Stabilized approach monitor

• US 8,116,923 B2
• Filed: 11/19/2009
• Issued: 02/14/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 11/19/2009
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Honeywell International Inc.
• Original Assignee: Honeywell International Inc.
• Inventors: Ishihara, Yasuo, Johnson, Steve
• Primary Examiner(s): Tran, Khoi
• Assistant Examiner(s): MOYER, DALE S
• Application Number:
  US12/621,794
• Publication Number:
  US 20110118911A1
• Time in Patent Office: 817 Days
• Field of Search: 244/186, 340/951, 340/963, 340/967, 340/970, 342/65, 701/9, 701/17, 701/18, 701/206
• US Class Current: 701/17
• CPC Class Codes: G05D 1/0676 specially adapted for landing
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 5/0021 located in the aircraft
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 5/02 Automatic approach or landing aids, i.e. systems in which flight data of incoming planes are processed to provide landing data landing aids fitted in or to aircraft B64D45/04; visual or acoustic landing aids B64F1/18
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 5/025 Navigation or guidance aids radar or analogous systems specially adapted for landing purposes G01S13/913

Abstract

Systems and methods for suppressing an unstable alert when the aircraft is in the process of landing on a temporarily displaced threshold. In an example process, a processor on the aircraft determines the aircraft is on an approach to landing on a runway based on information received from one or more data sources on the aircraft, then retrieves predefined glideslope information for the runway from a memory device that is in signal communication with the processor. Next, the processor determines whether position of the aircraft is above the predefined glideslope by a first threshold amount. If the aircraft is determined to be above the predefined glideslope by the first threshold amount, the processor issues an unstable alert only if a flight path angle of the aircraft is greater than an angle of the predefined glideslope by a second threshold amount.

Claims

1. A method performed on an aircraft, the method comprising:

using a processor on the aircraft,

a) retrieving predefined glideslope information for a runway from a memory device in signal communication with the processor, when the aircraft is on an approach to landing on the runway based on information received from one or more data sources on the aircraft;

b) determining whether position of the aircraft is above the predefined glideslope by a first threshold amount; and

c) when it is determined that the aircraft is above the predefined glideslope by the first threshold amount, issuing an unstable alert only if a flight path angle of the aircraft is greater than an angle of the predefined glideslope by a second threshold amount.

2. The method of claim 1, further comprising computing the flight path angle of the aircraft when it is determined that the aircraft is above the first threshold amount above the predefined glideslope.

3. The method of claim 1, further comprising suppressing an unstable alert when the flight path angle is not greater than an angle of the predefined glideslope by the second threshold amount.

4. The method of claim 1, further comprising repeating the step of determining whether position of the aircraft is above the predefined glideslope by the first threshold amount after a predefined delay period if the aircraft was previously determined to not be above the predefined glideslope by the first threshold amount and if the aircraft is presently not below a threshold height above the runway.

5. An aircraft comprising:

a memory device configured to store airport information comprising runway glideslope information;

one or more data sensors configured to at least determine position of the aircraft;

an output device; and

a processing device in signal communication with the memory device, the one or more position sensors and the output device, the processing device comprising;

a first component configured to determine whether the aircraft is above predefined glideslope retrieved from the memory device when on a approach to landing by at least a first threshold amount based on a determined position;

a second component configured to compute flight path angle of the aircraft when it is determined that the aircraft is above the predefined glideslope by at least the first threshold amount; and

a third component configured to issue an unstable alert to the output device only if the computed flight path angle of the aircraft is greater than an angle of the predefined glideslope by a second threshold amount.

6. The aircraft of claim 5, wherein the processing device further comprises a fourth component configured to suppress an unstable alert when the flight path angle is not greater than the angle of the predefined glideslope by the second threshold amount.

7. The aircraft of claim 5, wherein the processing device further comprises a fourth component configured to return to the second component after a predefined delay period if the aircraft was previously determined to not be above the predefined glideslope by the first threshold amount and if the aircraft is not presently below a threshold height above the runway.

8. The aircraft of claim 5, wherein the output device comprises one of an audio or visual device.

9. A system located on an aircraft, the system comprising:

a means for storing predefined glideslope information for a runway;

a means for determining whether a position of the aircraft is above a predefined glideslope of the runway by a first threshold amount when the aircraft is on an approach to landing to the runway;

a means for computing a flight path angle of the aircraft when it is determined that the aircraft is above the first threshold amount above the predefined glideslope; and

a means for issuing an unstable alert only if the computed flight path angle of the aircraft is greater than an angle of the predefined glideslope by a second threshold amount.

10. The system of claim 9, further comprising a means for suppressing an unstable alert when the flight path angle is not greater than an angle of the predefined glideslope by the second threshold amount.

11. The system of claim 9, further comprising a means for returning to the means for determining whether the position of the aircraft is above the predefined glideslope after a predefined delay period if the aircraft was previously determined to not be above the predefined glideslope by the first threshold amount and if the aircraft is presently not below a threshold height above the runway.