| CPC G08G 5/065 (2013.01) [G08G 5/0013 (2013.01); G08G 5/0078 (2013.01); G08G 5/0091 (2013.01)] | 17 Claims |
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1. A method that supports taxi operation of an aircraft at an airport, the aircraft with fuel-consuming systems comprising multiple engines, the method comprising:
receiving, by a system comprising a processor, information that indicates a predicted taxi duration of a taxi operation of a flight of the aircraft, wherein the information further indicates the predicted taxi duration comprising a queue duration in which the aircraft is standing, and the information further indicates an engine-warmup duration, and an aircraft weight, and the information further indicates weather conditions at the airport;
determining, by the processor, whether a reduced-engine taxi operation (RETO) of the aircraft is permitted based on the predicted taxi duration and the weather conditions; and when RETO of the aircraft is permitted,
determining, by the processor, a fuel savings of RETO in which at least a portion of the taxi operation is performed with less than all of the multiple engines of the aircraft running, relative to a normal taxi operation in which the taxi operation is performed with all of the multiple engines of the aircraft running, wherein determining the fuel savings comprises:
applying, by the processor, the predicted taxi duration, the queue duration and the aircraft weight to first models trained to predict and thereby produce first predictions of fuel burn for respective ones of the fuel-consuming systems for the normal taxi operation;
applying, by the processor, the predicted taxi duration, the queue duration, the engine-warmup duration and the aircraft weight to second models trained to predict and thereby produce second predictions of fuel burn for respective ones of the fuel-consuming systems for RETO;
calculating, by the processor, a first prediction of total fuel burn for the normal taxi operation from the first predictions, and a second prediction of total fuel burn for RETO from the second predictions; and
determining, by the processor, a difference between the first prediction of total fuel burn and the second prediction of total fuel burn that indicates the fuel savings of RETO relative to the normal taxi operation;
outputting, by the processor, a recommendation of RETO or normal taxi operation to a display device and a control system onboard the aircraft based on the fuel savings;
automatically performing RETO, by the control system, when the fuel savings is at least a given minimum fuel savings;
calculating a time to start and/or stop the less than all of the multiple engines;
calculating a position at which the less than all of the multiple engines is started or stopped; and
recommending the time and the position at which the less than all of the multiple engines are started or stopped based on the recommendation of RETO.
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