SYSTEM AND METHOD FOR GENERATING FLYABLE PATHS FOR AN AIRCRAFT

• US 20090005967A1
• Filed: 08/16/2006
• Published: 01/01/2009
• Est. Priority Date: 08/16/2006
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Honeywell International Inc.
• Original Assignee: Honeywell International Inc.
• Inventors: Rumbo, Jim R., Seastrand, Michael R., Haberstock, James K.
• Granted Patent: US 7,487,039 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 701/202
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 5/0034 Assembly of a flight plan

Abstract

A system and method are provided for generating a flight plan between an initial position and a destination. An input device is configured to receive inputs related to the destination; a memory configured to store data related to the destination; and a processor is configured to retrieve data from the memory and to generate the flight plan from the initial position to the destination. The flight plan includes a plurality of legs and an initial plurality of transitions between the legs. The processor is further configured to determine whether each of the initial plurality of transitions between the legs are flyable and to provide a flyable transition between the legs if the transition is not flyable.

Claims

1. (canceled)

5. A system for generating a flight plan between an initial position and a destination, the system comprising:

an input device configured to receive inputs related to the destination;

a memory configured to store data related to the destination; and

a processor configured to retrieve data from the memory and to generate the flight plan from the initial position to the destination, wherein the flight plan includes a plurality of legs and an initial plurality of transitions between the legs,

wherein the processor is further configured to determine whether each of the initial plurality of transitions between the legs is physically flyable and to provide a physically flyable transition between the legs if the transition is physically unflyable,

wherein the processor is configured to initially generate the plurality of transitions as single curve transitions,

wherein the processor is configured to determine whether the single curve transitions are physically flyable, and

wherein the process replaces any physically unflyable, single curve transition with a continuous path transition,

wherein the physically unflyable transition includes at least one of

at least one turn that is physically unflyable and

a discontinuity,

wherein the at least one continuous path transition is one of a long transition and a short transition,

wherein the long transition is selected from a group of six long transitions, and

wherein the short transition is selected from a group of seven short transitions,

wherein one of the plurality of legs is a first leg and a subsequent leg is a second leg, and wherein the group of seven short transitions includes

a case one short transition that includes a first turn in a first direction, a second turn in a second direction, and a straight segment between the first and second turns,

a case two short transition that includes a first turn in the first direction and the second turn in a second direction,

a case three short transition that includes a first turn in the second direction, a second turn in the second direction, and a straight segment between the first and second turns,

a case four short transition that includes a first turn in the second direction,

a case five short transition that includes a first turn in the second direction that overshoots the second leg, a second turn in the first direction, and a straight segment between the first and second turns,

a case six short transition that includes a first turn in the second direction that overshoots a second leg and a second turn in the first direction, and

a case seven short transition that includes a single straight segment.

6. The system of claim 5, wherein the group of six long transitions includes

a case one long transition that includes a first looped turn in a first direction, a second turn in a second direction, and a straight segment between the first and second turns,

a case two long transition that includes a first looped turn in the first direction that overshoots the second leg, and a second turn in the second direction,

a case three long transition that includes a first looped turn in the second direction, a second turn in the second direction, and a straight segment between the first and second turns,

a case four long transition that includes a first turn in the second direction and a second turn in the second direction,

a case five long transition that includes a first looped turn in the second direction that overshoots the second leg, a second turn in the first direction, and a straight segment between the first and second turns,

a case six long transition that includes a first looped turn in the second direction that overshoots the second leg and a second turn in the first direction.

11. (canceled)

12. (canceled)

14. (canceled)

16. A method for generating a flight plan between an initial position and a destination, the flight plan having a plurality of legs, the method comprising:

providing an initial plurality of transitions between the legs;

determining whether each of the initial plurality of transitions is physically flyable; and

replacing any physically unflyable initial transition with a flyable transition,

wherein the providing step includes providing a plurality of single curve transitions,

wherein the determining step includes determining whether each of the single curve transitions is physically flyable or physically unflyable, wherein the physically unflyable transitions include at least one of a horizontal turn that is physically unflyable and a discontinuity; and

wherein the replacing step includes replacing the unflyable single curve transitions with continuous path transitions

wherein the providing step includes one of

selecting a long transition from a group of six long transitions, and

selecting a short transition from a group of seven short transitions, and,

wherein one of the plurality of legs is a first leg and a subsequent leg is a second leg, and wherein the group of six long transitions includes

a case one long transition that includes a first looped turn in a first direction, a second turn in a second direction, and a straight segment between the first and second turns,

a case two long transition that includes a first looped turn in the first direction that overshoots the second leg, and a second turn in the second direction,

a case three long transition that includes a first looped turn in the second direction, a second turn in the second direction, and a straight segment between the first and second turns,

a case four long transition that includes a first turn in the second direction and a second turn in the second direction,

a case five long transition that includes a first looped turn in the second direction that overshoots the second leg, a second turn in the first direction, and a straight segment between the first and second turns,

a case six long transition that includes a first looped turn in the second direction that overshoots the second leg and a second turn in the first direction.

13. The method of claim 16, wherein providing step includes providing at least one continuous path transition between at least one of

two legs separated by a short leg,

at least four legs with two or more short legs,

two legs resulting in a relatively large course change,

two legs resulting in an overfly,

two legs that require a specific turn direction,

two discontinuous legs, and

a start position and a desired leg.

15. The method of claim 16, wherein the group of seven short transitions includes

a case one short transition that includes a first turn in a first direction, a second turn in a second direction, and a straight segment between the first and second turns,

a case two short transition that includes a first turn in the first direction and the second turn in a second direction,

a case three short transition that includes a first turn in the second direction, a second turn in the second direction, and a straight segment between the first and second turns,

a case four short transition that includes a first turn in the second direction,

a case five short transition that includes a first turn in the second direction that overshoots the second leg, a second turn in the first direction, and a straight segment between the first and second turns,

a case six short transition that includes a first turn in the second direction that overshoots a second leg and a second turn in the first direction, and

a case seven short transition that includes a single straight segment

17. The method of claim 16, wherein the providing step includes considering an aggression factor, wherein the aggression factor is at least one of a roll angle aggression factor, an intercept angle aggression factor, and a combination roll angle/intercept angle aggression factor.

18. The method of claim 16, wherein the transition between at least two legs is a transition between at least three legs.

19. The method of claim 18, wherein the transition between three legs is selected from a group of three transitions.

20. (canceled)

21. A system for generating a flight plan between an initial position and a destination, the system comprising:

an input device configured to receive inputs related to the destination;

a memory configured to store data related to the destination; and

a processor configured to retrieve data from the memory and to generate the flight plan from the initial position to the destination, wherein the flight plan includes a plurality of legs and an initial plurality of transitions between the legs, wherein one of the plurality of legs is a first leg and a subsequent leg is a second leg,

wherein the processor is further configured to determine whether each of the initial plurality of transitions between the legs is physically flyable and to provide a physically flyable transition between the legs if the transition is physically unflyable,

wherein the physically flyable transition includes at least one of a long transition and a short transition, the long transition being selected from a long transition group and the short transition being selected from a short transition group,

wherein the short transition group includes at least two of

a first short transition that includes a first turn in a first direction, a second turn in a second direction, and a straight segment between the first and second turns,

a second short transition that includes a first turn in the first direction and the second turn in a second direction,

a third short transition that includes a first turn in the second direction, a second turn in the second direction, and a straight segment between the first and second turns,

a fourth short transition that includes a first turn in the second direction,

a fifth short transition that includes a first turn in the second direction that overshoots the second leg, a second turn in the first direction, and a straight segment between the first and second turns,

a sixth short transition that includes a first turn in the second direction that overshoots a second leg and a second turn in the first direction, and

a seventh short transition that includes a single straight segment; and

wherein the long transition group includes at least two of

a first long transition that includes a first looped turn in a first direction, a second turn in a second direction, and a straight segment between the first and second turns,

a second long transition that includes a first looped turn in the first direction that overshoots the second leg, and a second turn in the second direction,

a third long transition that includes a first looped turn in the second direction, a second turn in the second direction, and a straight segment between the first and second turns,

a fourth long transition that includes a first turn in the second direction and a second turn in the second direction,

a fifth long transition that includes a first looped turn in the second direction that overshoots the second leg, a second turn in the first direction, and a straight segment between the first and second turns, and

a sixth long transition that includes a first looped turn in the second direction that overshoots the second leg and a second turn in the first direction.

2. The system of claim 21, wherein the processor is configured to initially generate the plurality of transitions as single curve transitions,

wherein the processor is configured to determine whether the single curve transitions are physically flyable, and

wherein the process replaces any physically unflyable, single curve transition with a continuous path transition.

3. The system of claim 2, wherein the at least one continuous path transition is a transition between at least one of

two legs separated by a short leg,

at least four legs with two or more short legs,

two legs resulting in a relatively large course change,

two legs resulting in an overfly,

two legs that require a specific turn direction,

two discontinuous legs, and

a start position and a desired leg.

4. The system of claim 2,

wherein the physically unflyable transition includes at least one of

at least one turn that is physically unflyable and

a discontinuity.

7. The system of claim 2, wherein the processor generates the flight plan based on an aggression factor, wherein the aggression factor is at least one of a roll angle aggression factor, an intercept angle aggression factor, and a combination roll angle/intercept angle aggression factor.

8. The system of claim 2, wherein the continuous path transition between at least two legs is a transition between three legs.

9. The system of claim 8, wherein the transition between three legs is selected from a group of three transitions.

10. The system of claim 2, wherein the transition between at least two legs is a transition between more than three legs.