Aircraft flight control using a required time of arrival index

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10144505-B2
Application number	US-201514714980-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	May 18, 2015
Priority date	May 18, 2015
Publication date	Dec 4, 2018
Grant date	Dec 4, 2018

Abstract

A method includes receiving, at a flight management system of an aircraft, a required time of arrival (RTA) of the aircraft at a first location. The method includes receiving, at the flight management system, an input indicating an RTA index value. The method further includes modifying a speed of the aircraft based on the RTA and the RTA index value. The speed is determined by the flight management system as part of a flight plan of the aircraft.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A method comprising:
receiving, at a flight management system of an aircraft from a device, a required time of arrival (RTA) of the aircraft at a first location, the RTA representing a deviation from a flight plan of the aircraft;
receiving, at the flight management system during flight to the first location, a first user input indicating a first RTA index value that indicates a preference relating to maintaining a target speed indicated by the flight plan of the aircraft or achieving a first RTA speed that enables the aircraft to meet the RTA at the first location, wherein the target speed is determined based on a cost index value and is different than the first RTA speed;
determining, at the flight management system, a first adjusted speed of the aircraft based on the first RTA speed, the target speed, and the first RTA index value, wherein the first adjusted speed is different than the target speed and different than the first RTA speed;
setting a control of the aircraft to cause the aircraft to fly at the first adjusted speed;
receiving, at the flight management system during flight to the first location, a second user input indicating a second RTA index value, the second RTA index value received prior to arrival at the first location;
determining, at the flight management system, a second adjusted speed of the aircraft based on the RTA and the second RTA index value;
setting the control of the aircraft to cause the aircraft to fly at the second adjusted speed; and
displaying, at the flight management system, multiple required times of arrival and multiple RTA speeds, wherein the multiple RTAs include the RTA and the multiple RTA speeds include the first RTA speed.

2. The method of claim 1 , further comprising, prior to receiving the RTA and the first RTA index value:
receiving, at the flight management system, the cost index value; and
determining the flight plan and the target speed based on the cost index value and an end point of the flight plan, wherein the target speed enables the aircraft to meet an estimated time of arrival (ETA) at the end point indicated by the flight plan.

3. The method of claim 1 , further comprising determining the first RTA speed based on the RTA and the first location, wherein the first adjusted speed is between the first RTA speed and the target speed.

4. The method of claim 1 , wherein the first location comprises a waypoint between an origin of the flight plan and an end point of the flight plan.

5. The method of claim 1 , further comprising:
receiving, at the flight management system, a second RTA of the aircraft at a second location; and
receiving, at the flight management system, a second user input indicating a third RTA index value.

6. The method of claim 5 , further comprising determining a third adjusted speed based on the second RTA and the third RTA index value, wherein the first adjusted speed corresponds to a first time period prior to arrival of the aircraft at the first location, and wherein the third adjusted speed corresponds to a second time period subsequent to arrival at the first location and prior to arrival at the second location.

7. The method of claim 1 , further comprising:
receiving, at the flight management system, a third user input indicating a third RTA index value indicating a first weighting value of the target speed and a second weighting value of a second RTA speed that enables the aircraft to meet the RTA at a second location, wherein the target speed is different than the second RTA speed; and
determining a third adjusted speed based on the first weighting value, the second weighting value, the target speed, and the second RTA speed.

8. The method of claim 1 , wherein the first adjusted speed is less than the first RTA speed, and wherein the first adjusted speed does not enable the aircraft to meet the RTA at the first location.

9. A flight management system comprising:
a processor; and
a memory coupled to the processor, the memory storing instructions that, when executed by the processor, cause the processor to:
receive, from a device, a required time of arrival (RTA) of an aircraft at a first location, the RTA representing a deviation from a flight plan of the aircraft;
receive a first user input indicating a first RTA index value that indicates a preference relating to maintaining a target speed indicated by the flight plan of the aircraft or achieving a first RTA speed that enables the aircraft to meet the RTA at the first location, wherein the target speed is determined based on a cost index value and is different than the first RTA speed;
determine a first adjusted speed of the aircraft based on the first RTA speed, the target speed, and the first RTA index value, wherein the first adjusted speed is different than the target speed and different than the first RTA speed;
set a control of the aircraft to cause the aircraft to fly at the first adjusted speed;
receive a second user input indicating a second RTA index value, the second RTA index value received prior to arrival at the first location;
determine a second adjusted speed of the aircraft based on the RTA and the second RTA index value; and
set the control of the aircraft to cause the aircraft to fly at the second adjusted speed; and

a display device configured to display multiple RTAs and to display multiple RTA speeds, wherein the multiple RTAs include the RTA and the multiple RTA speeds include the first RTA speed.

10. The flight management system of claim 9 , further comprising a user interface, wherein the instructions, when executed by the processor, further cause the processor to present a modifiable RTA index value field at the user interface.

11. The flight management system of claim 10 , wherein the user interface comprises the display device, and wherein the display device is integrated into a control display unit of the aircraft.

12. The flight management system of claim 9 , wherein the instructions, when executed by the processor, further cause the processor to access a table based on one or more parameters to determine the first adjusted speed, wherein the table is stored in the memory, and wherein the one or more parameters include the RTA index value and the RTA speed.

13. The flight management system of claim 9 , wherein the display device is further configured to display an estimated time of arrival (ETA), the target speed, and at least one of:
the first RTA index value and the first adjusted speed; or
the second RTA index value and the second adjusted speed.

14. The flight management system of claim 9 , wherein the display device is further configured to display the target speed, an estimated time of arrival (ETA), an adjusted ETA, and an RTA index indicator, wherein the RTA index indicator indicates an RTA index value, and wherein each adjusted speed of multiple adjusted speeds is based on the RTA and an RTA index value of multiple RTA index values.

15. The flight management system of claim 14 , wherein the RTA index indicator is a modifiable RTA index indicator configured to be modified via a user input and to display the RTA index value.

16. A non-transitory computer-readable storage device storing instructions that, when executed by a processor, cause the processor to perform operations comprising:
receiving a required time of arrival (RTA) of an aircraft at a first location, the RTA representing a deviation from a flight plan of the aircraft;
receiving a first user input indicating a first RTA index value that indicates a preference relating to maintaining a target speed indicated by the

Assignees

• Boeing Co

Inventors

• Kim Geun I

Classifications

• G08G5/0013

  Physics · mapped topic

• G08G5/0021

  Physics · mapped topic

• B64C19/00 Primary

  Aircraft control not otherwise provided for · CPC title

• G08G5/0039

  Physics · mapped topic

• G08G5/0034

  Physics · mapped topic