Patent ID: 8026833

Claim:
A method of generating a controlled speed for a following aircraft (Ai) taxiing on the ground in a convoy of aircraft (CA), whereby the following successive steps are performed automatically and repetitively: a) the current values of first parameters corresponding to parameters of at least one followed aircraft (Ai- 1 , A 1 ) of said convoy (CA), which precedes said following aircraft (Ai) in said convoy (CA), are received; b) at least one longitudinal separation (Di) which must be observed between said followed aircraft (Ai- 1 ) and said following aircraft (Ai) is generated; c) the current values of second parameters which correspond to parameters of said following aircraft (Ai) are measured; and d) using said current values of the first and second parameters and said longitudinal separation (Di), a controlled speed is calculated which represents a longitudinal speed instruction enabling the following aircraft (Ai) to taxi along a trajectory (TR) common to said convoy (CA) while maintaining said longitudinal separation (Di) relative to said followed aircraft, wherein, in the step d), said controlled speed v i is calculated using the following expression: v i = 1 - y ~ i ⁢ c ⁡ ( s i ) cos ⁡ ( ψ ~ i ) ⁡ [ 1 + A ⁡ ( z i ) ⁢ ( s 1 - s i - 1 - ∑ n = 1 i - 1 ⁢ D n ) ] ⁢ ( σ i ⁢ v 1 ⁢ cos ⁡ ( ψ ~ 1 ) 1 - y ~ 1 ⁢ c ⁡ ( s 1 ) + [ 1 - σ i + A ⁢ ( z i ) ⁢ ( s 1 - s i - 1 - ∑ n = 1 i - 1 ⁢ D n ) ] ⁢ v i - 1 ⁢ cos ⁡ ( ψ ~ i - 1 ) 1 - y ~ i - 1 ⁢ c ⁡ ( s i - 1 ) + k i ⁢ c i ) in which: {tilde over (y)} i : is the lateral separation for an aircraft of rank i; {tilde over (y)} i-1 : is the lateral separation for an aircraft of rank i- 1 ; v i : is the longitudinal speed for the aircraft of rank i; v i-1 : is the longitudinal speed for the aircraft of rank i- 1 ; c(s i ): is the curvature at a current point for the aircraft of rank i; c(s i-1 ): is the curvature at the current point for the aircraft of rank i- 1 ; {tilde over (ψ)} i : is the angular separation for the aircraft of rank i; {tilde over (ψ)} i-1 : is the angular separation for the aircraft of rank i- 1 ; s i-1 : is the curvilinear abscissa for an aircraft of rank i- 1 ; s 1 : is the curvilinear abscissa for the leader aircraft; {tilde over (ψ)} 1 : is the angular separation for the leader aircraft; υ 1 : is the longitudinal speed for the leader aircraft; c(s 1 ): is the curvature at the current point of the leader aircraft; A(z i ): is a quantity; σ i : is a regulation parameter; {tilde over (y)} i : is the lateral separation for the leader aircraft; k i : is a gain; ci: is an appropriate set point; and D i : is the longitudinal separation between the leader aircraft of rank i- 1 and an aircraft of rank i.