Method and device for generating a taxiing trajectory for an aircraft

• US 8,140,257 B2
• Filed: 12/08/2008
• Issued: 03/20/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 12/11/2007
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Airbus Operations SAS (Airbus SE)
• Original Assignee: Airbus Operations SAS (Airbus SE)
• Inventors: Villaume, Fabrice, Scacchi, Pierre
• Primary Examiner(s): Garg, Yogesh C
• Application Number:
  US12/330,355
• Publication Number:
  US 20090150068A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,198 Days
• Field of Search: 701/3, 701/121, 701/13, 701/7, 701/210, 701/120, 701/206, 340/961, 340/945, 340/958, 382/104, 382/106
• US Class Current: 701/206
• CPC Class Codes: G05D 1/0083 to help an aircraft pilot in the rolling phase
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 5/0021 located in the aircraft
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 5/065 Navigation or guidance aids, e.g. for taxiing or rolling

Abstract

Disclosed is a method and device for generating an aircraft ground path for piloting an aircraft along the ground of an airport domain. Geographical coordinates of reference points corresponding to a series of elements of the airport domain that the aircraft is to successively follow are obtained and converted to a metric frame. Points of intersection of the successive elements are then determined, as well as an auxiliary path for the aircraft to follow, based on the converted geographical coordinates. A turn at each of the intersection points is next determined, and the aircraft ground path is generated from each of the determined turns.

Claims

1. A method of generating an aircraft ground path for piloting an aircraft along the ground of an airport domain, the method comprising the steps of:

a) receiving, by a path receiving unit in the aircraft, a path defined by a series of elements of the airport domain, which elements the aircraft is to successively follow, with each element being comprised of at least two reference points which represent fixed geographical points of said airport domain;

b) obtaining, by a coordinate extraction unit, the geographical coordinates of the reference points that correspond to the elements of said path that the aircraft is to follow;

c) converting, by a conversion unit, the obtained geographical coordinates into a metric frame tied to the airport domain;

d) determining, by an auxiliary path determining unit, points of intersection of the successive elements of said path and determining an auxiliary path for the aircraft to follow, based on the converted geographical coordinates;

e) determining a turn, by a ground path determining unit, at each of said intersection points, and generating from each of the determined turns said aircraft ground path; and

f) providing, by a ground path communication unit, the generated aircraft ground path to at least one user system.

2. The method as claimed in claim 1,

wherein in step e), a check is carried out on said generated aircraft ground path to verify that each turn exhibits a maximum curvature which is less than a predetermined threshold curvature.

3. The method as claimed in claim 1,

wherein said generated aircraft ground path is formed of a succession of turns and of straight line segments, and in that each turn is a circular arc whose radius depends on the segments arriving at the corresponding intersection point.

4. The method as claimed in claim 1,

wherein said generated aircraft ground path is defined in the form of a succession of cubic Bezier curves, the cubic Bezier curves defining turns and straight line segments.

5. The method as claimed in claim 1,

wherein in step d), a check is carried out, for each intersection point, to verify that the angle formed by two segments arriving at the corresponding intersection point is less than a predetermined threshold value.

6. The method as claimed in claim 1,

wherein in step e), artifacts existing on the auxiliary path are deleted.

7. The method as claimed in claim 2,

wherein in step e), the maximum curvature and the length of each element of the auxiliary path which is defined in the form of a succession of elements are determined.

8. The method as claimed in claim 1,

wherein in step e), a concatenation of the segments of said auxiliary path is carried out.

9. The method as claimed in claim 1,

wherein in step f), said generated aircraft ground path is provided in the form of a table which lists the successive elements of the generated aircraft ground path, and which presents, for each of these elements, a first characteristic sign defining a position in the generated aircraft ground path, and a second characteristic sign defining length, and maximum curvature of the generated aircraft ground path.

10. A device for generating an aircraft ground path for piloting an aircraft along the ground of an airport domain, the device comprising:

path receiving unit that receives a path defined by a series of elements of the airport domain, which elements the aircraft is to successively follow, with each element being comprised of at least two reference points which represent fixed geographical points of said airport domain;

coordinate extraction unit that obtains the geographical coordinates of the reference points from the path receiving unit that correspond to the elements of said path that the aircraft is to successively follow;

conversion unit that converts the obtained geographical coordinates into a metric frame tied to the airport domain;

auxiliary path determining unit that determines, based on said converted geographical coordinates, points of intersection of the successive elements of said path and which determines from the points of intersection an auxiliary path;

ground path deter mining unit that determines from said auxiliary path, a turn at each of said intersection points, and generates from each of the determined turns said aircraft ground path; and

ground path communication unit that provides the aircraft ground path to at least one user system.