Flight management computer lateral route recapture

• US 7,024,287 B2
• Filed: 07/25/2003
• Issued: 04/04/2006
• Est. Priority Date: 07/25/2003
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Honeywell International Inc.
• Original Assignee: Honeywell International Inc.
• Inventors: Rumbo, Jimmy Ray, Peckham, Roger D.
• Primary Examiner(s): Nguyen, Thu V.
• Application Number:
  US10/627,491
• Publication Number:
  US 20060025899A1
• Time in Patent Office: 984 Days
• Field of Search: 701/1, 701/3, 701/4, 701/9, 701 14- 16, 701/18, 340/972, 340/976, 340/979
• US Class Current: 701/3
• CPC Class Codes: G01C 21/20 Instruments for performing navigational calculations G01C21/24, G01C21/26 take precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G01C 23/005 Flight directors indicating arrangements specially adapted for rotary gyroscopes G01C19/32
• CPC Class Codes: G05D 1/0202 specially adapted to aircraft
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 5/0052 for cruising combined instruments indicating more than one navigational value G01C23/00

Abstract

An aircraft flight management system having a flight management computer that stores a pre-planned lateral route of flight of the aircraft comprising a plurality of successive waypoints to be overflown, the next proximate waypoint being an active waypoint, a method providing a return-to-path maneuver in the event that the aircraft deviates from the pre-planned route, including selecting a new active waypoint, calculating a return-to-path route to overfly the new active waypoint, and selectably accepting the calculated return-to-path route.

Claims

1. In an aircraft flight management system having a flight management computer that stores a pre-planned lateral route of flight of the aircraft comprising a plurality of successive waypoints to be overflown, a method providing a return-to-path maneuver in the event that the aircraft deviates from the pre-planned route, comprising:

if the aircraft is inside a preset boundary of the pre-planned lateral route;

choosing either (i) a first waypoint from the waypoints of the pre-planned lateral route as a new candidate active waypoint if the aircraft is on the TO side of the wayline of the first waypoint or (ii) a second waypoint from the waypoints of the pre-planned lateral route as a new candidate active waypoint, the second waypoint following after the first waypoint, if the aircraft is between the wayline of the first waypoint and the wayline of the second waypoint, and

calculating a return-to-path route to overfly the new candidate active waypoint if the aircraft is in a capture zone.

2. The method as set forth in claim 1 further comprising selectably accepting the calculated return-to-path route.

3. The method as set forth in claim 1 wherein the new candidate active waypoint is a down-path waypoint that results in a low recapture bank angle.

4. The method as set forth in claim 1 further comprising generating a virtual waypoint associated with the new candidate active waypoint.

5. The method as set forth in claim 4 wherein the virtual waypoint provides an intercept course the new candidate active waypoint.

6. The method of claim 5 wherein the virtual waypoint provides a tracking point that lies in the path of an aircraft on a forty five degree intercept path of the new candidate active waypoint.

7. The method of claim 1 further comprising the steps of determining if a return path can be built from the aircraft position to a leg associated with the new candidate active waypoint at an interception of forty five degrees while staying within the capture region is possible;

and if the return path is possible, constructing an orientation path.

8. An aircraft flight management system comprising:

a preplanned lateral route of flight of the aircraft comprising a plurality of flight legs connected by waypoints;

a means for selecting a first waypoint from the waypoints of the preplanned lateral route of flight as a new candidate active waypoint if the aircraft is approaching a first wayline associated with the first waypoint and the aircraft is inside a predetermined distance from the pre-planned lateral route;

a means for selecting a second way point from the waypoints of the preplanned lateral route of flight as the new candidate active waypoint, the second waypoint immediately downpath from the first waypoint, if the aircraft is between the waylines of the first waypoint and the second waypoint and the aircraft is inside a predetermined distance from the pre-planned lateral route; and

a means for calculating a return-to-path route that overlies the new candidate active waypoint if the aircraft is inside a capture zone.

9. The flight management system as set forth in claim 8 further comprises a flight management computer comprising a memory for temporarily storing information and the new active waypoint is temporarily stored in the memory until the new active waypoint is selectably accepted.

10. The flight management system as set forth in claim 8 wherein, upon selecting the new candidate active waypoint the pre-planned route is modified to include the new candidate active waypoint.

11. The flight management system as set forth in claim 8 wherein the new candidate active waypoint is a down-path waypoint that results in a low recapture bank angle.

12. The flight management system as set forth in claim 8 further comprising generating a virtual waypoint associated with the new candidate active waypoint.

13. The flight management system as set forth in claim 12 wherein the virtual waypoint provides an intercept course to a new candidate active waypoint.

14. The flight management system as set forth in claim 13 wherein the calculated return-to-path route may be selectively accepted.

15. The flight management system of claim 13 wherein the virtual waypoint provides a tracking point that lies in the path of an aircraft on a forty five degree intercept path of the new candidate active waypoint.

16. The flight management system of claim 8 further comprising a means for determining if a return path can be built from the aircraft position to a leg associated with the new candidate active waypoint at an interception of forty five degrees while staying within the capture region is possible;

and if the return path is possible, constructing an orientation path.