METHOD AND SYSTEM FOR DETERMINING THE POSITION OF AN AIRCRAFT DURING ITS APPROACH TO A LANDING RUNWAY

• US 20130079958A1
• Filed: 09/17/2012
• Published: 03/28/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 09/22/2011
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Airbus Operations SAS (Airbus SE), Ecole Nationale De L'Aviation Civile
• Original Assignee: Airbus Operations SAS (Airbus SE), Ecole Nationale De L'Aviation Civile
• Inventors: Azoulai, Laurent, Muller, Jean, Macabiau, Christophe, Neri, Pierre
• Granted Patent: US 8,818,582 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 701/16
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 19/15 Aircraft landing systems
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 19/20 Integrity monitoring, fault detection or fault isolation of space segment
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 19/28 Satellite selection

Abstract

A method for guiding an aircraft during its final approach to a landing runway, whereby the aircraft is guided during its approach by aircraft position information obtained from an GNSS satellite navigation system, wherein: prior to the start of the final approach a first time t_FAF is determined corresponding with the start of said final approach and a second time t_TD corresponding with the landing of the aircraft on said runway, then a set of satellites is determined of the satellite navigation system for excluding from the calculation of said aircraft position information during at least a part of the time interval comprised between said first and second times; and during the final approach, the aircraft position information is determined while excluding the information corresponding with all the satellites of said set of satellites and the aircraft is guided along its final approach path by said position information.

Claims

1. A method for guiding an aircraft during an approach in anticipation of landing on a runway, whereby said approach is selected in advance and the aircraft is guided during said approach by means of aircraft position information obtained from at least one GNSS satellite navigation system, wherein:

prior to the start of the final approach corresponding with said approach, the following is determined in automatic manner;

a) a first time t_FAF corresponding with the start of said final approach;

b) a second time tTD corresponding with the landing of the aircraft on the runway; and

c) a set of satellites of said satellite navigation system that will be excluded from the calculation of said aircraft position information during at least one portion of the time interval comprised between said first and second times;

during said final approach, the following steps are performed in automatic and iterative manner;

d) said aircraft position information is determined by excluding the information coming from all satellites of said satellite set; and

e) the aircraft is guided along its final approach path by means of said position information.

2. The guidance method according to claim 1, wherein the set of satellites determined in step c) corresponds with the satellites that will be setting, relative to the aircraft, during said time interval.

3. The guidance method according to claim 1, wherein in step d), for the determination of the aircraft position information, the satellites that will be rising, relative to the aircraft, during said time interval, are excluded.

4. The guidance method according to claim 2, wherein to determine if a satellite Si will be setting, relative to the aircraft, during said time interval, the two following equations are used:

5. The guidance method according to claim 1, wherein said time t_FAF is determined by calculating an estimated time of arrival ETA_FAF of the aircraft in the start position of the final approach and said second time t_TD is determined by calculating an estimated time of arrival ETA_TD of the aircraft in the landing position on the runway.

6. The guidance method according to claim 5, wherein said first and second times are calculated by means of the following equations:

t_FAF=ETA_FAF−

Δ

t_FAF

t_TD=ETA_TD+Δ

t_TD

where Δ

t_FAF and Δ

t_TD are predetermined time margins.

7. The guidance method according to claim 1, wherein said aircraft position information is obtained by combining information originating from at least one GNSS satellite navigation system and at least one augmentation system.

8. The guidance method according to claim 7, wherein said at least one augmentation system is a SBAS or ABAS or GBAS type system.

9. The guidance method according to claim 1, wherein said aircraft position information is obtained by using a plurality of GNSS satellite navigation systems.

10. A guidance system for an aircraft, the guidance system comprising:

means for selecting an approach in anticipation of a landing on a runway;

means configured for receiving signals from a GNSS satellite navigation system;

a processing unit for determining the aircraft position information starting from said signals received from the GNSS satellite navigation system;

an aircraft guidance means configured for receiving from the processing unit said aircraft position information and for producing signals for guiding the aircraft along a final approach path corresponding with the selected approach, in function of said position information,

means for determining, prior to the start of the final approach, a first time t_FAF corresponding with the start of said final approach and a second time t_TD corresponding with the landing of the aircraft on said runway; and

means for determining, prior to the start of the final approach, a set of satellites of said satellite navigation system that will be excluded from the calculation of said aircraft position information during at least a part of the time interval comprised between said first and second times;

wherein, said processing unit is configured to determine the aircraft position information, during the final approach, while excluding the information corresponding with the satellites of said set of satellites.

11. The guidance system for an aircraft according to claim 10, wherein the processing unit is configured for receiving information from an augmentation system and for determining the aircraft position information starting at least from signals received from the GNSS satellite navigation system and said information received from an augmentation system.

12. The guidance system for an aircraft according to claim 10, further comprising means (32) configured for receiving signals from a plurality of GNSS satellite navigation systems, whereby the processing unit is configured for determining the aircraft position information starting from at least the signals received from said plurality of GNSS satellite navigation systems.

13. An aircraft comprising a guidance system, said guidance system comprising:

means for selecting an approach in anticipation of a landing on a runway;

means configured for receiving signals from a GNSS satellite navigation system;

a processing unit for determining the aircraft position information starting from said signals received from the GNSS satellite navigation system;

an aircraft guidance means configured for receiving from the processing unit said aircraft position information and for producing signals for guiding the aircraft along a final approach path corresponding with the selected approach, in function of said position information,

means for determining, prior to the start of the final approach, a first time t_FAF corresponding with the start of said final approach and a second time t_TD corresponding with the landing of the aircraft on said runway; and

means for determining, prior to the start of the final approach, a set of satellites of said satellite navigation system that will be excluded from the calculation of said aircraft position information during at least a part of the time interval comprised between said first and second times;

wherein, said processing unit is configured to determine the aircraft position information, during the final approach, while excluding the information corresponding with the satellites of said set of satellites.