Architecture of an onboard aircraft piloting aid system

• US 7,447,590 B2
• Filed: 12/01/2005
• Issued: 11/04/2008
• Est. Priority Date: 12/03/2004
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Thales SA
• Original Assignee: Thales SA
• Inventors: Arethens, Jean-Pierre
• Primary Examiner(s): Zanelli; Michael J.
• Application Number:
  US11/290,828
• Publication Number:
  US 20060167619A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,069 Days
• Field of Search: None
• US Class Current: 701/216
• CPC Class Codes: G01C 21/165 combined with non-inertial navigation instruments
• CPC Class Codes: G05D 1/0077 using redundant signals or controls

Abstract

A function for generating guidance data from the GNSS data and the inertial data (IRS₁) with integrated fault detection is distributed on the inertial reference units and the digital processing boards of said multimode receivers. Application to an augmented GLS guidance mode for category I to III approach operations.

Claims

1. Aircraft piloting aid system, with GNSS-IRS hybridation, designed for onboard installation in an aircraft, comprising:

an inertial reference system IRS with at least two inertial reference units, each supplying a set of inertial data and at least;

a first multimode receiver supplying a first set of guidance signals and a first set of augmented GNSS data,

a second multimode receiver supplying a second set of guidance signals and a second set of augmented GNSS data, each receiver including two digital processing boards with a mutual checking function for the data generated by each of said digital processing boards to supply said set of guidance signals, and

a single augmented GNSS signal processing board, supplying said respective set of augmented GNSS data, wherein a function for generating guidance data from the GNSS data and the inertial data with integrated fault detection is performed in a distributed manner by said inertial reference units and said digital processing boards of said multimode receivers.

2. Aircraft piloting aid system according to claim 1, wherein:

the first set of augmented GNSS data and the second set of augmented GNSS data are applied as input to each of the inertial reference units, each inertial reference unit including an integrated function for comparing said sets of data, in order to enable or disable a transmission of said sets of GNSS data to each inertial reference unit, and wherein;

each inertial reference unit applies a hybridation function between one of said sets of transmitted GNSS data and the inertial data that said unit supplies, to deliver a set of hybrid data,

the digital processing boards of each multimode receiver each incorporate a function for comparing the sets of hybrid data supplied by the inertial reference units, to supply, if appropriate, a fault detection signal, a function for generating corresponding guidance data and a function for checking said guidance data with the guidance data created by the other board.

3. Aircraft piloting aid system according to claim 1, wherein the inertial reference system includes three inertial reference units.

4. Aircraft piloting aid system according to claim 1, wherein the inertial reference system is of the anemometric data type.

5. Aircraft piloting aid system according to claim 1, wherein the augmented GNSS data is of the type with GBAS and/or SBAS augmentation.

6. Aircraft piloting aid system according to claim 1, configured to implement an inertially augmented GLS guidance for category I to III approach operations.

7. Onboard Aircraft piloting aid system, with GNSS-IRS hybridation, wherein said system comprises:

an inertial reference system IRS supplying inertial data, said inertial reference system comprising at least a first and a second inertial reference units,

at least a first and a second multimode receivers, each of said first and second multimode receivers including a first and a second digital processing boards with a mutual checking function for the data generated by each of said first and second digital processing boards, and

a single augmented GNSS signal processing board supplying augmented GNSS data,

wherein function for generating guidance data from the GNSS data and the inertial data with integrated fault detection is performed in a distributed manner by said first and second inertial reference units and said digital processing boards of said first and second multimode receivers.

8. Onboard Aircraft piloting aid system according to claim 7, wherein said first multimode receiver supplies a first set of guidance signals and a first set of augmented GNSS data, wherein said second multimode receiver supplies a second set of guidance signals and a second set of augmented GNSS data, wherein:

the first set of augmented GNSS data and the second set of augmented GNSS data are applied as input to each of the inertial reference units, each inertial reference unit including an integrated function for comparing said sets of data, in order to enable or disable a transmission of said sets of GNSS data to each inertial reference unit, and wherein

each inertial reference unit applies a hybridation function between one of said sets of transmitted GNSS data and the inertial data that said unit supplies, to deliver a set of hybrid data,

the digital processing boards of each multimode receiver each incorporate a function for comparing the sets of hybrid data supplied by the inertial reference units, to supply, if appropriate, a fault detection signal, a function for generating corresponding guidance data and a function for checking said guidance data with the guidance data created by the other board.

9. Onboard aircraft piloting aid system according to claim 7, wherein the inertial reference system includes three inertial reference units.

10. Onboard aircraft piloting aid system according to claim 7, wherein the inertial reference system is of the anemometric data type.

11. Onboard aircraft piloting aid system according to claim 7, wherein the augmented GNSS data is of the type with GBAS and/or SBAS augmentation.

12. Onboard aircraft piloting aid system according to claim 7 configured to implement an inertially augmented GLS guidance for category I to III approach operations.