Airborne system for preventing collisions of an aircraft with the terrain

• US 7,881,866 B2
• Filed: 12/19/2006
• Issued: 02/01/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 12/20/2005
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Thales SA
• Original Assignee: Thales SA
• Inventors: Ricaud, Denis, Meunier, Hugues
• Primary Examiner(s): Black; Thomas G
• Assistant Examiner(s): LOUIE, WAE LENNY
• Application Number:
  US11/612,649
• Publication Number:
  US 20070265776A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,505 Days
• Field of Search: 701/301, 701/3, 701/207, 701/208, 701/209, 701/210, 340/436, 340/945, 340/961, 340/940, 340/979
• US Class Current: 701/301
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 5/0021 located in the aircraft
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 5/0052 for cruising combined instruments indicating more than one navigational value G01C23/00
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 5/0086 for monitoring terrain radar or analogous systems specially adapted for terrain avoidance G01S13/935
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 5/045 Navigation or guidance aids, e.g. determination of anti-collision manoeuvers radar or analogous systems specially adapted for anti-collision between aircraft G01S13/933

Abstract

This Terrain Awareness and Warning System produces a new “Too Low Terrain” predictive alert of “Caution” type when the crew of the aircraft has the possibility of resolving a detected risk of collision with the terrain without interrupting the current maneuver to stabilize at a safety altitude by a leveling-off maneuver, without performing a vertical avoidance maneuver. To do this, it measures the ability of the airplane to avoid the terrain with a sufficient margin without performing a vertical avoidance maneuver, taking into account the location or locations of the penetration or penetrations of the terrain along an alert prober C as well as the capacity of the aircraft to level off knowing the flight conditions.

Claims

1. A system aboard an aircraft, for preventing collisions with terrain, the system comprising:

a collision risk detector for detecting a risk of collision of the terrain, by likening the risk of collision of the terrain after a predetermined period of forecasting to penetration of a cartographic representation of the terrain overflown stored in a database accessible from the aircraft into a deployment protection volume, the deployment protection volume being tied to the aircraft located with respect to the terrain overflown by means of an airborne locating equipment and oriented in a direction of progress of the aircraft, the deployment protection volume having a lower longitudinal profile modeling a potential trajectory comprising, as first part, an extrapolation of a trajectory followed by the aircraft, predicted on the basis of the flight information delivered by the flight equipments of the aircraft, as second part, a model of a terrain avoidance maneuver trajectory engaged over the forecast period, and a transition trajectory between the first part and the second part;

a locating means for pinpointing one or more locations of the penetration of the cartographic representation of the terrain overflown on the lower longitudinal profile of the protection volume;

an alert generator for producing one or more alert messages corresponding to the one or more locations of the penetration on request of the collision risk detector; and

a particularization means for particularizing the alert messages emitted by the alert generator as a function of the one or more locations of the penetration.

2. The system according to claim 1, wherein the particularization means match up an alert message of “

Caution”

type with the detection of a risk of collision of the terrain corresponding to the one or more locations of the penetration when at least one of the locations of the penetration is situated at the second part of the potential trajectory.

3. The system according to claim 1, wherein the particularization means match up an alert message of “

Too Low Terrain”

type with the detection of a risk of collision of the terrain corresponding to the one or more locations of the penetration when none of the locations of the penetration is situated at the second part of the potential trajectory.

4. The system according to claim 1, further comprising:

a means of verification of the capacity of the aircraft to regain, under the flight conditions at the time, a level flight trajectory complying with a safety altitude floor with respect to the terrain overflown when the aircraft is descending.

5. The system according to claim 4, wherein, upon the detection of a risk of ground collision while the aircraft is descending and when the one or more locations of the penetration are outside of the second part of the potential trajectory, the particularization means match up an alert message of “

Too Low Terrain”

type in the event of positive verification of the ability of the aircraft to regain a level flight trajectory complying with a safety floor by the verification and “

Caution”

type means in the converse case.

6. The system according to claim 1, further comprising a means for testing the angle of vertical pivoting, about an origin tied to the aircraft, of the lower longitudinal profile of the protection volume, to eliminate the penetration of a cartographic representation of the terrain corresponding to the one or more locations.

7. System according to claim 6, wherein, upon the detection of a risk of ground collision while the one or more locations of the penetration are outside of the second part of the potential trajectory, the particularization means match up an alert message of “

Too Low Terrain”

type accompanied by a directive to increase climb slope dependent on the angle of pivoting value provided by the testing means.

8. A method of generating an alarm aboard an aircraft, the method comprising:

detecting penetration of a cartographic representation of terrain and a deployment protection volume of the aircraft, the deployment protection volume being tied to a current position of the aircraft and extending in a direction of progress of the aircraft, and the deployment protection volume having a potential trajectory comprising a predicted trajectory, a terrain avoidance maneuver trajectory, and a transition trajectory between the predicted trajectory and the terrain avoidance maneuver trajectory;

locating one or more locations of the penetration on the deployment protection volume;

generating a first type of alert corresponding to the one or more locations of penetration when the one or more locations are on the terrain avoidance maneuver trajectory; and

generating a second type of alert corresponding to the one or more locations of penetration when the one or more locations are not on the terrain avoidance maneuver trajectory.

9. The method of claim 8, wherein the first type of alert is a “

Caution”

type of alert.

10. The method of claim 8, wherein the second type of alert is a “

Too Low Terrain”

type of alert.

11. The method of claim 8, further comprising:

verifying capacity of the aircraft to regain a level flight trajectory complying with a safety altitude floor with respect to the terrain when the aircraft is descending.

12. The method of claim 8, further comprising:

testing an angle of vertical pivoting, about an origin tied to the aircraft, for avoiding the penetration.