Method for processing a flight plan in a flight management system

• US 9,404,752 B2
• Filed: 07/25/2013
• Issued: 08/02/2016
• Est. Priority Date: 07/27/2012
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Thales SA
• Original Assignee: Thales SA
• Inventors: Courteville, Romain, Barnetche, Bertrand
• Primary Examiner(s): TARCZA, THOMAS H
• Assistant Examiner(s): Goldman, Richard
• Application Number:
  US13/950,701
• Publication Number:
  US 20140032107A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,104 Days
• Field of Search: 701/3, 701/4, 701/14, 701/25, 701/26, 701/120, 701/467, 701/528, 701/529, 340/973, 340/979
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/047 Optimisation of routes or paths, e.g. travelling salesman problem
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 5/0034 Assembly of a flight plan

Abstract

A method for processing a flight plan, implemented in a flight management system, consisting of at least one segment, comprises a step of determining the positions of the start point and of the end point of each of said segments constituting said flight plan by searching for at least two characteristic points of said segment, said characteristic points being explicit, fixed and non-floating, said positions being respectively characterized by a latitude, a longitude and an altitude.

Claims

1. A method implemented in a flight management system for processing a flight plan, the flight plan including a plurality of segments, the method comprises:

a step of determining with the flight management system positions of a start point and of an end point of each of the plurality of segments constituting said flight plan;

searching with the flight management system for at least two characteristic points for each of the plurality of segments, said characteristic points being explicit and fixed, said characteristic points comprising a latitude, a longitude and an altitude; and

determining transitions between each of the plurality of segments with the flight management system based on the step of determining the positions of the start point and of the end point of each of the plurality of segments, the transitions comprising a trajectory element that links two of the plurality of segments together in a flyable manner, the plurality of segments and the transitions constituting said flight plan and said flight plan being executed by the flight management system.

2. The method according to claim 1, in which said determination step determines the position of the start point of one of the plurality of segments as being the point of the one of the plurality of segments situated at an altitude determined from an altitude value imposed at a point of one of the plurality of segments or of another one of the plurality of segments of the flight plan, when said one of the plurality of segments is determined to one of the following:

to reach an altitude, to follow a route, to perform a race-track pattern, to perform a circular arc between two points or to perform a great circle route between two points.

3. The method according to claim 1, in which said determination step determines the position of the start point of one of the plurality of segments from the position of the end point of a preceding one of the plurality of segment, when the one of the plurality of segments is determined to one of the following:

to perform a circular arc between two points, to follow a route, to reach a point or to follow a heading.

4. The method according to claim 1, in which said determination step determines the position of the end point of one of said plurality of segments as being the point of said one of the plurality of segments situated at an altitude determined from an altitude value imposed at a point of said one of the plurality of segments or of another one of the plurality of segments of the flight plan, when the one of the plurality of segments is determined to one of the following:

to perform a circular arc centered on a point and at a determined distance from said point, to follow a route on the ground, to reach a point, to perform a race-track pattern, to perform a circular arc between two points or to perform a great circle route between two points.

5. The method according to claim 1, in which said determination step determines the position of the end point of one of said plurality of segments as being the point of said one of the plurality of segments situated at a determined distance from the start point of said one of the plurality of segments, when the one of the plurality of segments is determined to one of the following:

to follow a route or to follow a heading.

6. The method according to claim 1, in which said determination step determines the position of the end point of one of the plurality of segments situated at the intersection between a projection of one of the plurality of segments and a circle having a predetermined center and a predetermined radius when the one of the plurality of segments is determined to one of the following:

to follow a route or to follow a heading.

7. The method according to claim 1, in which said determination step determines the position of the end point of one of the plurality of segments to a circle of a predetermined radius when the one of the plurality of segments is determined to one of the following:

to follow a route or to follow a heading.

8. The method according to claim 1, in which said determination step determines the position of the end point of one of the plurality of segments from the position of the start point of the next one of the plurality of segments, when the one of the plurality of segments is determined to one of the following:

to follow a route or to follow a heading.

9. The method according to claim 1, in which said determination step determines the position of the end point of one of the plurality of segments from at least one chart giving the relationship between the altitude of the end point and the value of at least one of the performance parameters of the aircraft when the one of the plurality of segments is determined to one of the following:

to follow a route or to follow a heading.