not shown), togetherwith

any

algorithms

employed by

the processor. That

way

the data center 100is ableto reconstruct

any

historical

incomingoroutgoing weatherdata iftheneed arises.

[0079] Itwill beappreciated thatthe

same

informationthat is

made

available to aircrafts

may

also

be made

availableto airlinedispatchers and meteorologists, aswell as^air traffic controllers 115.

2.

Communication

Routes

[0080]

The

applicationcontemplates several different routes for

communicating

the weather information

from

the datacenter 100to theaircraft 110. Included

among

these are bothpoint-to-point solutions suchas telephony, as well as point-to-multipointsolutions such as satellite or

VHF

broadcast.

A few

preferred

communication

solutions are described

below

with reference to

FIGS.

2-5.

[0081] In

one

preferred

embodiment,

forexample, theweather information ^is transmittedto the aircraft 110via a telephone connection,

known

astelephony. Inthis

embodiment,

the aircraft 110initiates acall to thedata center 100to request

new

orupdated weather

information.

The

call

may

be initiatedmanually

by

a useronboardthe aircraft 110, orit

may

be initiated automaticallyat specified intervals.

The

datacenter 100 matches theaircraft's request tothe

queued

informationandtransmits the requested information^{to the aircraft} 110 via eithera

VHF/UHF

or satellite-implemented

communication

link.

[0082] FIG. 2 schematically depicts apreferred

example

ofthe

VHF/UHF-implemented

telephony

communication

link.

As

shown, a

modem bank

120 atthedatacenter 100 ^is connectedto a

network

ofterrestrial

VHF/UHF

transceivers 125, such as

one

or

more

radio

DC_MAIN34476v1

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towers, viaa telephony

ground

network 130.

The

ground-based

VHF/UHF

transceivers 125

communicate

withthe aircraftthrough a transceiver 135 onboardthe aircraft, discussed

below

in

more

detailwith referenceto FIGS. 7and 8. This

communication

routeis especially desirable tocustomers insofar as ^it utilizes existing

communication

equipment. Therefore, implementationcosts are minimal.

[0083] FIG. 3 schematicallydepicts apreferred

example

ofthesatellite-implemented telephony

communication

link. Inthis example, thedata center

modem bank

120 is

connectedto a satellitegroundstation 140via atelephonyground network 145.

The

satellite

groundstation 140transmits theweatherinformation to one or

more

airborne satellites 150,

which

inturn transmitthe informationto atransceiver 155 onboardthe aircraft 120.

One

advantageto this

communication

route is that it providescoverage over oceans

and

VHF/UHF

unequippedland masses, such asSouth America.

[0084] Insteadoftelephony, ⁱⁿ anotherpreferred

embodiment,

theweather information is

transmitted tothe aircraft 110via

VHF

orsatellite broadcast. Inthis

embodiment,

the data center 100pushestheweatherinformation to a broadcastprovider,

which

in turnbroadcasts the informationthroughout a region in

which

theaircraft 110 isflying.

Examples VHF

and

satellitebroadcast options areillustrated in FIGS.^4-6.

[0085] FIG.

4

schematicallydepicts apreferred

example

ofa

VHF

datalink

(VDL)

broadcast option.

The

weather informationisuplinked to asatellite 160via anuplink facility 165 at thedatacenter 100.

The

satellite 160, inturn, broadcasts theweatherinformation throughout a region,

where

itisreceived

by

one or

more

ground-basedreceivers 170, suchas a

S ATCOM®

^{receiver, forexample.}

^From

^{there, theweather} informationis fed to a

processor 175,

which

customizestheinformation foralocalized region. Alternatively, or as a backup, theweather information

may

besent directly

from

the datacenter 100to the

processor ¹75 via atelephonyconnection 180.

The

processor forwards thecustomized weatherinformation to a

VHF

transmitter 185,

which

inturnbroadcasts theinformation throughout thelocalized region,

where

^it ispicked

up by

a

VHF

receiver 190 onboardthe aircraft 110.

DC MAIN34476v1

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[0086] Optionally, the

VDL

broadcast option

shown

ⁱⁿ FIG.

4

furtherincludes a return loop 195 fromthe aircraft 110back^tothe data center 100. Preferably, the return loop 195 is

implemented

throughexistingtechnology and equipment, such as

ACARS

^or

GTE

^Airfone®.

Using

the return loop 195, a useronboardthe aircraft 110 can requestthebroadcast of

specific weatherinformation, including, for example,informationthat

might

notnormallybe broadcasted withinthe localizedregionin

which

the aircraft 110 isflying.

[0087] FIG. 5 schematicallydepicts a preferred

example

ofa satellitebroadcastoption.

The

weather information ^is

pushed

to a satelliteground station 200,

where

itis uplinkedto

one

or

more

orbiting satellites 205.

The

satellite205, in turn, broadcasts the weather informationthroughout aregion,

where

itispickedup

by

asatellitereceiver 210, such asa

SATCOM®

^{unit, onboardthe aircraft 100.}

^The COMSAT®

system,

which

utilizes the

INMARSAT®

^satelliteconstellation, is

one example

ofasatellite

communication

service that couldbe usedⁱⁿ accordancewiththis

embodiment

ofthepresent invention.

Alternatively, anothersatellite

communication

^service, suchas the SatelliteDigital

Audio Radio System (SDARS),

couldbeused. Likethe

VDL

broadcast option described above, the satellitebroadcast option canbe provided withareturn loop215 forrequestingthebroadcast ofspecificweatherinformation.

3. Airborne

Equipment

[0088]

The

airborne equipment needed^to

implement

thepresent invention includesan onboardtransceiver 135, a processor 220,

and

agraphical userinterface

(GUI)

225.

Preferably, the onboardtransceiver 135 is an alreadyexistingunit, such as, forexample, the

GTE Airfone®

system ora

SATCOM®

^unit.

The

foregoing assumesthatthechosen

communication

route istelephony. Ifinstead

one

ofthebroadcast optionsis employed, then thoseskilled inthe artwill appreciatethat areceiver

may

be usedinplaceofa transceiver.

Herein, the term"receiver" encompasses anydevice withreceiving capabilities,including a transceiver. Ifareturn loop isprovided, thenthe aircraft shouldalsobe equipped with transmitting capabilities.

DC_MAIN34476v1

• •

-16-

[0089]

Once

weatherinformationis receivedonboard theaircraft 110, itis stored inthe processor

220

untilrequested fordisplay.

When

requested, the informationis

decompressed and

rendered into a graphicalpresentation for displaytotheuser.

[0090] In its

most

basic form, theprocessor

220 and GUI 225

can simply comprise a personal electronic device

(PED)

230, such as adesktop orlaptop

PC,

connectedto the onboardtransceiver 135, as

shown

inFIG. 6.

The PED 230

isloaded with softwarefor running agraphicalweather program, such asdescribed below. Preferably, the

PED ²³⁰

^is

connectedto a global positioning system

(GPS)

receiver 235.

The GPS

receiver

235

provides navigational information to the

PED 230

concerningthe aircraft's position, altitude, heading, and groundspeed.

More

preferably, the

PED 230

isconnectedto aflight

management

computer (FMC)

(not

shown)

thatprovides routeinformation and waypoints^{in addition}to thenavigational informationprovided

by

the

GPS

235. Ifneithera

GPS

^{receivernor a}

FMC

isprovided, then suchnavigationaland routeinformation can beenteredmanually

by

the user.

[0091] Alternatively, as

shown

inFIG. 7, the processor

220

and

GUI 225

canbe

implemented

in

one

or

more

user terminals 240, preferably locatedin thecockpit ofaircraft 110.

The

user terminal

240

can be connectedto anetwork server245,

which

in turn is

connected to the onboardtransceiver 135 and eithera

GPS

(not

shown)

or

FMC

250.

The

network server245

may

also beprovidedwith interfaces forconnecting to other existingor futureavionics equipment (not shown).

[0092]

Upon

request

by

the user,weatherinformationfor a geographic region ^isdisplayed

on

the

GUI

screen.

Menus

500, such as

shown

inFIGS. 8and 9, areprovided along the sides ofthedisplay screen. Preferably, there are

two

different setsof

menus — one

corresponding

to a

home

screen,

shown

inFIG. 8, and anothercorresponding to autilitiesscreen,

shown

in FIG. 9.

These

can

be

alternately displayed

by

selectingeither a

HOME

option505 ^ora

UTIL

option

510 on

the utilitiesscreen orthe

home

screen, respectively. There is also a status

window

515 nearthe bottom ofthe screen fordisplaying informationconcerningthe

operationoftheweather program.

Menu

options

may

be selected using

any

ofa

number of

DC_MAIN34476v1

-17-

known

devices, suchas a

mouse,

^{a bezel} buttoninterface, atouch screenoverlay, ora keyboard.

[0093]

The

geographicregion displayed ⁱⁿ FIGS. 8

and

9includes thecontinentalUnited States

and

portions of

Canada and

Mexico. Otherparts oftheworld can bedisplayed

by

scrollingthe

map

up,

down,

left, orright.

[0094] Preferably, an airplane

symbol 520

andprojected flightroute 525 aredisplayed

on

the

map

to indicate the aircraft's current positionand route, asdetermined

by

the

FMC

^or

GPS

receiver, oras manuallyinput

by

theuser. Ifavailable, the

FMC

or

GPS

^receiver

continually updates the position ofthe aircraft as theflightprogresses.

[0095]

As

seeninFIG. 8, the

home

screenhas atop

menu

^{thatpreferably includesthe}

following selectable options:

MORE

530,

RDR

535,

CNV

540,

CAT

545, and

SAT

550.

Selecting the

MORE

option

530

oncedisplays the following options,

which

are

shown

ⁱⁿ FIG. 10:

ICING

555,

SIGMT

560, and

ARPT

^565. Selecting the

MORE

^option

⁵³⁰

^asecond

time displaysthe following options,

which

are

shown

inFIG. 11:

SIG WX

^570,

WINDS

575, and

SURFACE

^580.

[0096] FIG. 12 illustrates atypical screen displayresulting

from

selection ofthe

RDR

option 535.

Weather

radarmosaic images 585,representing areas ofprecipitation, are

shown

superimposed

on

the map. Preferably, theradar images585 aredisplayed ⁱⁿmultiple colors indicative ofthe relative severity oftheprecipitation.

A

^legend

⁵⁹⁰

^indicates

^what

^{each color}

signifies.

[0097] FIG. 13 illustrates atypical screen displayresulting

from

selection ofthe

CNV

option 540. Areas

of

convectiveactivity 595 are displayed

on

the

map,

preferably, in multiple colors indicativeoftherelative severityofthe convective^activityin aparticular area.

A

^legend

⁶⁰⁰

^indicates

^what

^{eachcolor signifies.}

[0098] FIG. 14 illustrates a typical screen displayresulting

from

selection ofthe

CAT

option 545. Areas ofclear airturbulence

605

are displayed

on

the

map,

preferably, in

DC.MAIN34476v1

-18-

multiple colors indicativeoftherelative severityoftheturbulence in aparticulararea.

A

legend

610

indicates

what

eachcolorsignifies. Since turbulence data isaltitude specific, an

ALT

option 615 isprovidednearthebottom ofthe screenforchangingthealtitude ofthe displayed turbulencedata. Specifically, selecting the

ALT

option615 brings up an adjustable altitudebar

620

thatenables theuserto

view

turbulence data for different altitudes.

The

defaultaltitude is set atthe current altitudeoftheaircraft, asdetermined

by

the

GPS

^or

FMC,

or asmanually entered

by

theuser. Preferably, there isalso provided a

X-SECT

option

625

which,

when

selected, displaysturbulence datain a cross-section taken alongthe flightroute, suchas illustratedinFIG. 15. Inthatway, theusercan

view

turbulence data fordifferent altitudes simultaneously.

[0099] FIG. 16 illustrates atypical screen displayresulting fromselection ofthe

SAT

option 550.

Weather

^satellite images630, representing cloud ^{cover, are}

shown

superimposed

on

the

map.

Preferably, the satellite images are displayedⁱⁿvarying shades orcolors

indicativeofthe altitudeoftheclouds.

A

^legend 635 indicates

what

each shadeor color signifies.

[0100] FIG. 17 illustrates a typicalscreen displayresulting fromselection ofthe

ICING

option 555. Icinghazards

640

are displayed

on

the

map,

preferably, in differentcolors indicativeof whetherthe icing potential for a particular areais low, moderate, orhigh.

A

legend 645 indicates

what

each colorsignifies. Icingdata, liketurbulencedata, is altitude specific. Therefore,

ALT

^and

X-SECT

options 615, 625 arepreferablyprovided.

[0101] FIG. 18 illustrates a typical screen displayresulting fromselection ofthe

SIGMT

option 560. Areasaffected

by SIGMETs

are

shown

as geometric shapes

650 on

the

map.

Selectinga

SG-NXT

option

655

nearthe bottom ofthe screen causes a toolbar

660

to appear, suchas

shown

inFIG. 19.

The

toolbar

660

contains three selectable options:

NXT SIGMET

665,

PRV SIGMET

670, and

READ

^675. Selecting the

READ

option

675

opens a

window 680

thatcontainsatextual description forone ofthe displayed

SIGMETs. The NXT

SIGMET

and

PRV SIGMET

options 665,

670

enabletheuser to readtextual descriptions for otherdisplayed

SIGMETs.

DC_MAIN34476v1

• ^•

-19-

[0102]

The

graphical depiction ofareas affected

by SIGMETs

isa valuabletool to pilots.

Priortothe presentinvention,pilots

had

to visualizethe locationofa

SIGMET

based

on

the textofthe

SIGMET message

itself, which, as FIG.

20

demonstrates, isnotan easy task. In fact, failure torecognize the locationor

magnitude

ofa

SIGMET

is

known

to have

been

a contributing factor in aircraftcrashes.

[0103] FIG.

20

illustrates atypicalscreen display resulting fromselection

of

the

ARPT

option 565.

A

four-letter code685 for each

METAR

^{within the}displayed region isdisplayed

on

the

map,

alongwith a color-coded

symbol 690

indicating

key

informationaboutthe

airport from

which

that

METAR ^was

^{generated, such asvisibility}

^and

ceiling height.

A

legend 695 indicates

what

each color-coded

symbol

means. Selecting a

METAR ^on

^the

map

causes a

window 700

to open, such as

shown

inFIG. 21.

The window 700

contains textual

METAR ^{and TAF}

informationcorrespondingto thechosen airport.

Along

^withthe

window

700,

two

additional

menu

^options appear nearthebottom ofthe screen.

One

ofthese options,

ADD TRN

705, allowstheusertorequesta one-timeupdate forthe selected

METAR. The

other option,

ADD AUTO

710, addsthe selected

METAR

to alistof

METARs

^that

periodically are updatedautomatically.

[0104] FIG.

22

illustrates atypicalscreen display resulting

from

the selectionofthe

SIG

WX

option 570. This displaygraphically depicts the

most

recent high-level significant weatherprognosis forthe displayedregion.

[0105] FIG. 23 illustratesatypical screen display resulting

from

the selectionofthe

WINDS

option 575. Streamlines 715 indicate the directionof

winds

^aloft,

and

colorsor shades indicate the intensityof such winds.

A

legend

720

indicates

what

each color or shade

signifies.

Because winds

aloftdatais altitude specific,

ALT

and

X-SECT

options 615,

625

are alsopreferably provided.

[0106] FIG.

24

illustratesa typicalscreen display resulting

from

the selectionofthe

SURFACE

option 580. This display graphically depicts surface analysisdata, including areas ofhigh

and low

pressure centers, ridges andtroughs, andlines ofconstantpressure.

DC_MA!N34476 v1

• #

-20-

[0107]

The home

screen

shown

inFIG. 8 alsohas leftand

bottom menus

thatpreferably include the followingoptions:

UTIL

510,

CTR

725,

IN

730,

OUT

735,

METAR

740,

UPDATE

745,

and LGND

^750. Additionally, a

HIST

option 755, such as

shown

inFIG. 12,

may

be provided forcertainweather components.

[0108] Selecting the

CTR

option 725 causesthe

map

to

move

^sothatthe airplane

symbol 520

is in the centerofthe display, such as

shown

inFIG. 25.

As

long as the

CTR

option

725

remains selected,theairplane

symbol 520

willremainⁱⁿ the center ofthe display.

[0109] Selectingthe

IN

option

730 zooms

the displayin, suchas

shown

inFIG. 26.

Conversely, selecting the

OUT

^{option 735}

^zooms

the displayout, such as

shown

in FIG. 27.

[0110] Selecting the

METAR

option

740

resultsin the displayofthree additional

menu

options,

shown

in FIG. 28.

They

are

LIST AUTO

760,

LIST TRN

765, and

LIST VIEW

770.

Each

ofthese options allows the userto select a specific

METAR

^forviewing

^from

^a

list.

[0111] Selecting the

LIST AUTO

option 760, ^for example, brings up a scrollablelist

775

of

METARs

for

which

the

program

is automatically requestingupdates, suchas

shown

inFIG.

29.

The

text for aspecific

METAR

^can

be viewed by

selectingthat

METAR from

the list

775.

At

start-up,thedefault setofautomatically-requested

METARs may

include those associatedwiththe flight route. Other

METARs

canbe added^{to the}list

by

selecting the

ADD AUTO

option

710

discussed abovein connectionwithFIG.21.

METARs

alsocan be deleted

from

the list

by

selectinga

DELETE AUTO

option (not

shown)

that appears aftera

METAR

hasbeen selectedfor viewing

from

the list 775.

[0112] Selectingthe

LIST TRN

option 765 ^brings

up

ascrollable^list

780

of

METARs

for

which

theuser hasmanually requested anupdate, such as

shown

ⁱⁿ FIG. 30.

The

text fora requested

METAR

^canbe

^{viewed by}

^{selecting that}

METAR

^{fromthe list 780.}

^The

^usercan

request an updated

METAR,

and hence add itto the ^list 780,

by

selecting the

ADD TRN

option 705 discussedabove inconnection with FIG. 21.

The

transactional ^list

780

canbe

DC MAIN 34476v1

-21-

cleared

by

selectinga

CLEAR STATUS

option 785 thatappears in theupperrightcornerof the screen.

[0113] Selectingthe

LIST VIEW

option

770

brings

up

ascrollable list

790

of

METARs

correspondingto airports locatedwithinthe displayedregion, such as

shown

in FIG. 31.

The

text fora specific

METAR

^can be viewed

by

selectingthat

METAR from

the list 790.

[0014] Selectingthe

UPDATE

option

745

allows theusertorequest updatedinformation foraweather

component from

the datacenter. FIG. 32 illustrates atypical screen displaythat appears

when

the

UPDATE

optionisselected. Selecting one oftheweather

components

fromthe top

menu

causes thedisplayofa

map

oftheworld, suchas

shown

inFIG. 33.

The map

isdivided into 14 regions orzones 795, andwithineach region795 there is atime

800

indicating a valid timeforthe selectedweather

component

forthatregion.

Some

^ofthe regions

shown

in FIG. 33 alsoinclude thedesignation

AUTO

^{805. That}

means

^that the

program

is automatically requesting updated information,in thiscaseweather satellite information, forthoseregions.

For

any oftheother regions, theusercan manually request a one-timeupdate

by

selecting an

ADD TRN

option

810 on

the top

menu.

Additionally, the usercan adda regionto thelist ofthose for

which

the

program

isautomatically requesting updates

by

selecting an

ADD AUTO

option 815, also

on

thetop

menu.

Conversely, ifthe

program

is already automatically requesting updatesfora region, such automaticretrieval can bedisabled

by

selecting a

DELETE AUTO

^{option (not shown). In thisway, theusercan}

configurethe

program

to automatically request only those weather

components

thathe or she desires.

The

userthen can manuallyretrieve otherweather

components on

an as-needed

basis. That

way,

data

communicated

fromthedata centerto the aircraftcanbe streamlined to

meet

the user's particularizedneeds, avoidingthe needless transmissionofextraneous data.

[0115]

The LGND

^option

⁷⁵⁰

^toggles

^on

^{and offa legend for}the selectedweather

component(s), such as, forexample, theradar legend

590 shown

ⁱⁿFIG. 12, theconvection legend

600 shown

in FIG. 13, theturbulence legend

610 shown

inFIG. 14, the satellite

legend 635

shown

in FIG. 16, the icing potential legend645

shown

inFIG. 17, orthe airports legend 695

shown

in FIG. 20.

DC_MAIN34476v1

t

-22-

[0116]

The HIST

option 755,

shown

for

example

in FIG. 12,appears

on

the left

menu whenever one

oftheweather

components

for

which

historical datais available is currently selected. Selectingthe

HIST

option 755 runs ahistoryofthedisplayedweather

component

in successivetime increments up tothe latest availabledata.

[0117]

The

utilities page,

shown

inFIG. _9,preferably includes the following options:

NAVAID

820,

FCST

825,

ARC

830,

WPT

835,

TRKUP

840,

HOME

505,

AUTO COM

845,

PRINT

850,

EXIT

855,

MINIMIZ

860,

UPDATE

745, and

LGND

^750.

[0118]

The NAVAID

^option

⁸²⁰

^toggles

^on

^andoffthe display ofnavigationalaids 865, such as

shown

ⁱⁿFIG. 34. Navigationalaids are three letterdesignations forairports within thedisplayedregion.

[0119]

The FCST

option 825 allows theuserto

view

forecasts for

any

ofthedatasets for

which

forecast information is available.

For

example, FIGS. 13

and

14

show

convection and turbulence forecast information,respectively, in additionto observed conditions.

The

legend associated witheachdisplaydifferentiates

between

actual observations and^forecasts.

[0120]

The ARC

option

830

toggles

on

and^offrange arcs 870, suchas

shown

ⁱⁿFIG. 35.

[0121] Selecting the

WPT

option 835 ^displays waypoints, ^ifany, for the flight route.

[0122] Selecting the

TRKUP

^option

840

rotatesthe

map

display so ^thattheaircrafttrack points upward, suchas

shown

in FIG. 36. Normally, the

map

^{displayis orientedsothatthe}

northdirection pointsupward.

[0123]

The AUTO COM

^{option 845 allowsthe userto turn the}automatic data request function

on

andoff.

[0124] Selecting the

PRINT

option

850

sends thescreendisplay to aprinter, ifavailable, or to an electronic file.

DC_MAIN34476v1

-23-

[0125] Selectingthe

EXIT

option 855 closes theprogram.

[0126] Selectingthe

MINIMIZ

option

860

minimizes the display, sothatotherprograms canbe run simultaneously.

[0127]

A

particularly useful feature ofthe weather

program

ofthepresent inventionis that

itallows forthe displayofmultipleweather

components

simultaneously, creating a layered

effect. InFIG. 37, forexample, turbulenceinformation, weather satelliteinformation,

and

SIGMETs

^are simultaneously displayed

on

the

map.

4

[0128]

Another

useful featureis the depiction ofconflictareas

between

hazardous weather andthe flightroute.

As shown

inFIG. 38, awarning

symbol

875 ^is graphically displayed whereverthe flight routeis intercepted

by

hazardous weather.

[0129]

The

preferred

embodiments

describedabove are representativeof

embodiments of

thepresent invention

and

areprovided for illustrativepurposesonly.

They

arenot intended to limitthe scope ofthepresentinvention. Although weather components, equipment, options,

communication

routes, etc., have been

shown

anddescribed, such are not limiting.

Modifications

and

variations arecontemplatedwithin thescope ofthepresent invention,

which

is intended tobe limited only

by

thescope ofthe

accompanying

claims.

DC_MAIN34476v1