Method and device for preventing collisions with the ground for an aircraft
DCFirst Claim
1. In an aerial navigation aid device, the improvement comprising:
- (a) mass memory means for storing a data base representing at least a substantial part of the terrestrial globe, in a cut out form comprising a grid configuration having at least one level of resolution, said grid configuration including first grids, each first grid being associated with at least one data item representing the maximum altitude inside the first grid, and at least one index permitting rapid access to sets of contiguous first grids contained in said data base in accordance with a system of addressing two horizontal coordinates;
(b) input means for receiving status indications representing the position of the aircraft with two horizontal components and the altitude, and the velocity and acceleration vectors of the aircraft, as well as control indications coming from the flight deck;
(c) a fast access working memory;
(d) management means for managing the data base, for extracting from and transferring into said fast access working memory a temporary local map in accordance with said horizontal components of the position of the aircraft, on the basis of which map there is defined an altitude envelope of the terrain in the zone wherein the aircraft is travelling; and
(e) anticollision processing means;
for processing said status indications so as to establish a plurality of predicted points of the flight path of the aircraft;
for comparing, at each said predicted point, the contour of a protection field round the aircraft with an altitude envelope in the corresponding part of said local map; and
for establishing an alarm if the relation between the protection field and the altitude envelope meets a first condition which is defined at least partly by said control indications.
1 Assignment
Litigations
0 Petitions
Accused Products
Abstract
A mass memory stores a data base representing at least a substantial part of the terrestrial globe, in accordance with a grid configuration on several levels, said grid configuration being in particular more precise in the vicinity of an airport. Status indications are received representing the position of the aircraft with two horizontal components, and the altitude, and the velocity and acceleration vectors of the aircraft, as well as control indications coming from the flight deck. In accordance with the horizontal components of the position of the aircraft, a temporary local map is transferred into a fast access memory, on the basis of which map, an altitude envelope of the terrain is established in the zone where the aircraft is travelling. Anticollision processing make it possible to establish an alarm if the relation between a protection field and the altitude envelope meets a first condition which is defined at least partly by the control indications. The device has application as an aid for aerial navigation.
362 Citations
26 Claims
-
1. In an aerial navigation aid device, the improvement comprising:
- (a) mass memory means for storing a data base representing at least a substantial part of the terrestrial globe, in a cut out form comprising a grid configuration having at least one level of resolution, said grid configuration including first grids, each first grid being associated with at least one data item representing the maximum altitude inside the first grid, and at least one index permitting rapid access to sets of contiguous first grids contained in said data base in accordance with a system of addressing two horizontal coordinates;
(b) input means for receiving status indications representing the position of the aircraft with two horizontal components and the altitude, and the velocity and acceleration vectors of the aircraft, as well as control indications coming from the flight deck; (c) a fast access working memory; (d) management means for managing the data base, for extracting from and transferring into said fast access working memory a temporary local map in accordance with said horizontal components of the position of the aircraft, on the basis of which map there is defined an altitude envelope of the terrain in the zone wherein the aircraft is travelling; and (e) anticollision processing means; for processing said status indications so as to establish a plurality of predicted points of the flight path of the aircraft; for comparing, at each said predicted point, the contour of a protection field round the aircraft with an altitude envelope in the corresponding part of said local map; and for establishing an alarm if the relation between the protection field and the altitude envelope meets a first condition which is defined at least partly by said control indications. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19)
- (a) mass memory means for storing a data base representing at least a substantial part of the terrestrial globe, in a cut out form comprising a grid configuration having at least one level of resolution, said grid configuration including first grids, each first grid being associated with at least one data item representing the maximum altitude inside the first grid, and at least one index permitting rapid access to sets of contiguous first grids contained in said data base in accordance with a system of addressing two horizontal coordinates;
-
20. In a method for aiding aerial navigation,
A--on the ground, maintaining a data base of the terrain representing at least a substantial part of the terrestrial globe, B--on board an aircraft, B.1 providing a mass memory for storing: -
a data base extracted from the data base on the ground and representing at least a substantial part of the terrestrial globe, in a cut out form including a grid configuration on at least one level, said grid configuration including first grids, each first grid being associated with at least one data item representing the maximum altitude within the first grid, and at least one index permitting fast access to sets of contiguous first grids contained in said data base on-board the aircraft in accordance with an addressing system based on horizontal position coordinates, B.2--receiving from on-board instruments of said aircraft two horizontal components of the position of the aircraft, an item of vertical information, and the velocity and acceleration vectors of the aircraft, B.3--loading in accordance with two horizontal components of the position of the aircraft, a temporary local map into a fast access working memory defining an absolute altitude envelope of the terrain including a zone where the aircraft is travelling, B.4--estimating, in accordance with the position and the velocity and acceleration vectors of the aircraft, a plurality of predicted points of a flight path of the aircraft, B.5--comparing at each said predicted point the contour of a protection field surrounding the aircraft with an altitude envelope in the corresponding part of the temporary local map, and B.6--establishing an alarm if the relation between the protection field and the altitude envelope meets a first condition. - View Dependent Claims (21, 22, 23, 24, 25, 26)
-
Specification