Device for guiding an aircraft along a flight trajectory

• US 8,027,783 B2
• Filed: 11/02/2007
• Issued: 09/27/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 11/07/2006
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Airbus Operations SAS (Airbus SE)
• Original Assignee: Airbus Operations SAS (Airbus SE)
• Inventors: De Menorval, Jean-Louis, Averseng, Didier, Closse, Julien
• Primary Examiner(s): To; Tuan C
• Application Number:
  US11/934,502
• Publication Number:
  US 20100332111A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,425 Days
• Field of Search: 701/120, 701/3, 244/76.C, 244/221, 342/33, 340/976
• US Class Current: 701/120
• CPC Class Codes: G05D 1/101 specially adapted for aircraft
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 5/025 Navigation or guidance aids radar or analogous systems specially adapted for landing purposes G01S13/913

Abstract

An aircraft guidance device includes a flight computer that formulates all guidance orders for the aircraft, irrespective of a selected guidance mode.

Claims

1. A device for guiding an aircraft along a flight trajectory comprising a plurality of successive segments, said device comprising:

at least one navigation database;

at least one flight management system which comprises a flight trajectory segment determining section that determines at least one flight trajectory of the aircraft with the aid of data received from said navigation database;

a flight computer which carries out processing operations intended for guiding the aircraft along said flight trajectory; and

actuators of control members of the aircraft, wherein;

said flight computer comprises at least the following integrated components;

a flight trajectory receiving section that receives said flight trajectory from said flight management system;

said flight trajectory segment determining section, which determines the segment of said flight trajectory which is active;

a position error formulating section that formulates errors of position between the actual position of the aircraft and the position that it would have if it were on said active segment; and

a guidance law storage that comprises all the guidance laws for the aircraft, corresponding respectively to the various guidance modes capable of being selected and applied to the aircraft, and which are formed in such a way as to formulate all the guidance orders for the aircraft, doing so regardless of the guidance mode which is selected, said guidance orders being transmitted to said actuators.

2. The device as claimed in claim 1, wherein:

said device comprises, moreover, at least one display system capable of displaying said flight trajectory and a monitoring system capable of carrying out processing operations relating to said flight trajectory; and

said flight management system communicates the same flight trajectory in one and the same format to said flight computer, to said display system and to said monitoring system.

3. The device as claimed in claim 1, wherein said flight management system communicates to the flight computer all the flight trajectories available to it, and which are of the low-altitude type, and wherein said flight computer comprises a recorder that records these low-altitude flight trajectories.

4. The device as claimed in claim 1, wherein said flight management system determines a four-dimensional flight trajectory comprising a three-dimensional trajectory and indications of corresponding times of passage, and wherein said flight computer comprises a comparator that compares this four-dimensional flight trajectory with the actual position of the aircraft and with the current time, and for deducing therefrom speed directives forming part of said guidance orders.

5. The device as claimed in claim 1, which comprises, moreover, a communication device that sends at least said flight trajectory out of the aircraft.

6. The device as claimed in claim 1, which comprises two flight management systems and a verification section that checks the data sent by theses two flight management systems.

7. The device as claimed in claim 1, which comprises, moreover, a four-dimensional flight trajectory formulating section that formulates a four-dimensional flight trajectory making it possible to comply with a particular spacing with respect to at least one other aircraft.

8. The device as claimed in claim 1, which comprises, moreover, a guidance orders generating section that is integrated into the flight computer and which is formed in such a way as to generate guidance orders making it possible to adapt the energy of the aircraft during a descent, by taking account of information relating to the air brakes of this aircraft.

9. An aircraft, which comprises a device such as that specified under claim 1.