Patent ID: 7881867

Claim:
An onboard system for the prevention of collisions of an aircraft with a terrain, the system comprising: a navigation instrument configured to transmit a plurality of flight parameters of the aircraft; a database device configured to store cartographic data; a message generator; and a computer coupled to the navigation instrument, database device, and the message generator, and configured to: receive the flight parameters from the navigation instrument; detect a risk of collision within a predetermined prediction period by detecting penetration of a topographic representation of the terrain being flown over generated based on the cartographic data into at least one maneuver protection volume associated with the aircraft; instruct the message generator, if the risk of collision is detected, to generate a warning corresponding to the detected risk of collision; determine if the aircraft is observing a minimum safe distance from the terrain being flown over; calculate a vertical speed margin according to a vertical speed margin protection volume associate with the aircraft, the vertical speed margin protection volume having a lower longitudinal profile with a path that is extrapolated from a current path of the aircraft and tilted downward until the topographic representation of the terrain being flown over penetrates into the vertical speed margin protection volume; and instruct the message generator, after the generation of the warning corresponding to the detected risk of collision, an end of conflict message, with indication of the vertical speed margin indication.