Patent ID: 8744768
Filing Date: 2014-06-03
Classification: G05D,G08G,G16Z

Abstract:
1. A method of planning, trajectory computation, predictions and guidance for compliance with an aircraft flypast time constraint (RTA), using a flight management system (FMS), a library, and a database of performance of the aircraft and data defining current conditions of flight, comprising the following steps: gathering of the current flight conditions, provisioning, on a basis of the library, computations of speeds characteristic of climbing, cruising and descent, as a function of minimum, maximum, and optimal speeds with a view to deriving maximum benefit from a flight envelope of an aeroplane and for a requirement of achieving the lowest possible fuel consumption; managing predictions of lateral trajectory and of profile of altitude and of speeds (4D trajectory) and consideration of predictions of a weight of the aircraft throughout an entire trajectory; defining, throughout a mission profile, margins to be preserved for RTA speeds with respect to limits of the flight envelope, the margins defined using at least one of a current flight plan, an active segment of the flight plan, a current phase, attitudes of the aircraft and a characterization of a current wind, and by defining a percentage between the margins and at least one of the following characteristics: maximum speed of the flight envelope, minimum speed of the flight envelope, and optimal speed of the flight envelope; provisioning, on a basis of a given 4D profile and of a time prediction associated with a RTA point, of factors for adapting speeds per flight phase so as to obtain a new 4D trajectory adapted to a RTA constraint; controlling with the FMS iterations for managing a convergence of computations of flight duration towards a duration corresponding to compliance with the time constraint and management of a 4D reference profile; and supervising with the FMS a current prediction of time of flypast at the RTA point, capable of signalling, alerting or controlling readjustments of the 4D profile as a function of a current compliance with an estimated time of arrival in relation to the RTA constraint.