Method and device for assisting an aircraft flight control during landing approach

• US 8,346,412 B2
• Filed: 05/03/2006
• Issued: 01/01/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 05/09/2005
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Airbus Operations SAS (Airbus SE)
• Original Assignee: Airbus Operations SAS (Airbus SE)
• Inventors: Lacaze, Isabelle, Foucart, Vincent, De Menorval, Jean-Louis, Zadrozynski, Didier, Lemoult, Frédéric, Barthe, Joëlle, Lhote, Sébastien, Hoste Ventos, Irène
• Primary Examiner(s): Tarcza, Thomas
• Assistant Examiner(s): TISSOT, ADAM D
• Application Number:
  US11/911,611
• Publication Number:
  US 20100036551A1
• Time in Patent Office: 2,435 Days
• Field of Search: 701 1- 20, 701/200, 701/213, 340/947, 340/948, 340/951, 340/971, 340/972, 340/976, 340/988, 342/33, 342/357.01, 342/357.08
• US Class Current: 701/18
• 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: G05D 1/0676 specially adapted for landing
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 5/025 Navigation or guidance aids radar or analogous systems specially adapted for landing purposes G01S13/913

Abstract

The inventive flight control assisting device comprises first means (4) for determining the actual aircraft flight conditions, second means (5) for determining, with the aid of said actual flight conditions and a predetermined pattern, a minimum approaching distance corresponding to a minimum distance between projections on the horizontal plane of the aircraft actual position and a touch-down point when said aircraft moves downwards and decelerates according to an optimised approach in such a way that stabilised approaching conditions are attained, and display means (7) for displaying at least said minimum approaching distance on a navigation screen (9) in the form of a first circular arc focused on a position relative to the aircraft which displays the touch-down position.

Claims

1. A method of aiding the piloting of an aircraft during an approach phase for the purpose of landing, according to which method the following series of successive steps is carried out in an automatic and repetitive manner:

a) determining current flight conditions of the aircraft;

b) dynamically determining a minimum approach distance between a current position of the aircraft and a position of contact with the ground at least with the aid of said current flight conditions; and

c) presenting at least the minimum approach distance to a pilot of the aircraft on a navigation screen, wherein;

step b) further comprises dynamically determining said minimum approach distance with the aid of said current flight conditions, as well as with the aid of a predetermined model which takes account of aerodynamic braking capabilities of the aircraft;

step b) further comprises dynamically determining said minimum approach distance as a minimum distance between projections onto a horizontal plane of the current position of the aircraft and the position of contact with the ground, when the aircraft descends and decelerates in accordance with an optimized approach so as to achieve stabilized approach conditions, said optimized approach being dynamically determined to obtain the smallest possible minimum distance;

step b) further comprises dynamically determining a second approach distance which corresponds to a distance between other projections onto the horizontal plane of the current position of the aircraft and another position of contact with the ground, when the aircraft descends and decelerates in accordance with a standard approach so as to achieve the stabilized approach conditions; and

step c) further comprises simultaneously presenting the following to the pilot of the aircraft on said navigation screen;

the minimum approach distance, in the form of a first circular arc which is centered on a position relating to the aircraft and which illustrates the position of contact with the ground relating to the optimized approach; and

the second approach distance, in the form of a second circular arc which is centered on said position relating to the aircraft and which illustrates the other position of contact with the ground relating to the standard approach,

wherein step c) further comprises presenting a symbol which illustrates a position of a landing runway scheduled for the landing and which indicates at least a threshold of the landing runway on said navigation screen, and presenting said first circular arc on a lateral trajectory of the aircraft, and

wherein step c) enables the pilot to select between landing the aircraft using the optimized approach or landing the aircraft using the standard approach.

2. The method as claimed in claim 1,

further comprising emitting an alert signal in a flight deck of the aircraft, when said first circular arc is situated beyond the threshold of the landing runway.

3. The method as claimed in claim 1,

wherein step a) further comprises determining at least the following current flight conditions of the aircraft:

a height of the aircraft with respect to the ground;

a speed of the aircraft; and

an aerodynamic configuration of said aircraft.

4. The method as claimed in claim 1, wherein said stabilized approach conditions are based on an assumption that the aircraft exhibits a predetermined approach speed and approach slope that are stabilized at a predetermined height relative to the ground.

5. The method as claimed in claim 1,

wherein a neural net uses said predetermined model to determine the minimum approach distance as a function of the current flight conditions.

6. The method as claimed in claim 5,

wherein said neural net determines said minimum approach distance as a function of said current flight conditions, said stabilized approach conditions, and at least the following parameters:

an atmospheric pressure at ground level;

a mass of the aircraft; and

a longitudinal instantaneous wind.

7. The method as claimed in claim 5,

wherein said neural net depends on a type of said aircraft.

8. The method as claimed in claim 5,

further comprising determining said neural net during a preliminary step, prior to a flight of the aircraft.

9. The method as claimed in the claim 1,

further comprising determining said minimum approach distance by taking into account an optimal descent profile as a function of said current flight conditions.

13. An aircraft, comprising a device capable of implementing the method specified under claim 1.

10. A device for aiding the piloting of an aircraft during an approach phase for the purpose of landing, said device comprising:

a first unit for determining current flight conditions of the aircraft;

a second unit for dynamically determining, at least with the aid of said current flight conditions, a minimum approach distance between a current position of the aircraft and a position of contact with the ground; and

a display unit for presenting, on a navigation screen, at least the minimum approach distance, wherein;

said second unit comprises;

a minimum approach distance determining unit for dynamically determining said minimum approach distance with the aid of said flight conditions and with the aid of a predetermined model which takes account of aerodynamic braking capabilities of the aircraft, said minimum approach distance corresponding to a minimum distance between projections onto a horizontal plane of the current position of the aircraft and the position of contact with the ground, when the aircraft descends and decelerates in accordance with an optimized approach so as to achieve stabilized approach conditions, said optimized approach being dynamically determined to obtain the smallest possible minimum distance; and

a second approach distance determining unit for dynamically determining a second approach distance which corresponds to a distance between other projections onto the horizontal plane of the current position of the aircraft and another position of contact with the ground, when the aircraft descends and decelerates in accordance with a standard approach so as to achieve the stabilized approach conditions; and

said display unit is formed to simultaneously present the following to a pilot of the aircraft on said navigation screen;

the minimum approach distance, in the form of a first circular arc which is centered on a position relating to the aircraft and which illustrates the position of contact with the ground relating to the optimized approach; and

the second approach distance, in the form of a second circular arc which is centered on said position relating to the aircraft and which illustrates the other position of contact with the ground relating to the standard approach, wherein

the display unit is further configured to present a symbol which illustrates a position of a landing runway scheduled for the landing and which indicates at least a threshold of the landing runway on said navigation screen, and to present said first circular arc on a lateral trajectory of the aircraft, to enable the pilot to select between landing the aircraft using the optimized approach or landing the aircraft using the standard approach.

11. The device as claimed in claim 10,

wherein said second unit comprises a neural net.

12. The device as claimed in claim 10, further comprising an alert unit configured to emit an alert signal in a flight deck of the aircraft, when said first circular arc is situated beyond the threshold of the landing runway scheduled for the landing.

14. An aircraft, comprising a device such as that specified under claim 10.