METHOD AND DEVICE TO ASSIST IN NAVIGATION IN AN AIRPORT SECTOR

• US 20080306638A1
• Filed: 06/06/2008
• Published: 12/11/2008
• Est. Priority Date: 06/08/2007
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Thales SA
• Original Assignee: Thales SA
• Inventors: Gutierrez-Castaneda, Manuel, Paris, Stephane
• Granted Patent: US 8,332,080 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 701/3
• CPC Class Codes: G01C 23/005 Flight directors indicating arrangements specially adapted for rotary gyroscopes G01C19/32
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 5/0065 for taking-off
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 5/025 Navigation or guidance aids radar or analogous systems specially adapted for landing purposes G01S13/913

Abstract

The invention relates to a method and device to assist in navigation in an airport sector. The inventive method and device make it possible to automatically calculate the points of intersection between the path of the flight plan and the zones having speed limitations all around an airport and calculate a speed profile conforming to these limitations. The inventive method and device also make it possible to use an automatic guidance automatically defining flight instructions corresponding to the calculated speed profile. Furthermore, the invention calculates predictions concerning the flight parameters.

Claims

1. A method to assist in navigation in an airport sector including an airport, said sector comprising zones having predefined contours, said zones being nested within each other so that each of said zones entirely contains the zones of smaller size, said zones containing said airport and being associated with speed limitations, each zone having a speed limitation lower than the speed limitations of the zones in which it is included, wherein it comprises the automatic calculation of a speed profile observing said speed limitations and comprising the following steps:

calculation of a lateral path of the flight plan,

calculation of the points of intersection between said path and the contours of said zones,

calculation of zone change points from said points of intersection,

calculation of speed change points from said zone change points.

2. The method to assist in navigation in an airport sector as claimed in claim 1, wherein said airport is the origin airport of the aircraft and said aircraft is in climbing phase, a zone change point representing the transition from a first zone to a second zone including said first zone and being the point of intersection between, on the one hand, the path and, on the other hand, the contour of said first zone, the most downstream on said path, corresponding to a definitive exit from said first zone.

3. The method to assist in navigation in an airport sector as claimed in claim 2, wherein the speed change points are acceleration start points and are placed at the zone change points.

4. The method to assist in navigation in an airport sector as claimed in claim 1, wherein said airport is the destination airport of the aircraft and said aircraft is in descent phase, a zone change point, representing the transition from a first zone to a second zone included in said first zone, being the point of intersection between, on the one hand, the path and, on the other hand, the contour of said second zone, the most upstream on said path, corresponding to a first entry into said second zone.

5. The method to assist in navigation in an airport sector as claimed in claim 4, wherein the speed change points are deceleration start points and are placed on the path upstream of the zone change points so as to form a deceleration segment.

6. The method to assist in navigation in an airport sector as claimed in claim 1, which also comprises a step for calculating flight parameters notably including speed, trim and thrust.

7. The method to assist in navigation in an airport sector as claimed in claim 1, which also comprises a step for calculating and displaying predictions of parameters associated with the flight profile such as fuel consumption, flight time and predicted speed at each characteristic point of the flight plan.

8. The method to assist in navigation in an airport sector as claimed in claim 1, wherein a speed limitation associated with a zone is a value defined by default.

9. The method to assist in navigation in an airport sector as claimed in claim 1, wherein a speed limitation associated with a zone is entered manually by the pilot.

10. The method to assist in navigation in an airport sector as claimed in claim 1, wherein the speed limitations associated with the zones are dependent on the performance characteristics of the aircraft.

11. The method to assist in navigation in an airport sector as claimed in claim 1, which also comprises an automatic guidance step defining a flight profile conforming to the calculated flight parameters.

12. The method to assist in navigation in an airport sector as claimed in claim 1, wherein it is used in flight.

13. The method to assist in navigation in an airport sector as claimed in claim 1, wherein it is used on the ground for mission preparation.

14. A device to assist in navigation in an airport sector implementing the method as claimed in claim 1, which comprises:

means for automatically calculating a speed profile conforming to said speed limitations and notably comprising the calculation of speed change points,

means for calculating flight parameters notably comprising speed, trim and thrust,

means for calculating predictions of parameters associated with the flight profile such as fuel consumption and flight time.

15. The device to assist in navigation in an airport sector as claimed in claim 14, wherein it also comprises means for selecting the type of speed limitation:

dependent on a limitation zone or dependent on an altitude.

16. The device to assist in navigation in an airport sector as claimed in claim 14, wherein it also comprises means for inputting and displaying a speed limitation.

17. The device to assist in navigation in an airport sector as claimed in claim 14, wherein it also comprises means for displaying speed limitation zones.

18. The device to assist in navigation in an airport sector as claimed in claim 14, wherein it also comprises means for guidance and it belongs to a flight management system FMS of an aircraft.

19. The device to assist in navigation in an airport sector as claimed in claim 14, wherein it belongs to equipment to assist in mission preparation.

20. The device to assist in navigation in an airport sector as claimed in claim 19, wherein it also comprises means of transmitting to a flight management system FMS.