Aircraft navigation performance prediction system

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9922570-B2
Application number	US-201615045510-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Feb 17, 2016
Priority date	Feb 17, 2016
Publication date	Mar 20, 2018
Grant date	Mar 20, 2018

Abstract

Systems and methods for predicting aircraft navigation performance are provided. In one embodiment, a method can include determining that one or more navigational aid measurements are not available to the aircraft. The method can include estimating a future actual navigation performance of the aircraft for a future point in the flight plan. The method can include determining a future required navigation performance associated with the future point in the flight plan. The method can include comparing the future actual navigation performance to the future required navigation performance to determine if the future actual navigation performance satisfies the future required navigation performance. The method can include providing, to an onboard system of the aircraft, information indicative of whether the future actual navigation performance satisfies the future required navigation performance.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A computer-implemented method of predicting aircraft navigation performance, comprising:
determining, by one or more computing devices included in an aircraft, that one or more navigational aid measurements ore not available to the aircraft;
estimating, by the one or more computing devices, a future actual navigation performance associated with the aircraft for a future point in a flight plan, wherein the future actual navigation performance is based at least in part on data indicative of the flight plan associated with the aircraft and one or more parameters associated with the future point in the flight plan, and includes an estimate of a radial position error;
determining, by the one or more computing devices, a future required navigation performance associated with the future point in the flight plan, wherein the future required navigation performance includes a radial position error limit;
comparing, by the one or more computing devices, the future actual navigation performance to the future required navigation performance to determine if the future actual navigation performance satisfies the future required navigation performance;
providing, by the one or more computing devices to an onboard system of the aircraft, information indicative of whether the future actual navigation performance satisfies the future required navigation performance; and
displaying, via the onboard system, an alert based on the information indicative of whether the future actual navigation performance satisfies the future required navigation performance.

2. The computer-implemented method of claim 1 , wherein estimating the future actual navigation performance, determining the future required navigation performance, comparing the future actual navigation performance to the future required navigation performance, and providing information to the onboard system of the aircraft are all performed when the one or more navigational aid measurements are not available to the aircraft.

3. The computer-implemented method of claim 1 , wherein providing, by the one or more computing devices to the onboard system of the aircraft, information indicative of whether the future actual navigation performance satisfies the future required navigation performance comprises:
providing, by the one or more computing devices to the onboard system of the aircraft, data indicating that the aircraft can complete one or more legs or procedures of the flight plan without exceeding the future required navigation performance.

4. The computer-implemented method of claim 1 , wherein providing, by the one or more computing devices to the onboard system of the aircraft, information indicative of whether the future actual navigation performance satisfies the future required navigation performance comprises:
providing, by the one or more computing devices to the onboard system of the aircraft, a set of data associated with the future actual navigation performance.

5. The computer-implemented method of claim 4 , wherein the set of data associated with the future actual navigation performance comprises at least one of a message indicating that the future actual navigation performance exceeds the future required navigation performance, an amount of time remaining until the future required navigation performance will be exceeded, a future time at which the future required navigation performance will be exceeded, and the future actual navigation performance at the future time.

6. The computer-implemented method of claim 1 , wherein the one or more navigational aid measurements comprise at least one of a measurement associated with a global positioning system, a measurement associated with distance measuring equipment, a measurement associated with a VHF omni-directional range system, or a measurement associated with a localizer system.

7. The computer-implemented method of claim 1 , wherein the one or more parameters comprise at least one of an estimated speed associated with the aircraft, an estimated position associated with the aircraft, an estimated velocity associated with the aircraft, or an estimated altitude associated with the aircraft at the future point in the flight plan.

8. The computer-implemented method of claim 1 , wherein determining, by the one or more computing devices, the future required navigation performance associated with the future point in the fight plan comprises:
obtaining, by the one or more computing devices, the future required navigation performance from a navigational database.

9. A flight management system for predicting aircraft navigation performance, the system comprising one or more processors and one or more memory devices included with an aircraft, the one or more memory devices storing instructions that when executed by the one or more processors cause the one or more processors to perform operations, the operations comprising:
determining that no navigational aid measurements are available to the aircraft;
when no navigational aid measurements are available to the aircraft;
estimating one or more future actual navigation performances associated with the aircraft, wherein each of the one or more future actual navigation performances is based at least in part on data indicative of a flight plan associated with the aircraft and one or more parameters associated with a respective future point in the flight plan;
determining one or more future required navigation performances for each respective future point in the flight plan, wherein each of the one or more future actual navigation performances comprises an estimate of aircraft radio position error, and wherein each of the one or more future required navigation performances comprises an error limit;
comparing the one or more future actual navigation performances to the one or more future required navigation performances to determine if the future actual navigation performances satisfy the future required navigation performances at the respective future points in the flight plan;
providing, to an onboard system of the aircraft, information indicative of whether one or more of the future actual navigation performances satisfy one or more of the future required navigation performances; and
and providing an annunciation based on the information indicative of whether one or more of the future actual navigation performances satisfy one or more of the future required navigation performances, wherein the annunciation is at least one of textual, graphical, audio, or video.

10. The flight management system of claim 9 , wherein providing, to the onboard system of the aircraft, information indicative of whether one or more of the future actual navigation performances satisfy one or more of the future required navigation performances comprises:
providing, to an onboard system of the aircraft, data indicating that the aircraft can complete one or more future legs or procedures of the flight plan without exceeding the one or more future required navigation performances, when the one or more future actual navigation performances do not exceed the one or more future required navigation performances at the one or more respective future points in the flight plan.

11. The flight management system of claim 9 , wherein providing, to the onboard system of the aircraft, information indicative of whether one or more of the future actual navigation performances satisfy one or more of the future required navigation performances comprises:
providing, to an onboard system of the aircraft, a set of data associated with the one or more future actual navigation performances, when one or more of the future actual navigation performances exceed one or more of the future r

Assignees

• Ge Aviation Systems Llc

Inventors

• Stark Gregory Alan

Classifications

• G01S1/18

  Elevational guidance systems, e.g. system for defining aircraft glide path · CPC title

• G01C21/20

  Instruments for performing navigational calculations (G01C21/24, G01C21/26 take precedence) · CPC title

• G01S13/913

  for landing purposes · 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

• G06F1/00 Primary

  Details not covered by groups G06F3/00 - G06F13/00 and G06F21/00 (architectures of general purpose stored program computers G06F15/76) · CPC title