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

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9494945-B2
Application number	US-201313900215-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	May 22, 2013
Priority date	May 25, 2012
Publication date	Nov 15, 2016
Grant date	Nov 15, 2016

Abstract

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.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. A flight management device for an aircraft, the flight management device comprising:
a display configured to display, to an operator, information relating to a plurality of waypoints of a flight plan;
a processor in electrical communication with the display;
an input in electrical communication with the processor and configured to receive temporal flight constraints from the operator, wherein a temporal situation of the aircraft is defined by at least:
an estimated target time of transit at each waypoint,
estimated minimum and maximum times, determined by the processor, of arrival at each waypoint,
minimum or maximum temporal flight constraints at each waypoint having a temporal flight constraint, and
an estimated time of transit, determined by the processor, at each waypoint; and

a storage device in electrical communication with the processor and configured to store a database comprising a plurality of predefined strategies for convergence of flight predictions of the aircraft to one or more of the temporal flight constraints, each of the predefined strategies being based on the one or more of the temporal flight constraints along the flight plan and an order of the one or more of the temporal flight constraints along the flight plan, wherein:
the input is further configured to operate a selection or a modification of the temporal flight constraints relating to a waypoint, and is further configured to receive, from the operator, a selection or modification of one or more of the predefined strategies,
the processor is further configured to determine the temporal situation of the aircraft relating to other waypoints in response to selection or modification of the temporal flight constraints relating to the waypoint, and is further configured to apply the selected one or more of the predefined strategies,
the display is further configured to display the plurality of the predefined strategies, and is further configured to simultaneously display the temporal situation of the aircraft in relation to the plurality of waypoints of the flight plan, and
the display is further configured to simultaneously display a plurality of timelines corresponding to the plurality of waypoints, each timeline comprising a particularization of at least the estimated target time of transit of the aircraft, a predicted time of transit of the aircraft, and the estimated minimum and maximum times of arrival at the corresponding waypoint,
wherein the display is further configured to display the plurality of timelines as a plurality of vertically separate timelines;
wherein the display is further configured to display the plurality of timelines vertically sequentially from top to bottom according to the flight plan; and
wherein the display is further configured to display the plurality of timelines in parallel.

2. The flight management device of claim 1 , wherein the display is further configured to particularize an active or inactive character of a temporal flight constraint, the temporal flight constraint being active if flight of the aircraft is slaved to the temporal flight constraint.

3. The flight management device of claim 1 , wherein the input is further configured to allow simultaneous modification or display of one or more temporal flight constraints of one or more chosen waypoints.

4. The flight management device of claim 1 , wherein a temporal flight constraint associated with a waypoint is of AT type where the aircraft must reach the waypoint at a determined instant, AT OR BEFORE type where the aircraft must reach the waypoint up to the determined instant, AT OR AFTER type where the aircraft must reach the waypoint onwards of the determined instant, or WINDOW type where the aircraft must reach the waypoint during a time window included between two determined instants.

5. A method of flight management of an aircraft along a flight plan comprising a plurality of waypoints, the method comprising:
defining a plurality of predefined strategies for convergence of flight predictions of the aircraft to one or more temporal flight constraints, each of the predefined strategies being based on a selection of the one or more temporal flight constraints along the flight plan and an order of the one or more temporal flight constraints along the flight plan;
displaying, to an operator, the plurality of the predefined strategies;
receiving, from the operator, a selection or a modification of one or more of the predefined strategies;
computing temporal predictions of a temporal situation of the aircraft for each waypoint of the flight plan by applying the selected or modified one or more of the predefined strategies, the temporal situation of the aircraft being defined by at least:
an estimated target time of transit at each waypoint,
estimated minimum and maximum times of arrival at each waypoint,
minimum or maximum temporal flight constraints at each waypoint having a temporal flight constraint, and
an estimated time of transit at the waypoint;

formatting and displaying simultaneously a plurality of timelines corresponding to the plurality of waypoints, each timeline comprising a particularization of at least the estimated target time of transit to each waypoint, a predicted time of transit of the aircraft, and the estimated minimum and maximum times of arrival at the corresponding waypoint;
selecting and modifying parameters of the temporal flight constraints relating to a waypoint; and
recomputing the temporal predictions of the temporal situation of the aircraft for each waypoint,
wherein the formatting and displaying further includes displaying the plurality of timelines as a plurality of vertically separate timelines;
wherein the formatting and displaying further includes displaying the plurality of timelines vertically sequentially from top to bottom according to the flight plan; and
wherein the formatting and displaying further includes displaying the plurality of timelines in parallel.

6. The method of flight management of claim 5 , wherein the formatting and displaying comprises particularizing an active or inactive character of a temporal flight constraint, the temporal flight constraint being active if flight of the aircraft is slaved to the temporal flight constraint.

7. The method of flight management of claim 5 , wherein modifying a parameter allows simultaneous modification of a target time of a chosen waypoint associated with a temporal flight constraint.

8. The method of flight management of claim 5 , wherein a temporal flight constraint associated with a waypoint is of AT type where the aircraft must reach the waypoint at a determined instant, AT OR BEFORE type where the aircraft must reach the waypoint up to the determined instant, AT OR AFTER type where the aircraft must reach the waypoint onwards of the determined instant, or WINDOW type where the aircraft must reach the waypoint during a time window included between two determined instants.

9. A flight management device for an aircraft, the flight management device comprising:
a display configured to display, to an operator, information relating to a plurality of waypoints of a flight plan;
a processor in electrical communication with the display;
an input in electrical communication with the processor and configured to receive temporal flight constraints from the operator, wherein a temporal situation of the aircraft is defined by at least:
an estimated target time of transit at each waypoint,
estimated minimum and maximum times, determined by the processor, of arrival at each waypoint,
minimum or maximum temporal flight constraints at each waypoint having a temporal flight constraint, and
an estimated time of transit, determined

Assignees

• Thales Sa

Inventors

• Coulmeau Francois
• Deker Guy
• Blanchon Xavier
• Mazoyer Patrick

Classifications

• G08G5/34

  for flight plan modification · CPC title

• G05D1/101 Primary

  specially adapted for aircraft · CPC title

• G08G5/0039

  Physics · mapped topic