US 11,887,492 B2
Method and system for computing a trajectory for landing an aircraft
Thomas Pastre, Toulouse (FR); and Miguel Consiglieri Pedroso Mendes Dias, Toulouse (FR)
Assigned to Airbus Operations SAS, Toulouse (FR)
Filed by Airbus Operations SAS, Toulouse (FR)
Filed on Mar. 21, 2022, as Appl. No. 17/699,323.
Claims priority of application No. 2102914 (FR), filed on Mar. 23, 2021.
Prior Publication US 2022/0309933 A1, Sep. 29, 2022
Int. Cl. G08G 5/02 (2006.01); G05D 1/10 (2006.01); B64D 45/04 (2006.01); G08G 5/00 (2006.01)
CPC G08G 5/025 (2013.01) [B64D 45/04 (2013.01); G05D 1/1062 (2019.05); G08G 5/0047 (2013.01)] 13 Claims
OG exemplary drawing
 
1. A trajectory generation method for generating a trajectory for bringing an aircraft in flight from a current position to a georeferenced runway, the method being implemented by an automatic trajectory generation system formed of electronic circuitry on board the aircraft, the method comprising:
obtaining a procedure, called a STARI procedure, which is suited to the georeferenced runway and which provides a final trajectory for the approach to the runway that is flyable by the aircraft in order to land, regardless of a performance of the aircraft, and such that, from the entry point of the final trajectory or any point above it, a holding loop pattern of a predefined shape is flyable in order to dissipate energy if necessary;
computing a lateral trajectory, avoiding any terrain relief, meteorological obstacles and military no-fly zones, between the current position of the aircraft and the entry point or a point above it, based on performance adapted to an operational state of the aircraft;
providing an overall trajectory in order to bring the aircraft to landing on the runway, by linking the computed lateral trajectory and the final trajectory provided by the STARI procedure, including one or more iterations of the holding loop pattern if necessary;
wherein, for obtaining the STARI procedure, the method comprises:
when a STARI procedure has been defined beforehand for the runway and has been stored in a database, reading the STARI procedure from the database;
when the database does not store any STARI procedure for said runway, establishing the STARI procedure in real time as follows:
constructing a final approach trajectory; and
searching for an appropriate entry point of the STARI procedure that complies with the following conditions:
a flyable trajectory to an entry point of the constructed final approach trajectory exists; and
the holding loop pattern is safely flyable by the aircraft from said entry point of the STARI procedure in order to dissipate energy;
wherein, for searching for the appropriate entry point of the STARI procedure, the method comprises:
evaluating whether it is safe to implement the holding loop pattern, based on information about the elevation of the terrain surrounding the runway, by placing the entry point of the STARI procedure on the entry point of the final approach trajectory and by aligning the holding loop pattern with the final approach trajectory;
considering the entry point of the STARI procedure to be appropriate when it is safe to implement the holding loop pattern in light of the information about an elevation of the terrain surrounding the runway; and
performing a backward search for an entry point of the STARI procedure, from the entry point of the final approach trajectory by applying a descent slope, when it is not safe to implement the holding loop pattern in light of the information about the elevation of the terrain surrounding the runway.