Method and a device for controlling at least two subsystems of an aircraft

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9944384-B2
Application number	US-201514936910-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Nov 10, 2015
Priority date	Nov 14, 2014
Publication date	Apr 17, 2018
Grant date	Apr 17, 2018

Abstract

A method of controlling subsystems of an aircraft. During a preparation step, at least one global order is stored in a database, each global order including an eligibility condition, and at least one global order including an activation condition, each global order specifying a command sequence comprising at least two actions to be implemented one after another or in parallel by two different members. During an initialization step, an onboard computer determines whether a global order is selected automatically or by a pilot. During an activation step, an onboard computer determines, where appropriate, whether the selected global order is feasible. During an implementation step, and providing the selected global order is feasible, the onboard computer performs the actions specified by the selected global order.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A method of controlling subsystems of an aircraft, the subsystems as a group having a plurality of members with each subsystem having at least one of the members, each member being either an actuatable device, an actuator, a sensor, an information interface for providing at least one item of information to one or more staff persons of the aircraft crew, or a control interface for controlling at least one of the other members, the members as a group including at least one actuatable device, at least one actuator, at least one sensor, at least one information interface, and at least one control interface, the method comprising:
during a preparation step performed on the ground or in flight, storing global orders in a database, each global order including at least one eligibility condition to be satisfied to be able to select the global order including an eligibility condition which specifies a stage of flight that the aircraft must have for the global order to be able to be selected, at least one of the global orders including at least one activation condition which specifies criteria regarding at least one of capacities of the aircraft, weather of an environment in which the aircraft is located, and a topology of a terrain to be overflown by the aircraft that must be satisfied for the aircraft to be able to implement the at least one of the global orders, and each global order corresponding to a respective process by specifying a command sequence including actions to be implemented in a predetermined sequence by at least two members of at least two of the subsystems;
during an initialization step, an onboard computer of the aircraft (i) displaying on one of the at least one information interface a list of the global orders that can be selected at a current instant, each of the global orders on the list referred to as a “selectable global order”, each selectable global order being a global order for which each of the at least one eligibility condition of that global order is satisfied at the current instant, (ii) determining that one of the global orders has been selected, the one of the global orders selected being referred to as “the selected global order”, and (iii) determining whether the selected global order was selected autonomously by the onboard computer or by the one or more staff persons of the aircraft crew;
during an activation step, when the selected global order is one of the global orders including at least one activation condition, determining by the onboard computer whether each activation condition of the selected global order is satisfied and verifying by the onboard computer that the aircraft can implement the selected global order when each activation condition of the selected global order is satisfied; and
during an implementation step, implementing by the onboard computer, in the predetermined sequence of the selected global order, the actions of the command sequence of the selected global order when either the selected global order is not one of the global orders including at least one activation condition or the selected global order is one of the global orders including at least one activation condition and each activation condition of the selected global order is satisfied.

2. The method according to claim 1 , wherein the at least one eligibility condition of at least one of the global orders is non-existent.

3. The method according to claim 1 , wherein during the initialization step:
the onboard computer monitors one of the at least one control interface to determine the selected global order as the global order which is selected from the list of selectable global orders by the one or more staff persons of the aircraft crew operating the one of the at least one control interface.

4. The method according to claim 1 , wherein the at least one eligibility condition of at least one of the global orders indicates that the at least one of the global orders can be selected autonomously by the onboard computer, each of the global orders which can be selected autonomously by the onboard computer being referred to as an “autonomous global order”, and during the initialization step the onboard computer autonomously selects each autonomous global order when the at least one eligibility condition of the autonomous global order is satisfied.

5. The method according to claim 1 , wherein during the implementation step, the onboard computer implements each action of the command sequence of the selected global order by transmitting respective signals to the at least two of the members of the at least two subsystems of the aircraft.

6. The method according to claim 1 , wherein during the implementation step, the onboard computer
displays a description of one of the actions of the command sequence of the selected global order on one of the at least one information interface for the one or more staff persons of the aircraft crew to carry out the one of the actions using one of the at least one control interface, and
monitors the at least two of the members of the at least two subsystems to determine whether the one of the actions of the command sequence of the selected global order has been implemented to continue the command sequence of the selected global order.

7. The method according to claim 1 , wherein during the activation step, the onboard computer determining whether or not the selected global order is feasible and, upon the onboard computer determining that the selected global order is not feasible, operating by the onboard computer one of the at least one information interface to inform the one or more staff persons of the aircraft crew that the selected global order is not feasible.

8. The method according to claim 1 , wherein during the activation step, the onboard computer determining whether or not the selected global order is feasible and if the selected global order is determined to not be feasible, the onboard computer
determines an alternative global order that is feasible,
operates one of the at least one information interface to inform the one or more staff persons of the aircraft crew about the alternative order,
monitors one of the at least one control interface to determine whether the one or more staff persons of the aircraft crew has selected (a) to refuse the alternative order, or (b) to modify the alternative order, or (c) to perform the alternative order, wherein
the onboard computer performs a command sequence associated with the alternative order upon the alternative order being selected and confirmed by the one or more staff persons of the aircraft crew.

9. The method according to claim 1 , wherein while the command sequence of the selected global order is being implemented the onboard computer
monitors one of the at least one control interface to determine whether the one or more staff persons of the aircraft crew is seeking to stop the command sequence of the selected global order; and
terminates the command sequence of the selected global order upon determining that the one or more staff persons of the aircraft crew is seeking to stop the command sequence of the selected global order, wherein the at least one control interface may be operated by the one or more staff persons of the aircraft crew to instantaneously stop the command sequence of the selected global order during the implementation step.

10. The method according to claim 1 , wherein at least one of the global orders includes adjustable parameters, the method further comprising:
during the preparation step, operating by the one or more staff persons of the aircraft crew one of the at least one control interface to set the adjustable parameters of the at least one of the global orders including

Assignees

• Airbus Helicopters

Inventors

• Violette Arnaud
• Baudry Jean-Pierre

Classifications

• G05D1/102 Primary

  specially adapted for vertical take-off of aircraft · CPC title

• G01C23/005

  Flight directors (indicating arrangements specially adapted for rotary gyroscopes G01C19/32) · CPC title

• G05B23/0216 Primary

  Human interface functionality, e.g. monitoring system providing help to the user in the selection of tests or in its configuration · CPC title

• B64C19/00 Primary

  Aircraft control not otherwise provided for · CPC title

• G05D1/0858

  specially adapted for vertical take-off of aircraft · CPC title