Method and device for aiding the management of an aircraft flight receiving a control clearance

• US 8,594,863 B2
• Filed: 10/01/2010
• Issued: 11/26/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 10/02/2009
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Thales SA
• Original Assignee: Thales SA
• Inventors: Coulmeau, Franois, Blanchon, Xavier, Caillaud, Christophe
• Primary Examiner(s): Tran, Khoi
• Assistant Examiner(s): Nguyen, Bao Long T
• Application Number:
  US12/896,698
• Publication Number:
  US 20110246053A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,152 Days
• Field of Search: 340/948
• US Class Current: 701/14
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 5/0013 with a ground station
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 5/0039 Modification of a flight plan

Abstract

A method for aiding the management of an aircraft flight according to an active flight plan receiving a control clearance transmitted at a current time includes a step of computing a reception flight plan based on the said control clearance, a step of storing the said reception flight plan in a memory space dedicated to the said reception flight plan. The method also includes, prior to the step of computing a reception flight plan: a step of determining the time, called the recognition time, assumed to have to elapse between the current time and a time at which the said control clearance is assumed to be recognized; a step of attribution, to the said control clearance, of a destination flight plan as a function of the recognition time, the said destination flight plan being the temporary flight plan when the recognition time is included in a first time slot and the destination flight plan being a secondary flight plan when the recognition time is included in a second time slot longer than the first time slot.

Claims

1. A method for aiding the management of an aircraft flight according to an active flight plan with a Communication Management Unit receiving a control clearance transmitted at a current time, comprising:

a step of computing a reception flight plan based on the said control clearance with a Flight Management System,

a step of storing the reception flight plan in a memory space dedicated to the said reception flight plan,

and further comprising, prior to the step of computing the reception flight plan,

a step of determining a time with an analyser/router, called a recognition time, assumed to have to elapse between a current time and a time at which the control clearance is assumed to be recognized, and

a step of attribution executed by the analyser/router, to the control clearance, of a destination flight plan, as a function of the recognition time, the destination flight plan being a temporary flight plan when the recognition time is included in a first time slot and the destination flight plan being a secondary flight plan when the recognition time is included in a second time slot longer than the first time slot.

2. A method for aiding the management of a flight according to claim 1, in which the reception flight plan is the destination flight plan.

3. A method for aiding the management of a flight according to claim 1, in which, when a memory space dedicated to the storage of the destination flight plan is vacant, the reception flight plan is the destination flight plan and when the memory space dedicated to the destination flight plan is occupied:

either the control clearance is refused,

or the reception flight plan is a buffer flight plan,

or, when the destination flight plan is the temporary flight plan, and referred to as the secondary flight plan, the reception flight plan is the secondary flight plan, referred to as the temporary flight plan.

4. A method for aiding the management of a flight plan according to claim 3, in which, subsequent to the step of storing a reception flight plan, the method further comprises a step of copying the said reception flight plan into the memory space dedicated to the destination flight plan, when the latter is empty.

5. A method for aiding the management of a flight according to claim 1, in which, if the said control clearance is distinct from one of the following messages, the reception flight plan is the destination flight plan:

PROCEED BACK ON ROUTE, RESUME OWN NAVIGATION, CLIMB TO[altitude], DESCEND TO[altitude], CRUISE CLIMB TO[altitude], CRUISE CLIMB ABOVE[altitude], EXPEDITE CLIMB TO[altitude], EXPEDITE DESCENT TO[altitude], IMMEDIATELY CLIMB TO[altitude], IMMEDIATELY DESCEND TO[altitude],

otherwise the reception flight plan is the active flight plan.

6. A method for aiding the management of a flight according to claim 1, in which, when the memory space dedicated to the reception flight plan is occupied by a current reception flight plan, the reception flight plan is computed also based on the current reception flight plan.

7. A method for aiding the management of a flight according to claim 1, in which, when the memory space dedicated to the reception flight plan is vacant, the reception flight plan is also computed based on the active flight plan.

8. A method for aiding the management of an aircraft flight according to claim 1, in which the first time slot extends between 0 and 5 minutes, the limit value of 5 minutes being excluded from the first time slot.

9. A method for aiding the management of an aircraft flight according to claim 8, in which the first time slot extends between 30 seconds and one minute.

10. A method for aiding the management of a flight according to claim 1, in which the second time slot comprises times longer than or equal to 5 minutes and preferably between 5 minutes and 15 minutes or between 10 minutes and 15 minutes.

11. A method for aiding the management of a flight according to claim 1, in which the recognition time is computed based on a modification time corresponding to a time assumed to have to elapse between the current time and the time at which the control clearance modifies a flight plan and, when the control clearance is an immediate-action clearance, the modification time is zero;

when the control clearance is a conditional-action clearance assumed to have to modify the flight plan at a conditional time at which a condition is assumed to be verified, the modification time is equal to the difference between the conditional time and the current time, the conditional time being;

equal to a predetermined time, when the condition is a predetermined time,

equal to a time at which the aircraft is assumed to reach a predetermined horizontal position, respectively a predetermined altitude, by following the active flight plan, when the condition is a condition of passage at the predetermined horizontal position, respectively at the said predetermined altitude.

12. A method for aiding the management of a flight according to claim 11, in which the recognition time is equal to the modification time.

13. A method for aiding the management of a flight according to claim 1, in which, when the control clearance is a conditional-action heading clearance signifying that a next heading is assumed to have to be followed from a conditional time at which a condition is verified, it comprises a step of displaying the next heading and the current heading followed by the aircraft at the current time.

14. A device for aiding the management of a flight, comprising:

an on-board communication computer, configured to receive control clearances,

an analyser/router capable of determining the recognition time of the control clearance received by the on-board communication computer, and of attributing a destination flight plan to the control clearance as a function of the recognition time, the destination flight plan being the temporary flight plan when the recognition time is included in a first time slot and the destination flight plan is the secondary flight plan when the recognition time is included in a second time slot, longer than the first time slot,

a means for computing a reception flight plan based on the said control clearance,

at least one storage space dedicated to the storage of the reception flight plan,

wherein the device computes the reception flight plan based on the control clearance,

the device stores the reception flight plan in a memory space dedicated to the reception flight plan, and further comprising, prior to the computing the reception flight plan,

the device determines a time with the analyser/router, called the recognition time, assumed to have to elapse between a current time and a time at which the control clearance is assumed to be recognized, and

the device executes attribution by the analyser/router, to the control clearance, of a destination flight plan, as a function of the recognition time, the destination flight plan being a temporary flight plan when the recognition time is included in a first time slot and the destination flight plan being a secondary flight plan when the recognition time is included in a second time slot longer than the first time slot.

15. The device for aiding piloting according to claim 14, comprising a man-machine interface comprising at least one screen, a first screen(s) belonging to a flight control unit and the flight control unit comprises:

a first window capable of displaying the value of a current heading followed by an aircraft at a current moment,

a second window capable of displaying the value of a next heading that the aircraft is assumed to have to follow and being determined by a heading control clearance,

a selection means for allowing a pilot to select from the current heading and the next heading a heading assumed to have to be followed by the aircraft.

16. The device for aiding piloting according to claim 14, further comprising a means for selecting a substitution flight plan allowing the crew to initiate the copying of the reception flight plan into a memory space dedicated to the storage of a substitution flight plan of its choice, distinct from the reception flight plan.

17. The device for aiding piloting according to claim 14, further comprising a means for cancelling the insertion of a control clearance into a reception flight plan.

18. The device for aiding piloting according to claim 14, further comprising a means for initiating the computation of the destination flight plan based on a flight clearance and the storage of the destination flight plan in a dedicated storage space.