METHOD AND DEVICE FOR AIDING THE PILOTING OF AN AIRCRAFT

• US 20090055037A1
• Filed: 08/20/2008
• Published: 02/26/2009
• Est. Priority Date: 08/22/2007
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Airbus Operations SAS (Airbus SE)
• Original Assignee: Airbus, Airbus France
• Inventors: DUPRE, Alain, Foucault, Philippe, Ferret, Nicolas
• Granted Patent: US 8,086,362 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 701/14
• CPC Class Codes: G01C 23/005 Flight directors indicating arrangements specially adapted for rotary gyroscopes G01C19/32
• CPC Class Codes: G05D 1/0202 specially adapted to aircraft

Abstract

Method and device for assisting the piloting of an aircraft.

The device (1) comprises means (4) for determining, using a roll instruction and measured current values of external characteristics and of flight characteristics of the aircraft, a predicted path which is a flight path having a constant roll angel, taking account of the effect of the wind.

Claims

1. Method for assisting the piloting of an aircraft, a method according to which:

a) a roll instruction for the aircraft is generated;

b) the current values of flight characteristics of the aircraft and the current values of characteristics of the wind existing outside of the aircraft are measured;

c) using the said roll instruction and the said measured current values;

c1) a first path is calculated which exhibits a constant roll angle corresponding to the said roll instruction but which does not take account of the effect of the wind; and

c2) the effect of the wind is integrated in this first path in order to obtain a predicted path (Tp) which is at a constant roll angle and which takes account of the effect of the wind; and

d) this predicted path (Tp) is used for assisting the piloting of the aircraft,

characterized in that at the end of step c) the following operations α and

β

are carried out repetitively;

α

) a new roll instruction is determined making it possible to obtain a new predicted path which approaches a particular point; and

β

) this predicted path is calculated taking account of this new roll instruction,

the said operations α and

β

being repeated until the predicted path (Tp) obtained joins the said particular point (P0).

2. Method according to claim 1, characterized in that in step d) the said predicted path (Tp) is displayed on a navigation screen (11) of the aircraft.

3. Method according to claim 1, characterized in that in step d) the said predicted path (Tp) is transmitted to an autopilot device (20) of the aircraft, which then automatically pilots the said aircraft according to the said predicted path (Tp), that is to say with a roll angle equal to the said roll instruction.

4. Method according to claim 1, characterized in that in step c1) there is determined, as a first path, a circular path of constant radius R and the said radius R is calculated using the following expression:

R=(Vtas²/g)/tan φ

wherein;

Vtas is the measured speed of the aircraft;

g is the acceleration of gravity;

tan is the tangent; and

φ

is the said roll instruction.

5. Method according to claim 1, characterized in that in step c) the said predicted path (Tp) is generated in the form of a series of points (P1 to Pn) which are connected to each other by straight segments (S1 to Sn-1).

6. Method according to claim 5, characterized in that the predicted path Tp comprises a number n of points P1 to Pn, and in that each of the points Pp of this predicted path, where 1≦

p≦

n, has the following coordinates Xp and Yp in an aircraft reference system;

7. Method according to claim 1, characterized in that in step c2), account is taken of an effect due to a turn of the aircraft following the said roll instruction, in order to determine the said predicted path (Tp).

8. Method according to claim 1, characterized in that at least steps b), c) and d) are carried out automatically and repetitively.

9. Method according to claim 1, characterized in that the said particular point (P0) corresponds to the end of a segment of path which the aircraft is required to join tangentially.

10. Device for assisting the piloting of an aircraft, the said device comprising:

first means (2) for generating a roll instruction for the aircraft;

second means (3) for measuring the current values of flight characteristics of the aircraft and the current values of characteristics of the wind existing outside of the aircraft;

third means (4) for calculating, using the said roll instruction and the said measured current values, a predicted path (Tp) which is a flight path with a constant roll angle, taking account of the effect of the wind, the said third means (4) comprising;

an element for calculating a first path which exhibits a constant roll angle corresponding to the said roll instruction, but which does not take account of the effect of the wind; and

an element for integrating the effect of the wind in this first path in such a way as to obtain the said predicted path (Tp); and

fourth means (7), which use this predicted path (Tp) for assisting the piloting of the aircraft,

characterized in that the said third means (4) comprise means for repetitively determining a new roll instruction making it possible to obtain a new predicted path which approaches a particular point and to calculate this predicted path taking account of this new roll instruction, the said operations being repeated until the predicted path (Tp) obtained joins the said particular point (P0).