Flight management system for an aircraft

• US 7,797,102 B2
• Filed: 12/13/2006
• Issued: 09/14/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 12/13/2005
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Thales SA
• Original Assignee: Thales SA
• Inventors: Fortier, Stephanie
• Primary Examiner(s): Nguyen; Cuong H
• Application Number:
  US11/637,836
• Publication Number:
  US 20070150178A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,371 Days
• Field of Search: 701/123, 701/204, 701206-207, 701 3- 4, 701/220, 340/995.28, 340/971, 340/963
• US Class Current: 701/206
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 5/0034 Assembly of a flight plan
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 5/0052 for cruising combined instruments indicating more than one navigational value G01C23/00

Abstract

A flight management system for an aircraft, for executing a flight plan comprising referenced waypoints comprising a start point, an end point and intermediate waypoints, the said aircraft having a specified fuel quantity at the start of the said flight plan, executes a function of monitoring the fuel consumption with respect to at least one threshold value. The function comprises an operation for estimating if the quantity of fuel remaining on board drops below a threshold at any point in the flight plan included between the start point and the end point, and inserts a corresponding pseudo-waypoint in the flight plan, corresponding to the point where the said threshold is passed. The inserted pseudo-point is displayed on screens for displaying the flight plan.

Claims

1. A flight management system (FMS), comprising:

a computer electrically connected to a Multipurpose Control and Display Unit (MCDU) that includes a display screen and an input keyboard;

wherein the computer includes a memory device that includes a stored flight plan having referenced waypoints, including a start point, an end point and intermediate waypoints, each waypoint having a display marker;

wherein the stored flight plan further comprises a predetermined threshold fuel quantity, and a pseudo-waypoint, corresponding to a point where the predetermined threshold is passed;

wherein the computer is configured to execute a fuel consumption monitoring function stored in the memory, the monitory function based upon said referenced waypoints, said pseudo-waypoint, and a specified fuel quantity at the start of the flight plan, the monitoring function comprising;

a threshold-passing estimation function for estimating if a quantity of fuel remaining on board drops below the predetermined threshold value at any point in the flight plan between the start point and the end point, and

an inserting unit function for inserting the pseudo-waypoint in the flight plan, corresponding to the point where the threshold is passed.

2. The system according to claim 1, wherein the monitoring function includes an operation of displaying the said pseudo-waypoint on the flight path of the flight plan, with referenced waypoints, on the display screen.

3. The system according to claim 2, wherein the FMS includes a marker corresponding to the pseudo-waypoint that is distinctive in comparison with the markers of the referenced waypoints.

4. The flight management system according to claim 1, wherein the monitoring function has a mode of automatic activation, for a threshold value calculated by the computer according to the parameters of the flight plan and the fuel quantity.

5. The flight management system according to claim 4, wherein the threshold value calculated by the computer is equal to a reserve value for the flight plan, the display of a corresponding pseudo-point on the display screen displaying the flight plan indicating that as from the corresponding position, the aircraft is using the reserve.

6. The flight management system according to claim 4, wherein the display of the pseudo-waypoint associated with the threshold value calculated by the computer is paired with at least one proposal to divert to a closer airport.

7. The flight management system according to claim 1, wherein the monitoring function comprises a mode with manual activation by a manual input of a threshold value.

8. The flight management system according to claim 7, wherein the manually entered threshold has a value determined in order to allow a monitoring of consumption fluctuation.

9. The flight management system according to claim 1, wherein the activation of the monitoring function with respect to a given threshold value comprises the execution of a first operation of estimation and of display of the position of a corresponding pseudo-waypoint, giving a first position, and one or more following estimation and display operations, in order to monitor the change in the position of the pseudo-point.

10. The flight management system according to claim 9, wherein the following estimation and display operations are each initiated by the modification of a flight parameter affecting the consumption.

11. The flight management system according to claim 2, wherein monitoring function has a mode of automatic activation by the computer, for a threshold value calculated by the computer according to the parameters of the flight plan and the fuel quantity.

12. The flight management system according to claim 3, wherein monitoring function has a mode of automatic activation by the computer, for a threshold value calculated by the computer according to the parameters of the flight plan and the fuel quantity.

13. The flight management system according to claim 5, wherein the display of the pseudo-waypoint associated with the threshold value calculated by the computer is paired with at least one proposal to divert to a closer airport.

14. The flight management system according to claim 2, wherein the monitoring function comprises a mode with manual activation by a manual input of a threshold value on the keyboard.

15. The flight management system according to claim 3, wherein the monitoring function comprises a mode with manual activation by a manual input of a threshold value on the keyboard.

16. The flight management system according to claim 4, wherein the monitoring function comprises a mode with manual activation by a manual input of a threshold value on the keyboard.

17. The flight management system according to claim 5, wherein the monitoring function comprises a mode with manual activation by a manual input of a threshold value on the keyboard.

18. The flight management system according to claim 6, wherein the monitoring function comprises a mode with manual activation by a manual input of a threshold value on the keyboard.