Method and device for automatically monitoring air operations requiring navigation and guidance performance

• US 8,660,715 B2
• Filed: 01/03/2012
• Issued: 02/25/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 01/05/2011
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Airbus Operations (European Aeronautic Defence and Space Company EADS NV)
• Original Assignee: Airbus Operations (European Aeronautic Defence and Space Company EADS NV)
• Inventors: Nicolas, Arnaud, Raynaud, Sylvain, Lanterna, Florent, Legay, Martin
• Primary Examiner(s): Cheung, Mary
• Assistant Examiner(s): BRUSHABER, FREDERICK M
• Application Number:
  US13/342,611
• Publication Number:
  US 20120173052A1
• Time in Patent Office: 784 Days
• Field of Search: 701/3
• US Class Current: 701/3
• CPC Class Codes: G05D 1/0077 using redundant signals or controls
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 5/0039 Modification of a flight plan

Abstract

A monitoring device includes one or more devices for implementing monitoring, in order to check whether two flight management systems are able to operate in dual mode during operations requiring navigation and guidance performance. For example, a change condition verification device may be included in a second or slave flight management system so that sequencing requests and resynchronization requests received from a first or master flight management system are verified for accuracy before implementation. The verification may include comparison of positional data used by the first and second flight management systems or a comparison of a resynchronized flight plan to information from a navigation data database.

Claims

1. A method for operating and automatically monitoring a flight management assembly for an aircraft implementing air operations requiring navigation and guidance performance, the flight management assembly comprising a first flight management system and a second flight management system, and the method comprising:

operating the first and second flight management systems in dual mode so that the first flight management system acts as a master system and the second flight management system acts as a slave system with intercommunication between the master and slave systems,

detecting, with an obligation detection device of the first flight management system, an obligation to implement an operation affecting a flight plan of the first flight management system,

emitting a request, with a communication device of the first flight management system, to the second flight management system, the request requiring to carry out at least one operation affecting the flight plan of the second flight management system,

upon emitting the request, checking, with a change condition verification device operatively coupled to the second flight management system, that conditions for implementing the request are met; and

performing one of the following operations, with a change implementation device of the second flight management system, as a function of the checking step;

if the conditions are met, implementing the request at the second flight management system and the first and second flight management systems thereby continue to operate in dual mode with the first flight management system acting as the master system and communicating with the second flight management system acting as the slave system;

or

if the conditions are not met, blocking implementation of the request at the second flight management system, such that the first and second flight management systems will operate in an independent mode in which the first and second flight management systems do not operate as master and slave systems with intercommunication between the master and slave systems, and emitting a warning signal with alarm devices to notify a crew of the aircraft regarding the independent mode of operation being used.

2. The method according to claim 1, wherein the change condition verification device includes a sequencing monitoring element, the request is a request for sequencing the flight plan of the second flight management system, as a result of a calculation error of a position of the aircraft, and the checking step further comprises:

calculating, with the sequencing monitoring element, a difference between positions of the aircraft, used by and available respectively to the first and second flight management systems;

comparing, with the sequencing monitoring element, the difference with a threshold value; and

one of the following;

verifying that the conditions for implementing the request are met, if the difference is lower than the threshold value; and

verifying that the conditions for implementing the request are not met, if the difference is higher than or equal to the threshold value.

3. The method according to claim 2, wherein after verifying that the conditions for implementing the request are not met, the method further comprises:

blocking a sequencing of the flight plan of the second flight management system.

4. The method according to claim 1, wherein the request is a request to resynchronize the flight plan of the second flight management system to a new flight plan of the first flight management system, and the checking step further comprises, after insertion in the new flight plan of the first flight management system of a procedure relative to air operations requiring navigation and guidance performance, and thereby upon the preparation of an approach phase:

comparing, with the change condition verification device, whether the new flight plan of the first flight management system is consistent with an ongoing procedure, issued from a navigation data database communicating with the flight management assembly.

5. The method according to claim 1,wherein the request is a request to resynchronize the flight plan of the second flight management system to a new flight plan of the first flight management system, and the checking step further comprises, upon an approach phase, wherein a procedure relative to air operations requiring navigation and guidance performance is implemented:

comparing, with the change condition verification device, whether the new flight plan of the first flight management system is consistent with an ongoing procedure, issued from a navigation data database communicating with the flight management assembly.

6. The method according to claim 1, wherein the change condition verification device is incorporated as a part of the second flight management system.

7. The method according to claim 1,wherein the change condition verification device is external to the second flight management system.

8. The method according to claim 1, further comprising:

automatically activating, with an activation unit operatively coupled to the flight management assembly, the checking and performing steps.

9. The method according to claim 8, wherein the activation unit automatically activates the checking and performing steps as a function of a configuration of the aircraft and of current flight data.

10. The method according to claim 1, further comprising:

manually activating, with a man/machine interface operatively coupled to the flight management assembly, the checking and performing steps.

11. A device for operating and automatically monitoring a flight management assembly for an aircraft implementing air operations requiring navigation and guidance performance, the flight management assembly comprising a first flight management system and a second flight management system normally operating in dual mode so that the first flight management system acts as a master system and the second flight management system acts as a slave system with intercommunication between the master and slave systems, and, in the case of a detection of an obligation to implement an operation affecting a flight plan of the first flight management system, the first flight management system is configured to emit, to the second flight management system, a request requesting to carry out at least one operation affecting the flight plan of the second flight management system, the device comprising:

an activation unit that activates the device when the first and second flight management systems are operating in dual mode;

a change condition verification device that checks, upon the emission of the request from the first flight management system, that conditions for implementing the request are met, wherein the change condition verification device orders the second flight management system to carry out the operation requested by the request if the conditions are met, such that the two flight management systems continue to operate in dual mode with the first flight management system acting as master system and communicating with the second flight management system acting as slave system, and wherein the change condition verification device orders the second flight management system not to carry out the operation requested by the request if the conditions are not met, the two flight management systems then operating in an independent mode in which the first and second flight management systems do not operate as master and slave systems with intercommunication between the master and slave systems; and

alarm devices that emit a warning signal, if the conditions are not met, to notify a crew of the aircraft regarding the independent mode of operation being used.

12. The device according to claim 11, further comprising:

at least one navigation data database communicating with the change condition verification device and used for the check that the conditions for implementing the request are met.

13. The device according to claim 11, further comprising:

a flight management controller unit operatively coupled to the activation unit and the alarm devices, the flight management controller including the first flight management system, of the master type, and the second flight management system, of the slave type.

14. The aircraft according to claim 11, further comprising:

a flight management controller unit operatively coupled to the activation unit and the alarm devices, the flight management controller including the first flight management system, of the master type, and the second flight management system, of the slave type.

15. The aircraft according to claim 14, wherein the change condition verification device further comprises:

a sequencing monitoring element that calculates a difference between positions of the aircraft used by the first and second flight management systems and compares the difference to a threshold value to determine if the conditions for implementing the request are met.

16. The aircraft according to claim 14, wherein the change condition verification device further comprises:

a resynchronization monitoring element that compares a new flight plan generated by the first flight management system to an ongoing procedure to determine if the conditions for implementing the request are met.

17. The aircraft according to claim 14, wherein the change condition verification device is incorporated as a component of the second flight management system.

18. The aircraft according to claim 14, wherein the change condition verification device is external to the second flight management system.

19. An aircraft, comprising:

a device for operating and automatically monitoring a flight management assembly for an aircraft implementing air operations requiring navigation and guidance performance, the flight management assembly comprising a first flight management system and a second flight management system normally operating in dual mode so that the first flight management system acts as a master system and the second flight management system acts as a slave system with intercommunication between the master and slave systems and, in the case of a detection of an obligation to implement an operation affecting a flight plan of the first flight management system, the first flight management system is configured to emit to the second flight management system, a request requesting to carry out at least one operation affecting the flight plan of the second flight management system, the device comprising;

an activation unit that activates the device when the first and second flight management systems are operating in dual mode;

a change condition verification device that checks, upon the emission of the request from the first flight management system, that conditions for implementing the request are met, wherein the change condition verification device orders the second flight management system to carry out the operation requested by the request if the conditions are met, such that the two flight management systems continue to operate in dual mode with the first flight management system acting as master system and communicating with the second flight management system acting as slave system, and wherein the change condition verification device orders the second flight management system not to carry out the operation requested by the request if the conditions are not met, the two flight management systems then operating in an independent mode in which the first and second flight management systems do not operate as master and slave systems with intercommunication between the master and slave systems; and

alarm devices that emit a warning signal, if the conditions are not met, to notify a crew of the aircraft regarding the independent mode of operation being used.

20. The aircraft according to claim 19, further comprising:

at least one navigation data database communicating with the change condition verification device and used for the check that the conditions for implementing the request are met.