Method and system for aiding the ground rolling of an aircraft

• US 10,217,372 B2
• Filed: 01/15/2016
• Issued: 02/26/2019
• Est. Priority Date: 01/20/2015
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Airbus Operations SAS (Airbus SE)
• Original Assignee: Airbus Operations SAS (Airbus SE)
• Inventors: Lefez, Thibault, Scacchi, Pierre, Laplace, Olivier
• Primary Examiner(s): Parikh, Dakshesh D
• Application Number:
  US15/544,599
• Publication Number:
  US 20170372626A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,138 Days
• Field of Search: None
• CPC Class Codes: B64D 43/00 Arrangements or adaptations of instruments arrangements of cameras B64D47/08; aeronautical measuring instruments per se G01C
• CPC Class Codes: B64D 47/08 Arrangements of cameras
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 11/60 Editing figures and text; Combining figures or text
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 5/0021 located in the aircraft
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 5/065 Navigation or guidance aids, e.g. for taxiing or rolling
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 7/181 for receiving images from a plurality of remote sources

Abstract

In an aircraft comprising a cockpit comprising a display screen, a camera configured to acquire images of the environment of the aircraft, as well as a display management system, a ground rolling aid system configured so as to a) acquire several successive images of the environment of the aircraft via the camera, corresponding to various ground positions of the aircraft, b) modify these images by removing at least zones corresponding to the aircraft, so as to produce modified images, c) combine several of the modified images to produce a recomposed image, d) superpose an image characteristic of the aircraft on the recomposed image so as to produce a reference image, and e) display, on the cockpit display screen, an image corresponding to the reference image.

Claims

1. A method for assisting in the taxiing of an aircraft on the ground, this aircraft comprising:

a cockpit comprising a display screen,

a camera configured to acquire images of the environment of the aircraft from a first point of view; and

a display management system configured to display images on the display screen of the cockpit according to images acquired by the camera,

said method comprising the following step;

a) acquiring several successive images of the environment of the aircraft by means of said camera, during a displacement of the aircraft on the ground, these images corresponding to different positions of the aircraft on the ground, and

comprising the following steps implemented by the display management system;

b) modifying said images by subtracting from said images at least areas corresponding to the aircraft, to produce modified images;

c) combining several of said modified images to produce a recomposed image;

d) obtaining information relating to a current position of the aircraft and superposing a characteristic image of the aircraft on the recomposed image to produce a first reference image in relation to the current position of the aircraft obtained from the information;

d1) applying a transformation of the first reference image so as to produce a second reference image according to a second point of view, the second point of view different than the first point of view; and

e) displaying, on the screen of the cockpit, an image corresponding to the first or the second reference image,

wherein the second point of view corresponds to one out of the following points of view;

a point of view corresponding to a plan view of the aircraft; and

an intermediate point of view between the first point of view and the point of view corresponding to the plan view of the aircraft.

2. The method as claimed in claim 1, further comprising an additional step, after step a) or step b), of transforming the images according to a point of view corresponding to a plan view of the aircraft.

3. The method as claimed in claim 1, wherein, in step c), the images are combined by matching characteristic elements common to several of said images.

4. The method as claimed in claim 1, wherein, in step c), the images are combined by taking into account positions of the aircraft on the ground corresponding to these images.

5. The method as claimed in claim 1, wherein, in step d), the characteristic image of the aircraft comprises at least one of the following elements:

an outline of the aircraft; and

symbols representative of landing gear of the aircraft.

6. The method as claimed in claim 1, wherein the particular point of view varies as a function of a taxiing speed of the aircraft on the ground.

7. The method as claimed in claim 1, further comprising the following step after step d):

d2) extracting, from the first reference image, a part to be displayed of the reference image, and,

in step e), using as image corresponding to the reference image the image extracted in step d2.

8. A system for assisting in the taxiing of an aircraft on the ground, the aircraft comprising:

a cockpit comprising a display screen,

a camera configured to acquire images of the environment of the aircraft from a first point of view; and

a display management system configured to display images on the display screen of the cockpit according to images acquired by the camera,

the system for assisting in the taxiing on the ground being configured to;

a) acquire several successive images of the environment of the aircraft by means of said camera, during a displacement of the aircraft on the ground, these images corresponding to different positions of the aircraft on the ground, and

the display management system configured to;

b) modify said images by subtracting from said images at least areas corresponding to the aircraft, to produce modified images;

c) combining several of said modified images to produce a recomposed image;

d) obtaining information relating to a current position of the aircraft and superposing a characteristic image of the aircraft on the recomposed image to produce a first reference image in relation to the current position of the aircraft obtained from the information;

d1) applying a transformation of the first reference image so as to produce a second reference image according to a second point of view, the second point of view different than the first point of view; and

e) displaying, on the screen of the cockpit, an image corresponding to the first or second reference image,

wherein the second point of view corresponds to one out of the following points of view;

a point of view corresponding to a plan view of the aircraft; and

an intermediate point of view between the first point of view and the point of view corresponding to the plan view of the aircraft.

9. An aircraft comprising:

a cockpit comprising a display screen,

a camera configured to acquire images of the environment of the aircraft,

a display management system configured to display images on the display screen of the cockpit according to images acquired by the camera, and

a system for assisting in the taxiing on the ground as claimed in claim 8.