Patent ID: 7321813

Claim:
Terrain anticollision equipment to be carried onboard an aircraft, comprising: means for determining a virtual envelope of protection of maneuver constructed around the short term predicted trajectory of the aircraft and delimiting a protection volume around the current position and the current trajectory of the aircraft, means for detecting intrusions, into said virtual envelope of protection of maneuver, of a representation of an envelope of the terrain and/or of the ground obstacles overflown stored in a data base, alarm means for alerting of a risk of terrain collision, triggered by the intrusion detection means each time said detection means detect a terrain and/or ground obstacle intrusion in the virtual envelope of protection maneuver; wherein after detection of a risk of ground collision, the means for determining virtual envelope of protection determine, in addition to the virtual envelope of protection of maneuver, a virtual envelope of protection of resumption of route constructed around a fictitious trajectory of resumption of route, wherein the means for intrusion detection detect the intrusions of the terrain and/or of the ground obstacles at one and the same time into the virtual envelope of protection of maneuver and into the virtual envelope of protection of resumption of route; and wherein the alarm means produce an indication signaling the possibility of ending an avoidance maneuver as soon as the means for intrusion detection no longer note any intrusion of the terrain and/or of the ground obstacles into the virtual envelope of protection of resumption of route.