LOSS OF SEPARATION AVOIDANCE MANEUVERING

• US 20110288773A1
• Filed: 12/14/2010
• Published: 11/24/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 11/13/2009
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: The Boeing Co.
• Original Assignee: The Boeing Co.
• Inventors: Hoy, Patrick D.
• Granted Patent: US 8,725,402 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 701/301
• CPC Class Codes: G05D 1/1064 specially adapted for avoiding collisions with other aircraft
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 5/0008 with other aircraft
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 5/0013 with a ground station
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 5/0078 for monitoring traffic from the aircraft radar or analogous systems specially adapted for traffic control G01S13/91
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 5/045 Navigation or guidance aids, e.g. determination of anti-collision manoeuvers radar or analogous systems specially adapted for anti-collision between aircraft G01S13/933

Abstract

A flight management system for an aircraft may determine maneuvers to avoid loss of separation between the aircraft and another aircraft. The flight management system may include a processor and a memory accessible to the processor. The memory may store instructions that are executable by the processor to identify a potential loss of separation between the aircraft and a second aircraft. The instructions may also be executable by the processor to determine whether executing a first speed maneuver using predetermined parameters is predicted to avoid the potential LOS. The instructions may be further executable by the processor to determine parameters of a second speed maneuver when the first speed maneuver is expected to avoid the potential LOS.

Claims

1. A flight management system for an aircraft, the flight management system comprising:

a processor;

a memory accessible to the processor, the memory storing instructions that are executable by the processor to;

identify a potential loss of separation (LOS) between the aircraft and a second aircraft;

determine whether executing a first speed maneuver using predetermined parameters is predicted to avoid the potential LOS; and

determine parameters of a second speed maneuver when the first speed maneuver is predicted to avoid the potential LOS.

2. The flight management system of claim 1, wherein the predetermined parameters specify a maximum speed maneuver allowed for the aircraft and wherein the second speed maneuver is less severe than the maximum speed maneuver.

3. The flight management system of claim 1, further comprising instructions executable by the processor to send control signals to a flight control system to execute the second speed maneuver.

4. The flight management system of claim 1, wherein the instructions are further executable to determine a turn to avoid the potential LOS when the first speed maneuver is predicted to not avoid the potential LOS.

5. The flight management system of claim 1, wherein the instructions are further executable to determine a change in altitude to avoid the potential LOS when the first speed maneuver is predicted to not avoid the potential LOS.

6. The flight management system of claim 1, wherein the potential LOS is identified by extrapolating a flight vector of the aircraft and the second aircraft.

7. The flight management system of claim 1, wherein the predetermined parameters include at least one of a maximum deceleration and a minimum hold duration.

8. The flight management system of claim 1, wherein determining the parameters of the second speed maneuver includes determining whether executing a no-hold deceleration maneuver beginning at a start location avoids the potential LOS, wherein the no-hold deceleration maneuver comprises a predetermined deceleration followed immediately by a predetermined acceleration.

9. The flight management system of claim 8, wherein determining the parameters of the second speed maneuver further includes determining a minimum deceleration that avoids the potential LOS when the no-hold deceleration maneuver avoids the potential LOS.

10. The flight management system of claim 8, wherein determining the parameters of the second speed maneuver further includes determining a minimum hold time that avoids the potential LOS when the no-hold deceleration maneuver does not avoid the potential LOS.

11. A method, comprising:

automatically identifying, on board a first aircraft, a potential loss of separation (LOS) between the first aircraft and a second aircraft;

automatically determining parameters of a speed maneuver to avoid the potential LOS; and

executing the speed maneuver in accordance with the parameters.

12. The method of claim 11, wherein the parameters include at least one of a deceleration and a hold time.

13. The method of claim 11, further comprising determining whether executing a predetermined speed maneuver avoids the LOS.

14. The method of claim 13, wherein the parameters of the speed maneuver are determined when the predetermined speed maneuver avoids the LOS.

15. The method of claim 13, further comprising, when the predetermined speed maneuver does not avoid the potential LOS, determining a non-speed maneuver that avoids the potential LOS.

16. The method of claim 13, wherein, when the predetermined speed maneuver avoids the LOS, determining the parameters of the speed maneuver includes determining a hold time.

17. The method of claim 16, wherein, when the predetermined speed maneuver avoids the LOS, determining the parameters of the speed maneuver includes determining a deceleration amount.

18. The method of claim 11, wherein executing the speed maneuver includes decelerating from a first speed to a second speed based on at least one of the parameters, maintaining the second speed for a period of time based on at least one of the parameters, and accelerating to the first speed after the period of time.

19. The method of claim 11, wherein executing the speed maneuver includes maintaining an inertial course while executing the speed maneuver.

20. An aircraft comprising:

a sense-and-avoid system that causes the aircraft to perform a maneuver in response to a potential loss of separation (LOS) between the aircraft and a second aircraft by;

determining whether executing a first speed maneuver using predetermined parameters is predicted to avoid the potential LOS;

when executing the first speed maneuver is predicted to avoid the LOS, determining parameters for a second speed maneuver to avoid the potential LOS; and

executing the second speed maneuver in accordance with the determined parameters.