Methods and system for time of arrival control using time of arrival uncertainty

• US 8,150,588 B2
• Filed: 11/25/2008
• Issued: 04/03/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 11/25/2008
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: General Electric Company
• Original Assignee: General Electric Company
• Inventors: Klooster, Joel Kenneth
• Primary Examiner(s): Nguyen, Tan Q
• Application Number:
  US12/277,868
• Publication Number:
  US 20100131124A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,225 Days
• Field of Search: 701/66, 701/3, 701/70, 370/335
• US Class Current: 701/66
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 5/0052 for cruising combined instruments indicating more than one navigational value G01C23/00

Abstract

Methods and a system for vehicle control are provided. The system includes an input device configured to receive a required time of arrival at a waypoint and a processor communicatively coupled to the input device. The processor is programmed to determine a forward late time profile, determine a forward early time profile representing the earliest time the vehicle could arrive at a point along the track and still arrive at the waypoint while transiting at a maximum available speed, and determine an estimated time uncertainty (ETU) associated with at least one of the forward late time profile and the forward early time profile. The system also includes an output device communicatively coupled to the processor, the output device configured to transmit the determined uncertainty with a respective one of the at least one of the forward late time profile and the forward early time profile to a display.

Claims

1. A vehicle control system comprising:

an input device configured to receive a required time of arrival at a waypoint;

a processor communicatively coupled to said input device, said processor programmed to;

determine a forward late time profile representing the latest time the vehicle could arrive at a point along the track while transiting at a minimum available speed;

determine a forward early time profile representing the earliest time the vehicle could arrive at a point along the track and still arrive at the waypoint while transiting at a maximum available speed;

determine at least one of an acceleration and a deceleration between the minimum available speed and the maximum available speed;

determine an estimated time uncertainty (ETU) associated with at least one of the forward late time profile, forward early time profile and a reference time profile; and

an output device communicatively coupled to the processor, said output device configured to transmit the determined uncertainty with a respective one of the at least one of the forward late time profile, forward early time profile and the reference time profile to at least one of another system for further processing and a display.

2. A system in accordance with claim 1 wherein said processor is further programmed to graphically display at least one of the forward late time profile and the forward early time profile with the respective determined uncertainty.

3. A system in accordance with claim 1 wherein said processor is further programmed to:

determine a backward early time profile using a maximum speed profile backward from the RTA time wherein the maximum speed profile is determined for the vehicle while transiting at a maximum available speed;

determine a backward late time profile using a minimum speed profile backward from the RTA time, wherein the minimum speed profile is determined for the vehicle while transiting at a minimum available speed;

determine an estimated time uncertainty (ETU) associated with at least one of the backward early time profile and the backward late time profile; and

output the determined uncertainty with a respective one of the at least one of the backward early time profile and the backward late time profile.

4. A system in accordance with claim 1 wherein said processor is further programmed to graphically display at least one of the backward early time profile and the backward late time profile with the respective determined uncertainty.

5. A system in accordance with claim 1 wherein said processor is further programmed to:

determine the ETU at least one point between an earliest achievable time profiles and a latest achievable time profile; and

transmit the determined ETU to at least one of another system for further processing and a display.

6. A system in accordance with claim 1 wherein the track comprises a plurality of segments and wherein said processor is further programmed to:

determine an estimated time uncertainty (ETU) for each of the plurality of segments; and

combine the determined estimated time uncertainty (ETU) for the plurality of segments.

7. A system in accordance with claim 1 wherein said processor is further programmed to determine an estimated time uncertainty (ETU) attributable to at least one of an uncertainty associated with a forecast headwind or tailwind, an uncertainty associated with a forecast temperature, an uncertainty associated with a Mach value, an uncertainty associated with an uncertainty in a actual distance flown, an uncertainty associated with the method of integrating the equations of motion, an uncertainty associated with an estimated position along the track, and an uncertainty associated with the input time.

9. A method in accordance with claim 7 further comprising graphically displaying at least one of the forward late time profile and the forward early time profile with the respective determined uncertainty.

10. A method in accordance with claim 7 further comprising:

determining a backward early time profile using a maximum speed profile backward from the RTA time wherein the maximum speed profile is determined for the vehicle while transiting at a maximum available speed;

determining a backward late time profile using a minimum speed profile backward from the RTA time, wherein the minimum speed profile is determined for the vehicle while transiting at a minimum available speed;

determining an estimated time uncertainty (ETU) associated with at least one of the backward early time profile and the backward late time profile; and

outputting the determined uncertainty with a respective one of the at least one of the backward early time profile and the backward late time profile.

11. A method in accordance with claim 9 further comprising graphically displaying at least one of the backward early time profile and the backward late time profile with the respective determined uncertainty.

12. A method in accordance with claim 7 wherein the track comprises a plurality of segments and wherein determining an estimated time uncertainty (ETU) comprises determining an estimated time uncertainty (ETU) for each of the plurality of segments;

and combining the determined estimated time uncertainty (ETU) for the plurality of segments.

13. A method in accordance with claim 7 wherein determining an estimated time uncertainty (ETU) comprises determining an estimated time uncertainty (ETU) attributable to at least one of an uncertainty associated with a forecast headwind or tailwind, an uncertainty associated with a forecast temperature, an uncertainty associated with a Mach value, an uncertainty associated with an uncertainty in a actual distance flown, an uncertainty associated with the method of integrating the equations of motion, an uncertainty associated with an estimated position along the track, and an uncertainty associated with the input time.

14. A method in accordance with claim 12 wherein determining an uncertainty associated with a Mach value comprises determining at least one of an uncertainty associated with a computed Mach value and an uncertainty associated with a measured Mach value.

8. A method of controlling a speed of a vehicle along a track, said method comprising:

receiving a required time of arrival (RTA) at a predetermined waypoint;

determining a forward late time profile representing the latest time the vehicle could arrive at a point along the track and still arrive at the predetermine waypoint at the RTA while transiting at a minimum available speed;

determining a forward early time profile representing the earliest time the vehicle could arrive at a point along the track and still arrive at the predetermine waypoint at the RTA while transiting at a maximum available speed;

determining at least one of an acceleration and a deceleration between the minimum available speed and the maximum available speed;

determining an estimated time uncertainty (ETU) associated with at least one of the forward late time profile and the forward early time profile; and

outputting the determined uncertainty with a respective one of the at least one of the forward late time profile and the forward early time profile.

15. A method of controlling a speed of a vehicle, said method comprising:

receiving a required time of arrival of the vehicle at a waypoint;

determining a forward late time profile representing the latest time the vehicle could arrive at a point along the track and still arrive at the predetermined waypoint while transiting at a maximum available speed;

determining a forward early time profile representing the earliest time the vehicle could arrive at a point along the track and still arrive at the predetermined waypoint while transiting at a minimum available speed;

determining a backward early time profile using a maximum speed profile backward from the RTA time wherein the maximum speed profile is determined for the vehicle while transiting at a maximum available speed;

determining a backward late time profile using a minimum speed profile backward from the RTA time, wherein the minimum speed profile is determined for the vehicle while transiting at a minimum available speed;

determining at least one of an acceleration and a deceleration between the minimum available speed and the maximum available speed;

determining an estimated time uncertainty (ETU) associated with at least one of the forward late time profile, the forward early time profile, the backward early time profile and the backward late time profile; and

controlling a speed of the vehicle using at least one of the forward late time profile, the forward early time profile, the backward early time profile the backward late time profile, and a respective determined uncertainty.

16. A method in accordance with claim 15 further comprising graphically displaying at least one of the forward late time profile, the forward early time profile, the backward early time profile the backward late time profile, and a respective determined uncertainty.

17. A method in accordance with claim 15 further comprising:

determining an earliest allowable time and a latest allowable time; and

controlling a speed of the vehicle using the earliest allowable time and the latest allowable time.

18. A method in accordance with claim 17 further comprising scaling the earliest allowable time and a latest allowable time using a scaling factor.

19. A method in accordance with claim 18 further comprising determining the scaling factor using the ETU.

20. A method in accordance with claim 18 further comprising receiving the scaling factor from a user.