Patents by Inventor Jon E. Kirtz

Jon E. Kirtz has filed for patents to protect the following inventions. This listing includes patent applications that are pending as well as patents that have already been granted by the United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO).

  • Publication number: 20250173361
    Abstract: A system and method for improving the resolution and accuracy of avionics databases with limited impact on the size of the database includes identifying tiles including runway approaches and incorporates higher resolution tiles for those regions. The system may also identify tiles including high terrain variability. Those regions may also include higher resolution tiles. The system may identify multiple tiles that each define the same elevation and/or terrain variability. Those tiles may be consolidated into a single lower resolution tile. Aircraft may record elevations via onboard sensors. Multiple sensor samples may be combined and applied to an existing database to constrain the database accuracy.
    Type: Application
    Filed: November 29, 2023
    Publication date: May 29, 2025
    Inventors: Ryan L. Niehaus, Jon E. Kirtz, Gaurav Srivastava
  • Patent number: 10577123
    Abstract: Systems and methods provide a precaution in an aircraft equipped with a terrain avoidance warning system (TAWS). The precaution is provided before a caution and a warning are issued by the TAWS for a subsequent condition to a precaution condition. The systems and methods determine an existence of the precaution condition at least partially in response to an altitude signal and provide a line on a display indicative of a threshold altitude in response to the precaution condition or a bar on an altitude tape of a primary flight display. The line is between a representation of the aircraft and a representation of terrain. The threshold altitude is an altitude at which a caution is issued by the TAWS.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 15, 2017
    Date of Patent: March 3, 2020
    Assignee: ROCKWELL COLLINS, INC.
    Inventors: Jon E. Kirtz, Travis S. VanDerKamp
  • Patent number: 10565882
    Abstract: An aircraft path vector analysis system includes at least one processor coupled with a non-transitory processor-readable medium storing processor-executable code for causing the at least one processor to determine a previous path of an aircraft, determine an approach volume based on a location of a runway and a location of the aircraft, determine a projected path vector of the aircraft based on at least one of the previous path of the aircraft and an aircraft performance characteristic, and display data indicative of at least one of the previous path, the projected path vector, and the approach volume on a display device, where the projected path vector indicates whether the aircraft is projected to remain in the approach volume.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 13, 2017
    Date of Patent: February 18, 2020
    Assignee: ROCKWELL COLLINS, INC.
    Inventors: Travis S. VanDerKamp, Jon E. Kirtz, Joseph D. Forrest
  • Patent number: 9533769
    Abstract: Systems and methods for use in generating alerts regarding terrain near an aircraft are provided. A method includes determining a plurality of warnings relating to terrain near an aircraft, each warning indicating terrain above a threshold elevation and having a position associated with the warning. The method further includes, for each warning, generating alert data formatted for display as an alert on a display device of the aircraft within a plan view terrain display screen on or proximate to the position associated with the warning and overlapping a visual representation of a portion of the terrain. The method further includes transmitting the alert data to the display device. A same alert shape is used for all warnings, and the alert areas of the alerts are at least partially transparent, such that the visual representations of the portions of the terrain within the alert areas are visible.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 20, 2014
    Date of Patent: January 3, 2017
    Assignee: Rockwell Collins, Inc.
    Inventors: Jon E. Kirtz, Travis S. Vanderkamp