Vehicle guidance system for automatic vehicle guidance

• US 7,120,538 B2
• Filed: 07/12/2002
• Issued: 10/10/2006
• Est. Priority Date: 07/13/2001
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: EADS Deutschland GmbH (Airbus SE)
• Original Assignee: EADS Deutschland GmbH (Airbus SE)
• Inventors: Seifert, Jost
• Primary Examiner(s): Tran, Dalena
• Application Number:
  US10/483,578
• Publication Number:
  US 20040186660A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,551 Days
• Field of Search: 701/200, 701/23, 701/28, 701/207, 701/209, 701/211, 701/214, 701/217, 180/169, 180/116, 180/119, 180/168, 318/580, 318/587
• US Class Current: 701/200
• CPC Class Codes: G05D 1/101 specially adapted for aircraft

Abstract

A track guidance system for guiding a vehicle with reference to pre-specified desired values of at least one application phase, includes a script development function (3) for developing an application script that defines pre-specified desired values of application phases according to which the vehicle is to be guided, at least one track regulator (12; 12a, 12b, 12c) for guiding the vehicle with reference to the pre-specified desired values, an input function (2) for the user to develop a regulator matrix that allocates track regulators to the application phases, an application control (4) for controlling the time sequence of the application phases on the basis of the corresponding pre-specified desired values, a regulator control (10) for activating the respective track regulator relevant in the respective application phase, whereby the respectively active track regulator (12; 12a, 12b, 12c) transfers its status for control or monitoring to the regulator control (10).

Claims

1. A vehicle guidance system for guiding a vehicle with reference to pre-specified desired values of vehicle travel parameters in plural application phases, whereby the vehicle guidance system comprises:

a script development function (3) for developing an application script that defines pre-specified desired values of the vehicle travel parameters in the plural application phases, according to which the vehicle is to be guided,

regulators (12;

12a, 12b, 12c) for guiding the vehicle with reference to the pre-specified desired values of the vehicle travel parameters,

an input function (2) for developing a regulator matrix by a user input, wherein the regulator matrix allocates the regulators to the application phases, and for modifying the regulator matrix by a user input on the basis of altered application phases,

an application control (4) for controlling the time sequence of the application phases on the basis of the pre-specified desired values, and

a regulator control (10) for activating a respective one of the regulators relevant in the respective application phase as allocated in the regulator matrix, wherein the activated respective regulator (12;

12a, 12b, 12c) is adapted to transfer a regulator status thereof for control or monitoring to the regulator control.

2. The vehicle guidance system according to claim 1, characterized in that the transferring of the regulator status is carried out continuously.

3. The vehicle guidance system according to claim 2, characterized in that the application script is externally manipulable by a user input via the script development function during the vehicle application or utilization.

4. The vehicle guidance system according to claim 1, characterized in that the application script is externally manipulable by a user input via the script development function during the vehicle application or utilization.

5. A vehicle guidance system for controlling vehicle travel parameters of the travel of a vehicle, comprising:

plural control devices that are respectively adapted to control the vehicle travel parameters of the travel of the vehicle;

plural regulators that are connected to and respectively adapted to regulate the control devices in response to and dependent on pre-specified desired values respectively allocated to the vehicle travel parameters;

a script development unit with a first input, that is adapted to prepare an application script based on script input data via the first input, wherein the application script includes plural application phases according to which the vehicle travel parameters are to be controlled in a logical or temporal operation sequence, the application phases define the pre-specified desired values respectively allocated to the vehicle travel parameters, and each one of the application phases respectively includes at least one of the pre-specified desired values respectively allocated to at least one of the vehicle travel parameters;

a regulator allocation unit, which has a second input, and which is adapted to prepare a regulator allocation data set based on regulator allocation input data via the second input, and by which the regulator allocation data set can be modified based on further input data via the second input, wherein the regulator allocation data set is adapted to respectively allocate at least one selected regulator among the regulators to be active for each one of the application phases;

an application control that is connected to the script development unit to receive therefrom the application script, and that is connected to the regulator allocation unit to receive therefrom the regulator allocation data set, and that is adapted to successively process the application phases of the application script;

a regulator control that is connected to the application control and respectively to the regulators, and that is adapted to respectively activate the at least one selected regulator that is allocated to a respective current active one of the application phases by the regulator allocation data set, and that is adapted to respectively transmit to each said selected regulator the pre-specified desired value respectively allocated to the vehicle travel parameter controlled by the control device regulated by the selected regulator; and

regulator status feedback connections from the regulators to the regulator control to transmit regulator status information from the regulators to the regulator control.

6. A method of controlling vehicle travel parameters of the travel of a vehicle, comprising steps:

a) providing an application script that includes plural application phases according to which the vehicle travel parameters are to be controlled in a logical or temporal operation sequence, wherein the application script defines pre-specified desired values respectively allocated to the vehicle travel parameters for a respective one of the application phases, and wherein each one of the application phases respectively includes at least one of the pre-specified desired values respectively allocated to at least one of the vehicle travel parameters;

b) providing a regulator allocation data set that respectively allocates, among plural regulators, at least one selected regulator to be active for each one of the application phases, wherein the regulators are respectively adapted to regulate the vehicle travel parameters of the travel of the vehicle;

c) successively processing the application phases of the application script to respectively obtain the at least one pre-specified desired value respectively allocated to the at least one vehicle travel parameter in a respective current active one of the application phases that is currently being processed;

d) dependent on the regulator allocation data set, activating only the at least one selected regulator that is to be active for the current active application phase as allocated by the regulator allocation data set;

e) transmitting to the at least one selected regulator that has been activated in said step d), the respective pre-specified desired value that is respectively allocated in the application script to the associated one of the vehicle travel parameters to be regulated by the respective selected regulator;

f) using the at least one selected regulator, respectively regulating the associated one of the vehicle travel parameters associated with the selected regulator so that the associated vehicle travel parameter achieves the pre-specified desired value allocated thereto in the application script for the current active application phase; and

g) modifying the regulator allocation data set to provide an altered allocation of at least one of the regulators to one of the application phases that is to be altered.