Method and device for automatically guiding an aircraft taxiing on the ground

• US 20150142220A1
• Filed: 11/11/2014
• Published: 05/21/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 11/15/2013
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Airbus Operations SAS (Airbus SE)
• Original Assignee: Airbus Operations (European Aeronautic Defence and Space Company EADS NV)
• Inventors: Scacchi, Pierre
• Granted Patent: US 9,429,942 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 701/3
• CPC Class Codes: G05D 1/0083 to help an aircraft pilot in the rolling phase
• CPC Class Codes: G05D 1/0202 specially adapted to aircraft
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 5/0021 located in the aircraft
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 5/065 Navigation or guidance aids, e.g. for taxiing or rolling

Abstract

A device comprises a monitoring unit configured to automatically monitor the actuation of a manual control member suitable for controlling an aircraft on the ground, so as to be able to detect a releasing of the control member in a neutral position. A computation unit is configured to compute a virtual axis for guiding the aircraft on the ground, upon the detection of the releasing of the control member in the neutral position. A guiding unit is configured to automatically guide the aircraft along said virtual axis.

Claims

1. A method for automatically guiding an aircraft taxiing on the ground, the aircraft comprising at least one control member configured to be manually actuated, suitable for controlling the aircraft laterally on the ground and suitable for being brought into a neutral position, said method comprising the following steps, implemented automatically:

a) monitoring the actuation of said control member so as to be able to detect a releasing of the control member in the neutral position; and

b) automatically guiding the aircraft on the ground along an axis upon the detection of such a releasing of the control member,

c) upon the detection of such a relaxing of the control member;

c1) in automatically defining a virtual axis onboard the aircraft; and

c2) in automatically guiding the aircraft on the ground along said duly defined virtual axis, and

enabling the pilot of the aircraft to modify said virtual axis.

2. The method as claimed in claim 1, wherein, in step c1), said virtual axis is computed automatically from the position and the heading of the aircraft at the moment when the control member is brought into said neutral position.

3. The method as claimed in claim 1, wherein, in the step c1), said virtual axis corresponds to a reference axis, chosen by a pilot of the aircraft.

4. The method as claimed in claim 1, wherein, in the step c1), said virtual axis corresponds to a virtual guiding axis according to which the aircraft was guided, prior to a last use of the control member.

5. The method as claimed in claim 1, further comprising a display step comprising displaying said virtual axis on a display unit of the aircraft.

6. The method as claimed in claim 5, wherein said display step comprises displaying said virtual axis on a head-up display device in true vision mode.

7. The method as claimed in claim 1, wherein the modification of the virtual axis is performed by a parallel displacement.

8. The method as claimed in claim 1, wherein the modification of the virtual axis is performed by a pivoting of said virtual axis about a point.

9. A device for automatically guiding an aircraft taxiing on the ground, the aircraft being provided with a control member configured to be manually actuated, suitable for controlling the aircraft laterally on the ground and suitable for being brought into a neutral position, said device comprising:

a monitoring unit configured to automatically monitor the actuation of said control member so as to be able to detect a releasing of the control member in the neutral position; and

a guiding unit configured to automatically guide the aircraft along an axis,

a computation unit configured to compute a virtual axis for guiding the aircraft on the ground, upon the detection of the releasing of the control member in said neutral position; and

an axis designator configured to enable the pilot of the aircraft to modify said virtual axis, the guiding unit being configured to automatically guide the aircraft along said virtual axis.

10. The device as claimed in claim 9, wherein the axis designator comprises two modification units, a first modification unit configured to modify said virtual axis by a parallel displacement and a second modification unit configured to modify said virtual axis by pivoting said virtual axis about a point.

11. An aircraft comprising:

a device for automatically guiding the aircraft taxiing on the ground, the aircraft being provided with a control member configured to be manually actuated, suitable for controlling the aircraft laterally on the ground and suitable for being brought into a neutral position,

a monitoring unit configured to automatically monitor the actuation of said control member so as to be able to detect a releasing of the control member in the neutral position; and

a guiding unit configured to automatically guide the aircraft along an axis,

a computation unit configured to compute a virtual axis for guiding the aircraft on the ground, upon the detection of the releasing of the control member in said neutral position; and

an axis designator configured to enable the pilot of the aircraft to modify said virtual axis, the guiding unit being configured to automatically guide the aircraft along said virtual axis.