Method and device for detecting piloting conflicts between the crew and the autopilot of an aircraft

• US 9,002,542 B2
• Filed: 06/04/2009
• Issued: 04/07/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 06/09/2008
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: ONERA
• Original Assignee: Airbus Operations (European Aeronautic Defence and Space Company EADS NV)
• Inventors: Dehais, Frdric, Lesire, Charles, Tessier, Catherine, Christophe, Laure
• Primary Examiner(s): Tarcza, Thomas
• Assistant Examiner(s): Lee, Tyler J
• Application Number:
  US12/994,612
• Publication Number:
  US 20110077803A1
• Time in Patent Office: 2,133 Days
• Field of Search: 701/3, 701/4, 701 8- 12, 340/976, 342 29- 35, 342/41, 342/147, 342/357.23, 342/357.24, 244/17.13, 244/76.R, 244/175, 244/221
• US Class Current: 701/9
• CPC Class Codes: G05D 1/00 Control of position, course, altitude or attitude of land, water, air or space vehicles, e.g. using automatic pilots drive control systems specially adapted for autonomous road vehicles B60W60/00
• CPC Class Codes: G05D 1/0055 with safety arrangements
• CPC Class Codes: G05D 1/0061 for transition from automatic pilot to manual pilot and vice versa

Abstract

A method for detecting piloting conflicts between the crew and the autopilot of an aircraft. According to the method, an automatic trajectory is programmed by checking whether the actual values of navigation parameters converge on said corresponding desired values within a predetermined convergence period; in the case where at least one of the actual values does not converge, within the convergence period, on the corresponding desired value, a predictive calculation is carried out, at consecutive future moments, of the value of at least one particular parameter selected amongst the navigation parameters; and in the case where the predicted value of the particular parameter is higher than a corresponding predefined threshold, an alarm is emitted for the crew of the aircraft to notify them about a piloting conflict being able to jeopardize the flight safety of the aircraft. A device for implementing the method. An aircraft including the device.

Claims

1. A method for detecting piloting conflicts between the crew and the autopilot of an aircraft (AC), wherein an automatic trajectory (T1, T2) is programmed, said automatic trajectory (T1, T2) being defined by values of navigation parameters desired by the crew of said aircraft (AC), comprising sequentially:

a) checking via a processor whether the actual values of said navigation parameters converge on said corresponding desired values within a predetermined convergence period;

b) in the case where at least one of said actual values does not converge, within said convergence period, on the corresponding desired value, a predictive calculation is carried out via a processor, at consecutive future moments, of the value of at least one particular parameter selected amongst said navigation parameters, wherein the at least one particular parameter corresponds to a different navigation parameter than does the at least one of said actual values that does not converge; and

c) in the case where the predicted value of said particular parameter is higher than a corresponding predefined threshold, an alarm is emitted for the crew of said aircraft (AC) so as to notify them about a piloting conflict being able to jeopardize the flight safety of said aircraft (AC),

wherein said alarm for the crew comprises a piece of information on the origin of said piloting conflict, and

wherein the piloting conflict is not predefined.

2. The method according to claim 1, wherein said checking a) implements the model of transitions of piloting modes associated with said autopilot and of equations of the flight mechanics being typical of said aircraft (AC).

3. A device for implementing the method as specified according to claim 1, on board an aircraft (AC) provided with an autopilot, where an automatic trajectory (T1, T2) is programmed, said automatic trajectory (T1, T2) being defined by values of navigation parameters desired by the crew of said aircraft (AC), comprising:

checking means (2), receiving the desired values of said navigation parameters as well as the corresponding actual values, for checking that said actual values converge on said corresponding desired values within a predetermined convergence period;

calculation means (4), receiving the actual values of at least one particular parameter selected amongst said navigation parameters, for carrying out a predictive calculation, in the case where said checking means detect the absence of convergence of at least one of said actual values, within said convergence period, wherein the predictive calculation is carried out, at consecutive future moments, for the value of at least one particular parameter selected amongst said navigation parameters, and wherein the at least one particular parameter corresponds to a different navigation parameter than does the at least one of said actual values that does not converge;

comparison means (5), receiving the predicted value of said particular parameter, for comparing it with a corresponding predefined threshold; and

alarming means (7) for emitting an alarm for the crew, in the case where said comparison means (5) detect that said predicted value is higher than said corresponding predefined threshold,

wherein said alarm for the crew comprises a piece of information on the origin of said piloting conflict, and

wherein the piloting conflict is not predefined.

4. An aircraft comprising a device (1) such as specified according to claim 3.