Method for improving route and 4D prediction calculations by FMS for ATC tactical instructions

• US 7,835,825 B2
• Filed: 12/21/2007
• Issued: 11/16/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 12/21/2006
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Thales SA
• Original Assignee: Thales SA
• Inventors: Coulmeau, François, Deker, Guy
• Primary Examiner(s): ARTHUR JEANGLAUDE, GERTRUDE
• Application Number:
  US11/963,724
• Publication Number:
  US 20080161982A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,061 Days
• Field of Search: 701/3, 701/4, 701/13, 701/14, 701/15, 701/16, 701/117, 701/120, 701/207, 701/210, 244/75.1, 244/158.1, 244/181
• US Class Current: 701/3
• CPC Class Codes: G01C 23/00 Combined instruments indicating more than one navigational value, e.g. for aircraft; Combined measuring devices for measuring two or more variables of movement, e.g. distance, speed or acceleration
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 5/0039 Modification of a flight plan
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 5/0082 for monitoring traffic from a ground station radar or analogous systems specially adapted for traffic control G01S13/91
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 5/045 Navigation or guidance aids, e.g. determination of anti-collision manoeuvers radar or analogous systems specially adapted for anti-collision between aircraft G01S13/933

Abstract

The subject of the present invention is a method for improving route and 4D prediction calculations by FMS in the framework of ATC tactical flight instructions, which method enables the FMS of an aircraft to carry out its usual predictions as precisely as possible when it has left or anticipates leaving its initial flight plan following an instruction from the air traffic controller, and has no instructions telling it where and when to return to the initial flight plan, and the invention is characterized in that it consists in transmitting to the aircraft, from an air traffic control centre, information enabling the FMS system to be aware of traffic crossing points (X1) and control sector changes, and to use this information to predict the coordinates of a point (X2) at which it is supposed to rejoin its initial flight plan at the earliest opportunity after the crossing point that required an alteration of trajectory and at the latest opportunity on the last point of the current sector.

Claims

1. A method of generating an alternative route for an aircraft by a flight management system (FMS) of the aircraft, comprising:

receiving information transmitted from at least one air traffic control center that enables the FMS to be aware of a current control sector and an initial route within the current control sector;

receiving an instruction transmitted from the at least one air traffic control center instructing the aircraft to deviate from the initial route at a first crossing point on the initial route;

determining a second crossing point where the aircraft should start moving toward the initial route; and

determining a convergence point on the initial route that allows the aircraft to intercept the initial route before leaving the current control sector.

2. The method according to claim 1, wherein the aircraft is instructed to deviate the initial route by taking a heading, and the second crossing point is the point on a route of another aircraft where the aircraft will cross if maintaining the heading, and a route determined by the second crossing point and the convergence point allows the aircraft to intercept the initial route at an angle no less than a nominal convergence angle.

3. The method according to claim 2, wherein the initial route is defined by a plurality of strategic points, and the convergence point is one of the plurality of strategic points.

4. The method according to claim 2, wherein the convergence point is a limit point between the current control sector and a next control sector.

5. The method according to claim 2, wherein the initial route is intercepted with the nominal convergence angle of about 45°

.

6. The method according to claim 2, wherein the initial route is intercepted with the nominal convergence angle having a value that is dependent on a procedure flown by the aircraft.

7. The method according to claim 2, wherein the initial route is intercepted with the angle that is greater than the nominal convergence angle if the convergence point will not be located within the current control sector provided the nominal convergence angle being followed.

8. The method according to claim 1, wherein the aircraft is instructed to deviate the initial route by taking a heading, and the second crossing point is a point extrapolated from the first crossing point at the heading and allows the aircraft to intercept the initial route at a nominal convergence angle when a route of another aircraft is known and when the aircraft has crossed the route of the another aircraft but has still not received instructions to return to the initial route from the at least one air traffic control center.

9. The method according to claim 1, wherein the aircraft is instructed to deviate the initial route by taking a heading, and the second crossing point is a point extrapolated from the first crossing point at the heading and allows the aircraft to intercept the initial route at a nominal convergence angle when a route of another aircraft is not known.

10. The method according to claim 9, wherein the initial route is defined by a plurality of strategic points including a transition point from the current control sector toward a next control sector, and the convergence point is the transition point.

11. The method according to claim 9, wherein the convergence point is a limit between the current control sector and the next control sector.