Data processing: vehicles – navigation – and relative location – Vehicle control – guidance – operation – or indication – Aeronautical vehicle
Patent
1999-01-08
2000-12-12
Cuchlinski, Jr., William A.
Data processing: vehicles, navigation, and relative location
Vehicle control, guidance, operation, or indication
Aeronautical vehicle
701 11, 701 14, 701120, 701301, 701302, 244 75R, 244180, 244186, G06F 1700, G06F 700
Patent
active
061610631
DESCRIPTION:
BRIEF SUMMARY
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a method for automatically controlling an aerodyne permitting the vertical avoidance of a zone, for example a dangerous weather zone or one in which there is a risk of the comfort and safety of the flight being affected.
2. Discussion of the Background
It applies in particular, but not exclusively, to the avoidance of an invisible zone, for example one of strong turbulence, such as clear air turbulence, or one in which the risk of icing is considerable. This zone is roughly delimited by a horizontal contour of large dimensions and upper and lower vertical limits. Such information is, for example, received by the aerodyne by way of a digital data transmission device, for example Data-Link, and has been sent by a ground station, possibly based on information transmitted by the neighbouring aerodynes equipped with an ADS (Automatic Dependent Surveillance) system.
Currently, it is up to the pilot to handle the meteorological problem manually, either by carrying out avoidance within sight of the zone, or by taking the risk of traversing the zone, these operations having to take account of a considerable number of parameters, and in particular, of the regulations in force within the air space traversed, of the performance of the aerodyne, and of the weight of fuel in its tanks. Moreover, given that the so-called clear weather meteorological phenomena are by definition invisible, it frequently happens that the pilot is warned of such a phenomenom only a very short time before entering the zone in which this phenomenom is located, and in many cases, this time is insufficient to enable him to take into account all the necessary parameters for determining the best avoidance trajectory.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
The purpose of the present invention is to overcome this drawback and to ease the pilot's task. For this purpose, it proposes a method for automatically controlling an aerodyne for the vertical avoidance of a fixed zone with predefined geometrical contours, the aerodyne being equipped with an automatic piloting device, into which have been input a scheduled route, a cruising flight altitude and the position of the point of descent towards the scheduled runway.
According to the invention, this method is characterized in that it comprises the following steps in succession: horizontal contour and upper and lower altitudes, and the modelling of the zone to be avoided by a cylindrical volume delimited by the horizontal contour and the upper and lower altitudes, of the aerodyne so as to determine whether this route traverses the cylindrical volume, the points of entry and of exit of the scheduled route in the cylindrical volume, reached by the aerodyne, and of the weight of the latter when passing through the point of entry, account being taken of the current weight of the aerodyne, and of its consumption of fuel in order to reach this point, zone, and of a point of change of altitude so as to reach the avoidance altitude, as a function of the altitudes of the lower and upper limits of the zone, of the current, maximum and optimum altitudes of the aerodyne, and of the position of the scheduled points of exit from the cylindrical volume and of descent of the aerodyne, and of the point of change of altitude into the automatic piloting device.
By virtue of these provisions, the burden of modifying the flight plan and of controlling the aerodyne with a view to avoiding the dangerous zone is completely removed from the pilot.
According to a particular feature of the invention, the avoidance of the zone is performed by flying below when the upper altitude of the zone lies above the maximum altitude capable of being reached by the aerodyne at the point of entry, or else when the scheduled point of descent lies in the cylindrical volume.
According to another particular feature of the invention, the avoidance altitude is preferably equal to the optimum altitude of the aerodyne at the point of entry.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
REFERENCES:
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patent: 5555175 (1996-09-01), D'orso
patent: 5581250 (1996-12-01), Khvilivitzky
patent: 5838262 (1998-11-01), Kershner et al.
patent: 5872526 (1999-02-01), Tognazzini
Arthur Gertrude
Cuchlinski Jr. William A.
Sextant Avionique
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