Patent application number | Description | Published |
20110270470 | AIRCRAFT SYSTEMS AND METHODS WITH ACTIVE DECELERATION CONTROL - A system is provided for controlling the speed of an aircraft during a deceleration segment between a first state associated with a first speed and a first time and a second state associated with a second speed and a second time. The system includes a navigation system configured to determine the first state; a guidance system configured to determine the second state; and an active deceleration system coupled to the navigation system and the guidance system and configured to construct the deceleration segment between the first state and the second state with at least one intermediate speed between the first speed and the second speed. | 11-03-2011 |
20110292907 | METHOD AND SYSTEM FOR GROUND STATION SIGNAL HANDOVER FOR AIRCRAFT - A method and system for ground station signal handoff for an aircraft. The method comprises receiving signal quality data and position data from each of a plurality of ground stations as a signal from each of the ground stations becomes detectable onboard the aircraft, while the aircraft is in communication with an active ground station. A position of the aircraft is determined each time a signal quality from one of the ground stations reaches a predetermined threshold indicating that the signal quality is suitable for handoff. A set of ground stations potentially suitable for handoff is identified based on their signal quality data when an insufficient signal quality of the active ground station is detected. The set of potentially suitable ground stations is evaluated based on their position and signal quality, and a trajectory or speed vector of the aircraft, to determine an optimal ground station for handoff. A handoff request is then transmitted to the optimal ground station. | 12-01-2011 |
20120035841 | AIRBORNE SEPARATION ASSURANCE SYSTEM AND REQUIRED TIME OF ARRIVAL FUNCTION COOPERATION - Methods and systems are provided for enhancing the functionality of an airborne separation assurance system (ASAS) by modifying it to cooperate with a required time of arrival (RTA) functionality. The system comprises an autopilot configured to execute a trajectory of an aircraft and a flight management system (FMS) in operable communication with the autopilot. The FMS includes a required time of arrival (RTA) system that is configured to determine an RTA aircraft trajectory of the aircraft based on a required time of arrival of the aircraft at a waypoint along the flight plan. The system also includes an airborne separation assurance system (ASAS) in operable communication with the RTA and is configured to determine a spacing trajectory based on a spacing interval from a first reference aircraft. | 02-09-2012 |
20120059535 | SYSTEMS AND METHODS FOR RTA CONTROL OF MULTI-SEGMENT FLIGHT PLANS WITH SMOOTH TRANSITIONS - Methods, systems and device are provided for smoothing a required time of arrival (RTA) speed transition for an aircraft in a multi-segmented speed profile including at least one preceding region with a first predetermined speed pad and at a speed constrained region with a second predetermined speed pad. Exemplary methods include, but are not limited to determining whether a speed constrained region is engaged by a preceding region based at least in part on a speed of an aircraft. If the speed constrained region is engaged, the instructions determine a revised second speed pad for the speed constrained region. If the speed constrained region is not engaged then the instructions assign a default speed pad as the second speed pad for the speed constrained region. The instructions also compile a new speed profile that is defined by one of the revised second speed pad and the default speed pad for the speed constrained region and transmit commands that accelerate the aircraft to a new speed based on the new speed profile. | 03-08-2012 |
20140067245 | AIRCRAFT CONTROL SYSTEM AND METHOD FOR REACHING A WAYPOINT AT A REQUIRED TIME OF ARRIVAL - A method and apparatus includes long term and short term strategies for improving 4D trajectory reliability and required time of arrival reliability. The long term strategy changes speeds along the trajectory to remove the time error in predictions. The short term strategy compensates for wind and position error, for example, by temporarily changing an aircraft guidance speed by applying a guidance margin that would either delay or prevent re-computation of the speed targets along the flight path. The predictions would use the original speed target without the guidance margin application. The guidance speed target will stay applied until the predicted time error crosses a threshold. | 03-06-2014 |
20140278069 | METHODS AND SYSTEMS FOR REPRESENTING TIME OF ARRIVAL INFORMATION ON A COCKPIT DISPLAY - A method is provided for displaying information on a display device of an aircraft. The method comprises receiving data indicating a point selected from a trajectory of a flight path; determining an estimated time of arrival minimum and an estimated time of arrival maximum based on the point; and displaying in a dialogue box associated with the trajectory of the flight path the estimated time of arrival minimum and the estimated time of arrival maximum for the point. | 09-18-2014 |
20150045989 | DISPLAY SYSTEMS AND METHODS FOR PROVIDING DISPLAYS INDICATING A REQUIRED TIME OF ARRIVAL - A method for providing a display to a flight crew of an aircraft includes receiving a required time of arrival (RTA) control instruction for arriving at a particular waypoint at a particular time, calculating an initial required aircraft speed at which the aircraft is required to fly in order to arrive at the particular waypoint at the particular time, and providing a flight display comprising a speed tape. The method further includes receiving an input accepting the RTA control instruction and calculating an updated required aircraft speed at which the aircraft is required to fly in order to arrive at the particular waypoint at the particular time. Still further, the method includes updating the flight display comprising displaying the updated RTA target speed on the speed tape using a second symbology that is different from the first symbology and discontinuing the display of the first symbology. | 02-12-2015 |
20160069688 | SYSTEM AND METHOD FOR MANAGING SPEED CONSTRAINTS DURING REQUIRED TIME OF ARRIVAL OPERATIONS - A method and apparatus includes strategies for improving required time of arrival reliability by an aircraft comprising determining a speed correction for one of AT speed constraints or an AT or ABOVE speed constraints, wherein the determining is selected from one or more of the mechanisms from the group consisting of continuous RTA speed management between constraints, padding of the AT speed constraints and the AT or ABOVE speed constraints; decelerating proactively; and using a variable guidance margin, wherein the guidance margin is a speed change not reflected in a flight plan prediction. | 03-10-2016 |