Patent ID: 8108146

Claim:
A method for determining a consolidated position of a traveling object, particularly an aircraft, on the basis of a plurality of position values which each represent the same current position of said traveling object, said method comprising: a) carrying out consistency tests to verify the consistency of all the pairs of position values, which are formed on the basis of said position values, a consistency test applied to a pair of position values consisting in comparing with a threshold value the distance between the two position values of this pair and in considering this pair to be consistent if and only if this distance is less than or equal to this threshold value; b) from among the various pairs which are considered to be consistent in step a), identifying a pair of position values exhibiting the best reliability by implementing at least one performance test, said performance test consisting: in calculating, for each pair of position values Pi and Pj considered, an associated mathematical value, on the basis of the expression |Pi−Pj|+|HPLi−HPIj|, in which HPLi and HPLj are the radii of probability spaces which are associated respectively with the two position values Pi and Pj tested and which illustrate the respective integrities of these two position values Pi and Pj; in inter-comparing the various mathematical values thus calculated; and in selecting, as a pair of position values exhibiting the best reliability, the pair whose associated mathematical value is the lowest; and c) calculating said consolidated position of the traveling object, as well as a probability space which is associated with this consolidated position value and which illustrates its integrity, on the basis of said pair of position values exhibiting the best reliability.