Aircraft emergency landing route system

• US 9,257,048 B1
• Filed: 01/21/2013
• Issued: 02/09/2016
• Est. Priority Date: 04/21/2010
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: The Boeing Co.
• Original Assignee: The Boeing Co.
• Inventors: Offer, Brad W., Bruce, Alan Eugene, Spinelli, Charles B., Reid, Travis S., Parks, Paul Clark
• Primary Examiner(s): Nguyen, John Q
• Assistant Examiner(s): Torchinsky, Edward
• Application Number:
  US13/746,076
• Time in Patent Office: 1,114 Days
• Field of Search: None
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 5/0021 located in the aircraft
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 5/0039 Modification of a flight plan
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 5/0056 in an emergency situation, e.g. hijacking
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 5/02 Automatic approach or landing aids, i.e. systems in which flight data of incoming planes are processed to provide landing data landing aids fitted in or to aircraft B64D45/04; visual or acoustic landing aids B64F1/18

Abstract

A method and apparatus for managing a landing site for an aircraft is presented. The landing site is selected from a group of landing sites. A description is communicated to a platform about a state of the aircraft along a route of the aircraft over time to the landing site. The aircraft is flown to the landing site using the description of the state of the aircraft along the route of the aircraft over time.

Claims

1. A method for managing a landing site for an aircraft, the method comprising:

selecting, using a navigation tool, the landing site from a group of landing sites;

determining, using a routing tool, a touchdown point on the landing site;

growing, using the routing tool, a spanning tree comprising a minimum cost path up from the touchdown point to an origin point in the air;

computing, using the routing tool, a route from a current location of the aircraft to the origin point, the route being four-dimensional;

communicating, to a platform, a description of a state of the aircraft along the route of the aircraft over time to the landing site; and

flying the aircraft to the landing site using the description of the state of the aircraft along the route of the aircraft over time.

2. The method of claim 1 further comprising:

continuously updating a group of routes to the group of landing sites for the aircraft, wherein the route to the landing site is within the group of routes to the group of landing sites.

3. The method of claim 2, wherein the updating step comprises:

continuously updating the group of routes to the group of landing sites for the aircraft based on a range of the aircraft, wherein the route to the landing site is within the group of routes to the group of landing sites.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the route takes into account a group of obstacles along the route from the current location of the aircraft to the landing site.

5. The method of claim 1, further comprising communicating comprising aircraft intent description language, wherein the aircraft is a first aircraft and wherein the selecting and communicating steps are performed in a location selected from one of;

the first aircraft, a ground station, an air traffic control station, and a second aircraft.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein the description comprises instructions that describe an aerodynamic configuration of the aircraft and a motion of the aircraft.

7. The method of claim 6, wherein the instructions follow rules for describing the aerodynamic configuration of the aircraft and the motion of the aircraft, based upon a performance model, for the aircraft, continually generated from actual performance data of the aircraft.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein the aircraft is a first aircraft, the platform is a second aircraft, and the second aircraft is configured to use the description to perform collision avoidance.

9. The method of claim 1, wherein the aircraft is an unmanned aerial vehicle and the platform is a control station for the unmanned aerial vehicle.

10. The method of claim 1, wherein the platform is selected from one of an air traffic control tower, a ground station, and a second aircraft.

11. An apparatus comprising:

a navigation tool configured to select a landing site from a group of landing sites and communicate to a platform a description of a state of an aircraft along a route of the aircraft over time to the landing site; and

a routing tool configured to;

determine a touchdown point on the landing site;

grow a spanning tree comprising a minimum cost path up from the touchdown point to an origin point in the air; and

compute a four-dimensional route from a current location of the aircraft to the origin point.

12. The apparatus of claim 11 further comprising:

a controller configured to fly the aircraft to the landing site using the description of the state of the aircraft along the route of the aircraft over time.

13. The apparatus of claim 11, wherein the navigation tool is further configured to update a group of routes to the group of landing sites for the aircraft, wherein the route to the landing site is within the group of routes to the group of landing sites.

14. The apparatus of claim 13, wherein in being configured to update the group of routes to the group of landing sites for the aircraft, the navigation tool is configured to update the group of routes to the group of landing sites for the aircraft based on a range of the aircraft, wherein the route to the landing site is within the group of routes to the group of landing sites.

15. The apparatus of claim 11, wherein the route takes into account a group of obstacles from the current location of the aircraft to the landing site.

16. The apparatus of claim 11, wherein the navigation tool is located in at least one of the aircraft, a ground station, and another aircraft.

17. The apparatus of claim 11, wherein the description comprises instructions that describe an aerodynamic configuration of the aircraft and a motion of the aircraft.

18. The apparatus of claim 11, wherein the aircraft is a first aircraft, the platform is a second aircraft, and the second aircraft is configured to use the description to perform collision avoidance.

19. The apparatus of claim 11, wherein the aircraft is a first aircraft and wherein the platform is selected from one of an air traffic control tower, a ground station, and a second aircraft.

20. A method for selecting a landing site for an aircraft in flight, the method comprising;

monitoring a current state of the aircraft and an issue at a destination;

determining when at least one of;

the current state of the aircraft, and the issue at the destination, make landing at the destination undesirable;

selecting, using a navigation tool, the landing site from a group of landing sites, based upon a group of factors comprising;

terrain data, airspace data, weather data, vegetation data, transportation infrastructure data, populated areas data, obstructions data, and utilities data;

determining, using a routing tool, a touchdown point on the landing site;

growing, using the routing tool, a spanning tree comprising a minimum cost path up from the touchdown point to an origin point in the air, such that cost comprises a function of at least one of;

time, energy, and fuel;

computing, using the routing tool, a four-dimensional route from a current location of the aircraft to the origin point, based upon the group of factors; and

communicating to another aircraft and at least one of;

an Air Traffic Control center, an Airborne Operations Center, and an Air Route Traffic Control Center, a description of a state of the aircraft along the route of the aircraft over time to the landing site.