System For Piloting an Aircraft, at Least For Piloting the Aircraft During an Autonomous Approach For the Purpose of Landing

• US 20080319591A1
• Filed: 01/10/2007
• Published: 12/25/2008
• Est. Priority Date: 01/11/2006
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Airbus Operations SAS (Airbus SE)
• Original Assignee: Airbus France
• Inventors: Markiton, Vincent, Renault, Edith, Laine, Franck
• Granted Patent: US 9,587,960 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 701/14
• 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
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 19/15 Aircraft landing systems
• CPC Class Codes: G05D 1/0676 specially adapted for landing
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 5/025 Navigation or guidance aids radar or analogous systems specially adapted for landing purposes G01S13/913

Abstract

System for piloting an aircraft, at least for piloting the aircraft during an autonomous approach for the purpose of landing. The piloting system (1) comprises a flight guidance computer (10) which comprises a means (11) for computing directly with the aid of a position indication and of information characterizing a virtual approach axis, linear deviations, and a means (13) for computing, with the aid of said linear deviations, piloting instructions for the aircraft.

Claims

1-6. -6. (canceled)

7. A system for piloting an aircraft, at least for piloting the aircraft during an autonomous approach for the purpose of landing, said piloting system (1) comprising at least:

information sources (2) which provide at least one position indication relating to the actual three-dimensional position of the aircraft and information making it possible to characterize a virtual approach axis; and

processing means (3) which process information arising from said information sources (2), which are capable of determining deviations between the actual position of the aircraft and the position that it would have if it were on said virtual approach axis, and which use the results of these processings,

wherein said processing means (3) form part of a flight guidance computer (10) which comprises;

a first calculation means (11) for directly calculating with the aid of said position indication and of said information characterizing the virtual approach axis, linear deviations between the actual position of the aircraft and said virtual approach axis;

a second calculation means (12) for directly calculating with the aid of said position indication and of said information characterizing the virtual approach axis, lateral and vertical angular deviations between the actual position of the aircraft and the position that it would have if it were on said virtual approach axis; and

a third calculation means (13) for calculating, with the aid of the linear deviations calculated by said first calculation means (11), aircraft piloting setpoints.

8. The piloting system as claimed in claim 7, wherein said information sources (2) comprise a flight management computer (4) which is associated with a database (6) containing at least said information making it possible to characterize said virtual approach axis.

9. The piloting system as claimed in claim 7, wherein said information sources (2) comprise a positioning system (8) making it possible to determine the actual three-dimensional position of the aircraft, solely with the aid of onboard means.

10. The piloting system as claimed in claim 7, wherein it comprises, moreover, at least one piloting aid means (16) which is connected to said flight guidance computer (10) and which uses said guidance setpoints to aid in guiding the aircraft.

11. The piloting system as claimed in claim 7, wherein it comprises, moreover, auxiliary means (20, 21) which are connected to said flight guidance computer (10) and which use said lateral and vertical angular deviations.

12. An aircraft, wherein it comprises a piloting system (1) such as that specified under claim 7.