Flight system for an aircraft having an autoland system

• US 8,862,290 B1
• Filed: 04/18/2013
• Issued: 10/14/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 04/18/2013
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: GE Aviation Systems LLC (GE Aerospace)
• Original Assignee: GE Aviation Systems LLC (GE Aerospace)
• Inventors: Ali, Sherif Fouad
• Primary Examiner(s): Black, Thomas G
• Assistant Examiner(s): PAIGE, TYLER D
• Application Number:
  US13/865,349
• Publication Number:
  US 20140316617A1
• Time in Patent Office: 544 Days
• Field of Search: 701/16, 701/11, 701/416, 714/10, 714/11, 718/104
• US Class Current: 701/16
• CPC Class Codes: B64C 13/18 using automatic pilot
• CPC Class Codes: B64D 45/04 Landing aids; Safety measures to prevent collision with earth's surface
• CPC Class Codes: G05D 1/0676 specially adapted for landing
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 5/02 Automatic approach or landing aids, i.e. systems in which flight data of incoming planes are processed to provide landing data landing aids fitted in or to aircraft B64D45/04; visual or acoustic landing aids B64F1/18
• CPC Class Codes: Y02T 50/40 Weight reduction

Abstract

A method and system for operating an aircraft having an autoflight system comprising flight guidance functionality and autoland functionality providing input to a flight control system such that both the autoflight and autoland functionality and their corresponding systems are operated at a Design Assurance Level A.

Claims

1. A method of operating an aircraft having an autoflight system comprising flight guidance functionality and autoland functionality providing input to a flight control system, the method comprising:

flying the aircraft by providing input to the flight control system from a design assurance level (DAL) B or lower flight guidance program; and

in response to a request for autoland functionality, switching from the flight guidance program to a DAL A autoland program for providing input to the flight control system;

wherein the DAL A program resides in memory of a computer in the aircraft in a software partition separate from the flight guidance program and the switching ceases communication from the flight guidance program (DAL B) to the autoland program (DAL A) to provide data integrity.

2. The method of claim 1 further comprising providing an indication on a primary flight display in the aircraft of when the autoland functionality is providing input to the flight control system.

3. The method of claim 1 wherein the providing an indication comprises providing an indication of a selection of the autoland functionality.

4. The method of claim 1, further comprising permitting data communication from the flight control system to the flight guidance program while ceasing data communication from the flight guidance program to the flight control system.

5. The method of claim 4 further comprising permitting data communication from a primary flight display to the autoland program when the primary flight display is DAL A.

6. The method of claim 5 further comprising permitting bi-directional communication between the primary flight display and the autoland program.

7. The method of claim 1 further comprising permitting data communication from a primary flight display to the autoland program when the primary flight display is DAL A.

8. The method of claim 7 further comprising permitting bi-directional communication between the primary flight display and the autoland program.

9. A flight system for an aircraft having multiple control surfaces for controlling the flight of the aircraft, the flight system comprising:

a flight control system receiving flight control inputs and controlling the operation of the control surfaces according to the flight control inputs;

an avionics system comprising;

at least one computer, with a corresponding memory;

a flight guidance program, having a design assurance level (DAL) of B or lower, stored in the memory and providing control inputs for the flight control system to control the flying of the aircraft;

an autoland program, having a DAL A, stored in the memory as a separate software partition from the flight guidance program and providing control inputs for the flight control system to control the automatic landing of the aircraft; and

a switching program residing in the memory to control which of the flight guidance program (DAL B) and the autoland program (DAL A) provide the control inputs to the flight control system;

wherein when the autoland program (DAL A) is selected by the switching program, the autoland program (DAL A) assumes control of the flight control system from the flight guidance program (DAL B) and the flight guidance program (DAL B) ceases communication with the autoland program (DAL A) to provide data integrity.

10. The flight system of claim 9 wherein the corresponding memory comprises multiple memory devices.

11. The flight system of claim 10 wherein the flight guidance program resides on one of the multiple memory devices and the autoland program resides on another one of the multiple memory devices.

12. The flight system of claim 9 wherein the at least one computer with a corresponding memory comprises multiple computers with corresponding memory.

13. The flight system of claim 12 wherein the flight guidance program resides on the corresponding memory of one of the multiple computers and the autoland program resides on corresponding memory of another one of the multiple computers.

14. The flight system of claim 9 further comprising a primary flight display (PFD), having a DAL A, in communication with the autoland program.

15. The flight system of claim 14 wherein the PFD is in bi-directional communication with the autoland program.

16. The flight system of claim 9 wherein the avionics system further comprises a plurality of non-DAL A systems, which are not in communication with the autoland program when the autoland program is selected by the switching program.