Method for defining military refuel orbit

• US 20080154440A1
• Filed: 12/16/2005
• Published: 06/26/2008
• Est. Priority Date: 12/16/2005
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Honeywell International Inc.
• Original Assignee: Honeywell International Inc.
• Inventors: Carlton, Robert S.
• Application Number:
  US11/305,613
• Publication Number:
  US 20080154440A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 701/3
• CPC Class Codes: B64D 39/00 Refuelling during flight filling or emptying fuel tanks B64D37/14
• 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

Abstract

Defining military refuel orbit using unchanged commercial aircraft FMS capability includes uplinking military refuel orbits using an existing commercial FMS datalink function. Refuel orbits are defined as commercial NavDB STAR procedures using RF and TF legs. STAR procedures can also be stored within company routes. Company route names and STAR procedures are stored within a NavDB used in a military unique system. The military system creates a flight plan with custom, place/bearing/distance, place bearing place bearing, or latitude/longitude waypoints to define the military refuel pattern ARIP and ARCP. This is combined with the refuel orbit stored in the military NavDB as a STAR procedure or company route name to define a refuel pattern flight plan. The military system uplinks the flight plan using the existing commercial FMS datalink function. The FMS extracts the appropriate refuel orbit from the commercial FMS NavDB using the uplinked STAR procedure or company route name.

Claims

1. A method of providing a military refuel orbit to a commercial flight management system, the method comprising the steps of:

(a) defining, within a commercial flight management system, a plurality of refuel orbits to cover combinations of refuel orbit sizes;

(b) naming each of the plurality of refuel orbits;

(c) storing the named plurality of refuel orbits into a commercial flight management system navigation database;

(f) providing the named plurality of refuel orbits to a tactical flight management system navigation database;

(g) defining refuel pattern information within the tactical flight management system;

(h) calculating, within the tactical flight management system, a refuel orbit size based on the defined refuel pattern information;

(i) selecting a named refuel orbit from the provided named plurality of refuel orbits that closely matches the calculated refuel orbit size; and

(j) uplinking the selected named refuel orbit from the tactical flight management system to the commercial flight management system, wherein both the tactical flight management system and the commercial flight management system are within a single aircraft.

2. The method of claim 1 wherein the refuel pattern information comprises true airspeed and an air refueling initial point (ARIP) to air refueling control point (ARCP) drift.

3. The method of claim 1 wherein the step of calculating a refuel orbit size further comprises determining waypoints.

4. The method of claim 3 wherein the waypoints comprise an air refueling initial point (ARIP) and an air refueling control point (ARCP).

6. The method of claim 1 wherein the plurality of refuel orbits comprise uniquely named standard terminal arrival route (STAR) procedures.

7. The method of claim 6 wherein the STAR procedures comprise radius to a fix (RF) and track to a fix (TF) flight legs.

9. The method of claim 1 wherein the step of naming comprises providing a unique name to each company route.

10. The method of claim 1 further comprising the step of placing standard terminal arrival route (STAR) procedures into a company route in the commercial navigation database.

11. The method of claim 1 further comprising the step of assigning standard terminal arrival route (STAR) procedures to an airport in the commercial navigation database.

12. The method of claim 1 further comprising placing airport names, standard terminal arrival route (STAR) procedures, and company route names into the tactical flight management system navigation database.

15. The method of claim 1 further comprising the step of extracting a refuel orbit from a standard terminal arrival route (STAR) procedure or company route names stored in the tactical flight management system navigation database.

5. (canceled)

8. (canceled)

13. (canceled)

14. (canceled)

16. (canceled)

17. An apparatus for providing a refuel orbit to a commercial flight management system comprising:

a means for defining and naming, within the commercial flight management system, a plurality of refuel orbits;

a memory for storing a the named plurality of refuel orbits into a commercial navigation database;

a means for providing names of the named plurality of refuel orbits stored in the commercial navigation database to a tactical flight management system navigation database;

a means for providing names of the airports which the named plurality of refuel orbits are assigned to;

a means for providing refuel pattern information to a tactical flight management system;

a means for selecting a named refuel orbit from the named plurality of refuel orbits that closely matches the refuel pattern information; and

a transmitter and receiver for uplinking the selected named refuel orbit from the tactical flight management system to the commercial flight management system, wherein both the tactical flight management system and the commercial flight management system are on the aircraft.

18. The apparatus of claim 17 further comprising a means for formatting input and output data to interface the commercial flight management system with other military systems.