Patent ID: 8249799

Claim:
A method of presenting zones at risk of collision with an aircraft, by use of a system of databases, a processor, an anticollision device and a viewing device, wherein, to display on the viewing device the zones at risk in relation to obstacles, the processor configured to carry out the steps of: acquiring obstacle data, the obstacle data corresponding to obstacles situated in a close displacement zone of the aircraft; calculating a risk of collision with each of the obstacles situated in the close displacement zone; calculating limits of the zones at risk of collision in the close displacement zone for each obstacle, based on a position of the obstacle, wherein the limits of the zones at risk of collision represent positions from which the anticollision device would produce collision alerts in relation to the obstacles if the aircraft were to steer towards the obstacle while maintaining instantaneous flight parameters; and displaying the limits of zones at risk of collision; wherein the step of calculating the risk of collision with each of the obstacles further comprises the steps of: extrapolating a trajectory of the aircraft with a plurality of straight lines in accord with one or more instantaneous flight parameters of the aircraft to produce extrapolated rectilinear trajectories, the plurality of straight lines effecting a horizontal angular scan of the close displacement zone according to a predefined sampling interval; calculating points of intersection between the plurality of straight lines extrapolating the trajectory of the aircraft and the obstacle increased in altitude by a vertical margin; declaring the obstacle as an obstacle at risk if there exists at least one point of intersection between the plurality of straight lines and the obstacle increased in altitude by the vertical margin, otherwise declaring the obstacle is free of danger; and storing a direction of each of the straight lines that include at least one obstacle at risk.