Flight management system of an unmanned aircraft

• US 8,515,593 B2
• Filed: 04/05/2011
• Issued: 08/20/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 04/06/2010
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Thales SA
• Original Assignee: Thales SA
• Inventors: Marty, Nicolas, Coulmeau, Franois, Boone, Xavier
• Primary Examiner(s): Badii, Behrang
• Application Number:
  US13/080,372
• Publication Number:
  US 20110245997A1
• Time in Patent Office: 868 Days
• Field of Search: 701/2, 701/11, 701/467, 701/123, 701/16, 701/4, 701/99, 701/24, 701/23, 701/3, 244/195, 244/1.R, 244/194, 244/76.R, 961/11, 961/15, 700/83, 340/963, 951/30, 370/208, 380/270, 375/130
• US Class Current: 701/2
• CPC Class Codes: G05D 1/0022 characterised by the communication link data switching networks in general H04L12/00

Abstract

A flight management system of an unmanned aircraft linked to a control station by communication means includes: a first set of a number N of successive navigation functions (i_ND with i=1, . . . N) remotely situated within the control station, a control function on board the aircraft, generating, from guidance setpoints, commands intended to control the aircraft so that it observes the guidance setpoints, and a second set of a number N of successive navigation functions (i_NE, with i=1, . . . , N) on board the aircraft, and configuration means, capable of performing a combination of a number N of successive functions, each of the successive functions being chosen from the first and second sets, said combination of successive functions generating the guidance setpoints transmitted to the onboard control function.

Claims

1. A flight management system for an unmanned aircraft linked to a control station by communication means, said flight management system comprising:

a first set of a number N of successive navigation functions (i_ND with i=1, . . . N) remotely situated within the control station,

a control function on board the aircraft, generating, from guidance setpoints, commands intended to control the aircraft so that it observes the guidance setpoints,

a second set of a number N of successive navigation functions (i_NE, with i=1, . . . , N) on board the aircraft,

configuration means for performing a combination of a number N of successive functions, each of the successive functions being chosen from the first and second sets,

said combination of successive functions generating the guidance setpoints transmitted to the onboard control function.

2. The flight management system of claim 1, in which the first, and respectively the second, sets of successive functions comprise the following three successive navigation functions:

a remote flight plan construction function, and respectively an onboard flight plan construction function,

a remote future trajectory construction function, and respectively an onboard future trajectory construction function,

a remote guidance function, and respectively an onboard guidance function.

3. The flight management system of claim 1, further comprising a performance database on board the aircraft and a remote performance database.

4. The flight management system of claim 1, further comprising a remote navigation database and an onboard navigation database storing navigation data.

5. The flight management system of claim 2, further comprising a remote navigation database and an onboard navigation database storing navigation data, and wherein the configuration means of the flight system are capable of choosing the origin of the guidance setpoints used by the flight plan management function belonging to the combination from remote means for communication with the air traffic control authorities and/or onboard means for communication with the air traffic control authorities and/or onboard guidance setpoint generation means.

6. The flight management system of claim 5, in which the configuration means of the system configure the flight system according to required navigation performance characteristics.

7. The flight management system of claim 6, in which the required navigation performance characteristics depend on at least one navigation parameter and/or at least one certification parameter and/or at least one economic and technical parameter.

8. The flight management system of claim 6, in which the required navigation performance characteristics are predetermined.

9. The flight management system of claim 6, in which the required navigation performance characteristics are variable during a mission of the aircraft.

10. The flight management system of claim 1, in which, for at least one serial number i between 1 and N, the remote navigation function of serial number i (i_ND) is equal to the onboard function of serial number i (i_NE).