Method of assisting piloting an aircraft by adapting the display of symbols

• US 9,212,931 B2
• Filed: 02/05/2014
• Issued: 12/15/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 02/06/2013
• 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: Bideau, David, Rustin, Mathieu
• Primary Examiner(s): Cheung, Calvin
• Assistant Examiner(s): Borrero, Luis A Martinez
• Application Number:
  US14/173,283
• Publication Number:
  US 20140222256A1
• Time in Patent Office: 678 Days
• Field of Search: 701/7, 701/18, 701/14, 701/438, 701/457, 701/16, 701/2, 701/120, 701/4, 701/117, 701/15, 701/455, 345/173, 345/1.1, 345/634
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G01C 23/00 Combined instruments indicating more than one navigational value, e.g. for aircraft; Combined measuring devices for measuring two or more variables of movement, e.g. distance, speed or acceleration

Abstract

The invention relates to a method of assisting piloting an aircraft. The method is performed when the real position of a symbol for display lies outside the display limit of the screen. The symbol is representative of a parameter associated with the dynamic behavior of the aircraft (FPV, . . . ) or liable to influence said behavior (FD, . . . ). The symbol possesses two components, and the first component is to be given precedence on display over the second component. In the method, the display of the symbol depends firstly on the orthogonal projection (FPV-lock) of the real position (FPV) of the symbol onto the axis of the first component, and secondly on the position of said projection relative to the display limit of the screen. Such a display makes it possible to give reliable information to the pilot.

Claims

1. A method of assisting the piloting of an aircraft in which at least one display screen has at least one display zone bounded by a display limit line, the real position of the aircraft being positioned on said at least one display zone relative to a horizontal-vertical frame of reference associated with the screen and a terrestrial horizontal-vertical frame of reference having at least one of its axes displayed by at least one symbol representative of a parameter associated with the dynamic behavior of the aircraft (FPV, . . . ) or of a parameter liable to influence this behavior (FD, . . . ), the at least one symbol having a horizontal component and a vertical component, the method comprising:

displaying said at least one symbol in said at least one display zone in order to assist the piloting of the aircraft when the real position (FPV) of said at least one symbol lies outside the display limit line, wherein one of the horizontal and vertical components of the at least one symbol, referred to as a “

first”

component, is to be given precedence on display of the at least one symbol in said at least one display zone over a second component of the horizontal and vertical components of the at least one symbol, the method further comprising;

determining the real position (FPV) of said at least one symbol for display relative to said at least one display zone of the at least one display screen;

determining an orthogonal projection (FPV-lock) of the real position of said at least one symbol on an axis corresponding to the first component;

determining the position of said orthogonal projection (FPV-lock) relative to the display limit line of the at least one display zone, and in the event that said orthogonal projection (FPV-lock) is situated outside said display limit line, repositioning said orthogonal projection (FPV-lock) on said display limit line;

determining the position of said at least one symbol on an axis corresponding to the second component passing through the position determined in the preceding step as a function of the value of the second component of said at least one symbol;

determining said position of the at least one symbol relative to the display limit line of said at least one display zone, and in the event that said position of the at least one symbol is situated outside said display limit line, repositioning said position of the at least one symbol on said display limit line; and

displaying said at least one symbol in the display position as determined in the preceding step.

2. The method according to claim 1, wherein while the orthogonal projection (FPV-lock) of the real position (FPV) of said at least one symbol is situated inside said at least one display zone bounded by the display limit line, the method includes a substep of determining a limitation for the value of the second component of said at least one symbol in order to position said at least one symbol in a limited position that is situated on the display limit line of said at least one display zone.

3. The method according to claim 1, wherein said at least one display zone has a first display zone (F1) inside which there is arranged a second display zone (F2), the display position of said at least one symbol depending more particularly, firstly on the orthogonal projection (FPV-lock) on the axis of the first component of the real position (FPV) of said at least one symbol, and secondly on the position of said projection relative to the display limit line of the second display zone (F2).

4. The method according to claim 3, wherein while the orthogonal projection (FPV-lock) of the real position (FPV) of said at least one symbol is situated inside the second display zone (F2) bounded by the display limit line (L2), the method includes a substep of determining a limitation for the value of the second component of said at least one symbol in order to position said at least one symbol in a limited position that is situated on the display limit line (L1) of the first display zone (F1).

5. The method according to claim 3, wherein while the orthogonal projection (FPV-lock) is situated outside the second display zone (F2) bounded by its display limit line (L2), the method includes the following two substeps:

determining a limitation for the value of the first component of the orthogonal projection (FPV-lock) to the value corresponding to the intersection between the axis of the first component and the display limit line (L2) of the second display zone (F2) so as to take the orthogonal projection (FPV-lock) to an intermediate limited position and obtain a limited orthogonal projection (FPV-lock); and

determining the position of said at least one symbol on the axis of the second component passing through the position of the limited orthogonal projection (FPV-lock) determined in the preceding step as a function of the value of the second component of said at least one symbol.

6. The method according to claim 3, wherein the two display zones (F1, F2) are defined relative to each other so as to be spaced far enough apart to make it possible, if necessary, to display said at least one symbol between the display limit lines (L1, L2) of said display zones.

7. The method according to claim 1, wherein the axis of the first component is selected relative to a predetermined criterion.

8. The method according to claim 1, wherein the axis of the first component is the pitch scale axis that is displayed on said at least one display zone.

9. The method according to claim 2, further comprising displaying beside said at least one symbol displayed in its limited position, the value of the first component of said at least one symbol prior to being limited.

10. The method according to claim 1, wherein said at least one symbol has a vertical first component and a horizontal second component, the vertical first component being given precedence in the display over the second component.

11. The method according to claim 1, wherein said at least one symbol for displaying comprises a first symbol representative of the flight path vector (FPV) in which the horizontal component is drift and the vertical component is flight path angle.

12. The method according to claim 11, wherein said at least one symbol for display also comprises a second symbol representative of an aircraft guide parameter (FP) and constitutes a flight path setpoint to be reached by the flight path vector (FPV) of the aircraft.

13. The method according to claim 12, wherein said at least one display zone also comprises a display zone (F0) for displaying the second symbol representative of an aircraft guide parameter (FD) and having arranged therein said at least one display zone for displaying the first symbol.

14. The method according to claim 13, wherein the step of displaying the second symbol representative of an aircraft guide parameter (FD) comprises, more particularly, a substep performed as a function of the real position of said second symbol relative to the display limit line (L0) of said display zone for the second symbol:

displaying said second symbol (FD) in said display zone in its real position;

or

determining a limited position for said second symbol (FD) by projecting said second symbol onto the display limit line (L0) of said display zone (F0) in the direction given by the line passing through the real position of said second symbol (FD) and the position displayed in said at least one display zone for the first symbol of the first symbol representative of the flight path vector (FPV) of the aircraft, and displaying said second symbol in its position as limited in this way.

15. A non-transitory, computer-readable storage medium storing a computer program including instructions for executing, when said program is executed by a system comprising a data processor unit in which said computer program is loaded, a method of assisting the piloting of an aircraft in which at least one display screen has at least one display zone bounded by a display limit line, the real position of the aircraft being positioned on said at least one display zone relative to a horizontal-vertical frame of reference associated with the screen and a terrestrial horizontal-vertical frame of reference having at least one of its axes displayed by at least one symbol representative of a parameter associated with the dynamic behavior of the aircraft (FPV, . . . ) or of a parameter liable to influence this behavior (FD, . . . ), the at least one symbol having a horizontal component and a vertical component, the method comprising:

displaying said at least one symbol in said at least one display zone in order to assist in the piloting of the aircraft when the real position (FPV) of said at least one symbol lies outside the display limit line, wherein one of the horizontal and vertical components of the at least one symbol, referred to as a “

first”

component, is to be given precedence on display of the at least one symbol in said at least one display zone over a second component of the horizontal and vertical components of the at least one symbol, the method further comprising;

determining the real position (FPV) of said at least one symbol for display relative to said at least one display zone of the at least one display screen;

determining an orthogonal projection (FPV-lock) of the real position of said at least one symbol on an axis corresponding to the first component;

determining the position of said orthogonal projection (FPV-lock) relative to the display limit line of the at least one display zone, and in the event that said orthogonal projection (FPV-lock) is situated outside said display limit line, repositioning said orthogonal projection (FPV-lock) on said display limit line;

determining the position of said at least one symbol on an axis corresponding to the second component passing through the position determined in the preceding step as a function of the value of the second component of said at least one symbol;

determining said position of the at least one symbol relative to the display limit line of said at least one display zone, and in the event that said position of the at least one symbol is situated outside said display limit line, repositioning said position of the at least one symbol on said display limit line; and

displaying said at least one symbol in the display position as determined in the preceding step.

16. A system for assisting the piloting an aircraft, the system comprising at least one display screen that includes at least one display zone bounded by a display limit line, the real position of the aircraft being positioned on said at least one display zone relative to a horizontal-vertical frame of reference associated with the display screen and a terrestrial horizontal-vertical frame of reference having at least one of its axes displayed, by means of at least one symbol representative of a parameter associated with the dynamic behavior of the aircraft (FPV, . . . ) or of a parameter liable to influence this behavior (FD, . . . ), the at least one symbol having a horizontal component and a vertical component, wherein one of the horizontal and vertical components the at least one symbol, referred to as a “

first”

component, is given precedence on display of the at least one symbol in said at least one display zone over a second component of the horizontal and vertical components the at least one symbol, the system further comprising a data processor for;

determining the real position (FPV) of said at least one symbol for display relative to said at least one display zone of the at least one display screen;

determining an orthogonal projection (FPV-lock) of the real position of said at least one symbol on an axis corresponding to the first component;

determining the position of said orthogonal projection (FPV-lock) relative to the display limit line of said at least one display zone, and in the event that said orthogonal projection (FPV-lock) is situated outside said display limit line, for repositioning said orthogonal projection on said display limit line;

determining the position of said at least one symbol on an axis corresponding to the second component passing through the position determined in the preceding determination as a function of the value of the second component of said at least one symbol;

determining said position of the at least one symbol relative to the display limit line of said at least one display zone, and in the event that said position of the at least one symbol is situated outside said display limit line, for repositioning said position on said display limit line; and

displaying on said at least one symbol screen said at least one symbol in the display position as determined in the preceding determination performed by the data processing unit.

17. An aircraft comprising a system for assisting the piloting of an aircraft, the system comprising at least one display screen that includes at least one display zone bounded by a display limit line, the real position of the aircraft being positioned on said at least one display zone relative to a horizontal-vertical frame of reference associated with the display screen and a terrestrial horizontal-vertical frame of reference having at least one of its axes displayed by means of at least one symbol representative of a parameter associated with the dynamic behavior of the aircraft (FPV, . . . ) or of a parameter liable to influence this behavior (FD, . . . ), the at least one symbol having a horizontal component and a vertical component, wherein one of the horizontal and vertical components of the at least one symbol, referred to as a “

first”

component, is given precedence on display of the at least one symbol in said at least one display zone over a second component of the horizontal and vertical components of the at least one symbol, the system further comprising a data processor unit for;

determining the real position (FPV) of said at least one symbol for display relative to said at least one display zone of the at least one display screen;

determining an orthogonal projection (FPV-lock) of the real position of said at least one symbol on an axis corresponding to the first component;

determining the position of said orthogonal projection (FPV-lock) relative to the display limit line of said at least one display zone, and in the event that said orthogonal projection (FPV-lock) is situated outside said display limit line, for repositioning said orthogonal projection (FPV-lock) on said display limit line;

determining the position of said at least one symbol on an axis corresponding to the second component passing through the position determined in the preceding determination as a function of the value of the second component of said at least one symbol;

determining said position of the at least one symbol relative to the display limit line of said at least one display zone, and in the event that said position of the at least one symbol is situated outside said display limit line, for repositioning said position on said display limit line; and

displaying on said at least one symbol screen said at least one symbol in the display position as determined in the preceding determination performed by the data processor unit.