Flight management system for an aircraft

• US 20070150178A1
• Filed: 12/13/2006
• Published: 06/28/2007
• Est. Priority Date: 12/13/2005
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Thales SA
• Original Assignee: Thales SA
• Inventors: Fortier, Stephanie
• Granted Patent: US 7,797,102 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 701/206
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 5/0034 Assembly of a flight plan
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 5/0052 for cruising combined instruments indicating more than one navigational value G01C23/00

Abstract

A flight management system for an aircraft, for executing a flight plan comprising referenced waypoints comprising a start point, an end point and intermediate waypoints, the said aircraft having a specified fuel quantity at the start of the said flight plan, executes a function of monitoring the fuel consumption with respect to at least one threshold value. The function comprises an operation for estimating if the quantity of fuel remaining on board drops below a threshold at any point in the flight plan included between the start point and the end point, and inserts a corresponding pseudo-waypoint in the flight plan, corresponding to the point where the said threshold is passed. The inserted pseudo-point is displayed on screens for displaying the flight plan.

Claims

1. A flight management system configured for an aircraft, for executing a flight plan having referenced waypoints including:

a start point, an end point and intermediate waypoints, the aircraft having a specified fuel quantity at the start of the said flight plan, comprising the steps of;

executing a function of monitoring the fuel consumption with respect to at least one threshold value, the monitoring function comprising;

a threshold-passing estimation function, for estimating if the quantity of fuel remaining on board drops below at least the said threshold value using a threshold-passing estimation function at any point in the flight plan positioned in the said flight plan between the said start point and the said end point, and

an inserting unit function for inserting a pseudo-waypoint in the flight plan, corresponding to the point where the threshold is passed.

2. The system according to claim 1, wherein the monitoring function includes an operation of displaying the said pseudo-waypoint on the flight path of the flight plan with referenced waypoints, on screens displaying the flight plan.

3. The system according to claim 2, wherein the display of the pseudo-waypoint is carried out in the form of a specific corresponding marker that is distinctive in comparison with the markers of the said referenced waypoints.

4. The flight management system according to claim 1, wherein the monitoring function has a mode of automatic activation by an on-board computer, for a threshold value calculated by the computer according to the parameters of the flight plan and the fuel quantity.

5. The flight management system according to claim 4, wherein the threshold value calculated by the computer is equal to a reserve value for the flight plan, the display of a corresponding pseudo-point on a screen displaying the flight plan indicating that as from the corresponding position, the aircraft is using the reserve.

6. The flight management system according to claim 4, wherein the display of the pseudo-waypoint associated with the threshold value calculated by the computer is paired with at least one proposal to divert to a closer airport.

7. The flight management system according to claim 1, wherein the monitoring function comprises a mode with manual activation by a manual input of a threshold value.

8. The flight management system according to claim 7, wherein the manually entered threshold has a value determined in order to allow a monitoring of consumption fluctuation.

9. The flight management system according to claim 1, wherein the activation of the monitoring function with respect to a given threshold value comprises the execution of a first operation of estimation and of display of the position of a corresponding pseudo-waypoint, giving a first position, and one or more following estimation and display operations, in order to monitor the change in the position of the pseudo-point.

10. The flight management system according to claim 9, wherein the following estimation and display operations are each initiated by the modification of a flight parameter affecting the consumption.

11. The flight management system according to claim 2, wherein monitoring function has a mode of automatic activation by an on-board computer, for a threshold value calculated by the computer according to the parameters of the flight plan and the fuel quantity.

12. The flight management system according to claim 3, wherein monitoring function has a mode of automatic activation by an on-board computer, for a threshold value calculated by the computer according to the parameters of the flight plan and the fuel quantity.

13. The flight management system according to claim 5, wherein the display of the pseudo-waypoint associated with the threshold value calculated by the computer is paired with at least one proposal to divert to a closer airport.

14. The flight management system according to claim 2, wherein monitoring function comprises a mode with manual activation by a manual input of a threshold value.

15. The flight management system according to claim 3, wherein monitoring function comprises a mode with manual activation by a manual input of a threshold value.

16. The flight management system according to claim 4, wherein monitoring function comprises a mode with manual activation by a manual input of a threshold value.

17. The flight management system according to claim 5, wherein monitoring function comprises a mode with manual activation by a manual input of a threshold value.

18. The flight management system according to claim 6, wherein monitoring function comprises a mode with manual activation by a manual input of a threshold value.