METHOD OF APPLYING AN HTMB GUIDANCE DIRECTIVE

• US 20090177342A1
• Filed: 01/05/2009
• Published: 07/09/2009
• Est. Priority Date: 01/08/2008
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Thales SA
• Original Assignee: Thales SA
• Inventors: Gutierrez-Castaneda, Manuel
• Granted Patent: US 8,078,341 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 701/11
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 5/0039 Modification of a flight plan
• CPC Class Codes: Y02T 50/80 Energy efficient operational measures, e.g. ground operations or mission management

Abstract

A method of applying a “Heading Then Merge Behind” (HTMB) guidance directive sent by an air traffic control center to an aircraft comprising a flight management system, the flight management system making it possible to automatically follow the trajectory of an active flight plan. The method includes reception and validation of the directive by the flight management system, confirmation by the pilot of the aircraft of the application of the directive, creation by the flight management system of a flight plan incorporating the directive, activation by the pilot of the flight plan incorporating the directive, so that the directive is executed automatically by the flight management system while following the trajectory of the flight plan incorporating the directive.

Claims

1. A method of applying a guidance directive sent by an air traffic control center to an aircraft that includes a flight management system, the flight management system making it possible to automatically follow a trajectory of an active flight plan, the directive including a target aircraft identifier, a diversion heading, a rallying position (MrgWPT) and a temporal separation value,

the aircraft directed to take the diversion heading and attain the rallying position behind a target aircraft while complying with the temporal separation value in respect of the target aircraft, the method comprising the steps of:

validating a received directive by the flight management system, to determine whether the directive is to be accepted or rejected by the flight management system;

confirming application of the directive, to indicate whether the directive has been accepted or rejected by the flight management system;

creating a flight plan to incorporate the directive, by the flight management system;

activating the flight plan to incorporate the directive, so that the directive is executed automatically by the flight management system while the trajectory of the flight plan that incorporates the directive is followed.

2. The method as claimed in claim 1, further comprising the step of:

introducing the directive manually into the flight management system, by the pilot,

wherein the directive is sent by the air traffic control center to the aircraft by radio.

3. The method as claimed in claim 1, wherein the air traffic control center sends the directive to the aircraft by a data link, the directive being in the form of a digitized message received by the flight management system.

4. The method as claimed in claim 1, further comprising the step of:

rejecting the directive, by the flight management system, if the identifier of the target aircraft has not been received by the flight management system, wherein the flight management system is configured to receive identifiers of other aircraft in proximity by way of a data link.

5. The method as claimed in claim 4, wherein the flight management system receives identifiers of other aircraft in proximity through an ADS-B link or a TIS-B link.

6. The method as claimed in claim 1, wherein the directive is rejected by the flight management system if the rallying position (MrgWPT) is further away from the trajectory of the active flight plan than a distance threshold.

7. The method as claimed in claim 1, further comprising the step of:

rejecting the directive, by the flight management system, if the aircraft and the target aircraft have no trajectory segment in common, wherein the flight management system is configured to receive trajectories of other aircraft in proximity by way of a data link.

8. The method as claimed in claim 1, further comprising the step of:

rejecting the directive, by the flight management system, if the rallying position (MrgWPT) does not belong to the trajectory of the active flight plan or does not belong to the trajectory of the target aircraft, wherein the flight management system is configured to receive trajectories of other aircraft in proximity by way of a data link.

9. The method as claimed in claim 7, wherein the flight management system receives trajectories of other aircraft in proximity through an ADS-B link or a TIS-B link.

10. The method as claimed in claim 1, further comprising the step of:

sending a message to the air traffic control center, by the flight management system, when the pilot of the aircraft does not confirm application of the directive.

11. The method as claimed in claim 1, further comprising the step of:

calculating a flight duration up to the rallying position, by the flight management system, to allow overflight of the rallying position at a time that corresponds substantially to the temporal separation value in respect of the target aircraft,

wherein the speed of the aircraft is substantially constant up to the rallying position and substantially equal to a forecasted speed of the target aircraft at the rallying position.

12. The method as claimed in claim 11 wherein, if the flight duration up to the rallying position (MrgWPT) at the forecasted speed of the target aircraft at the rallying position makes it possible, in a straight line, to pass beyond the rallying position, the method further comprises the step of:

calculating a trajectory to incorporate the directive, by the flight management system, said trajectory including;

a first change-of-heading point (WPTDIV2) situated ahead of the aircraft on the trajectory of the active flight plan at a distance dependent on the diversion heading to be followed, the first change-of-heading point making it possible to take the diversion heading given in the directive;

a CI leg starting from the first change-of-heading point (WPTDIV2) and following the diversion heading;

a second change-of-heading point (INTCPT) situated on the CI leg, the second change-of-heading point making it possible to set a course heading towards the rallying position (MrgWPT) given in the directive; and

a CF leg starting from the second change-of-heading point (INTCPT) and following the heading towards the rallying position (MrgWPT),

so that the predicted time at the rallying position, for a speed of the aircraft that is substantially constant up to the rallying position and substantially equal to the forecast speed of the target aircraft at the rallying position, is substantially equal to the time corresponding to the temporal separation value in respect of the target aircraft as given in the directive.

13. The method as claimed in claim 11 wherein, if the flight duration up to the rallying position (MrgWPT) at the forecast speed of the target aircraft at the rallying position does not make it possible, in a straight line, to pass beyond the rallying position, the method further comprises the step of:

calculating a trajectory that incorporates the directive, by the flight management system,

wherein said trajectory includes a DIRTO leg for direct attainment of the rallying position, so that the predicted time at the rallying position, for a speed that is substantially constant up to the rallying position and greater than the speed predicted for the target aircraft at the rallying position, is substantially equal to the time that corresponds to the temporal separation value in respect of the target aircraft as given in the directive.

14. The method as claimed in claim 12, wherein the flight management system creates a flight plan comprising:

upstream legs created for attainment of the rallying position;

downstream legs of the trajectory of the active flight plan which are downstream of the rallying position.

15. The method as claimed in claim 14, wherein the flight plan created becomes the active flight plan on activation by the pilot, the trajectory that incorporates the directive becomes the trajectory of the active flight plan, so as to allow the flight management system to execute the directive automatically.

16. The method as claimed in claim 15, wherein when the flight plan created becomes the active flight plan, its vertical profile is calculated by the flight management system.

17. The method as claimed in claim 12, wherein, as long as the flight plan created has not become the active flight plan, the method further comprises the steps of:

modifying the second change-of-heading point (INTCPT); and

modifying the CF leg.

18. The method as claimed in claim 15, wherein, as long as the target aircraft has not yet passed the rallying position (MrgWPT), the method further comprises the steps of:

calculating periodically a time that corresponds to the temporal separation value in respect of the target aircraft as given in the directive, as a function of the speed of the target aircraft;

calculating periodically a prediction of a time to pass the rallying position, on the basis of the trajectory of the active flight plan that incorporates the directive.

19. The method as claimed in claim 15, wherein, once the target aircraft has passed the rallying position (MrgWPT), the method further comprises the steps of:

calculating a time that corresponds to the temporal separation value in respect of the target aircraft as given in the directive, on the basis of the time at which the target aircraft has actually passed the rallying position;

calculating periodically a prediction of the time to pass the rallying position, on the basis of the trajectory of the active flight plan that incorporates the directive.

20. The method as claimed in claim 18, wherein, if the second change-of-heading point (INTCPT) has not yet been passed, and if the predicted time to pass the rallying position (MrgWPT) does not make it possible to comply with the temporal separation value given in the directive, then the method further comprises the step of:

recalculating the second change-of-heading point so as to comply with the temporal separation value.

21. The method as claimed in claim 18, wherein, once the second change-of-heading point (INTCPT) has been passed, if the predicted time to pass the rallying position (MrgWPT) does not make it possible to comply with the temporal separation value given in the directive, then the method further comprises the step of:

slaving the speed of the aircraft to a speed that makes it possible to comply with the temporal separation value.

22. The method as claimed in claim 1, wherein the step of confirming application of the directive is performed by the pilot of the aircraft.

23. The method as claimed in claim 1, wherein the step of activating the flight plane is performed by the pilot of the aircraft.