Automatic flight controller, aircraft cockpit, method for operating and automatic flight controller and computer program

• US 10,252,814 B2
• Filed: 06/13/2017
• Issued: 04/09/2019
• Est. Priority Date: 06/14/2016
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Deutsches Zentrum Fuer Luft- Und Raumfahrt E.V.
• Original Assignee: Deutsches Zentrum Fuer Luft- Und Raumfahrt E.V.
• Inventors: Rudolph, Michael, Wies, Matthias
• Primary Examiner(s): Sheng, Tom V
• Application Number:
  US15/621,050
• Publication Number:
  US 20170355467A1
• Time in Patent Office: 665 Days
• CPC Class Codes: B64C 13/18 using automatic pilot
• 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 45/00 Aircraft indicators or protectors not otherwise provided for camouflage F41H3/00
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/1423 controlling a plurality of local displays, e.g. CRT and flat panel display
• CPC Class Codes: G09G 2380/12 Avionics applications

Abstract

The invention concerns an automatic flight controller with operating elements, by means of which target settings of the automatic flight controller can be set by an operator, and with display elements for data display, wherein the display elements comprise at least two mutually separate displays that are disposed on the front, for example a front panel, of the automatic flight controller, wherein

• a) the at least two mutually separate displays are high resolution graphical displays and/or
• b) the automatic flight controller is designed to display all operating mode awareness-relevant parameters of the automatic flight controller on one or more of the at least two mutually separate displays of the automatic flight controller.

The invention further concerns an aircraft cockpit with such an automatic flight controller as well as a method for operating a flight controller. The invention also concerns a computer program for carrying out the method.

Claims

1. An automatic flight controller, comprising:

operating elements for setting target settings;

display elements for data display, wherein the display elements comprise at least two mutually separate displays that are disposed on a front of the automatic flight controller,

wherein the automatic flight controller is configured to display one, several or all of the following mode awareness-relevant parameters on one or more of the at least two mutually separate displays of the automatic flight controller;

a) transition conditions between operating modes of the automatic flight controller,

b) control behavior of the automatic flight controller for achieving set target values,

c) available interactions of a selected operating mode of the automatic flight controller with other operating modes of the automatic flight controller that are selectable,

wherein the automatic flight controller is configured to display at least one of the operating mode awareness-relevant parameters in different regions of a single display element depending on whether a displayed value of said at least one operating mode awareness-relevant parameter was determined by human pilot input or automatically determined by a programmed flying route.

2. The automatic flight controller according to claim 1, wherein the operating elements comprise at least one display operating element, by the actuation of which at least some display contents of a display of the at least two mutually separate displays can be moved to another display of the at least two mutually separate displays-f.

3. The automatic flight controller according to claim 1, wherein the at least two mutually separate displays each comprise an image diagonal of at least 4 inches.

4. The automatic flight controller of claim 1, wherein the operating modes comprise one or more of an autothrust (A/THR) mode, vertical Flight Directors and Autopilots (vertical FD/AP) mode, and lateral Flight Directors and Autopilots (lateral FD/AP) mode.

5. The automatic flight controller of claim 1, wherein the transition conditions comprise different symbols which visually differentiate between an automatic transition performed by the automatic flight controller and a manual transition performed by the human pilot.

6. The automatic flight controller of claim 1, wherein the set target values comprise values for one or more of speed, thrust, altitude, vertical speed, flight path angle, course and bank angle.

7. The automatic flight controller of claim 6, wherein the control behavior for achieving the set target values comprises at least one of,

for an A/THR operating mode, accelerating, maintaining speed, or decelerating;

for a vertical FD/AP operating mode, climbing, maintaining altitude, or descending;

or

for a lateral FD/AP operating mode, turning left, maintaining course, or turning right.

8. The automatic flight controller of claim 1, wherein the available interactions comprise indication of which operating modes are active simultaneously or which operating modes are available to be selected to be active simultaneously.

9. Aircraft cockpit with at least one automatic flight controller, wherein the at least one automatic flight controller comprises

operating elements for setting target settings;

display elements for data display, wherein the display elements comprise at least two mutually separate displays that are disposed on a front of the automatic flight controller,

wherein the automatic flight controller is configured designed to display one, several or all of the following mode awareness-relevant parameters set forth below on one or more of the at least two mutually separate displays of the automatic flight controller;

transition conditions between operating modes of the automatic flight controller,

control behavior of the automatic flight controller for achieving set target values,

available interactions of a selected operating mode of the automatic flight controller with other operating modes of the automatic flight controller that are selectable,

wherein the automatic flight controller is configured to display at least one of the operating mode awareness-relevant parameters in different regions of a single display element depending on whether a displayed value of said at least one operating mode awareness-relevant parameter was determined by human pilot input or automatically determined by a programmed flying route.

10. The aircraft cockpit according to claim 9, wherein the at least one automatic flight controller is integrated at least in part within a glare shield of the aircraft cockpit.

11. A method for operating an automatic flight controller, wherein information about an operating mode of the automatic flight controller is displayed on at least one image display device in an aircraft cockpit in order to bring about a mode awareness of a pilot for safe operation of an aircraft with the automatic flight controller activated, comprising the step of displaying one, several or all of the following mode awareness-relevant parameters on the at least one image display device:

a) transition conditions between operating modes of the automatic flight controller,

b) control behavior of the automatic flight controller for achieving set target values,

c) available interactions of a selected operating mode of the automatic flight controller with other operating modes of the automatic flight controller that are selectable,

wherein the displaying step displays at least one of the operating mode awareness-relevant parameters in different regions of the at least one image display device depending on whether a displayed value of said at least one operating mode awareness-relevant parameter was determined by human pilot input or automatically determined by a programmed flying route.

12. The method according to claim 11, wherein at least one display element of the automatic flight controller is used as the at least one image display device on which the one, several or all of the mode awareness-relevant parameters are displayed.

13. The method according to claim 11, wherein all mode awareness-relevant parameters are displayed on one or more display elements of the at least one image display device.

14. The method of claim 11, further comprising actuating at least one display operating element of the automatic flight controller to preview one or more of the mode awareness-relevant parameters.

15. The method according to claim 14, wherein by actuating the at least one display operating element of the automatic flight controller, at least some display contents of a display element of the automatic flight controller are moved to another display element of the automatic flight controller.

16. The method according to claim 11, wherein at least one of the mode awareness-relevant parameters is displayed at different fixed positions on the at least one image display device (depending on whether a flying state of the aircraft changes positively, changes negatively or remains the same for the at least one mode awareness-relevant parameter.

17. The method according to claim 11, wherein at least one of the mode awareness-relevant parameters is displayed at different fixed positions of the at least one image display device depending on whether a target value associated with at least one of the mode awareness-relevant parameters has been determined by the pilot or automatically based on a programmed flying route.

18. The method according to claim 11, wherein at least one of the mode awareness-relevant parameters is displayed in different colors on the at least one image display device depending on whether current values or future predicted values of said parameter are being displayed.

19. The method according to claim 11, further comprising actuating at least one display operating element of the automatic flight controller to display predicted values of at least one of the mode awareness-relevant parameters on the at least one image display device.

20. The method according to claim 11, wherein by actuating the at least one display operating element of the automatic flight controller the predicted values can be switched back and forth between different preview levels.

21. A computer program product for operating an automatic flight controller, the computer program product comprising a computer readable storage medium having program code embodied therewith, the program code being executable by a computer to cause the computer to perform the method according to claim 11.