Thales

Vincent Savarit

Emmanuel Dewas

François Coulmeau

Guy Deker

Yohann Combes

Michel Roger

Stéphane Fleury

Frédéric Bonamy

Benoit Dacre-Wright

Didier Poisson

François Hoofd

Franck Paruit

Betty Bastareaud

A method and device for assisting a pilot in flight management by enabling the pilot to anticipate situations involving a risk of collision with another aircraft or with the ground, or to anticipate a risk of deviation from a flight path. The method and device including acquiring current variables of an aircraft in flight, computing a safety corridor around the reference path of the aircraft, computing an immediate predicted actual path, and displaying, superposed on the same screen of the aircraft, the reference path of the aircraft in flight, said immediate predicted actual path and/or said safety corridor.

Device and method for assisting aircraft guidance

A method for validating a terrain database includes a step of simulating flights based on trajectory data for an aircraft, the flight simulations being speeded up, a step of determining terrain collision risks by means of a system for signalling terrain collision risks based on the speeded-up flight simulations, a step of determining the origins of terrain collision risks with a view to validating or not validating the terrain database.

Method for validating a terrain database

A method is provided for adjusting a flight plan rejoining trajectory of an aircraft, the method being implemented in a flight management system of the aircraft. In a first step, the rejoining trajectory comprises a guidance setpoint holding point to be reached situated in the extension of a guidance setpoint, and set manually or automatically, the guidance setpoint no longer being necessarily maintained when this setpoint holding point is passed. This first step can be preceded by a step of rejoining a guidance setpoint or a step of searching for the intersection of the current guidance setpoint trajectory with a segment of the flight plan.

Rejoining trajectory adjustment method for aircraft

A method of calculation, by a flight management system termed FMS, of a trajectory flown by an aircraft comprises the steps, calculated by the FMS, of: for at least one transition of the trajectory arising from the flight plan: 1) determining an initial transition comprising at least one arc exhibiting a single initial turning radius, 2) determining an initial trajectory incorporating the initial transition, 3) determining for each parameter a plurality of predicted values of the parameter in the course of the initial transition, 4) determining a plurality of ordered subdivisions of the arc of the initial transition according to a predetermined criterion, 5) determining, for each subdivision, an associated turning radius, 6) determining an improved transition on the basis of the ordered subdivisions and of the successive associated turning radii, 7) determining an improved trajectory incorporating the improved transition, 8) displaying the improved trajectory to a pilot of the aircraft.

Method of calculation by a flight management system of a trajectory exhibiting improved transitions

A method for automatically calculating a trajectory for an aircraft to re-join a reference route of the aircraft executed iteratively, in particular when the aircraft is no longer locked onto its reference route, each iteration comprising a step of detection of deviation from the active segment of the route; if the deviation from the active segment of the route is detected, the method comprises a step of selection of a route segment to be re-joined, a step of calculation of a re-joining trajectory between a starting point and the route segment to be re-joined, and a step of validation of the trajectory of the route segment to be re-joined. Where this trajectory is validated, the method comprises a step of assignment of the re-joining trajectory for the segment to the re-joining trajectory for the route. Otherwise, it comprises a step of verification of the existence of a next route segment fulfilling a selection condition. If a next route segment fulfils a selection condition, it comprises a step of selection of the next route segment as route segment to be re-joined, and a return to the step of calculation of a re-joining trajectory for the route segment to be re-joined. If no route segment fulfils the selection condition, it comprises a step of application of an exit procedure. A computer program for implementing this method is provided.

Method for automatically re-joining a route of an aircraft

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 of graphical manipulation of the trajectory of an aircraft comprises the steps of receiving an indication of a deformation point associated with the trajectory of the aircraft; determining a zone of local modification of the trajectory of the aircraft as a function of the deformation point; computing a modified trajectory and graphically restoring the modified trajectory. A parameter associated with the indication of the deformation point, notably a speed and/or acceleration value (for example of the contact point on the touch-sensitive interface, or else of a cursor), is received or determined. A modified trajectory is computed by selecting a computation algorithm from among a plurality of faster or slower predefined algorithms; the selection being performed as a function of the parameter. Various other developments are described (configurable selection, trajectory modification bounds, processing of an arbitrary deformation point, i.e. one other than a point of the flight plan, etc.).

Man-machine interface for the management of the trajectory of an aircraft

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, 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 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.

Growing community of inventors

Toulouse, France

Vincent Savarit