Method for controlling an aerodyne for the vertical avoidance of a zone

• US 6,161,063 A
• Filed: 01/08/1999
• Issued: 12/12/2000
• Est. Priority Date: 06/07/1996
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Sextant Avionique
• Original Assignee: Sextant Avionique
• Inventors: Deker, Guy
• Primary Examiner(s): Cuchlinski, Jr., William A.
• Assistant Examiner(s): Arthur, Gertrude
• Application Number:
  US09/147,354
• Time in Patent Office: 704 Days
• Field of Search: 701/3, 701/4, 701/9, 701/7, 701/11, 701/13, 701/14, 701/15, 701/16, 701/120, 701/200, 701/201, 701/226, 701/300, 701/301, 701/302, 701/10, 244/75 R, 244/158 R, 244/180, 244/186, 340/945, 340/961
• US Class Current: 701/4
• CPC Class Codes: G05D 1/0615 to counteract a perturbation, e.g. gust of wind

Abstract

A method of automatically controlling an aircraft to avoid a vertical zone includes several steps. The aircraft first acquires limits of the zone to be avoided. The zone is modeled by a cylindrical volume which is limited by a horizontal contour with upper and lower altitudes of the zone. The cylindrical volume associated with a scheduled route of the aircraft is located and points of entry and exit in the cylindrical volume are determined. A new flight altitude is calculated in order to avoid the zone. A point of change of altitude is calculated to reach an avoidance altitude. The new flight altitude is updated and the point of change of altitude is input into an automatic pilot.

Claims

1. Method for automatically controlling an aerodyne for vertical avoidance of a zone to be avoided with predefined geometrical contours, said aerodyne being equipped with an automatic piloting device, into which have been input a scheduled route and a vertical trajectory profile including a cruising flight altitude and a position of a point of descent towards a scheduled runway, said method comprising the following steps in succession:

acquiring limits of the zone to be avoided in a form of a horizontal contour with upper and lower altitudes,

modelling of the zone to be avoided by a cylindrical volume delimited by the horizontal contour with the upper and lower altitudes,

locating the cylindrical volume with respect to the scheduled route of the aerodyne so as to determine whether this route traverses the cylindrical volume,

determining points of entry and of exit of the scheduled route in the cylindrical volume, if the scheduled route traverses the cylindrical volume,

calculating optimum and maximum altitudes capable of being reached by the aerodyne, and current weight of the aerodyne when passing through the point of entry, account being taken of the current weight of the aerodyne and of consumption of fuel in order to reach this point of entry,

calculating a new flight altitude for the vertical avoidance of the cylindrical volume, and of a point of change of altitude so as to reach an avoidance altitude, as a function of the lower and upper altitudes of the horizontal contour of the zone to be avoided, of current, maximum and optimum altitudes of the aerodyne, and of scheduled points of exit and of descent of the aerodyne,

updating the current altitudes of the aerodyne, and

inputting the point of change of altitude into the automatic piloting device.

2. Method according to claim 1, wherein:

avoidance of the zone occurs by flying below the cylindrical volume when the lower altitude of the horizontal contour of the zone is greater than a certain predetermined limit, and when the upper altitude of the horizontal contour of the zone lies above the maximum altitude capable of being reached by the aerodyne at the point of entry into the zone, or else when the scheduled point of descent lies in the cylindrical volume.

3. Method according to claim 2, wherein:

said avoidance altitude is preferably equal to the optimum altitude of the aerodyne at the point of entry.

4. Method according to claim 2, furthermore comprising the steps of:

periodically calculating and displaying a distance between a current position of the aerodyne and the point of exit from the scheduled route towards a selected avoidance trajectory, and

activating a new route incorporating the selected avoidance trajectory being performed if the latter has been confirmed by an operator.

5. Method according to claim 2, in the case of an avoidance by flying below the zone to be avoided, and if the distance between the point of exit of the scheduled route from the cylindrical volume and the scheduled point of descent of the aerodyne is less than a predetermined threshold, furthermore comprising the step of:

calculating a new point of descent corresponding to a point at which a selected avoidance trajectory at the avoidance altitude meets an initially scheduled descent trajectory.

6. Method according to claim 2, if avoidance of the zone to be avoided is possible by flying above and below, furthermore comprising the step of:

selecting an avoidance trajectory situated with respect to the aerodyne in a direction of the optimum altitude.

7. Method according to claim 1, wherein:

said avoidance altitude is preferably equal to the optimum altitude of the aerodyne at the point of entry.

8. Method according to claim 7, furthermore comprising the steps of:

periodically calculating and displaying a distance between a current position of the aerodyne and the point of exit from the scheduled route towards a selected avoidance trajectory, and

activating a new route incorporating the selected avoidance trajectory being performed if the latter has been confirmed by an operator.

9. Method according to claim 3, in the case of an avoidance by flying below the zone to be avoided, and if the distance between the point of exit of the scheduled route from the cylindrical volume and the scheduled point of descent of the aerodyne is less than a predetermined threshold, furthermore comprising the step of:

calculating a new point of descent corresponding to a point at which a selected avoidance trajectory at the avoidance altitude meets an initially scheduled descent trajectory.

10. Method according to claim 7, if avoidance of the zone to be avoided is possible by flying above and below, furthermore comprising the step of:

selecting an avoidance trajectory situated with respect to the aerodyne in a direction of the optimum altitude.

11. Method according to claim 1, furthermore comprising the steps of:

periodically calculating and displaying a distance between a current position of the aerodyne and the point of exit from the scheduled route towards a selected avoidance trajectory, and

activating a new route incorporating the selected avoidance trajectory being performed if the latter has been confirmed by an operator.

12. Method according to claim 11, furthermore comprising the steps of:

periodically calculating and displaying the distance between the current position of the aerodyne and the zone to be avoided, if the point of exit has been passed without the new route having been confirmed, and

displaying a warning message when the aerodyne enters the zone to be avoided.

13. Method according to claim 12, in the case of an avoidance by flying below the zone to be avoided, and if the distance between the point of exit of the scheduled route from the cylindrical volume and the scheduled point of descent of the aerodyne is less than a predetermined threshold, furthermore comprising the step of:

calculating a new point of descent corresponding to a point at which the selected avoidance trajectory at the avoidance altitude meets an initially scheduled descent trajectory.

14. Method according to claim 12, if avoidance of the zone to be avoided is possible by flying above and below, furthermore comprising the step of:

preliminarily selecting the avoidance trajectory situated with respect to the aerodyne in a direction of the optimum altitude.

15. Method according to claim 11, in the case of an avoidance by flying below the zone to be avoided, and if the distance between the point of exit of the scheduled route from the cylindrical volume and the scheduled point of descent of the aerodyne is less than a predetermined threshold, furthermore comprising the step of:

calculating a new point of descent corresponding to a point at which the selected avoidance trajectory at the avoidance altitude meets an initially scheduled descent trajectory.

16. Method according to claim 11, if avoidance of the zone to be avoided is possible by flying above and below, furthermore comprising the step of:

preliminarily selecting the avoidance trajectory situated with respect to the aerodyne in a direction of optimum altitude.

17. Method according to claim 1, in the case of an avoidance by flying below the zone to be avoided, and if the distance between the point of exit of the scheduled route from the cylindrical volume and the scheduled point of descent of the aerodyne is less than a predetermined threshold, furthermore comprising the step of:

calculating a new point of descent corresponding to a point at which a selected avoidance trajectory at the avoidance altitude meets an initially scheduled descent trajectory.

18. Method according to claim 17, if avoidance of the zone to be avoided is possible by flying above and below, furthermore comprising the step of:

selecting the avoidance trajectory situated with respect to the aerodyne in a direction of the optimum altitude.

19. Method according to claim 1, if avoidance of the zone to be avoided is possible by flying above and below, furthermore comprising the step of:

selecting an avoidance trajectory situated with respect to the aerodyne in a direction of the optimum altitude.

20. Method according to claim 1, wherein:

said zone to be avoided is a dangerous meteorological zone, especially one of clear air turbulence and/or icing.