Method and a device for assisting the piloting of a rotary wing aircraft in the vicinity of a landing or takeoff point

• US 7,672,758 B2
• Filed: 09/26/2005
• Issued: 03/02/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 09/28/2004
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Airbus Helicopters
• Original Assignee: Eurocopter
• Inventors: Astruc, Joel
• Primary Examiner(s): Keith; Jack W.
• Assistant Examiner(s): Dager; Jonathan M
• Application Number:
  US10/591,008
• Publication Number:
  US 20070181750A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,618 Days
• Field of Search: 244 315- 317, 244 4- 7, 244 10- 13, 244/17.11, 244/17.13, 244/17.23, 244/75.1, 244/76, 244/175, 244183-188, 244192-195, 244/220, 244/221, 340/549, 340945-951, 340953-957, 340963-980, 701 1- 11, 701 14- 18, 701 22- 28, 701/116, 701/120, 701200-218, 701/220, 701/221, 701223-225, 701300-302, 73/10.1, 73/17.5, 73/17.8, 342/29, 342/33, 342/35, 702/127, 702/142, 702/144
• US Class Current: 701/16
• CPC Class Codes: G01C 23/005 Flight directors indicating arrangements specially adapted for rotary gyroscopes G01C19/32
• CPC Class Codes: G05D 1/0669 specially adapted for vertical take-off
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 5/0034 Assembly of a flight plan
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 5/0065 for taking-off
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 5/025 Navigation or guidance aids radar or analogous systems specially adapted for landing purposes G01S13/913

Abstract

The invention relates to a method for assisting the piloting of an aircraft in the vicinity of a landing or takeoff point, by:

• • determining the locus of entry and/or exit points for a given approach and/or departure altitude that are not safe for reaching the landing and/or takeoff point; and
  • presenting a diagram including said locus on a display device.

Claims

1. A method of assisting the piloting of a rotary wing aircraft in the vicinity of a landing or takeoff point, the method comprising:

using a computer configured to determine the locus of entry and/or exit points for a given approach and/or departure altitude that are not safe for reaching said landing point or on leaving said takeoff point of the rotary wing aircraft, on the basis of coordinates for the landing or takeoff point input into the computer by a tool for inputting coordinates and suitable for being manipulated by a pilot, and taking account of a climb/descent template or profile of the rotary wing aircraft; and

presenting a diagram including said locus on a display device,

wherein a limit curve segment is determined corresponding to the trace in the plane or level corresponding to said altitude of the template or profile passing through the landing or takeoff point and grazing or bearing against the top of an obstacle extending in the vicinity of the landing or takeoff point; and

wherein at least one segment of the limit curve is determined that extends in a plane or level corresponding to said altitude, the portion of the limit curve separating the locus of safe entry and/or exit points from unsafe entry and/or exit points, and the landing or takeoff point together with the segment of the limit curve are displayed on the display device.

2. The method according to claim 1, in which there is displayed on the display device the diagram including the landing or takeoff point, at least a portion of one or more circles centered on said point, and the limit curve portion, at least.

3. The method according to claim 1, in which a first color or texture is applied to a portion of the diagram extending inside the limit curve portion, and a second color or texture, different from the first color or texture, is applied to the portion of the diagram that extends outside said limit curve portion, and these portions of the diagram are displayed on the display device.

4. The method according to claim 1, in which an altitude margin is associated with the template or profile in order to compensate for errors in positioning the point and/or the obstacle, and/or in order to take account of an overflight margin.

5. The method according to claim 1, in which the template or profile comprises a single rectilinear segment.

6. The method according to claim 1, in which the template or profile comprises a plurality of segments.

7. The method according to claim 6, in which the projections of the segments in a vertical plane are in alignment.

8. The method according to claim 6, in which the projections of the segments in a horizontal plane are in alignment.

9. The method according to claim 1, in which a symbol is displayed on the device representing the entry and/or exit point, said symbol being surrounded by a first circle representing a first margin corresponding to a positioning error for the point and being surrounded by a second circle concentric with the first circle and representing an additional horizontal piloting margin.

18. The method according to claim 2, in which a first color or texture is applied to a portion of the diagram extending inside the limit curve portion, and a second color or texture, different from the first color or texture, is applied to the portion of the diagram that extends outside said limit curve portion, and these portions of the diagram are displayed on the display device.

10. A device for assisting the piloting of a rotary wing aircraft in the vicinity of a landing or takeoff point,

the device comprising:

a database on a computer readable medium containing characteristics of obstacles;

a computer configured to read the characteristics of obstacles from the database;

a tool for inputting into the computer the coordinates of a landing or takeoff point for said rotary wing aircraft;

the computer configured to respond to the coordinates of the landing or takeoff point and to an approach or departure altitude to determine the locus of entry and/or exit points at said altitude that are unsafe, taking account of a predetermined climb/descent template or profile of said rotary wing aircraft;

and

means for presenting said locus to the pilot,

wherein said computer is configured to determine a limit curve segment corresponding to a trace in a plane or a level corresponding to said altitude of the template or profile passing through the landing or takeoff point and grazing or bearing against the top of an obstacle extending in the vicinity of the landing or takeoff point.

11. The device according to claim 10, in which the database includes the coordinates and the dimensions of natural or artificial obstacles.

12. The device according to claim 10, including a tool for inputting into the computer an approach or departure altitude, which tool is suitable for being manipulated by a pilot of the aircraft.

13. The device according to claim 10, in which the input tool is a pointer device or a joystick.

14. The device according to claim 10, embarked or suitable for embarking on board an aircraft.

15. The device according to claim 10, in which at least one segment of the limit curve is determined that extends in a plane or level corresponding to said altitude, the portion of the limit curve separating the loci of safe entry and/or exit points from unsafe entry and/or exit points, and the landing or takeoff point together with the segment of the limit curve are displayed on said means for presenting said locus to said pilot comprising a display device.

16. The device according to claim 15, in which there is displayed on the display device the diagram including the landing or takeoff point, at least a portion of one or more circles centered on said point, and the limit curve portion, at least.

17. The device according to claim 15, in which a first color or texture is applied to a portion of the diagram extending inside the limit curve portion, and a second color or texture, different from the first color or texture, is applied to the portion of the diagram that extends outside said limit curve portion, and these portions of the diagram are displayed on the display device.