Methods and systems for safe landing at a diversion airport

• US 10,304,344 B2
• Filed: 02/09/2016
• Issued: 05/28/2019
• Est. Priority Date: 02/09/2016
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Honeywell/Ifl Patent Services
• Original Assignee: Honeywell International Inc.
• Inventors: Moravek, Zdenek, Kunes, David, Magula, Filip, Sosovicka, Robert, Sprinarova, Katerina
• Primary Examiner(s): To, Tuan C
• Application Number:
  US15/019,650
• Publication Number:
  US 20170229024A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,204 Days
• CPC Class Codes: G01C 21/20 Instruments for performing navigational calculations G01C21/24, G01C21/26 take precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G01C 23/00 Combined instruments indicating more than one navigational value, e.g. for aircraft; Combined measuring devices for measuring two or more variables of movement, e.g. distance, speed or acceleration
• 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 5/0047 Navigation or guidance aids for a single aircraft details of equipment G08G5/0017
• 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 5/025 Navigation or guidance aids radar or analogous systems specially adapted for landing purposes G01S13/913

Abstract

Methods and systems are provided for generating a route that facilitates navigating a vehicle to a diversion destination while satisfying applicable safety thresholds or other constraints, such as a maximum landing weight. One exemplary method of facilitating an aircraft landing at a diversion airport involves obtaining a current position of the aircraft, identifying a landing threshold influenced by a characteristic of the aircraft, obtaining one or more constraints associating with diverting to the diversion airport, and determining a route from the current position to the diversion airport based at least in part on the landing threshold and the one or more constraints. The route satisfies the constraints and results in a predicted value for the aircraft, e.g., a predicted aircraft landing weight, that satisfies the landing threshold. A graphical representation of the route is displayed on a display device onboard the aircraft.

Claims

1. A system comprising:

a display device to display a map associated with a vehicle;

an input device to obtain one or more constraints for diverting the vehicle;

a meteorological system to provide meteorological information; and

a second system onboard the vehicle to provide a current value for a vehicle characteristic, wherein the vehicle characteristic comprises a weight of the vehicle or a fuel remaining onboard the vehicle; and

a processing system coupled to the meteorological system, the second system, the display device and the input device to;

determine a route from a current position of the vehicle to a diversion destination based at least in part on a safety threshold for accessing the diversion destination and the one or more constraints, wherein;

the route satisfies the one or more constraints and results in a predicted value for the vehicle characteristic satisfying the safety threshold at the diversion destination; and

the predicted value for the vehicle characteristic is determined based at least in part on the current value, the route, and the meteorological information corresponding to the route; and

display a graphical representation of the route on the map.

2. The system of claim 1, wherein:

the vehicle comprises an aircraft;

the safety threshold comprises a maximum safe landing weight for the aircraft;

the processing system determines the predicted value for a fuel remaining onboard the aircraft based at least in part on a current amount of fuel remaining onboard the aircraft; and

the processing system determines the route by iteratively adjusting one or more points along the route until the predicted value for the fuel remaining onboard the aircraft results in a predicted landing weight for the aircraft satisfying the maximum safe landing weight.

3. A method of facilitating an aircraft landing at a diversion airport, the method comprising:

obtaining a current position of the aircraft;

identifying a landing threshold influenced by a characteristic of the aircraft, wherein the characteristic comprises an aircraft weight or a fuel remaining onboard the aircraft;

obtaining a current value for the characteristic of the aircraft;

obtaining one or more constraints associating with diverting to the diversion airport;

determining a route from the current position to the diversion airport based at least in part on the landing threshold and the one or more constraints, wherein the route satisfies the one or more constraints;

obtaining meteorological information corresponding to points along the route;

determining a predicted value for the aircraft based on at least in part on the current value and the meteorological information corresponding to the points along the route, wherein determining the route comprises iteratively adjusting one or more of the points along the route until the predicted value for the aircraft satisfies the landing threshold; and

displaying a graphical representation of the route on a display device.

4. The method of claim 3, further comprising identifying a viable route region comprising a plurality of navigational reference points satisfying the one or more constraints, wherein determining the route comprises identifying a sequence of navigational reference points of the plurality within the viable route region resulting in the predicted value for the aircraft satisfying the landing threshold.

5. The method of claim 4, wherein identifying the sequence comprises:

determining an initial sequence of navigational reference points of the plurality, the initial sequence defining a path from the current position to the diversion airport; and

iteratively adjusting one or more of the navigational reference points of the initial sequence until the predicted value satisfies the landing threshold.

6. The method of claim 5, wherein determining the initial sequence of navigational reference points comprises identifying the initial sequence of navigational reference points of the plurality having one of a minimum estimated flight time or a minimum distance from among potential sequences of navigational reference points of the plurality.

7. The method of claim 5, wherein determining the initial sequence of navigational reference points comprises identifying the initial sequence of navigational reference points of the plurality corresponding to a geometric mean path between the current position and the diversion airport through the viable route region.

8. The method of claim 5, wherein determining the initial sequence of navigational reference points comprises:

identifying an initial navigational reference point of the initial sequence based on a fuel consumption associated with a segment between the current position and the initial navigational reference point being greater than fuel consumption associated with respective segments between the current position and other navigational reference points of the plurality; and

identifying remaining navigational reference points of the initial sequence defining a direct route from the initial navigational reference point to the diversion airport.

9. The method of claim 8, wherein:

iteratively adjusting one or more of the navigational reference points comprises;

identifying a second navigational reference point of an updated sequence comprising the initial navigational reference point based on a second fuel consumption associated with a second segment between the initial navigational reference point and the second navigational reference point being greater than fuel consumption associated with respective segments between the initial navigational reference point and other navigational reference points of the plurality; and

identifying remaining navigational reference points of the updated sequence that define a second direct route from the second navigational reference point to the diversion airport; and

displaying the graphical representation of the route comprises graphically indicating the segment between the current position and the initial navigational reference point, the second segment between the initial navigational reference point and the second navigational reference point, and segments corresponding to the second direct route from the second navigational reference point to the diversion airport.

10. The method of claim 5, the characteristic comprising an amount of fuel onboard the aircraft, wherein iteratively adjusting one or more of the navigational reference points of the initial sequence comprises iteratively adjusting the one or more of the navigational reference points in a manner configured to increase fuel consumption.

11. The method of claim 3, wherein:

obtaining the one or more constraints comprises obtaining an allowable distance from one of the diversion airport of a direct path to the diversion airport; and

a path defined by the route is maintained within the allowable distance.

12. The method of claim 3, further comprising displaying a map on the display device, wherein the map includes a graphical representation of the aircraft at the current position, a graphical representation of the diversion airport, and the graphical representation of the route.

13. A computer-readable medium having computer-executable instructions stored thereon that, when executed by a processing system coupled to the display device, cause the processing system to perform the method of claim 3.

14. A method The method of claim 3, further comprising:

generating a viable route region comprising a plurality of navigational reference points between the aircraft and the diversion destination based at least in part on the one or more constraints, wherein determining the route comprises;

initially determining the route using the viable route region;

determining the predicted value based at least in part on the current value for the characteristic and the route; and

iteratively adjusting one or more points of the route until the predicted value satisfies the threshold.

15. The method of claim 14, further comprising:

correlating the meteorological information to the plurality of navigational reference points, wherein determining the predicted value comprises determining the predicted value based at least in part on the current value, the route, and the meteorological information correlated to points of the route.

16. A system comprising:

a display device to display a map associated with an aircraft;

an input device to obtain one or more constraints for diverting the aircraft; and

a processing system coupled to the display device and the input device to;

determine a route from a current position of the aircraft to a diversion destination based at least in part on a maximum safe landing weight for accessing the diversion destination and the one or more constraints, wherein;

the route satisfies the one or more constraints and results in a predicted value for a fuel remaining onboard the aircraft satisfying the maximum safe landing weight at the diversion destination;

the predicted value for the fuel remaining is determined based at least in part on a current amount of fuel remaining onboard the aircraft; and

the route is determined by iteratively adjusting one or more points along the route until the predicted value for the fuel remaining onboard the aircraft results in a predicted landing weight for the aircraft satisfying the maximum safe landing weight; and

display a graphical representation of the route on the map.