Method, device and system for displaying a vertical flight profile of an aircraft

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-2016357488-A1
Application number	US-201615145932-A
Country	US
Kind code	A1
Filing date	May 4, 2016
Priority date	May 4, 2015
Publication date	Dec 8, 2016
Grant date	—

Abstract

A display method comprises a step during which an aircraft flight management computer sends display instructions to a display management system, to control the display of an aircraft flight plan window. The display method also comprises steps comprising acquiring a reference point and a vertical flight profile of the aircraft comprising the reference point, and computing, using the vertical flight profile, an altitude of the reference point. It also comprises steps comprising acquiring an information item relating to a flight phase associated with the reference point, acquiring an information item relating to a selected display range, determining a vertical centering coefficient of a display window relating to the vertical flight profile, as a function of the flight phase and transmitting, to the display management system, instructions for displaying the display window as a function of the altitude of the reference point and of the centering coefficient of the display window.

First claim

1 . A method for displaying a vertical flight profile of an aircraft, the aircraft comprising:
a display management system comprising at least one display screen in a cockpit of the aircraft, a flight management computer of the aircraft; and a human-machine interface device, said method comprising a step during which the flight management computer sends display instructions to the display management system, to control the display of a window relating to a flight plan of the aircraft on a screen of the cockpit, wherein said method comprises the following steps implemented by a device for displaying the vertical flight profile of the aircraft: a) acquiring, from the flight management computer of the aircraft, a reference point selected using the human-machine interface device from a plurality of waypoints of the flight plan of the aircraft; b) acquiring, from the flight management computer of the aircraft, a vertical flight profile of the aircraft comprising the reference point; c) computing, using said vertical flight profile, an altitude of the reference point; d) acquiring, from the flight management computer of the aircraft, at least one information item relating to a flight phase associated with the reference point; e) acquiring at least one information item relating to a selected display range; f) determining a vertical centering coefficient of a display window relating to the vertical flight profile of the aircraft, as a function at least of said information item relating to the flight phase associated with the reference point, the vertical centering coefficient corresponding to a vertical centering of the reference point in the display window; and g) transmitting, to the display management system, instructions for displaying the display window on this at least one display screen of the cockpit of the aircraft, these instructions comprising information items for displaying the vertical flight profile of the aircraft as a function at least of the altitude of the reference point and of the vertical centering coefficient of the display window.

2 . The method as claimed in claim 1 , wherein the vertical centering coefficient is determined by selection from a set of predetermined vertical centering coefficients.

3 . The method as claimed in claim 1 , wherein, in the step f), the vertical centering coefficient is determined, also, as a function of a slope associated with the reference point, this slope being computed as a function of the vertical flight profile acquired in the step b).

4 . The method as claimed in claim 1 , wherein the step d) further comprises the acquisition, from the flight management computer of the aircraft, of at least one information item relating to an altitude constraint of the vertical flight profile of the aircraft and, in the step f), the vertical centering coefficient is determined, also, as a function of said altitude constraint.

5 . The method as claimed in claim 1 , wherein the step g) further comprises the transmission, to the display management system, of at least one information item relating to the horizontal centering of the display window relative to the reference point.

6 . The method as claimed in claim 1 , wherein the device for displaying the vertical flight profile of the aircraft is incorporated in the flight management computer of the aircraft.

7 . The method as claimed in claim 1 , wherein the flight management computer of the aircraft is configured to send display instructions to the display management system, to control the display of a window relating to a horizontal flight profile of the aircraft on a screen of the cockpit.

8 . A device for displaying a vertical flight profile of an aircraft, the aircraft comprising:
a display management system comprising at least one display screen in a cockpit of the aircraft, a flight management computer of the aircraft; and a human-machine interface device, the flight management computer being configured to send display instructions to the display management system, so as to control the display of a window relating to a flight plan of the aircraft on a screen of the cockpit, wherein said device is configured to implement the following steps: a) acquiring, from the flight management computer of the aircraft, a reference point selected using the human-machine interface device from a plurality of waypoints of the flight plan of the aircraft; b) acquiring, from the flight management computer of the aircraft, a vertical flight profile of the aircraft comprising the reference point; c) computing, using said vertical flight profile, an altitude of the reference point; d) acquiring, from the flight management computer of the aircraft, at least one information item relating to a flight phase associated with the reference point; e) acquiring at least one information item relating to a selected display range (Vr, Lr); f) determining a vertical centering coefficient of a display window relating to the vertical flight profile of the aircraft, as a function at least of said information item relating to the flight phase associated with the reference point, the vertical centering coefficient corresponding to a vertical centering of the reference point in the display window; and g) transmitting, to the display management system, instructions for displaying the display window on this at least one display screen of the cockpit of the aircraft, these instructions comprising information items for displaying the vertical flight profile of the aircraft as a function at least of the altitude of the reference point and of the vertical centering coefficient of the display window.

9 . The device as claimed in claim 8 , wherein the device is incorporated in the flight management computer of the aircraft.

10 . A system for displaying a vertical flight profile of an aircraft, this system comprising:
a display management system of the aircraft, comprising at least one display screen in a cockpit of the aircraft, a flight management computer of the aircraft; and a human-machine interface device, the flight management computer being configured to send display instructions to the display management system, so as to control the display of a window relating to a flight plan of the aircraft on a screen of the cockpit, wherein the system comprises a device for displaying a vertical flight profile configured to implement the following steps: a) acquiring, from the flight management computer of the aircraft, a reference point selected using the human-machine interface device from a plurality of waypoints of the flight plan of the aircraft; b) acquiring, from the flight management computer of the aircraft, a vertical flight profile of the aircraft comprising the reference point; c) computing, using said vertical flight profile, an altitude of the reference point; d) acquiring, from the flight management computer of the aircraft, at least one information item relating to a flight phase associated with the reference point; e) acquiring at least one information item relating to a selected display range; f) determining a vertical centering coefficient of a display window relating to the vertical flight profile of the aircraft, as a function at least of said information item relating to the flight phase associated with the reference point, the vertical centering coefficient corresponding to a vertical centering of the reference point in the display window; and g) transmitting, to the display management system, instructions for displaying the display window on this at least one display screen of the cockpit of the aircraft, these instructions comprising information items for displaying the vertical flight profile of the aircraft as a fun

Assignees

• Airbus Operations Sas

Inventors

• Albert Nicolas
• Pastre Thomas
• Koebel Thomas

Classifications

• G08G5/30

  Flight plan management · CPC title

• G09G2380/12

  Avionics applications · CPC title

• G08G5/003

  Physics · mapped topic

• G06F3/0482

  Interaction with lists of selectable items, e.g. menus · CPC title

• G09G5/38

  with means for controlling the display position · CPC title