Method for controlling the piloting of an aircraft

• US 9,096,309 B2
• Filed: 05/03/2013
• Issued: 08/04/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 05/11/2012
• 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: Puyou, Guilhem, Eberle, Matthias, Perrin, Fabien, Manjon Sanchez, Javier
• Primary Examiner(s): Olszewski, John R
• Assistant Examiner(s): Wiltey, Nicholas K
• Application Number:
  US13/886,440
• Publication Number:
  US 20130304283A1
• Time in Patent Office: 823 Days
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: B64C 19/00 Aircraft control not otherwise provided for
• CPC Class Codes: G05D 1/0808 specially adapted for aircraft
• CPC Class Codes: G05D 1/101 specially adapted for aircraft

Abstract

A method for controlling the piloting of an aircraft comprising the steps of receiving at least one first instruction for modification of a current velocity vector of the aircraft, determining a target velocity vector of the aircraft, on the basis of said at least one first instruction received, and determining, on the basis at least of said target velocity vector, at least one actuation command intended for at least one actuator of the aircraft in order to modify the movement of the aircraft according to said at least one first instruction received.

Claims

1. A method for controlling the piloting of an aircraft comprising the steps of:

receiving at least one first instruction provided directly by a pilot for modification of the orientation of a current velocity vector of the aircraft,

determining a target velocity vector of the aircraft based on said at least one first instruction provided directly by the pilot, and

determining, on the basis at least of said target velocity vector, at least one actuation command intended for at least one actuator of the aircraft in order to modify the movement of the aircraft according to said at least one first instruction received,

the method further comprising the following steps of;

receiving an instruction for modification of the orientation of the predetermined target velocity vector,

modifying the target velocity vector as a function of said command received, said actuation command being determined on the basis of the thus-modified target velocity vector,

displaying, in real time, a first graphic element representing a direction of the target velocity vector, and a second graphic element representing a direction of the current velocity vector, and

adjusting a current flight path of the aircraft based on comparison of the target velocity vector and the current velocity vector,

wherein said target velocity vector is defined directly by the pilot by directing said first graphic element on a control screen, and

wherein said current flight path is adjusted, and said at least one actuator of the aircraft is automatically controlled, based on said target velocity vector directly defined by the pilot, without the pilot having to act directly on said at least one actuator.

2. The method according to claim 1, in which said at least one actuator is configured for setting a control surface of the aircraft in motion.

3. The method according to claim 1, in which at least one instruction for modification of the current velocity vector of the aircraft relates to a flight path track angle.

4. The method according to claim 1, in which at least one instruction for modification of the current velocity vector of the aircraft relates to a flight path angle.

5. The method according to claim 1, further comprising the steps of:

detecting a setting of a control surface of the aircraft in motion of a piloting interface,

determining said at least one modification instruction as a function of the movement detected.

6. The method according to claim 1, also comprising a step of generating at least one graphic piloting interface display signal comprising a representation of said current velocity vector, said signal being configured to cause the display of a representation of the target velocity vector.

7. The method according to claim 6, further comprising a step of generating a display signal configured to cause the display of an element to aid alignment with a target piloting path, said element being associated with said graphic representation of the target velocity vector.

8. The method according to claim 6, further comprising a step of generating a warning signal in the event of an anomaly in alignment with at least one of the target path and an anomaly in correlation between the target velocity vector and the target path.

9. The method according to claim 6, wherein said at least one signal is configured to cause the display of the representation of the target velocity vector simultaneously with the display of the representation of said current velocity vector.

10. A computer program comprising instructions for the implementation of a method according to claim 1, when it is loaded in non-transient memory and executed by an aircraft piloting control system processor.

11. An aircraft piloting control system comprising

a processing unit configured

to receive at least one first instruction provided directly by a pilot for modification of the orientation of a current velocity vector of the aircraft,

to determine a target velocity vector of the aircraft based on said at least one first instruction provided directly by the pilot, and

to determine, on the basis at least of said target velocity vector, at least one actuation command intended for at least one actuator of the aircraft in order to modify the movement of the aircraft according to said at least one first instruction received,

said processing unit being moreover configured

to receive an instruction for modification of the orientation of the target velocity vector determined, and modify the target velocity vector as a function of said received command, said actuation command being determined on the basis of the thus-modified target velocity vector, and

to display, in real time, a first graphic element representing a direction of the target velocity vector, and a second graphic element representing a direction of the current velocity vector, and adjust a current flight path of the aircraft based on comparison of the target velocity vector and the current velocity vector,

wherein said target velocity vector is defined directly by the pilot by directing said first graphic element on a control screen, and

wherein said current flight path is adjusted, and said at least one actuator of the aircraft is automatically controlled, based on said target velocity vector directly defined by the pilot, without the pilot having to act directly on said at least one actuator.

12. The system according to claim 11, wherein the processing unit is moreover configured to generate at least one graphic piloting interface display signal comprising a representation of said current velocity vector, said signal being configured to cause the display of a representation of the target velocity vector.

13. The system according to claim 12, wherein the processing unit is moreover configured to generate a display signal configured to cause the display of an element for aiding alignment with a target piloting path, said element being associated with said graphic representation of the target velocity vector.

14. An aircraft comprising a system according to claim 11.

15. A method for controlling the piloting of an aircraft comprising the steps of:

receiving at least one first instruction provided directly by a pilot for modification of the orientation of a current velocity vector of the aircraft,

determining a target velocity vector of the aircraft based on said at least one first instruction provided directly by the pilot, and

determining, on the basis at least of said target velocity vector, at least one actuation command intended for at least one actuator of the aircraft in order to modify the movement of the aircraft according to said at least one first instruction received,

the method further comprising the following steps of;

receiving an instruction for modification of the orientation of the predetermined target velocity vector,

modifying the target velocity vector as a function of said command received, said actuation command being determined on the basis of the thus-modified target velocity vector,

displaying, in real time, a first graphic element representing a direction of the target velocity vector, and a second graphic element representing a direction of the current velocity vector, and

adjusting a current flight path of the aircraft based on comparison of the target velocity vector and the current velocity vector, at least one of;

in a manual mode by the pilot, and

in an automatic mode by a flight control unit,

wherein deviations between the first graphic element and the second graphic element are corrected by the pilot in the manual mode, and are corrected by the flight control unit in the automatic mode, such that the current velocity vector substantially follows the target velocity vector, both velocity vectors being represented by the first and second graphic elements,

wherein said target velocity vector is defined directly by the pilot by directing said first graphic element on a control screen, and

wherein said current flight path is adjusted, and said at least one actuator of the aircraft is automatically controlled, based on said target velocity vector directly defined by the pilot, without the pilot having to act directly on said at least one actuator.

16. An aircraft piloting control system comprising

a processing unit configured

to receive at least one first instruction provided directly by a pilot for modification of the orientation of a current velocity vector of the aircraft,

to determine a target velocity vector of the aircraft based on said at least one first instruction provided directly by the pilot, and

to determine, on the basis at least of said target velocity vector, at least one actuation command intended for at least one actuator of the aircraft in order to modify the movement of the aircraft according to said at least one first instruction received,

said processing unit being moreover configured

to receive an instruction for modification of the orientation of the target velocity vector determined, and modify the target velocity vector as a function of said received command, said actuation command being determined on the basis of the thus-modified target velocity vector, and

to display, in real time, a first graphic element representing a direction of the target velocity vector, and a second graphic element representing a direction of the current velocity vector, and adjust a current flight path of the aircraft based on comparison of the target velocity vector and the current velocity vector, at least one of:

in a manual mode by the pilot, and

in an automatic mode by a flight control unit,

wherein deviations between the first graphic element and the second graphic element are corrected by the pilot in the manual mode, and are corrected by the flight control unit in the automatic mode, such that the current velocity vector substantially follows the target velocity vector, both velocity vectors being represented by the first and second graphic elements,

wherein said target velocity vector is defined directly by the pilot by directing said first graphic element on a control screen, and

wherein said current flight path is adjusted, and said at least one actuator of the aircraft is automatically controlled, based on said target velocity vector directly defined by the pilot, without the pilot having to act directly on said at least one actuator.