THE DETERMINATION OF RUNWAY LANDING CONDITIONS

• US 20080030073A1
• Filed: 08/02/2006
• Published: 02/07/2008
• Est. Priority Date: 08/02/2006
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: The Boeing Co.
• Original Assignee: The Boeing Co.
• Inventors: Goodman, William L., Shafaat, Syed T., Imrich, Thomas
• Granted Patent: US 7,586,422 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 303/191
• CPC Class Codes: B60T 8/1703 for aircrafts
• CPC Class Codes: B60T 8/172 Determining control parameters used in the regulation, e.g. by calculations involving measured or detected parameters B60T8/17551 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: B64C 25/426 Braking devices providing an automatic sequence of braking
• 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

The invention discloses differing embodiments of methods, aircraft, and apparatus for determining the landing conditions of a runway. In one embodiment, braking data may be collected from an aircraft which has landed on the runway; a braking performance measurement of the aircraft may be calculated based on the braking data; and a normalized braking performance measurement may be determined based on the braking performance measurement. The invention may be utilized to predict the expected braking performance of various types of aircraft on the runway. The invention may provide landing performance information to a broad host of users, and/or may be used as a basis for the development of a new aviation standard for the reporting of runway braking action.

Claims

1. A method for determining the braking conditions for a runway comprising:

collecting braking data from an aircraft which has landed on the runway;

calculating a braking performance measurement of the aircraft based on said braking data; and

determining a normalized braking performance measurement based on said braking performance measurement of said aircraft.

2. The method of claim 1 wherein said normalized braking performance measurement represents an expected braking performance of a standard aircraft on said runway.

3. The method of claim 1 further comprising the step of displaying on said aircraft at least one of said braking performance measurement and said normalized braking performance measurement.

4. The method of claim 3 further comprising the step of communicating at least one of said braking performance measurement and said normalized braking performance measurement to at least one of air traffic control and other users of this information in order to evaluate braking conditions.

5. The method of claim 1 wherein said braking data comprises an initial touch-down runway location of the aircraft, an initial aircraft velocity at said initial touch-down runway location, a final runway location of the aircraft, and a final aircraft velocity at said final runway location.

6. The method of claim 5 wherein said final runway location comprises at least one of a location where said aircraft is ready to taxi off said runway, a pre-determined location on said runway, and a location where said aircraft is stopped.

7. The method of claim 6 wherein said pre-determined location on said runway is based, at least in part, on a length of said runway.

8. The method of claim 1 wherein the method utilizes an apparatus on the aircraft.

9. The method of claim 8 wherein said aircraft apparatus comprises an aircraft auto-braking apparatus.

10. The method of claim 8 wherein said aircraft apparatus comprises one or more computers on said aircraft.

11. The method of claim 1 wherein the step of calculating said braking performance measurement of the aircraft based on said braking data comprises calculating at least one runway deceleration measurement of the landed aircraft.

12. The method of claim 1 wherein the step of determining said normalized braking performance measurement based on said braking performance measurement of said aircraft comprises taking into account at least one of wind speed, wind direction, a weight of the aircraft, a type of the aircraft, air temperatures configuration of the aircraft, Minimum Equipment List conditions, thrust reverse conditions, non-normal conditions, initial aircraft velocity at an initial touch-down runway location, and final aircraft velocity at a final runway location.

13. The method of claim 1 wherein said normalized braking performance measurement represents the normalization of a deceleration rate of the aircraft on the runway.

14. The method of claim 2 wherein said standard aircraft represents a generic, non-descript aircraft.

15. The method of claim 1 wherein said normalized braking performance measurement represents the expected braking performance of a standard aircraft on a standard day on said runway.

16. The method of claim 15 wherein said standard day represents a day with normal landing conditions.

17. The method of claim 1 further comprising the step of determining an expected braking performance of a particular type of aircraft on said runway based on said normalized braking performance measurement.

18. The method of claim 1 further comprising the step of preparing a dynamic display showing at least one of said braking performance measurement and said normalized braking performance measurement at particular locations over the runway.

19. The method of claim 18 wherein the dynamic display shows, for multiple landed aircraft, at least one of said braking performance measurement and said normalized braking performance measurement at said particular locations over the runway for each of said aircraft.

20. The method of claim 1 further comprising the step of assigning a minimum standard sustainable deceleration rate for continued operation of said runway in hazardous weather conditions.

21. The method of claim 20 further comprising the step of determining whether the runway should be shut down due to hazardous conditions by comparing at least one of said braking performance measurement and said normalized braking performance measurement to said minimum standard sustainable deceleration rate.

22. A landed aircraft on a runway wherein during the landing of said aircraft, braking data was collected, a braking performance measurement of the aircraft was calculated based on said braking data, and a normalized braking performance measurement was determined based on said braking performance measurement of said aircraft.

23. The landed aircraft of claim 22 wherein said normalized braking performance measurement represents an expected braking performance of a standard aircraft on said runway.

24. The landed aircraft of claim 22 wherein said braking data comprised an initial touch-down runway location of the aircraft, an initial aircraft velocity at said initial touch-down runway location, a final runway location of the aircraft, and a final aircraft velocity at said final runway location.

25. The landed aircraft of claim 22 wherein the landed aircraft utilized an apparatus on the aircraft to at least one of collect said braking data, calculate said braking performance measurement, and determine said normalized braking performance measurement.

26. The landed aircraft of claim 25 wherein said aircraft apparatus comprised an aircraft auto-braking apparatus.

27. The landed aircraft of claim 22 wherein said normalized braking performance measurement was determined based on said braking performance measurement of said aircraft taking into account at least one of wind speed, wind direction, a weight of the aircraft, a type of the aircraft, air temperature, aircraft configuration, Minimum Equipment List conditions, thrust reverse conditions, non-normal conditions, initial aircraft velocity at an initial touch-down runway location, and final aircraft velocity at a final runway location.

28. An apparatus for aircraft which collects aircraft braking data, calculates aircraft braking performance measurements, and determines normalized braking performance measurements based on calculated aircraft braking performance measurements.

29. The apparatus of claim 28 wherein said normalized braking performance measurements represent expected braking performance of standard aircraft on a runway.

30. The apparatus of claim 28 wherein said braking data comprises initial touch-down runway locations of aircraft, initial aircraft velocities at said initial touch-down runway locations, final runway locations of aircraft, and final aircraft velocities at said final runway locations.

31. The apparatus of claim 28 wherein said apparatus comprises an aircraft auto-braking apparatus.

32. The apparatus of claim 28 wherein the determination of normalized braking performance measurements is based on the braking performance measurements taking into account at least one of wind speed, wind direction, weight of aircraft, type of aircraft, air temperature, aircraft configuration, Minimum Equipment List conditions, thrust reverse conditions non-normal conditions, initial aircraft velocities at initial touch-down runway locations, and final aircraft velocities at final runway locations.

33. The apparatus of claim 28 wherein said apparatus comprises one or more computers.