Aircraft departure profile generation compliant with noise abatement limits

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9483052-B2
Application number	US-201414303323-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Jun 12, 2014
Priority date	Jun 12, 2014
Publication date	Nov 1, 2016
Grant date	Nov 1, 2016

Abstract

Systems and methods are described for dynamically generating flight departure profiles that are in compliance with aircraft emission limits. Emission limits may include noise abatement limits. Flight departure profiles may be generated on a flight by flight basis, and/or may be based on then-current conditions such as wind speed, wind direction, and ambient temperature.

First claim

We claim:

1. A system for controlling departure of an aircraft from a runway, the system comprising:
a profile generator configured to generate a final departure profile for the aircraft based at least in part on one or more emissions criteria at an emissions monitoring station disposed along a selected departure track of an airport, the profile generator including:
a flight performance data generator configured to receive current condition inputs and an initial departure profile associated with the aircraft, and to calculate departure performance data for the aircraft based on the initial departure profile, the selected departure track, and the current condition inputs, the departure performance data including a projected altitude of the aircraft versus a distance along the departure track;
a comparison module configured to receive the one or more emissions criteria, to compare the one or more emissions criteria to one or more emissions of the aircraft corresponding to the calculated departure performance data for the aircraft, and to provide a comparison output indicating a result of the comparison; and
a recommendation module configured to receive the comparison output and, in response to the one or more emissions being substantially different than the one or more emissions criteria, to generate a final departure profile for the aircraft, the final departure profile being usable to control the aircraft along a flight path corresponding to the modified departure profile without exceeding the one or more emissions criteria at the monitoring station;
wherein the final departure profile is stored electronically onboard the aircraft, and a control system of the aircraft is configured to control components of the aircraft to follow the final departure profile when the aircraft departs from the runway; and
wherein generating the final departure profile includes changing a maximum takeoff weight of the aircraft.

2. The system of claim 1 , wherein the current condition inputs include one or more inputs corresponding to current weather conditions at a selected airport.

3. The system of claim 1 , wherein the current condition inputs include one or more inputs corresponding to a configuration of the aircraft.

4. The system of claim 1 , wherein the one or more emissions criteria include a noise abatement limit and the emissions monitoring station is a noise monitoring station.

5. A computer system for generating a departure profile for an aircraft departing from a runway, the computer system comprising:
a processor;
one or more storage devices; and
a departure profile generating program including a plurality of instructions stored in the one or more storage devices that are executed by the processor to:
receive current condition inputs and a first departure profile associated with the aircraft that is undeparted from the runway;
calculate departure performance data for the aircraft based on the current condition inputs, a selected departure track, and the first departure profile, the first departure performance data including an altitude of the aircraft versus a distance along the departure track;
compare one or more emissions criteria at an emissions monitoring station to one or more emissions of the aircraft corresponding to the calculated departure performance data for the aircraft; and
in response to the one or more emissions being substantially different than the one or more emissions criteria, generate a second departure profile for the aircraft, the second departure profile being usable to control the aircraft along a flight path corresponding to the second departure profile without exceeding the one or more emissions criteria at the emissions monitoring station;

wherein the second departure profile is stored electronically onboard the aircraft, and a control system of the aircraft is configured to control components of the aircraft to follow the second departure profile when the aircraft departs from the runway; and
wherein the second departure profile includes modifying a takeoff weight of the aircraft that is undeparted from the runway.

6. The system of claim 5 , wherein the one or more emissions criteria include a noise abatement limit.

7. The system of claim 5 , the plurality of instructions being further executed by the processor to: communicate the second departure profile to the aircraft as a data file.

8. The system of claim 7 , the processor further executing instructions to output the second departure profile.

9. The system of claim 5 , wherein the second departure profile results in the one or more emissions meeting the one or more emissions criteria.

10. The system of claim 5 , wherein the second departure profile results in the one or more emissions meeting the one or more emissions criteria by no more than a selected margin.

11. The system of claim 1 , wherein the final departure profile is generated based on a modified configuration of the aircraft.

Assignees

• Boeing Co

Inventors

• Mcgregor Daniel L
• Bent Paul Henry
• Stoll Douglas A

Classifications

• G01C5/005

  altimeters for aircraft (G01C5/02, G01C5/06 take precedence) · CPC title

• G06Q10/06 Primary

  Resources, workflows, human or project management; Enterprise or organisation planning; Enterprise or organisation modelling · CPC title

• G05D1/00

  Control of position, course, altitude or attitude of land, water, air or space vehicles, e.g. using automatic pilots (drive control systems specially adapted for autonomous road vehicles B60W60/00) · CPC title

• G01C23/00

  Combined instruments indicating more than one navigational value, e.g. for aircraft; Combined measuring devices for measuring two or more variables of movement, e.g. distance, speed or acceleration · CPC title

• B64D31/06 Primary

  actuated automatically · CPC title