System for piloting an aircraft provided with a performance functions server

• US 20140200750A1
• Filed: 01/14/2014
• Published: 07/17/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 01/15/2013
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Airbus Operations (European Aeronautic Defence and Space Company EADS NV)
• Original Assignee: Airbus Operations (European Aeronautic Defence and Space Company EADS NV)
• Inventors: Pitard, Fabien, Chaptal, Jerome, Aribert, Matthieu
• Granted Patent: US 9,156,542 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 701/3
• CPC Class Codes: B64C 19/00 Aircraft control not otherwise provided for
• 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: G01C 23/005 Flight directors indicating arrangements specially adapted for rotary gyroscopes G01C19/32
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 5/0004 Transmission of traffic-related information to or from an aircraft airborne radio transmission systems in general H04B7/185; airborne wireless networks H04W84/06
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 5/0008 with other aircraft
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 5/0013 with a ground station
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 5/0017 Arrangements for implementing traffic-related aircraft activities, e.g. arrangements for generating, displaying, acquiring or managing traffic information head-up displays G02B27/01; ground or aircraft-carrier-deck-installations B64F
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 5/0021 located in the aircraft
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 5/0026 located on the ground

Abstract

A piloting system including a performance functions server which is linked to all the computers of the piloting system, which hosts all the performance functions of the piloting system and which is able to supply the results of performance functions to at least said computers of the piloting system.

Claims

1. A system for piloting an aircraft, including a plurality of computers using results of performance functions, comprising:

a single on-board performance functions server;

which is linked to all of said computers of the piloting system;

which hosts all the performance functions of said piloting system;

which further comprises;

at least one performance database which stores tables of performance data;

performance computation means which perform all the performance computations; and

a unit for managing the operations of the performance functions server; and

which is configured to supply the results of performance functions to computers, called client computers, and to at least all of said computers of the piloting system.

2. The system according to claim 1, wherein

at least one of said client computers comprises means for generating a request, via which said system requests particular results of performance functions, and for communicating said system to said performance functions server;

and

said performance functions server comprises means for processing a received request, for generating corresponding performance functions and at least for communicating the results to the client computer transmitting the request.

3. The system according to claim 1, further including means for enabling the reception by the performance functions server of current values relating to the aircraft.

4. The system according to claim 3, wherein said performance functions server performs performance functions on its own initiative, as a function of received current values.

5. The system according to claim 1, wherein said performance functions server communicates the results of performance functions in a constant stream so that the results can be directly consulted by said client computers.

6. The system according to claim 1, wherein said performance functions server includes means for recording the results of performance functions, which it has performed.

7. The system according to claim 1, wherein said performance functions server is configured to transmit, in response to a current request, the results of performance functions that it has performed in response to a prior request, and which have been recorded.

8. The system according to claim 1, further comprising a data transmission network by way of which the performance functions server is linked to at least said computers of the piloting system.

9. The system according to claim 8, further comprising means enabling the system to link to said data transmission network at least one computer external to said piloting system, which becomes a client computer.

10. An aircraft comprising a system as defined in claim 1.