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Device for assisting aircraft crew when performing flight level changes

  • US 9,214,087 B2
  • Filed: 09/21/2011
  • Issued: 12/15/2015
  • Est. Priority Date: 09/21/2010
  • Status: Active Grant
First Claim
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1. A device for providing assistance to an aircraft crew for changes in flight level of an aircraft in air traffic, comprising:

  • a display adapted to display an image comprising at least one zone corresponding to a target altitude for an aircraft and a position of the aircraft in a vertical plane,a user interface configured to receive the aircraft crew'"'"'s selecting of said zone in the image, andat least one computer connected to the display and the user interface, and configured to determine in real-time, upon receipt of the aircraft crew'"'"'s selecting through the user interface, in accordance with an opportunity estimation function, the feasibility of a flight level change procedure to the targeted altitude, as a function of air traffic for a given time horizon, the air traffic comprising distances separating the aircraft from surrounding air crafts and closing speeds of the surrounding air crafts to the aircraft,wherein determining the opportunity estimation function comprises the steps of;

    receiving data from at least one other aircraft;

    computing distances and closing speeds between the aircraft and said at least one other aircraft;

    estimating possibility of a flight level change in real-time, comprising verifying criteria for acceptance of the flight level change by air traffic control;

    estimating whether the aircraft meets a minimum performance level to make the flight level change;

    estimating a time when the flight level change is or will be possible; and

    verifying during the flight level change that the aircraft meets the minimum performance level andwherein the at least one computer is also adapted to determine, from the selected target altitude, a pre-formatted request intended to be sent to an air traffic controller, the at least one computer being adapted to instruct the display to display this request in the image when the procedure for flight level change to the selected target altitude is possible.

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