Method and apparatus for dynamic air traffic trajectory synchronization

• US 8,924,137 B2
• Filed: 09/14/2012
• Issued: 12/30/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 09/30/2011
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: General Electric Company, Leidos Innovations Technology, Inc.
• Original Assignee: Lockheed Martin Corporation (Martin Marietta Corporation)
• Inventors: Chan, David So Keung, Klooster, Joel, Torres, Sergio
• Primary Examiner(s): Mawari, Redhwan k
• Application Number:
  US13/620,052
• Publication Number:
  US 20130085661A1
• Time in Patent Office: 837 Days
• Field of Search: 701/3, 701/4, 701/11, 701/14, 701/17, 701/13, 701/411
• US Class Current: 701/120
• CPC Class Codes: G05D 1/104 involving a plurality of aircrafts, e.g. formation flying traffic control systems for aircraft G08G5/00
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 5/0013 with a ground station
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 5/0039 Modification of a flight plan
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 5/0082 for monitoring traffic from a ground station radar or analogous systems specially adapted for traffic control G01S13/91
• CPC Class Codes: Y02E 50/10 Biofuels, e.g. bio-diesel
• CPC Class Codes: Y02E 50/30 Fuel from waste, e.g. synthetic alcohol or diesel
• CPC Class Codes: Y02T 50/678 Aviation using fuels of non-fossil origin

Abstract

According to aspects of the embodiments, there is provided an apparatus and method to synchronize trajectories from independent systems such as from a flight management system and the ground Air traffic control during the entire history of a flight. Since a number of trajectory discrepancy factors will intervene during the lifetime of a flight, such as a change in flight intent, controller intervention, or large deviations of the actual flight from the predicted trajectory due to prediction errors, there is need to dynamically monitor these deviations and control a dynamic synchronization cycle. A dynamic trajectory synchronization algorithm attempts to bring each of the systems back into balance whenever a disturbance causes an imbalance. Disturbances include deviation of atmospheric conditions from predicted, change of pilot preference, and unpredicted events requiring controller action, such as need for separation from other aircraft or change in convective weather, special use airspace, or scheduling requirements.

Claims

1. A method to maintain trajectory synchronization comprising:

Comparing, using a processor, an active trajectory with a synchronized trajectory, wherein the comparison is triggered by at least one disturbance, periodic trigger, communication event between different trajectory systems, or downlink/uplink event;

if the comparing indicates a difference between the active trajectory and the synchronized trajectory, then performing the actions of;

updating the synchronized trajectory with the active trajectory; and

transferring the synchronized trajectory or sending a command to modify a flight plan to an external system;

Wherein one ground computer performs the action of when a downlink is received, initiating a comparison process where the downlink is compared to a downlinked synchronized trajectory and a ground predicted trajectory for the aircraft, and if the comparison indicates a difference between the synchronized trajectory and the ground predicted trajectory, then initiating a synchronization process, else a local synchronized trajectory is updated with the downlinked synchronized trajectory;

wherein the disturbance is at least one of a change detected by an aircraft, change data from an external source, or a periodic trigger;

wherein the change detected by an aircraft is at least one of atmospheric condition change, pilot input change, airline input change, or other state measurement;

wherein the change data from an external source is at least one of flow management, a separation from other aircraft command, change in convective weather, a special use airspace command, a scheduling requirement, a trajectory downlink, or a command uplink;

wherein comparing the downlinked synchronized trajectory with a ground predicted trajectory is matching a plurality parameters comprising ground route, lateral route, altitude restrictions, and speed restrictions;

wherein the synchronization process performs ground initiated amendment to a flight plan and uplinking of a command to the aircraft to modify its plan only after a substantial or all discrepancies between the flight plan and the downlinked synchronized trajectory are resolved.

2. The method in accordance to claim 1, wherein the disturbance is at least one of a change detected by an aircraft, change data from an external source, or a periodic trigger.

3. The method in accordance to claim 2, wherein the change detected by an aircraft is at least one of atmospheric condition change, pilot input change, airline input change, or a change to a predicted trajectory.

4. The method in accordance to claim 3, wherein the change data from an external source is at least one of flow management restrictions or commands, a separation from other aircraft command, change in convective weather, a special use airspace restriction, a scheduling requirement, a trajectory downlink, or a command uplink.

5. The method in accordance to claim 3, the method further comprising:

if a downlinked synchronized trajectory is received, then performing the action of;

comparing the downlinked synchronized trajectory with a ground predicted trajectory for the aircraft;

if the comparison indicates a difference between the synchronized trajectory and the ground predicted trajectory, then initiating a synchronization process;

else a local synchronized trajectory is updated with the downlinked synchronized trajectory.

6. The method in accordance to claim 5, wherein the synchronization process comprises invoking a ground initiated amendment to a flight plan and communicating any ground initiated amendment to the flight plan to the aircraft.

7. The method in accordance to claim 5, wherein comparing the downlinked synchronized trajectory with a ground predicted trajectory is matching a plurality of parameters comprising ground route, lateral route, altitude restrictions, speed restrictions and non penetration of special use airspaces or flow constrained areas.

8. The method in accordance to claim 5, wherein ground route or lateral route comprises at least one of an en route segment, and departure segment or arrival segment which relate to a set of airport, runway, and terminal procedure names.

9. A system to maintain trajectory synchronization, the system comprising:

a computer executing an interface to exchange data between an aircraft and a ground system, wherein the exchanged data relates to a series of points associated with various flight path points or trajectory change points for an aircraft; and

a processor coupled to a memory, wherein the memory comprises program instructions that cause the processor to perform operations comprising;

comparing an active trajectory with a synchronized trajectory, wherein the comparison is triggered by at least one disturbance, periodic trigger, communication event between different trajectory systems, or downlink/uplink event;

if the comparing indicates a difference between the active trajectory and the synchronized trajectory, then performing the actions of;

updating the synchronized trajectory with the active trajectory; and

transferring the synchronized trajectory or sending a command to modify a flight plan to an external system;

At least one ground computer to perform the action of when a downlink is received, initiating a comparison process where the downlink is compared to a downlinked synchronized trajectory and a ground predicted trajectory for the aircraft, and if the comparison indicates a difference between the synchronized trajectory and the ground predicted trajectory, then initiating a synchronization process, else a local synchronized trajectory is updated with the downlinked synchronized trajectory;

wherein the disturbance is at least one of a change detected by an aircraft, change data from an external source, or a periodic trigger;

wherein the change detected by an aircraft is at least one of atmospheric condition change, pilot input change, airline input change, or other state measurement;

wherein the change data from an external source is at least one of flow management, a separation from other aircraft command, change in convective weather, a special use airspace command, a scheduling requirement, a trajectory downlink, or a command uplink;

wherein comparing the downlinked synchronized trajectory with a ground predicted trajectory is matching a plurality parameters comprising ground route, lateral route, altitude restrictions, and speed restrictions;

wherein the synchronization process performs ground initiated amendment to a flight plan and uplinking of a command to the aircraft to modify its plan only after a substantial or all discrepancies between the flight plan and the downlinked synchronized trajectory are resolved.

10. The system in accordance to claim 9, wherein the disturbance is at least one of a change detected by an aircraft, change data from an external source, or a periodic trigger.

11. The system in accordance to claim 10, wherein the change detected by an aircraft is at least one of atmospheric condition change, pilot input change, airline input change, or change to a predicted trajectory.

12. The method in accordance to claim 11, wherein the change data from an external source is at least one of flow management restrictions or commands, a separation from other aircraft command, change in convective weather, a special use airspace command, a scheduling requirement, a trajectory downlink, or a command uplink.

13. The system in accordance to claim 11, the processor further performing:

if a downlinked synchronized trajectory is received, then performing the action of;

comparing the downlinked synchronized trajectory with a ground predicted trajectory for the aircraft;

if the comparison indicates a difference between the synchronized trajectory and the ground predicted trajectory, then initiating a synchronization process;

else a local synchronized trajectory is updated with the downlinked synchronized trajectory.

14. The system in accordance to claim 13, wherein the synchronization process comprises invoking a ground initiated amendment to the flight plan and communicating any ground initiated amendment to the flight plan to the aircraft.

15. The system in accordance to claim 13, wherein comparing the downlinked synchronized trajectory with a ground predicted trajectory is matching a plurality of parameters comprising ground route, lateral route, altitude restrictions, speed restrictions and non penetration of special use airspaces or flow constrained areas.

16. A method to maintain trajectory synchronization between an aircraft system and a ground system, the method comprising:

when a downlink is received, initiating a comparison, using a processor, process where the downlink is compared to a downlinked synchronized trajectory and a ground predicted trajectory for the aircraft, and if the comparison indicates a difference between the synchronized trajectory and the ground predicted trajectory, then initiating a synchronization process, else a local synchronized trajectory is updated with the downlinked synchronized trajectory;

wherein the disturbance is at least one of a change detected by an aircraft, change data from an external source, or a periodic trigger;

wherein the change detected by an aircraft is at least one of atmospheric condition change, pilot input change, airline input change, or other state measurement;

wherein the change data from an external source is at least one of flow management, a separation from other aircraft command, change in convective weather, a special use airspace command, a scheduling requirement, a trajectory downlink, or a command uplink;

wherein comparing the downlinked synchronized trajectory with a ground predicted trajectory is matching a plurality parameters comprising ground route, lateral route, altitude restrictions, and speed restrictions;

wherein the synchronization process performs ground initiated amendment to a flight plan and uplinking of a command to the aircraft to modify its plan only after a substantial or all discrepancies between the flight plan and the downlinked synchronized trajectory are resolved;

wherein the synchronization process performs ground initiated amendment to a flight plan and communicating a command to the aircraft to modify its plan only after a substantial or all discrepancies between the flight plan and the downlinked synchronized trajectory are resolved.

17. The method in accordance to claim 16, wherein comparing the downlinked synchronized trajectory with a ground predicted trajectory is matching a plurality parameters comprising ground route, lateral route, altitude restrictions, and speed restrictions.

18. The method in accordance to claim 16, wherein ground route or lateral route comprises at least one of an en route segment, and departure segment or arrival segment which relate to a set of airport, runway, and terminal procedure names.

19. The method in accordance to claim 16, the method further comprising:

when a disturbance or a communication is received from a ground system comparing an active trajectory with a synchronized trajectory, and if the comparing indicates a difference between the active trajectory and the synchronized trajectory, then performing the actions of;

updating the synchronized trajectory with the active trajectory and downlinking the synchronized trajectory.

20. The method in accordance to claim 19, wherein the disturbance is at least one of a change detected by an aircraft, change data from an external source, or a periodic trigger.

21. The method in accordance to claim 20, wherein the change detected by an aircraft is at least one of atmospheric condition change, pilot input change, airline input change, or other state measurement.

22. The method in accordance to claim 21, wherein the change data from an external source is at least one of flow management, a separation from other aircraft command, change in convective weather, a special use airspace restriction, a scheduling requirement, a trajectory downlink, or a command uplink.

23. A non-transitory machine-accessible medium that provides instructions to maintain trajectory synchronization between an aircraft system and a ground system, which when accessed, cause a machine to perform operations, the non-transitory machine-accessible medium comprising:

code for causing at least one aircraft computer to perform the action of when a disturbance or a communication is received from a ground system comparing an active trajectory with a synchronized trajectory, and if the comparing indicates a difference between the active trajectory and the synchronized trajectory, then performing the actions of;

updating the synchronized trajectory with the active trajectory and downlinking the synchronized trajectory; and

code for causing at least one ground computer to perform the action of when a downlink is received, initiating a comparison process where the downlink is compared to a downlinked synchronized trajectory and a ground predicted trajectory for the aircraft, and if the comparison indicates a difference between the synchronized trajectory and the ground predicted trajectory, then initiating a synchronization process, else a local synchronized trajectory is updated with the downlinked synchronized trajectory;

wherein the disturbance is at least one of a change detected by an aircraft, change data from an external source, or a periodic trigger;

wherein the change detected by an aircraft is at least one of atmospheric condition change, pilot input change, airline input change, or other state measurement;

wherein the change data from an external source is at least one of flow management, a separation from other aircraft command, change in convective weather, a special use airspace command, a scheduling requirement, a trajectory downlink, or a command uplink;

wherein comparing the downlinked synchronized trajectory with a ground predicted trajectory is matching a plurality parameters comprising ground route, lateral route, altitude restrictions, and speed restrictions;

wherein the synchronization process performs ground initiated amendment to a flight plan and uplinking of a command to the aircraft to modify its plan only after a substantial or all discrepancies between the flight plan and the downlinked synchronized trajectory are resolved.