Gulfstream Aerospace Corporation

Kevin Prosser

Abhishek Vaidya

Thomas F Landers

Blake Finlayson

Alborz Sakhaei

Systems and aircraft are provided. An avionics system includes a storage device and one or more data processors. The storage device stores instructions for monitoring an actual performance of the aircraft. The one or more data processors are configured to execute the instructions to: determine a first measured value of a flight characteristic of the aircraft at a first position of the aircraft; execute at least one flight maneuver between the first position and a second position of the aircraft; generate a predicted energy change between the first position and the second position based on the at least one flight maneuver and an energy state model; determine a second measured value of the flight characteristic of the aircraft at the second position; and generate an adjustment to the energy state model based on the first measured value, the second measured value, and the predicted energy change.

Performance capability determination for aircraft

Systems and vehicle are provided. A vehicle system for a vehicle includes: a trajectory selection module configured to select a potential vehicle path relative to a current vehicle movement condition; a trajectory movement condition module configured to estimate a modeled movement condition of the vehicle along the potential vehicle path; a limit comparison module configured to determine whether the modeled movement condition violates vehicle limits; and a violation indicator module configured to generate an indication of impending violation.

Aircraft flight envelope protection and recovery autopilot

A projected recovery trajectory for an aircraft autopilot system is precomputed by providing a stored set of predefined recovery mode segments, including: a mode 1 segment that models the aircraft coasting; a mode 2 segment that models the aircraft executing a nose high recovery; a mode 3 segment that models the aircraft executing a nose low recovery; a mode 4 segment that models the aircraft executing a throttle only recovery; and a mode 5 segment that models the aircraft executing a terrain avoidance recovery. A processor generates at least one projected recovery trajectory based on a current state of the aircraft, where the processor selectively concatenates selected ones of the predefined recovery mode segments into a sequence and uses that sequence to generate the projected trajectory.

Piecewise recovery system

The aircraft threat envelope protection system employs a threat envelope data structure in a computer-readable medium that stores at least one trigger condition for each of a plurality of different types of threats associated with the aircraft, and modeled using a common schema. A processor computes plural different projected trajectories representing different possible aircraft paths through spacetime. The processor associates at least some of the plurality of the threats to specific trigger points in spacetime along each of the projected trajectories. The processor will deprecate ones of the projected trajectories when they are deemed not viable to recover from a threat. The processor initiates an aircraft protective response when all projected trajectories but one have been deprecated and the aircraft is within a predetermined proximity to the closest trigger point in spacetime along the non-deprecated trajectory.

Predictive aircraft flight envelope protection system

The processor supplies flight commands to the flight control system by selectively blending pilot input with control signals from the autopilot. The processor generates a projected recovery trajectory through successive iterations, each beginning at the current aircraft location and using a recovery constraint selectable by the processor to influences a degree of flight aggressiveness. A detection system that identifies and invokes a state of threat existence if a threat exists along the projected recovery trajectory. The processor during threat existence in a first iteration commands an initial soft recovery, with permitted blended pilot input. If the threat exists on subsequent iteration, the processor commands a more aggressive recovery while attenuating blended pilot input.

Non-binary collaborative recovery system

Avionics systems, aircraft, and methods are provided. An avionics system for an aircraft includes a trajectory modeling system and a Terrain Awareness Warning System (TAWS). The trajectory modeling system is programmed to determine a current performance capability of the aircraft and to generate potential escape data based on the current performance capability of the aircraft. The TAWS is programmed to generate a terrain margin using a TAWS algorithm based on the potential escape data and to generate a warning based on the terrain margin.

Custom aircraft trajectory with a terrain awareness and warning system

An avionics system for an aircraft includes a threat data structure and a processor. The threat data structure stores an alert threshold and a margin threshold. The processor is programmed to: predict an aircraft state at a plurality of positions along a potential future trajectory; calculate a margin value at each of the plurality of positions as a difference between the predicted future condition and the threat value at each respective one of the plurality of positions; calculate a margin rate of change at each of the plurality of positions based on a change in the margin value along the potential future trajectory; estimate a time to go value based on a minimum calculated margin value and a maximum calculated margin rate of change among the plurality of positions; and command an indicator to alert the pilot in response to the time to go value reaching the alert threshold.

Time available before aircraft auto-recovery begins

Avionics systems, aircraft, and methods are provided. An avionics system for a subject aircraft includes an intruder aircraft detection device and a processor. The processor is programmed to: identify an intruder aircraft using the intruder aircraft detection device; predict a future path of the intruder aircraft; estimate strength, size, and location characteristics of a wake vortex created by the intruder aircraft at future points in time along the future path; calculate a potential trajectory with potential positions of the subject aircraft at each of the future points in time; compare the potential positions with the strength, size, and location characteristics of the wake vortex at each of the future points in time to identify a wake conflict; and maneuver the subject aircraft based on the wake conflict.

Avoidance of aircraft and aircraft wake during flight

Systems, aircraft, and non-transitory media are provided. An avionics system for an aircraft includes a storage device and one or more data processors. The storage device stores instructions for monitoring an actual performance of the aircraft. The one or more data processors are configured to execute the instructions to: generate a lateral component and a longitudinal component of a measured moving air mass relative to the aircraft; generate a plurality of wind independent positions of the aircraft along a potential aircraft trajectory based on a prediction model; and generate a plurality of wind corrected positions of the aircraft based on the plurality of wind independent positions, on the lateral component, and on the longitudinal component.

Potential aircraft trajectory wind effect computation

Systems, methods, aircraft, non-transitory media, and memories are provided. An avionics system for an aircraft includes a storage device and one or more data processors. The storage device stores instructions for converting between airspeed types and the one or more data processors is configured to execute the instructions to: generate a calibrated airspeed of the aircraft; convert the calibrated airspeed to an actual true airspeed of the aircraft; determine an initial approximate relationship between the calibrated airspeed and a computed true airspeed as a function of a pressure altitude of the aircraft; generate an adjusted approximate relationship based on the actual true airspeed and the initial approximate relationship at a chosen pressure altitude; and estimate a future airspeed of the aircraft based on the adjusted approximate relationship and a future altitude.

Conversion between calibrated airspeed and true airspeed in trajectory modeling

Systems and aircraft are provided. An avionics system for an aircraft includes: a trajectory selection module configured to select a potential aircraft path relative to a current aircraft flight condition; a trajectory flight condition module configured to estimate a modeled flight condition of the aircraft along the potential aircraft path; a limit comparison module configured to determine whether the modeled flight condition violates aircraft limits; and a violation indicator module configured to generate an indication of impending violation.

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Savannah, GA, United States of America

Kevin Prosser