Flight path responsive aircraft wind shear alerting and warning system

• US 4,947,164 A
• Filed: 01/21/1988
• Issued: 08/07/1990
• Est. Priority Date: 01/21/1988
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Alliedsignal Inc.
• Original Assignee: Sundstrand Data Control, Inc.
• Inventors: Bateman, Charles D.
• Primary Examiner(s): Orsino, Joseph A.
• Assistant Examiner(s): SWARTHOUT, BRENT
• Application Number:
  US07/146,317
• Time in Patent Office: 929 Days
• Field of Search: 340/963, 340/964, 340/967, 340/968, 340/970, 73/178 R, 73/178 T, 244/180, 244/181, 364/424, 364/433, 364/434, 342/65
• US Class Current: 340/968
• CPC Class Codes: G05D 1/0615 to counteract a perturbation, e.g. gust of wind

Abstract

A wind shear warning system monitors the flight path of an aircraft and wind shear in the vicinity of the aircraft and generates an advisory or cautionary message for the pilot based both on the magnitude of the wind shear and the flight path of the aircraft. When the aircraft is flying a normal flight path, a wind shear warning is generated only when relatively high negative wind shears are present. If the flight path of the aircraft is not normal, for example, if the aircraft is below the glide slope or descending too rapidly, a cautionary alert is given at lower values of wind shear. The alert or warning is selected to provide the pilot with information defining the nature of the hazard or potential hazard being encountered.

Claims

1. A wind shear responsive alerting system for an aircraft comprising:

means for receiving a signal representative of the deviation of the aircraft from the glideslope;

means for receiving a signal representative of wind shear;

means responsive to the glideslope deviation representative signal for providing a message to the pilot of the aircraft when the aircraft descends below the glideslope by a predetermined amount; and

means responsive to the wind shear representative signal for reducing the amount of deviation below the glideslope required to provide a message to the pilot when the wind shear representative signal exceeds a predetermined value, wherein said glideslope deviation signal responsive means is operative to provide a first message when the aircraft descends below the glideslope by said predetermined amount and said wind shear signal responsive means is operative to provide a second different message to the pilot when the wind shear representative signal exceeds said predetermined value and said glideslope deviation representative signal exceeds said reduced amount of deviation.

2. A wind shear alerting system as recited in claim 1 wherein said wind shear signal responsive means is operative to provide a third message to the pilot when the wind shear representative signal exceeds a second predetermined value greater than said predetermined value.

3. A wind shear alerting system as recited in claim 2 wherein said third message is provided only when the wind shear representative signal indicates the presence of tail shear and wherein said wind shear signal responsive means is operative to provide a fourth message when the wind shear representative signal indicates a head shear.

4. A wind shear alerting system as recited in claim 1 further including means for receiving a signal representative of the vertical speed of the aircraft and means responsive to the vertical speed representative signal and the wind shear representative signal for providing another message to the pilot when the combination of the vertical speed and wind shear signals exceeds a predetermined value.

5. A wind shear responsive warning system for an aircraft comprising:

means for receiving a signal representative of the descent rate of the aircraft;

means for receiving a signal representative of the deviation of the aircraft from the glideslope;

means for receiving a signal representative of both positive and negative wind shears; and

means responsive to the received descent rate signal, glideslope deviation signal and wind shear signal for providing a first distinct message if the descent rate of the aircraft is excessive for the altitude at which the aircraft is flying, for providing a second distinct message if the aircraft descends below the glideslope by a predetermined amount and for providing a third distinct message if the wind shear representative signal indicates a negative wind shear in excess of a predetermined value, said message providing means being responsive to a combination of the wind shear representative signal and one of said descent rate and glideslope deviation signals for providing a different message if the combination of positive or negative wind shear and one of said glideslope deviation and descent rate signals exceeds a predetermined value.

6. A wind shear responsive warning system as recited in claim 5 wherein said third distinct message is provided if the negative wind shear signal is present for a predetermined time interval and said message providing means is operative to provide another message if the wind shear representative signal indicates either a positive or a negative wind shear for a time interval that is shorter than said predetermined time interval.