AIRBORNE SYSTEM FOR PREVENTING COLLISIONS OF AN AIRCRAFT WITH THE TERRAIN

• US 20070265776A1
• Filed: 12/19/2006
• Published: 11/15/2007
• Est. Priority Date: 12/20/2005
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Thales SA
• Original Assignee: Thales SA
• Inventors: MEUNIER, Hugues, RICAUD, Denis
• Granted Patent: US 7,881,866 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 701/301
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 5/0021 located in the aircraft
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 5/0052 for cruising combined instruments indicating more than one navigational value G01C23/00
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 5/0086 for monitoring terrain radar or analogous systems specially adapted for terrain avoidance G01S13/935
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 5/045 Navigation or guidance aids, e.g. determination of anti-collision manoeuvers radar or analogous systems specially adapted for anti-collision between aircraft G01S13/933

Abstract

This Terrain Awareness and Warning System produces a new “Too Low Terrain” predictive alert of “Caution” type when the crew of the aircraft has the possibility of resolving a detected risk of collision with the terrain without interrupting the current maneuver to stabilize at a safety altitude by a leveling-off maneuver, without performing a vertical avoidance maneuver. To do this, it measures the ability of the airplane to avoid the terrain with a sufficient margin without performing a vertical avoidance maneuver, taking into account the location or locations of the penetration or penetrations of the terrain along an alert prober C as well as the capacity of the aircraft to level off knowing the flight conditions.

Claims

1. A system aboard an aircraft, for preventing collisions with the terrain comprising:

a detector of risk of collision of the terrain by likening a risk of collision of the terrain after a predetermined period of forecasting, to the penetration of a cartographic representation of the terrain overflown stored in a database accessible from the aircraft, into a deployment protection volume tied to the aircraft located with respect to the terrain overflown by means of an airborne locating equipment, oriented in the direction of progress of the aircraft, presenting a lower surface profile modeling a potential trajectory comprising, as first part, an extrapolation of the trajectory followed by the aircraft, predicted on the basis of the flight information, delivered by the flight equipments of the aircraft, as second part a model of a terrain avoidance maneuver trajectory engaged over the forecast period and, between the two parts, a transition trajectory, and

an alert generator producing alert messages on request of the collision risk detector,

locating means for pinpointing the locations of the penetrations of the cartographic representation of the terrain overflown, on the lower longitudinal profile of the protection volume, at the origin of the alert messages emitted by the alert generator, and

particularization means for particularizing the alert messages emitted by the alert generator as a function of the positioning along the lower longitudinal profile of the protection volume, of the penetration or penetrations of the cartographic representation of the terrain overflown, which are the cause thereof.

2. The system according to claim 1, wherein the particularization means match up an alert message of “

Caution”

type with the detection of a risk of collision of the terrain corresponding to one or more penetrations of the cartographic representation of the terrain overflown into the lower longitudinal profile of the protection volume, when one at least of the penetrations is situated at the level of the second part of the potential trajectory modeled by the lower longitudinal profile of the protection volume.

3. The system according to claim 1, wherein the particularization means match up an alert message of “

Too Low Terrain”

type with the detection of a risk of collision of the terrain corresponding to one or more penetrations of the cartographic representation of the terrain overflown into the lower longitudinal profile of the protection volume, when none of these penetrations are situated at the level of the second part of the potential trajectory modeled by the lower longitudinal profile of the protection volume.

4. The system according to claim 1, further comprising:

means of verification of the capacity of the aircraft, when it is descending, to regain, under the flight conditions at the time, a level flight trajectory complying with a safety altitude floor with respect to the terrain overflown.

5. The system according to claim 4, wherein, upon the detection of a risk of ground collision while the aircraft is descending and when the detection results from penetrations of the cartographic representation of the terrain overflown into the lower longitudinal profile of the protection volume outside of the second part of the modeled trajectory, the particularization means match up an alert message of “

Too Low Terrain”

type in the event of positive verification of the ability of the aircraft to regain a level flight trajectory complying with a safety floor by the verification and “

Caution”

type means in the converse case.

6. The system according to claim 1, further comprising means for testing the angle of vertical pivoting, about an origin tied to the aircraft, of the lower longitudinal profile of the protection volume, to eliminate a penetration of a cartographic representation of the terrain.

7. System according to claim 6, wherein, upon the detection of a risk of ground collision while the detection results from penetrations of the cartographic representation of the terrain into the lower longitudinal profile of the protection volume outside of the second part of the modeled trajectory, the particularization means match up an alert message of “

Too Low Terrain”

type accompanied by a directive to increase climb slope dependent on the angle of pivoting value provided by the test means.