A METHOD OF ASSISTING PILOTING AN AIRCRAFT BY ADAPTING THE DISPLAY OF SYMBOLS

• US 20140222256A1
• Filed: 02/05/2014
• Published: 08/07/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 02/06/2013
• 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: BIDEAU, David, RUSTIN, Mathieu
• Granted Patent: US 9,212,931 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 701/14
• 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

Abstract

The invention relates to a method of assisting piloting an aircraft. The method is performed when the real position of a symbol for display lies outside the display limit of the screen. The symbol is representative of a parameter associated with the dynamic behavior of the aircraft (FPV, . . . ) or liable to influence said behavior (FD, . . . ). The symbol possesses two components, and the first component is to be given precedence on display over the second component. In the method, the display of the symbol depends firstly on the orthogonal projection (FPV-lock) of the real position (FPV) of the symbol onto the axis of the first component, and secondly on the position of said projection relative to the display limit of the screen. Such a display makes it possible to give reliable information to the pilot.

Claims

1. A method of assisting piloting an aircraft in which at least one display screen has at least one display zone bounded by a display limit line, the real position of the aircraft being positioned on said at least one display zone relative to a horizontal-vertical frame of reference associated with the screen and a terrestrial horizontal-vertical frame of reference having at least one of its axes displayed, at least one symbol representative of a parameter associated with the dynamic behavior of the aircraft (FPV, . . . ) or liable to influence this behavior (FD, . . . ) having a horizontal component and a vertical component, the method comprising a step of displaying said at least one symbol in said at least one display zone in order to assist the piloting of the aircraft when the real position (FPV) of said at least one symbol lies outside the display limit line, the method being characterized in that one of the components, referred to as a “

first”

component, is to be given precedence on display over the second component, and the method comprises the following steps;

determining the real position (FPV) of said at least one symbol for display relative to said at least one display zone;

determining the orthogonal projection (FPV-lock) of the real position of said at least one symbol on the axis of the first component;

determining the position of said projection (FPV-lock) relative to the display limit line of said at least one display zone, and in the event that said projection (FPV-lock) is situated outside said display limit line, repositioning said projection on said display limit line;

determining the position of said at least one symbol on the axis of the second component passing through the position determined in the preceding step as a function of the value of the second component of said at least one symbol;

determining said position relative to the display limit line of said at least one display zone, and in the event that said position is situated outside said display limit line, repositioning said position on said display limit line; and

displaying said at least one symbol in the display position as determined in this way in the preceding step.

2. A method according to claim 1, characterized in that when the orthogonal projection (FPV-lock) of the real position (FPV) of said at least one symbol is situated inside said at least one display zone bounded by the display limit line, the method includes a substep of determining a limitation for the value of the second component of said at least one symbol in order to position said at least one symbol in a limited position that is situated on the display limit line of said at least one display zone.

3. A method according to claim 1, characterized in that said at least one display zone has a first display zone (F1) inside which there is arranged a second display zone (F2), the display position of said at least one symbol depending more particularly, firstly on the orthogonal projection (FPV-lock) on the axis of the first component of the real position (FPV) of said at least one symbol, and secondly on the position of said projection relative to the display limit line of the second display zone (F2).

4. A method according to claim 3, characterized in that when the orthogonal projection (FPV-lock) of the real position (FPV) of said at least one symbol, referred to as the “

orthogonal projection”

, is situated inside the second display zone (F2) bounded by the display limit line (L2), the method includes a substep of determining a limitation for the value of the second component of said at least one symbol in order to position said at least one symbol in a limited position that is situated on the display limit line (L1) of the first display zone (F1).

5. A method according to claim 3, characterized in that when the orthogonal projection is situated outside the second display zone (F2) bounded by its display limit line (L2), the method includes the following two substeps:

determining a limitation for the value of the first component of the orthogonal projection to the value corresponding to the intersection between the axis of the first component and the display limit line (L2) of the second display zone (F2) so as to take the orthogonal projection to an intermediate limited position and obtain a limited orthogonal projection; and

determining the position of said at least one symbol on the axis of the second component passing through the position of the limited orthogonal projection determined in the preceding step as a function of the value of the second component of said at least one symbol.

6. A method according to claim 3, characterized in that the two display zones (F1, F2) are defined relative to each other so as to be spaced far enough apart to make it possible, if necessary, to display said at least one symbol between the display limit lines (L1, L2) of said display zones.

7. A method according to claim 1, characterized in that the axis of the first component is selected relative to a predetermined criterion.

8. A method according to claim 1, characterized in that the axis of the first component is the pitch scale axis that is displayed on said at least one display zone.

9. A method according to claim 2, characterized in that it includes displaying beside said at least one symbol displayed in its limited position, the value of the first component of said at least one symbol prior to being limited.

10. A method according to claim 1, characterized in that said at least one symbol has a vertical first component and a horizontal second component, the vertical first component being given precedence in the display over the second component.

11. A method according to claim 1, characterized in that said at least one symbol for displaying comprises a first symbol representative of the flight path vector (FPV) in which the horizontal component is drift and the vertical component is flight path angle.

12. A method according to claim 11, characterized in that said at least one symbol for display also comprises a second symbol representative of an aircraft guide parameter (FP) and constitutes a flight path setpoint to be reached by the flight path vector (FPV) of the aircraft.

13. A method according to claim 12, characterized in that said at least one display zone also comprises a display zone (F0) for displaying the second symbol representative of an aircraft guide parameter (FD) and having arranged therein said at least one display zone for displaying the first symbol.

14. A method according to claim 13, characterized in that the step of displaying the second symbol representative of an aircraft guide parameter (FD) comprises, more particularly, a substep performed as a function of the real position of said second symbol relative to the display limit line (L0) of said display zone for the second symbol:

displaying said second symbol (FD) in said display zone in its real position;

or

determining a limited position for said second symbol (FD) by projecting said second symbol onto the display limit line (L0) of said display zone (F0) in the direction given by the line passing through the real position of said second symbol (FD) and the position displayed in said at least one display zone for the first symbol of the first symbol representative of the flight path vector (FPV) of the aircraft, and displaying said second symbol in its position as limited in this way.

15. A computer program including instructions for executing steps of a piloting assistance method according to claim 1 when said program is executed by a system in which said program is loaded.

16. A system for assisting piloting an aircraft, the system comprising at least one display screen that includes at least one display zone bounded by a display limit line, the real position of the aircraft being positioned on said at least one display zone relative to a horizontal-vertical frame of reference associated with the screen and a terrestrial horizontal-vertical frame of reference having at least one of its axes displayed, at least one symbol representative of a parameter associated with the dynamic behavior of the aircraft (FPV, . . . ) or liable to influence this behavior (FD, . . . ) having a horizontal component and a vertical component, the system being characterized in that one of the components, referred to as a “

first”

component, is to be given precedence on display over the second component, the system comprising;

means for determining the real position (FPV) of said at least one symbol for display relative to said at least one display zone;

means for determining the orthogonal projection (FPV-lock) of the real position of said at least one symbol on the axis of the first component;

means for determining the position of said projection (FPV-lock) relative to the display limit line of said at least one display zone, and in the event that said projection (FPV-lock) is situated outside said display limit line, for repositioning said projection on said display limit line;

means for determining the position of said at least one symbol on the axis of the second component passing through the position determined in the preceding step as a function of the value of the second component of said at least one symbol;

means for determining said position relative to the display limit line of said at least one display zone, and in the event that said position is situated outside said display limit line, for repositioning said position on said display limit line; and

means for displaying on said at least one symbol screen said at least one symbol in the display position as determined in this way.

17. An aircraft, characterized in that it includes a system for assisting piloting according to claim 16.