Thales

Xavier Blanchon

François Coulmeau

Guy Deker

Philippe Chaix

Christophe Caillaud

Manuel Gutierrez-Castaneda

Antoine Lacombe

Nicolas Marty

Christophe Pierre

Sonia Vautier

Patrick Mazoyer

Benoît Dacre-Wright

Pierre Gamet

Benoit Dacre-Wright

Guillaume Meulle

Nicolas Simi

Fany Barailler

Guillaume Boyer

A method for assisting in a flight management of an aircraft calculates a local cost function CF(xi, hj) at various altitudes hj along a planned vertical reference flight trajectory over a discrete set of points P(xi, hj) which forms a two-dimensional grid in which the planned vertical reference flight trajectory varies, the local cost function CF(xi, hj) being calculated locally at each point P(xi, hj) according to aircraft data and environmental data predicted at said local point P(xi, hj). Then, for each point P(xi, hj) of the grid, the method determines a neighbourhood including the point P(xi, hj), and associates a colour K(xi, hj) therewith that is dependent on the value of the local cost function CF(xi, hj) using a predetermined bijective lookup transformation. Next, the method displays the coloured grid formed by the coloured neighbourhoods.

Method and system for assisting in the flight management of an aircraft in terms of optimizing the operating costs of said aircraft

A method assisting in navigation of aircraft following a flight plan subject to time constraints comprises: determining a minimum speed profile, a maximum speed profile, and minimum and maximum times of passage; determining, for each constraint of index i, a restricted interval and a required interval; the determination made by a first iterative computation, i being decremented from n&#x2212;1 to 1 and comprising: determining a required interval of index i enabling the aircraft to observe a restricted interval of index i+1 by flying at a speed profile between the minimum and maximum speed profiles, the restricted interval of index i+1 determined on the preceding iteration for an iteration of index between 1 and n&#x2212;2, or from the time constraint of index n for the iteration of index n&#x2212;1; and determining a restricted interval of index i from the intersection of the time constraint and the required interval of index i.

Navigation aid method for making multiple time constraints

A device and method for flight management of an aircraft along a flight plan comprises a plurality of waypoints comprising a computation of the temporal predictions determining the temporal situation of the aircraft for each waypoint of the flight plan, a temporal situation of the aircraft being defined by at least one set of information from among the group comprising the target time of transit at each waypoint the estimated minimum and maximum times of arrival at each waypoint, the estimated time of transit at the waypoint, and a formatting and display simultaneously presenting the temporal situations of the said plurality of waypoints.

Flight management device for an aircraft adapted to the handling of multiple time constraints and corresponding method

A method for aiding navigation is provided, implemented in a flight management system, for the construction of a vertical trajectory of an aircraft following a predetermined lateral trajectory between a departure point and an arrival point; the departure point and arrival point furthermore being characterized by predefined altitudes, respectively Hand H, and predefined speeds, respectively Vand V. The method comprises the steps of: selection of a transition manoeuvre in terms of altitude and speed from a predetermined list of manoeuvres; determination of a manoeuvre point Pon the lateral trajectory, of altitude Hand of speed V, from which the transition manoeuvre must be initiated so as to allow the aircraft to reach at the arrival point the predefined speed Vand the predefined altitude H.

Method for aiding navigation making it possible to manage a vertical constraint in an anticipated manner

A method of flight management of an aircraft aimed at reaching a constrained point on a predetermined lateral trajectory assumed to be followed by the aircraft, at a required time of arrival RTA to within an absolute tolerance. The method including calculating a flight plan to be followed and a homing flight plan and when the estimated time of arrival ETA based on the homing flight plan strays from an absolute tolerance with respect to the calculation required time of arrival RTAc, calculating a new calculation required time of arrival NRTAc dependent on the calculation required time of arrival RTAc and a function f of the difference between the calculation required time of arrival RTAc and the estimated time of arrival ETA, and replacing the calculation required time of arrival RTAc with the new calculation required time of arrival NRTAc, before recalculating a flight plan to be followed.

Method for aiding the management of a flight with a view to adhering to a time constraint

A method for aiding the management of an aircraft flight according to an active flight plan receiving a control clearance transmitted at a current time includes a step of computing a reception flight plan based on the said control clearance, a step of storing the said reception flight plan in a memory space dedicated to the said reception flight plan. The method also includes, prior to the step of computing a reception flight plan: a step of determining the time, called the recognition time, assumed to have to elapse between the current time and a time at which the said control clearance is assumed to be recognized; a step of attribution, to the said control clearance, of a destination flight plan as a function of the recognition time, the said destination flight plan being the temporary flight plan when the recognition time is included in a first time slot and the destination flight plan being a secondary flight plan when the recognition time is included in a second time slot longer than the first time slot.

Method and device for aiding the management of an aircraft flight receiving a control clearance

The invention relates to the field of civil aviation and, more specifically, relates to the flight management systems, more commonly known by the English acronym FMS. The method for assisting in the management of the flight of an aircraft in order to keep to a time constraint according to the present invention allows for a control of the keeping to the time constraint that presents a rapid dynamic, by avoiding as far as possible having the estimated time of arrival (ETA) at a particular point (P) able to drift relative to a required time of arrival (RTA) at said particular point (P), thanks to the use of a maneuvering margin (M) granted to the guidance module of the aircraft.

Method for assisting in the management of the flight of an aircraft in order to keep to a time constraint

A method and device checks the conformity of a trajectory calculated by a flight management system of an aircraft in relation to reference data comprising a reference map. The method includes: geo-referencing of a reference map; determination of a reference trajectory from the geo-referenced reference map; detection of nonconformity in the trajectory calculated by the flight management system by comparison of the trajectory calculated by the flight management system with the reference trajectory; and emission of a warning if a nonconformity is detected.

Method and device for checking the conformity of an aircraft trajectory

The invention relates to a method and a device for calculating a time window for a time constraint of arrival of an aircraft at a given point, the aircraft receiving wind predictions and including a sensor for measuring the wind. The method includes a calculation of a first time window, and the calculation of an overall confidence index having the determination of a first confidence index on the basis of a deviation between wind predictions and wind measurements performed by the aircraft, the calculation of a margin for the time constraint on the basis of the overall confidence index, and the calculation of a second window on the basis of the first time window and of the calculated margin.

Method and device for calculating a time window

A method for providing for the optimized regulation of the relative spacing between aircraft is disclosed. This method can be implemented by a system whose physical architecture can rely mainly on existing computers on board most current aircraft. The method includes a main step of determining the changing trend of the relative spacing, in distance or in time, between a target aircraft (C) and a following aircraft (S).

Method and system for assisting in the management of the relative spacing between aircraft

Method for assisting in the flight management of an aircraft aiming to reach a constraint point on a predetermined lateral trajectory that is assumed to have to be followed by the aircraft, at a required time of arrival RTA, said aircraft occupying a current position defined by a current altitude with a current horizontal speed. The method including, when it follows a rallying flight plan, calculating a new rallying flight plan following the lateral trajectory to be followed and including a new estimated speed profile different from the estimated speed profile over at least one update area, the new estimated speed profile including, over said update areas, either a value greater than that of the estimated speed profile, if the arrival time difference is positive, or a value less than that of the estimated speed profile, if the arrival time difference is negative.

Method for assisting in the management of a flight in order to keep to a time constraint

The invention relates to a method for determining the speed of an aircraft that is subject to a time constraint. The invention consists no longer in calculating a single CAS/MACH pair during climb/descent but in adapting the speed in a continuous manner to the bounds of curves of minimum Vand maximum Vspeed defining a flight envelope of the aircraft. The calculation of these speeds is carried out on the basis of constant maximum and minimum speed setpoints and of a coefficient taking into account a deviation to the time constraint.

Method for determining the speed of an aircraft

Method for generating a flight speed profile of an aircraft () according to an RTA constraint, characterized in that it permanently calculates, at any point of the flight plan, a speed setpoint V(X) of the aircraft determined on the basis of reference speed profiles, comprising at least a minimum speed profile V(X), and a maximum speed profile V(X). The method can also take into account an optimum speed profile V(X) determined, for example, on the basis of a cost or performance index.

Method for continuously and adaptively generating a speed setpoint for an aircraft to observe an RTA

A method of adjusting the trajectory of an aircraft flying a climb circuit, of substantially helical form corresponding to a succession of racetracks, denoted HOLD, the last HOLD, called the exit HOLD, having predefined geometric characteristics and comprising a lock-on point, allowing the aircraft to enter and to exit in the HOLD, the aircraft attaining the setpoint altitude of the climb circuit during the flight of the exit HOLD, comprises at least three steps, including: a step of computing the prediction of the position of the aircraft when the setpoint altitude will be attained; a step of computing the remaining distance to be traveled, between the position of the aircraft when the setpoint altitude will be attained and the lock-on point; and a step making it possible to carry out an adaptation of the form of the exit HOLD so as to minimize the remaining distance to be traveled DELTA.

Growing community of inventors

Toulouse, France

Xavier Blanchon