Thales

Emmanuel Dewas

Vincent Savarit

François Coulmeau

Jérôme Sacle

Sonia Vautier

Philippe Chaix

Johan Boyer

Marc Riedinger

Geoffrey Durand

François Hoofd

Alexandre Darbois

Loïc Charles

Valérie Bataillon

Yohann Combes

Pierre-Alain Dubourg

This method comprises a step of determining a reference profile along a lateral trajectory precalculated comprising searching, in the precalculated lateral trajectory, at least one segment of discontinuity comprising a lateral discontinuity, determining a required distance corresponding to a minimum flight distance between the two segments bordering the discontinuity segment and integrating each required distance into the reference profile. This method further comprises a step of determining, on the basis of the reference profile, vertical predictions relating to a vertical trajectory of the aircraft and a step of determining, on the basis of the vertical predictions, a resulting lateral trajectory comprising, for each discontinuity segment, determining a substitution segment connecting the two corresponding bordering segments in a continuous manner.

Method for determining a trajectory of an aircraft, associated computer program product and determination module

A method for manipulating aircraft flight plan segments is provided. A result of an avionics calculation, such as a flight plan sequencing, is selected from among a plurality of results determined by a plurality of systems executed in parallel and placed in competition, each system communicating to at least part of the other systems conditions to be satisfied by the result of a calculation, the method comprises the steps of a given system from among the plurality of systems shares its own calculation result with at least one other system only if its own calculation result satisfies the conditions received from at least one other system. Developments describe various modalities of negotiation and/or selection of the results, the switch to independent and/or the deactivation of a system, voting and/or weighting mechanisms. Software and system aspects are described.

Secure sequencing of aircraft flight plan

A method of computing an aircraft trajectory, between a departure point and an arrival point, comprises: loading the departure point and a departure angle; determining two waypoints; loading the arrival point and an arrival angle; determining two departure circles of respectively left and right type, which are tangent to the oriented departure straight line respectively on the left and on the right, and passing respectively through the waypoint of left type and through waypoint of right type; determining two arrival circles of respectively left and right type which are tangent to the oriented arrival straight line respectively on its left and on its right and passing through the arrival point; determining a plurality of continuous geometric lateral trajectories comprising an initial portion comprising a portion of a departure circle, a final portion equal to a portion of an arrival circle, and an intermediate portion.

Method of computing lateral trajectories

A method implemented by computer for calculating a lateral approach trajectory of an aircraft, comprises the steps of receiving selection of a landing runway; determining a zone Z, the zone defining trajectory limits to carry out a last turn with a view to landing on the indicated runway; receiving indication of a trajectory point FF defining a point of alignment of the aircraft; determining a joining trajectory bound for a point FAF, the joining trajectory going from the aircraft to the point FAFand then to the point FF and then to the indicated landing runway without passing through the zone Z. Developments describe the use of a zone Zassociated with visibility conditions, the calculation of the energy to be dissipated, the use of a predefined descent profile, the emission of alerts and trajectory adaptations by increasing the length of the joining trajectory or use of the airbrakes.

Management of the energy in an approach trajectory

A method determines the optimal turn direction of an aircraft among two directions, right and left, following a lateral trajectory to join an arrival straight charted by an angle of arrival, based on a departure point and angle of departure defining a departure straight oriented along movement of the aircraft, the direction defined by a respectively positive or negative optimal turn sign, comprising: determining a conventional departure sign of the departure point; determining a center value of an angle of change of course equal to the difference between the angle of arrival and angle of departure referred back between &#x2212;180&#xb0; and +180&#xb0;, the center value exhibiting a logical sign corresponding to the center value sign of the angle of change of course; determining the sign of the optimal turn based on comparison between the departure sign and the logical sign, the sign of the optimal turn defining optimal turn direction.

Method and device for determining the optimal turn direction of an aircraft

In the field of the definition of a flight plan for an aircraft, a method is provided for determining an offset lateral trajectory from an initial lateral trajectory comprising a set of initial waypoints. The initial lateral trajectory and the offset lateral trajectory have two junction points in common, namely a point of entry and a point of exit. At least one of the junction points is distinct from the initial waypoints and from the current position of the aircraft. This first junction point can notably be defined so that the flight duration or the flight distance between the first and second junction points corresponds to a defined value.

Method for determining an offset lateral trajectory for an aircraft

A method for calculating a flight plan used by a flight management system of an aircraft in a runway approach phase comprises: loading an initial procedure ending at a first end point not corresponding to a threshold of the runway and a first associated missed approach procedure; determining an additional procedure and a second associated missed approach procedure; concatenating the initial procedure and the additional procedure in order to generate a continuous concatenated flight plan comprising the initial procedure, the first missed approach procedure, the additional procedure and the second missed approach procedure; loading the concatenated flight plan into an active flight plan; selecting a second procedure from a set comprising the first missed approach procedure and the additional procedure; activating the selected second procedure.

Method and device for calculating a flight plan of an aircraft in a runway approach phase

A method, and an associated device, is provided for the determination, by a flight management system of an aircraft, of a lateral trajectory of said aircraft on the basis of a predefined flight plan allowing consecutive conflicts to be resolved in an improved manner. This allows an improved lateral trajectory to be designed in the case where multiple trajectory conflicts exist. The trajectory obtained is closer to the flight plan defined by the pilot. The propagation of trajectory conflicts to the following flight segments is thus avoided. In fact, instead of propagating the trajectory conflict from one resolution to another, the method allows the conflict to be resolved in a space delimited at most by the input of the first conflict and the output of the last conflict.

Method and device for determining a lateral trajectory of an aircraft and associated flight management system

A flight management system of an aircraft is provided allowing notably the calculation of a trajectory over the terrestrial globe. The calculation of a trajectory is carried out with respect to a true North, true North being a navigation term referring to the direction of the geographical North pole with respect to a given position. When the current or estimated position of the aircraft is level with the pole, it then becomes impossible to define true North, true North being defined in all the directions or in no direction, depending on the calculation facilities used. The flight management system makes it possible to use a single calculation procedure whatever the current position or the position to be reached of the aircraft on the terrestrial globe.

Flight management system having trajectory calculation

A method and device for determining a shifted circular segment on the basis of an initial circular segment, the shifted circular segment being shifted by a shift distance, the method being implemented by a computer dedicated to flight management, comprises: determining a shifted final point terminating a shifted circular segment, on the basis of the final point terminating the initial circular segment, through a shift of the final point determined on the basis of the shift distance and in the direction of shift, through the use of a straight line passing through the center of the initial circular segment and the final point of the initial circular segment, and determining a shifted circular segment on the basis of the initial circular segment by construction of a circular segment between the shifted final point associated with the preceding shifted segment and the shifted final point associated with the shifted segment.

Method and device for determining a shifted circular segment

In the field of the calculation of the approach trajectory of an aircraft, and relating to a method for determining a corrected lateral approach trajectory as a function of the energy to be reabsorbed before the landing, and also to a flight management system making it possible to determine the corrected lateral trajectory, a method comprises: determining an energy of the aircraft Eupon crossing the runway threshold on the basis of a predetermined approach trajectory and of a current state of the aircraft, said state comprising at least one current altitude, a current ground speed and a mass of the aircraft; comparing the energy Ewith a predetermined maximum energy E, and when the energy Eis greater than the energy E, determining the corrected lateral approach trajectory as a function of the difference between the energy of the aircraft Eand the maximum energy E.

Method of correcting a lateral trajectory on approach as a function of the energy to be reabsorbed

A method for determining the quantity of fuel in an aircraft and an optimization criterion such as a cost index, notably used in an FMS, making it possible to maintain a time requirement of the RTA type, comprising a first step of computing the optimization criterion CIas a function of the aircraft weight GWvia a method of the RTA type and a second step of computing the weight of the aircraft GWas a function of the optimization criterion Ccomputed in the first computation step and the aircraft weight GW, executed by successive iterations, until the estimated flight time resulting from the computed parameters after the second computation step makes it possible to observe the time requirement to within a determined criterion &#x3b4;t, a last step determining the pair of values of aircraft weight GWand of performance criterion CIallowing an optimal fuel payload and the maintenance of the RTA.

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Toulouse, France

Emmanuel Dewas