US 12,462,698 B2
Device and system for estimating the position and speed of an aircraft during an approach phase allowing automatic landing
Mathieu Brunot, Toulouse (FR); Cédric Brunet, Toulouse (FR); and Damien Gonzalez-Conde, Toulouse (FR)
Assigned to Airbus Operations SAS, Toulouse (FR)
Filed by Airbus Operations SAS, Toulouse (FR)
Filed on Mar. 13, 2024, as Appl. No. 18/603,673.
Claims priority of application No. 2303061 (FR), filed on Mar. 30, 2023.
Prior Publication US 2024/0331555 A1, Oct. 3, 2024
Int. Cl. G08G 5/54 (2025.01); G01S 5/02 (2010.01); G08G 5/26 (2025.01)
CPC G08G 5/54 (2025.01) [G01S 5/0263 (2013.01); G01S 5/0294 (2013.01); G08G 5/26 (2025.01); G01S 2205/03 (2020.05)] 8 Claims
OG exemplary drawing
 
1. A method for estimating, during an approach procedure for an aircraft with a view to landing on a landing runway following a predefined approach to the landing runway, a deviation relative to a reference guidance axis corresponding to the predefined approach to the landing runway, and a speed of the aircraft relative to the landing runway, the approach procedure being carried out assisted by a landing aid device, the landing aid device comprising at least one transmitter station configured to transmit at least one reference guidance signal defining the reference guidance axis,
wherein the method is performed by an estimation device comprising at least the following iteratively repeated steps:
acquiring in a first acquisition step, implemented by a first acquisition unit, a current position of the aircraft determined by a geo-positioning system;
acquiring in a second acquisition step, implemented by a second acquisition unit, current inertial data of the aircraft in an inertial reference frame, including at least one current acceleration determined by an inertial unit;
acquiring in a third acquisition step, implemented by a third acquisition unit, a current lateral deviation and a current vertical deviation from the at least one reference guidance signal transmitted by the landing aid device;
estimating in a first filtering step, implemented by a first filtering unit, using an extended Kalman filter, an unbiased speed of the aircraft in the inertial reference frame from at least the current position of the aircraft acquired in the first acquisition step and the current inertial data of the aircraft acquired in the second acquisition step;
determining in a first reference frame changing step, implemented by a first reference frame changing unit, the unbiased speed of the aircraft in a reference frame linked to the landing runway from the unbiased speed in the inertial reference frame estimated in the first filtering step;
determining in a second reference frame changing step, implemented by a second reference frame changing unit, the current position of the aircraft in the reference frame linked to the landing runway from the current position acquired in the first acquisition step and from information concerning a location of the landing runway originating from a database;
estimating in a second filtering step, implemented by a second filtering unit, using at least one extended Kalman filter, a lateral position and a vertical position of the aircraft in the reference frame linked to the landing runway, from the current lateral deviation, the current vertical deviation, the unbiased speed in the reference frame linked to the landing runway and from the current position of the aircraft in the reference frame linked to the landing runway determined in the second reference frame changing step;
determining in a determination step, implemented by a determination unit, the current lateral deviation and the current vertical deviation of the aircraft in the reference frame linked to the landing runway, as well as a current lateral speed and a current vertical speed of the aircraft in the reference frame linked to the landing runway estimated in the second filtering step from a lateral position and the vertical position of the aircraft, as well as from an estimated unbiased speed in the inertial reference frame;
sending in a transmission step, implemented by a transmission unit, to a user device the current lateral deviation and the current vertical deviation of the aircraft in the reference frame linked to the landing runway, as well as the current lateral speed and the current vertical speed of the aircraft in the reference frame linked to the landing runway and for piloting the aircraft for landing on the landing runway.