System and method to assist in the braking of an aircraft on a landing runway

• US 8,478,460 B2
• Filed: 08/02/2010
• Issued: 07/02/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 01/03/2006
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Thales SA
• Original Assignee: Thales SA
• Inventors: Hugues, Meunier
• Primary Examiner(s): Jen, Ian
• Application Number:
  US12/848,524
• Publication Number:
  US 20100299005A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,065 Days
• Field of Search: None
• US Class Current: 701/16
• CPC Class Codes: B64C 25/426 Braking devices providing an automatic sequence of braking
• CPC Class Codes: G05D 1/0083 to help an aircraft pilot in the rolling phase
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 5/065 Navigation or guidance aids, e.g. for taxiing or rolling

Abstract

A system includes a means of acquiring the position of the aircraft on the runway and its speed in the taxiing phase, a means of storing data concerning the runway and a predefined deceleration law, a function for calculating the distance that the aircraft will have traveled on the runway when it has reached a certain speed and/or the speed that it will have reached when it has traveled a certain distance: the calculated distance makes it possible to adapt the braking by comparison with the distance remaining to reach the end of the runway; the calculated distance makes it possible to adapt the braking by comparison with the distance remaining to reach the end of the runway; the calculated speed makes it possible to adapt the braking by comparison with the maximum speed to take the exit.

Claims

1. A method to assist in adjusting a braking intensity of an aircraft on a landing runway comprising the steps of:

recovering data concerning said runway where the aircraft is landing;

including points characterizing an end of said runaway, a length of said runway, and exit points of said runway, data concerning a controlled speed corresponding to a speed below which the aircraft can perform any turn maneuver when taxiing,

acquiring a position of the aircraft on the runway and a speed of the aircraft in a taxiing phase;

calculating a distance that the aircraft will have traveled on said runway when the aircraft has reached a controlled speed, the controlled speed being calculated assuming that the speed of the aircraft decreases according to a predefined time function;

displaying to the pilot graphical representation of said runway, said end points and exit points of said runway, said aircraft position on said runway and said calculated distance,

a difference between said displayed calculated distance and displayed end and exit points of the runway allowing said braking intensity to be increased or reduced by the pilot.

2. The method to assist in adjusting the braking intensity of an aircraft on a landing runway as claimed in claim 1, wherein the speed is calculated assuming that the speed of the aircraft decreases according to a time-dependent function only.

3. The method to assist in adjusting the braking intensity of an aircraft on a landing runway as claimed in claim 2, wherein the speed is calculated assuming that the speed of the aircraft decreases according to a linear time function.

4. The method to assist in adjusting the braking intensity of an aircraft on a landing runway as claimed in claim 1, wherein the controlled speed is calculated assuming that the speed of the aircraft decreases according to a function depending on time and on other variables characterizing the instantaneous braking quality given the state of the runway or of the aircraft and being estimated when taxiing on this runway.

5. The method to assist in adjusting the braking intensity of an aircraft on a landing runway as claimed in claim 1, wherein the controlled speed is calculated by taking into account only a speed component along an axis of the runway.

6. The method to assist in adjusting the braking intensity of an aircraft on a landing runway as claimed in claim 5, wherein the axis of the runway is determined by extraction from an airport database containing the position of the thresholds and of the ends of the runway or containing the geographic orientation of the runway.

7. The method to assist in adjusting the braking intensity of an aircraft on a landing runway as claimed in claim 5, wherein the axis of the runway is obtained by calculation based on the coordinates of notable points of the runway on which the aircraft is.

8. The method to assist in adjusting the braking intensity of an aircraft on a landing runway as claimed in claim 5, wherein the axis of the runway is supplied by on-board systems.

9. A system to assist in adjusting the braking intensity of an aircraft on a landing runway comprising:

acquisition means for acquiring the position of the aircraft on the runway and its speed in the taxiing phase;

storing means for storing data concerning the runway where the aircraft is landing, including end point, length, exit points, controlled speed below which the aircraft can perform any turn maneuver when taxiing and a predefined deceleration law;

a function for calculating the distance that the aircraft will have traveled in the runway when it has reached a controlled speed, the controlled speed being calculated assuming that the speed of the aircraft decreases according to the deceleration law;

a display module displaying graphical representation of said runway including said end of said runway, said exit points, said position of said aircraft on said runway and said stopping distance,

a difference between displayed calculated distance and displayed end and exit points of the runway allowing the braking intensity to be increased or reduced by the pilot.