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Terrain Avoidance System for Transport Aircraft

  • US 20080288169A1
  • Filed: 10/31/2006
  • Published: 11/20/2008
  • Est. Priority Date: 11/10/2005
  • Status: Active Grant
First Claim
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1. A system onboard an aircraft, for preventing collisions with the terrain likening a risk of collision with the terrain after a predetermined forecast delay to the penetration of a cartographic representation of the terrain being flown over, stored in a database accessible to the aircraft, into a protection volume linked to the aircraft located relative to the terrain being flown over by means of onboard locating equipment, oriented in the direction of progress of the aircraft and configured so as to model a standard terrain vertical avoidance maneuver path engaged over the forecast delay based on the path followed by the aircraft predicted from flight information delivered by aircraft flight equipment, assuming that the aircraft maintains its current speed vector with the same trend, if it is in the process of changing, said system comprising:

  • means for detecting the limit-point of success of a standard terrain vertical avoidance maneuver likening the crossing of this limit-point by the aircraft to the penetration of the terrain into a protection volume linked to the aircraft and configured so as to model a standard vertical avoidance maneuver path executed without notable delay, said path being predefined according to the aircraft type,means for determining azimuth disengagement sectors, either side of the direction of progress of the aircraft, suitable for the success of a standard terrain vertical avoidance maneuver likening the azimuth disengagement sectors to the azimuth sectors (a, b, c) free of penetration of the terrain into a protection volume with large azimuth aperture, linked to the aircraft and configured so as to contain the limit-point protection volume and, for the various azimuths covered, paths of a composite maneuver beginning with change-of-heading maneuvers with which to reach the azimuth concerned and continuing with the standard terrain vertical avoidance maneuver, said paths being, over their parts corresponding to the standard vertical avoidance maneuver, predefined according to the aircraft type,means for signaling the crossing of the limit-point of success of the standard terrain vertical avoidance maneuver, andmeans for signaling azimuth disengagement sectors.

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