Method and device for supplying information, an alert or alarm for an aircraft in proximity to the ground

• US 5,798,712 A
• Filed: 07/30/1996
• Issued: 08/25/1998
• Est. Priority Date: 12/15/1994
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Airbus Operations SAS (Airbus SE)
• Original Assignee: Aerospatiale Societe Nationale Industrielle
• Inventors: Coquin, Laurent
• Primary Examiner(s): SWARTHOUT, BRENT
• Application Number:
  US08/682,711
• Time in Patent Office: 756 Days
• Field of Search: 340/970, 340/961, 340/963, 364/461, 364/439, 342/65
• US Class Current: 340/970
• CPC Class Codes: G05D 1/0676 specially adapted for landing

Abstract

Information, an alert or an alarm is supplied to an aircraft in proximity to the ground. A grid of geographic coordinates is established, each mesh of which exhibits a defined relief. The trajectory of the aircraft is predicted over a predetermined time interval. An intersection, if any, between the predicted trajectory and the relief of at least one of the meshes is determined. An alert or alarm is activated in the case of such an intersection. The alert or alarm is inhibited when the aircraft is in landing configuration or when the runway is detected and a series of conditions relating to landing are fulfilled.

Claims

1. A method for supplying information, an alert or an alarm for an aircraft manoeuvering above terrain with known relief, when a trajectory of the aircraft is capable of intercepting the relief of said terrain, the method comprising:

(a) establishing for said terrain a grid of geographic coordinates comprising a plurality of meshes, each of the plurality of meshes having associated therewith a defined portion of the relief;

(b) predicting the trajectory of the aircraft over a predetermined time interval;

(c) determining whether an intersection exists between said trajectory and the portion of the relief associated with at least one of said meshes;

(d) triggering the alert or alarm in accordance with a result of step (c);

(e) performing a comparison between (i) the meshes of the grid having portions of the relief which are determined in step (c) to have intersections with said predicted trajectory and (ii) the meshes containing portions of a runway for the aircraft to determine whether any of the meshes having the portions of the relief which are determined in step (c) to have intersections with the predicted trajectory also contains a portion of the runway, so that, if said comparison determines that none of the meshes having the portions of the relief also contains a portion of the runway, the alert or alarm remains capable of being activated, whereas the alert or alarm is inhibited if said comparison determines that at least one of the meshes having the portions of the relief also contains a portion of the runway and the following conditions are simultaneously fulfilled;

a ground speed of the aircraft is less than or equal to a predetermined threshold ground speed;

an altitude of the aircraft above the ground is less than or equal to a predetermined threshold altitude;

the aircraft is at least substantially in an axis of the runway; and

an aerodynamic configuration of the aircraft corresponds to a landing phase of the aircraft.

2. The method as claimed in claim 1, wherein step (a) comprises establishing a first plurality of meshes in a vicinity of the runway and a second plurality of meshes outside the vicinity of the runway, the meshes of the first plurality of meshes being smaller than the meshes of the second plurality of meshes.

3. The method as claimed in claim 1, wherein the aerodynamic configuration of the aircraft comprise a state of extension of slats and flaps of the aircraft and a state of lowering of landing gear of the aircraft.

6. The method as claimed in claim 2, wherein the aerodynamic configuration of the aircraft comprises a state of extension of slats and flaps of the aircraft and a state of lowering of landing gear of the aircraft.

4. A device for supplying information, an alert or an alarm for an aircraft manoeuvering above terrain with known relief when a trajectory of the aircraft is capable of intercepting a relief of said terrain, the device comprising:

grid establishing means for establishing a grid of geographic coordinates comprising a plurality of meshes for said terrain, each of said plurality of meshes having associated therewith a defined portion of the relief;

trajectory predicting means for predicting the trajectory of the aircraft over a predetermined time interval;

intersection determining means for determining whether an intersection exists between said predicted trajectory and the portion of the relief associated with at least one of said meshes;

alert or alarm means for outputting the alert or alarm in accordance with a determination made by said determination means; and

comparison means for making a comparison between (i) the meshes of said grid having portions of the relief which are determined by the intersection determining means to have intersections with said predicted trajectory and (ii) the meshes containing portions of a runway for the aircraft to determine, and to provide an output indicating, whether any of the meshes having the portions of the relief which are determined by the intersection determining means to have intersections with the predicted trajectory also contains a portion of the runway, such that, if said comparison means determines that none of the meshes having the portions of the relief also contains a portion of the runway, said alert or alarm means remain capable of being activated, whereas said alert or alarm means are inhibited if said comparison means determines that at least one of the meshes having the portions of the relief also contains a portion of the runway and the following conditions are simultaneously fulfilled;

a ground speed of the aircraft is less than or equal to a predetermined threshold ground speed;

an altitude of the aircraft above the ground is less than or equal to a predetermined threshold altitude;

the aircraft is at least substantially in an axis of the runway; and

an aerodynamic configuration of the aircraft corresponds to a landing phase of the aircraft.

5. The device as claimed in claim 4, further comprising a logic element between said comparison means and said alert or alarm means, the logic element having inputs which receive the output supplied by said comparison means and signals representing said conditions, and the logic element also having an output which is linked to said alert or alarm means.

7. The device as claimed in claim 4, wherein the grid establishing means comprises means for establishing a first plurality of meshes in a vicinity of the runway and a second plurality of meshes outside the vicinity of the runway, the meshes of the first plurality of meshes being smaller than the meshes of the second plurality of meshes.

8. The device as claimed in claim 4, wherein the aerodynamic configuration of the aircraft comprises a state of extension of slats and flaps of the aircraft and a state of lowering of landing gear of the aircraft.

9. The device as claimed in claim 7, wherein the aerodynamic configuration of the aircraft comprises a state of extension of slats and flaps of the aircraft and a state of lowering of landing gear of the aircraft.

10. The device as claimed in claim 7, further comprising a logic element between said comparison means and said alert or alarm means, the logic element having inputs which receive the output supplied by said comparison means and signals representing said conditions, and the logic element also having an output which is linked to said alert or alarm means.

11. The device as claimed in claim 8, further comprising a logic element between said comparison means and said alert or alarm means, the logic element having inputs which receive the output supplied by said comparison means and signals representing said conditions, and the logic element also having an output which is linked to said alert or alarm means.

12. The device as claimed in claim 9, further comprising a logic element between said comparison means and said alert or alarm means, the logic element having inputs which receive the output supplied by said comparison means and signals representing said conditions, and the logic element also having an output which is linked to said alert or alarm means.

13. The device as claimed in claim 5, wherein the logic element comprises an AND gate.

14. The device as claimed in claim 10, wherein the logic element comprises an AND gate.

15. The device as claimed in claim 11, wherein the logic element comprises an AND gate.

16. The device as claimed in claim 12, wherein the logic element comprises an AND gate.