Emergency autoland system

• US 10,203,700 B2
• Filed: 02/21/2017
• Issued: 02/12/2019
• Est. Priority Date: 02/29/2016
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Garmin International, Inc. (Garmin Limited)
• Original Assignee: Garmin International, Inc. (Garmin Limited)
• Inventors: Haskins, Scott K., Duerksen, Noel J., Patel, Benjamin N., Tran, Eric, Lombardo, Joseph, Barber, Clayton E.
• Primary Examiner(s): Hilgendorf, Dale W
• Application Number:
  US15/438,170
• Publication Number:
  US 20180148192A1
• Time in Patent Office: 721 Days
• CPC Class Codes: B64C 13/18 using automatic pilot
• CPC Class Codes: B64D 25/00 Emergency apparatus or devices, not otherwise provided for parachutes B64D17/00, B64D19/00; jettisoning of fuel tanks or fuel per se B64D37/00; specially adapted for protection against criminal attack, e.g. anti-hijacking systems B64D45/0015 ; safety belts or body harnesses in general A62B35/00; safety belts or body harnesses for land vehicles B60R22/00; jettisonable parts of fuselage facilitating emergency escape B64C
• CPC Class Codes: B64D 45/04 Landing aids; Safety measures to prevent collision with earth's surface
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 13/913 for landing purposes
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 19/15 Aircraft landing systems
• CPC Class Codes: G05D 1/0676 specially adapted for landing
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 5/0013 with a ground station
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 5/0021 located in the aircraft
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 5/0039 Modification of a flight plan
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 5/0056 in an emergency situation, e.g. hijacking
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 5/0078 for monitoring traffic from the aircraft radar or analogous systems specially adapted for traffic control G01S13/91
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 5/0086 for monitoring terrain radar or analogous systems specially adapted for terrain avoidance G01S13/935
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 5/0091 for monitoring atmospheric conditions radar or analogous systems specially adapted for meteorological use G01S13/95; meteorology G01W
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 5/02 Automatic approach or landing aids, i.e. systems in which flight data of incoming planes are processed to provide landing data landing aids fitted in or to aircraft B64D45/04; visual or acoustic landing aids B64F1/18
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 5/025 Navigation or guidance aids radar or analogous systems specially adapted for landing purposes G01S13/913
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 5/06 for control when on the ground
• CPC Class Codes: Y02A 90/10 Information and communication technologies [ICT] supporting adaptation to climate change, e.g. for weather forecasting or climate simulation

Abstract

Autoland systems and processes for landing an aircraft without pilot intervention are described. In implementations, the autoland system includes a memory operable to store one or more modules and at least one processor coupled to the memory. The processor is operable to execute the one or more modules to identify a plurality of potential destinations for an aircraft; calculate a merit for each potential destination identified; select a destination based upon the merit; and create a route from a current position of the aircraft to an approach fix associated with the destination that accounts for the terrain characteristic(s) and/or obstacle characteristic(s). The processor can also cause the aircraft to traverse the route, determine a final approach segment associated with the route; identify terrain characteristic(s) and/or obstacle characteristic(s) associated with the final approach segment; and determine an adjusted final approach segment accounting for the terrain characteristic(s) and/or obstacle characteristic(s).

Claims

1. An aircraft autoland system comprising:

a memory operable to store one or more modules; and

a processor coupled to the memory, the processor operable to execute the one or more modules to cause the processor to;

identify a plurality of potential destinations for an aircraft;

calculate a merit for each of the plurality of potential destinations;

select a destination based upon the merit;

receive weather data and at least one of terrain data or obstacle data, the weather data including at least one weather intensity characteristic, the terrain data including at least one terrain characteristic and the obstacle data including at least one obstacle characteristic;

create a first route from a current position of the aircraft to an approach fix associated with the destination, the route accounting for at least one of the terrain characteristics or the obstacle characteristics;

compare the at least one weather intensity characteristic to a predefined condition along the route;

re-create the route when the at least one weather intensity characteristic exceeds the predefined condition;

cause the aircraft to select and traverse one of the first route and the re-created route, the re-created route traversed when the at least one weather intensity characteristic exceeds the predefined condition;

determine a final approach segment associated with the selected route;

identify at least one of the terrain characteristic or the obstacle characteristic associated with the final approach segment;

determine an adjusted final approach segment, the adjusted final approach segment accounting for the at least one of the terrain characteristic or the obstacle characteristic associated with the final approach segment; and

cause the aircraft to land at the destination utilizing at least one of the final approach segment or the adjusted final approach segment without requiring pilot intervention.

2. The aircraft autoland system as recited in claim 1, wherein the destination is a destination airport.

3. The aircraft autoland system as recited in claim 2, wherein calculate the merit for each destination further comprises:

calculate one or more runway merits, and calculate a total merit based upon the one or more runway merits; and

wherein the processor is further configured to select the destination airport based upon the total merit.

4. The aircraft autoland system as recited in claim 3, wherein the one or more runway merits comprise at least one of a final approach course alignment merit for a runway corresponding to each airport, a travel time merit corresponding to each airport, an airport attribute merit corresponding to each airport, a runway characteristics merit for a runway corresponding to each airport, or a weather conditions merit corresponding to each airport.

5. The aircraft autoland system as recited in claim 3, wherein the processor is operable to execute the one or more modules to cause the processor to:

determine the aircraft has landed on a runway at the airport; and

in response to determining that the aircraft has landed on the runway, cause an engine to transition from an operational state to a non-operational state.

6. The aircraft autoland system as recited in claim 1, wherein the at least one weather intensity characteristic represents a weather condition.

7. The aircraft autoland system as recited in claim 1, wherein the merit can comprise a positive or negative value corresponding to an optimal destination or a non-optimal destination, respectively, and wherein the non-optimal destination is selected when no optimal destinations are identified.

8. The aircraft autoland system as recited in claim 1, wherein the approach fix includes at least one of an initial approach fix, a final approach fix, a point from a published approach, or a visual approach fix.

9. An aircraft autoland system comprising:

a memory operable to store one or more modules; and

a processor coupled to the memory and operably coupled to at least one of an engine of an aircraft, a braking system of the aircraft, or an aerodynamic control of the aircraft, the processor operable to execute the one or more modules to cause the processor to;

identify a plurality of potential destinations for the aircraft;

calculate a merit for each of the plurality of potential destinations;

select a destination based upon the merit;

receive weather data associated with the route of the aircraft and at least one of terrain data or obstacle data, the weather data including at least one weather intensity characteristic, the terrain data including at least one terrain characteristic and the obstacle data including at least one obstacle characteristic;

create a first route from a current position of the aircraft to an approach fix associated with the destination, the route accounting for at least one of the terrain characteristics or the obstacle characteristics;

compare the at least one weather intensity characteristic to a predefined condition along the first route;

re-create the first route when the at least one weather intensity characteristic exceeds the predefined condition;

cause the aircraft to select and traverse one of the first route and the re-created route by actuating at least one of the engine or the aerodynamic control in accordance with the route, the re-created route traversed when the at least one weather intensity characteristic exceeds the predefined condition;

determine a final approach segment associated with the selected route;

identify at least one of the terrain characteristic or the obstacle characteristic associated with the final approach segment;

determine an adjusted final approach segment, the adjusted final approach segment accounting for the at least one of the terrain characteristic or the obstacle characteristic associated with the final approach segment; and

cause the aircraft to land at the destination utilizing at least one of the final approach segment or the adjusted final approach segment without requiring pilot intervention.

10. The aircraft autoland system as recited in claim 9, wherein the destination is a destination airport.

11. The aircraft autoland system as recited in claim 10, wherein calculate the merit for each destination further comprises:

calculate one or more runway merits, and calculate a total merit based upon the one or more runway merits; and

wherein the processor is further configured to select the destination airport based upon the total merit.

12. The aircraft autoland system as recited in claim 9, wherein the merit can comprise a positive or negative value corresponding to an optimal destination or a non-optimal destination, respectively, and wherein the non-optimal destination is selected when no optimal destinations are identified.

13. The aircraft autoland system as recited in claim 9, wherein the approach fix includes at least one of an initial approach fix, a final approach fix, a point from a published approach, or a visual approach fix.

14. The aircraft autoland system as recited in claim 9, wherein the processor is operable to execute the one or more modules to cause the processor to:

determine the aircraft has landed; and

in response to determining that the aircraft has landed, cause the engine to transition from an operational state to a non-operational state.

15. A process for autolanding an aircraft:

identifying a plurality of potential destinations for an aircraft;

calculating a merit for each of the plurality of potential destinations;

selecting a destination based upon the merit;

receiving weather data and at least one of terrain data or obstacle data, the weather data including at least one weather intensity characteristic, the terrain data including at least one terrain characteristic and the obstacle data including at least one obstacle characteristic;

creating a first route from a current position of the aircraft to an approach fix associated with the destination, the route accounting for at least one of the terrain characteristics or the obstacle characteristics;

comparing at least one weather intensity characteristic to a predefined condition along the first route;

re-creating the first route when the at least one weather intensity characteristic exceeds the predefined condition;

causing the aircraft to select and traverse one of the first route and the re-created route;

determining a final approach segment associated with the selected route;

identifying at least one of the terrain characteristic or the obstacle characteristic associated with the final approach segment;

determining an adjusted final approach segment, the adjusted final approach segment accounting for the at least one of the terrain characteristic or the obstacle characteristic associated with the final approach segment; and

causing the aircraft to land at the destination utilizing at least one of the final approach segment or the adjusted final approach segment without requiring pilot intervention.

16. The process as recited in claim 15, wherein the destination is a destination airport.

17. The process as recited in claim 16, wherein the at least one weather intensity characteristic represents a weather condition.

18. The process as recited in claim 16, wherein calculating the merit for each destination further comprises:

calculating one or more runway merits, and calculating a total merit based upon the one or more runway merits; and

wherein the processor is further configured to select the destination airport based upon the total merit.

19. The process as recited in claim 15, wherein the merit can comprise a positive or negative value corresponding to an optimal destination or a non-optimal destination, respectively, and wherein the non-optimal destination is selected when no optimal destinations are identified.

20. The process as recited in claim 15, wherein the approach fix includes at least one of an initial approach fix, a final approach fix, a point from a published approach, or a visual approach fix.