Method for replacing legs in an air navigation procedure

• US 8,630,754 B2
• Filed: 12/05/2007
• Issued: 01/14/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 12/05/2006
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Thales SA
• Original Assignee: Thales SA
• Inventors: Coulmeau, Franois, Hoofd, Franois
• Primary Examiner(s): Amin, Bhavesh V
• Application Number:
  US11/951,197
• Publication Number:
  US 20080177431A1
• Time in Patent Office: 2,232 Days
• Field of Search: None
• US Class Current: 701/15
• CPC Class Codes: G05D 1/101 specially adapted for aircraft
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 5/0021 located in the aircraft
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 5/0026 located on the ground
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 5/0039 Modification of a flight plan
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 5/0065 for taking-off
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 5/025 Navigation or guidance aids radar or analogous systems specially adapted for landing purposes G01S13/913

Abstract

The present invention relates to a method for replacing legs in an air navigation procedure described as a series of legs, the legs forming part of an initial family of legs. The method includes: a step of determining a restricted family of legs included in the initial family of legs, so that each leg not belonging to the restricted family corresponds to a combination of legs belonging to the restricted family: The method also includes: a step of replacing in the navigation procedure the legs not belonging to the restricted family with combinations of legs belonging to the restricted family.

Claims

1. A method for calculating a trajectory flow by an aircraft by changing a series of legs together in an air navigation procedure, said trajectory being initially defined by a series of legs, the legs forming part of an initial family of legs, said initial family of legs comprising at least one of

a fixed leg, said fixed leg selected from the group consisting of initial fix (IF), course to a fix (CF), direct to a fix (DF), track between two fixes (TF), arc DME to a fix (AF), radius to a fix (RF), track from fix to distance (FC), and track from fix to DME distance (FD);

a floating leg, said floating leg selected from the group consisting of heading to altitude (VA), course to altitude (CA), fix to altitude (FA), heading to intercept (VI), course to intercept (CI), heading to DME distance (VD), course to DME distance (CD), heading to radial (VR), course to radial (CR) head to manual (VM), and fix to manual (FM);

a holding procedure leg, said holding procedure leg selected from the group consisting of hippodrome to manual termination (HM), hippodrome to altitude termination (HA), and hippodrome to fix termination (HF);

or

a course reversal leg, said course reversal leg consisting of fix to manual (PI),

said method comprising the following steps;

determining, via a processor, a restricted family of legs included in the initial family of legs, so that each leg not belonging to the restricted family corresponds to a combination of legs belonging to the restricted family, said restricted family comprising at most two floating legs; and

replacing for calculation, via a processor, of said flown trajectory in the navigation procedure the legs not belonging to the restricted family with combinations of legs belonging to the restricted family.

2. The method according to claim 1, wherein the navigation procedure is a takeoff procedure or a landing procedure.

3. The method according to claim 1, wherein the restricted family of legs contains at most 10 legs.

4. The method according to claim 1, wherein the restricted family of legs contains the legs initial fix (IF), course to a fix (CF), direct to a fix (DF), track between to fixes (TF), arc DME to a fix (AF), radius to a fix (RF), fix to altitude (FA), hippodrome to altitude termination (HA), hippodrome to fix termination (HF), and hippodrome to manual termination (HM).

5. The method according to claim 1, wherein the restricted family of legs contains the legs initial fix (IF), course to a fix (CF), direct to a fix (DF), track between to fixes (TF), arc DME to a fix (AF), radius to a fix (RF), fix to altitude (FA), hippodrome to altitude termination (HA), hippodrome to fix termination (HF), hippodrome to manual termination (HM), and fix to manual (FM).

6. The method according to claim 1, wherein said method is implemented aboard an aircraft in the form of a translation machine in a flight management system.

7. The method according to claim 1, wherein the method is implemented on the ground in the form of a translation machine in a traffic management system.

8. The method according to claim 1, wherein the navigation procedure is a takeoff procedure or a landing procedure described by using the legs initial fix (IF), course to a fix (CF), direct to a fix (DF), track between to fixes (TF), arc DME to a fix (AF), radius to a fix (RF), track from fix to distance (FC), track from fix to DME distance (FD), hippodrome to altitude termination (HA), hippodrome to fix termination (HF), hippodrome to manual termination (HM) and fix to manual (PI) and at most two of heading to intercept (VI), course to intercept (CI), heading to altitude (VA), course to altitude (CA), fix to altitude (FA), heading to DME distance (VD), course to DME distance (CD), heading to radial (VR), course to radial (CR), head to manual (VM), fix to manual (FM) as said initial family of legs.

9. The method according to claim 3, wherein the restricted family of legs contains the legs initial fix (IF), course to a fix (CF), direct to a fix (DF), track between to fixes (TF), arc DME to a fix (AF), radius to a fix (RF), fix to altitude (FA), hippodrome to altitude termination (HA), hippodrome to fix termination (HF), and hippodrome to manual termination (HM).

10. The method according to claim 3, wherein the restricted family of legs contains the legs initial fix (IF), course to a fix (CF), direct to a fix (DF), track between to fixes (TF), arc DME to a fix (AF), radius to a fix (RF), fix to altitude (FA), hippodrome to altitude termination (HA), hippodrome to fix termination (HF), hippodrome to manual termination (HM), and fix to manual (FM).

11. The method according to claim 4, wherein the restricted family of legs contains the legs initial fix (IF), course to a fix (CF), direct to a fix (DF), track between to fixes (TF), arc DME to a fix (AF), radius to a fix (RF), fix to altitude (FA), hippodrome to altitude termination (HA), hippodrome to fix termination (HF), hippodrome to manual termination (HM), and fix to manual (FM).

12. The method according to claim 2, wherein said method is implemented aboard an aircraft in the form of a translation machine in a flight management system.

13. The method according to claim 3, wherein said method is implemented aboard an aircraft in the form of a translation machine in a flight management system.

14. The method according to claim 4, wherein said method is implemented aboard an aircraft in the form of a translation machine in a flight management system.

15. The method according to claim 5, wherein said method is implemented aboard an aircraft in the form of a translation machine in a flight management system.

16. The method according to claim 2, wherein the method is implemented on the ground in the form of a translation machine in a traffic management system.

17. The method according to claim 3, wherein the method is implemented on the ground in the form of a translation machine in a traffic management system.