Aircraft landing guiding method, display system and aircraft

By displaying the flight boundary indication image of the tilt transition flight corridor on the aircraft display system, the problem of insufficient operation reminder of the pilot during the tilt transition phase is solved, and a safe and efficient aircraft landing is achieved.

CN120386383APending Publication Date: 2025-07-29SICHUAN AEROFUGIA TECH DEV CO LTD
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Patent Information

Application Number
CN202510463799.6
Authority / Receiving Office
CN · China
Patent Type
Applications(China)
Current Assignee / Owner
Filing Date
2024-12-06
Publication Date
2025-07-29

AI Technical Summary

Technical Problem

In the prior art, pilots of tilt rotor vehicles lack effective operational reminders during the tilt transition phase, resulting in lower landing efficiency and safety.

Method used

By displaying flight boundary indicator images on the aircraft's display system, it reflects the tilt transition flight corridor from the current air position to the reference hover point, providing visual safe guidance on safe operation.

Benefits of technology

It provides pilots with effective operation reminders to ensure the safe transition of the aircraft from the cruise flight stage to the vertical landing stage, improving landing efficiency and safety.

✦ Generated by Eureka AI based on patent content.

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Abstract

The invention discloses an aircraft landing guiding method, a display system and an aircraft, and relates to the technical field of flight control. The aircraft landing guiding method comprises the steps that under the condition that it is detected that an aircraft meets tilting guiding conditions, a flight boundary indication image of the aircraft is generated, and the flight boundary indication image is used for reflecting a tilting transition flight corridor when the aircraft safely flies to a reference hovering point from a current air position; the aircraft comprises an aircraft body and a tilt rotor assembly, the tilt rotor assembly is arranged on the aircraft body and can rotate between a cruise position and a vertical take-off and landing position, and the reference hovering point is located above a landing destination; and displaying the flight boundary indication image on a display system of the aircraft. According to the invention, a pilot can control the aircraft in real time according to the flight boundary indication image, and the aircraft can be safely transited from a cruise flight stage to a vertical landing stage.
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Description

[0001] This invention is a divisional application of a patent application with an application date of December 06, 2024, an application number of 202411784833.1, and an invention title of "Aircraft Landing Guidance Method, Display System and Aircraft". Technical Field

[0002] This application relates to the field of flight control technology, and particularly to an aircraft landing guidance method, a display system and an aircraft. Background Art

[0003] A tilt-rotor vertical take-off and landing aircraft has a rotor tilt assembly that can rotate between a cruise position and a vertical take-off and landing position. When the rotor tilt assembly is in the vertical take-off and landing position, the aircraft is similar to a helicopter and can hover, fly sideways, fly backward, and vertically land; when the rotor tilt assembly is in the cruise position, the aircraft is equivalent to a fixed-wing aircraft and can perform high-speed long-range flights.

[0004] When an aircraft with a rotor tilt assembly executes a landing procedure, it needs to go through three stages: cruise flight, tilt transition, and vertical landing. Especially in the tilt transition stage, for an eVTOL (electric Vertical Take-off and Landing) with a tilt-rotor configuration, landing in a complex urban environment is more vulnerable to influence, resulting in the pilot needing to process a large amount of information and make rapid decisions, such as when to perform the tilt conversion and how to adjust the flight attitude after entering the tilt transition stage.

[0005] However, the aircraft display systems in related technologies provide limited support for the pilot's operations. It is difficult for the pilot to obtain effective operation reminders from the aircraft display system, thus resulting in the need to improve the landing efficiency and safety. Summary of the Invention

[0006] The main objective of this application is to provide an aircraft landing guidance method, a display system and an aircraft, aiming to solve the technical problem that it is difficult for the pilot to obtain effective operation reminders from the aircraft display system.

[0007] To achieve the above objective, this application proposes an aircraft landing guidance method, which includes:

[0008] When it is detected that the aircraft meets the tilt guidance condition, a flight boundary indication image of the aircraft is generated. The flight boundary indication image is used to reflect the tilt transition flight corridor for the aircraft to fly safely from the current airborne position to the reference hover point; the aircraft includes a fuselage and a tilt-rotor assembly, the tilt-rotor assembly is arranged on the fuselage and is configured to be rotatable between a cruise position and a vertical take-off and landing position, and the reference hover point is located above the landing destination;

[0009] Display a flight boundary indication image on the display system of the aircraft.

[0010] In one embodiment, the flight boundary indication image includes a first flight boundary indication image corresponding to the primary flight display and / or a second flight boundary indication image corresponding to the head-up display;

[0011] Displaying the flight boundary indication image on the display system of the aircraft includes:

[0012] Overlay and display the first flight boundary indication image on the attitude indicator area of the primary flight display; and / or,

[0013] Overlay the original attitude indicator image of the head-up display with the second flight boundary indication image to obtain a first projection image, and project the first projection image onto a preset projection plane through the head-up display.

[0014] In one embodiment, both the first flight boundary indication image and the second flight boundary indication image are at least partially transparent. Both the first flight boundary indication image and the second flight boundary indication image include a plurality of boundary indication elements located in a plurality of virtual vertical profiles respectively. Each boundary indication element includes at least a left boundary indication sub-element, a right boundary indication sub-element, an upper boundary indication sub-element, and a lower boundary indication sub-element located in the same virtual vertical profile, and the plurality of virtual vertical profiles are arranged in sequence according to the sequence of the reference arrival times of the aircraft.

[0015] In one embodiment, the method further includes:

[0016] When it is detected that the aircraft meets the tilt guidance condition, generate a landing point safety boundary image and / or predicted landing point elements of the aircraft; the landing point safety boundary image is used to reflect the vertical landing corridor for the aircraft to safely land from the reference hover point to the landing destination, and the predicted landing point elements are used to reflect the predicted landing point when the aircraft is at the current in-air position; wherein, the landing point safety boundary image includes a first landing point safety boundary image corresponding to the primary flight display and / or a second landing point safety boundary image corresponding to the head-up display;

[0017] Overlay and display the first landing point safety boundary image with the predicted landing point elements on the attitude indicator area of the primary flight display, and the first landing point safety boundary image is at least partially transparent; and / or, overlay the original attitude indicator image of the head-up display and the second landing point safety boundary image to obtain a second projection image, and project the second projection image onto a preset projection plane through the head-up display.

[0018] In one embodiment, the flight boundary indication image includes a third flight boundary indication image corresponding to the multifunction display;

[0019] Displaying a flight boundary indication image on a display system of an aircraft, including:

[0020] Displaying a third flight boundary indication image in a vertical situation display area of a multifunctional display; wherein, the third flight boundary indication image includes a reference track line element and a tilt transition flight corridor element; the reference track line element is connected to an aircraft current position icon in the vertical situation display area, the tilt transition flight corridor element is superimposed on the reference track line element, and each point on the upper boundary of the vertical situation display area of the tilt transition flight corridor element is used to reflect the allowable height upper limit of the corresponding track point in the reference track line element, and each point on the lower boundary of the vertical situation display area of the tilt transition flight corridor element is used to reflect the allowable height lower limit of the corresponding point in the reference track line element; the reference track line element at least includes a tilt transition section from the current air position to the reference hover point.

[0021] In one embodiment, the method further includes:

[0022] When it is detected that the aircraft meets the tilt guidance condition, generating a vertical landing corridor element of the aircraft, and the vertical landing corridor element is used to reflect a vertical landing corridor for the aircraft to safely land from the reference hover point to the landing destination in the vertical situation display area;

[0023] Displaying the vertical landing corridor element at a landing destination icon in the vertical situation display area.

[0024] In one embodiment, after generating a flight boundary indication image of the aircraft when it is detected that the aircraft meets the tilt guidance condition, the method further includes:

[0025] Obtaining a transfer stage flight prediction point and / or a go-around prediction point corresponding to the current air position; the transfer stage flight prediction point includes a cruise flight to tilt transition prediction point and / or a reference hover point;

[0026] Displaying a preset transfer stage flight element and / or a preset go-around element on the display system; the preset transfer stage flight element is used to reflect the transfer stage flight prediction point, and the preset go-around element is used to reflect the go-around prediction point.

[0027] In one embodiment, after displaying the preset transfer stage flight element and / or the preset go-around element on the display system, the method further includes:

[0028] When it is detected that the real-time air position of the aircraft and the transfer stage flight prediction point meet a preset prompt condition, outputting a preset transfer stage prompt message; and / or

[0029] When it is detected that the real-time air position of the aircraft and the go-around prediction point meet a preset prompt condition, outputting a preset go-around prompt message.

[0030] In one embodiment, the method further includes:

[0031] Continuously obtaining a predicted flight path within a preset duration after the current moment;

[0032] Displaying preset flight path elements on a display system, where the preset flight path elements are used to reflect the predicted flight path.

[0033] In one embodiment, the preset flight path elements include predicted landing flight path elements;

[0034] Displaying the preset flight path elements on the display system includes:

[0035] When it is detected that the aircraft is in the vertical landing stage, superimposing and displaying the predicted landing flight path elements on the bottom image of the bottom view image display.

[0036] In one embodiment, when it is detected that the aircraft meets the tilt guidance condition, after generating an image indicating the flight boundary of the aircraft, the method further includes:

[0037] During the tilting process of the tilt-rotor assembly, determining the tilt angle normal flight envelope corresponding to the real-time forward flight speed of the tilt-rotor assembly and / or the forward flight speed normal flight envelope corresponding to the real-time rotor tilt angle of the aircraft;

[0038] Changing the display parameters of the regions other than the first angle envelope region in the tilt angle indicator bar in the display interface of the display system, where the first angle envelope region is the region in the tilt angle indicator bar corresponding to the tilt angle normal flight envelope; and / or, changing the display parameters of the regions other than the first speed envelope region in the airspeed indicator region in the display interface of the display system, where the first speed envelope region is the region in the airspeed indicator region corresponding to the forward flight speed normal flight envelope.

[0039] In one embodiment, changing the display parameters of the regions other than the first angle envelope region in the tilt angle indicator bar in the display interface of the display system includes:

[0040] Changing the display color of the second angle envelope region in the tilt angle indicator bar to a first preset color, and changing the display color of the third angle envelope region to a second preset color; where the second angle envelope region includes the region in the tilt angle indicator bar from the boundary value of the tilt angle normal flight envelope to the corresponding boundary value of the tilt angle operating flight envelope; the third angle envelope region includes the region in the tilt angle indicator bar from the boundary value of the tilt angle operating flight envelope to the corresponding boundary value of the corresponding tilt angle limit flight envelope;

[0041] And / or,

[0042] Changing the display parameters of the area other than the first speed envelope area in the airspeed indicator area of the display interface of the display system, including:

[0043] Changing the display color of the second speed envelope area in the airspeed indicator area to a first preset color, and changing the display color of the third speed envelope area to a second preset color; wherein, the second speed envelope area includes the area between the boundary value of the normal flight envelope of the forward flight speed and the corresponding boundary value of the operating flight envelope of the forward flight speed in the airspeed indicator area; the third speed envelope area includes the area between the boundary value of the operating flight envelope of the forward flight speed and the corresponding boundary value of the limiting flight envelope of the forward flight speed in the airspeed indicator area.

[0044] In addition, to achieve the above object, the present application also proposes a display system, the display system includes:

[0045] A primary flight display and a multifunction display;

[0046] A head-up display and / or a bottom-view imaging display;

[0047] A flight control module, the flight control module is respectively connected to the primary flight display and the multifunction display, the flight control module is also connected to the head-up display and / or the bottom-view imaging display, the flight control module includes a memory, a processor and a computer program stored on the memory and executable on the processor, the computer program is configured to implement the steps of the aircraft landing guidance method as described above.

[0048] In addition, to achieve the above object, the present application also proposes an aircraft, the aircraft includes:

[0049] A fuselage;

[0050] A tilt-rotor assembly, the tilt-rotor assembly is arranged on the fuselage and is configured to be rotatable between a cruise position and a vertical takeoff and landing position; and

[0051] The display system as described above, the display system is arranged inside the fuselage.

[0052] One or more technical solutions proposed by the present application have at least the following technical effects:

[0053] In the technical solution provided by the present application, for an aircraft having a tilt transition stage during landing, by displaying on the display system of the aircraft a flight boundary indication image of a tilt transition flight corridor reflecting the safe flight of the aircraft from the current air position to the reference hover point, a visual safety operation guide is provided for the pilot, and this visual safety operation guide provides an effective operation reminder for the pilot, enabling the pilot to operate the aircraft in real time according to the flight boundary indication image, ensuring that the aircraft can safely transition from the cruise flight stage to the vertical landing stage. Description of the Drawings

[0054] The accompanying drawings herein are incorporated into and constitute a part of this specification, showing embodiments consistent with the present application, and are used together with the specification to explain the principles of the present application.

[0055] To more clearly illustrate the technical solutions in the embodiments of the present application or the prior art, the following will briefly introduce the accompanying drawings required for the description of the embodiments or the prior art. Obviously, for those of ordinary skill in the art, without creative efforts, other drawings can also be obtained based on these drawings.

[0056] Figure 1 Schematic flowchart provided for Embodiment 1 of the aircraft landing guidance method of the present application;

[0057] Figure 2 Schematic diagram of locking the landing destination in the HUD interface in the embodiment of the present application;

[0058] Figure 3 Schematic diagram of the display interface of the PFD in the embodiment of the present application;

[0059] Figures 4 to 6 Schematic diagram of the VSD area of the MFD of the present application;

[0060] Figure 7 and Figure 8 Schematic diagram of the display of the VSD area of the MFD of the present application in the track mode;

[0061] Figure 9 [[ID=3i]]Schematic diagram of the tilt angle indicator bar in the embodiment of the present application;

[0062] Figure 10 Schematic diagram of the two-dimensional environment of the MFD of the present application;

[0063] Figure 11 Schematic diagram of the superimposed display of predicted landing track elements on the bottom view image display interface of the present application;

[0064] Figure 12 Schematic diagram of the structure of the flight control module in the present application.

[0065] The implementation, functional features, and advantages of the present application will be further described with reference to the embodiments and the accompanying drawings. Detailed Embodiments

[0066] It should be understood that the specific embodiments described herein are only used to explain the technical solutions of the present application and are not used to limit the present application.

[0067] To better understand the technical solutions of the present application, the following will be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings of the specification and the specific embodiments.

[0068] The main solution of the embodiment of this application is: when it is detected that the aircraft meets the tilt guidance condition, a flight boundary indication image of the aircraft is generated, and the flight boundary indication image is used to reflect the tilt transition flight corridor for the aircraft to fly safely from the current airborne position to the reference hover point; the flight boundary indication image is displayed on the display system of the aircraft.

[0069] In the related art, some aircraft have a rotor tilt assembly that can rotate between a cruise position and a vertical take-off and landing position. When the rotor tilt assembly is in the vertical take-off and landing position, the aircraft is similar to a helicopter and can hover, fly sideways, fly backward, and land vertically; when the rotor tilt assembly is in the cruise position, the aircraft is equivalent to a fixed-wing aircraft and can fly at high speed over long distances. Such aircraft include, but are not limited to, tilt-rotor aircraft, tilt-rotor unmanned aerial vehicles, and eVTOLs (electric Vertical Take-off and Landing) with a tilt-rotor configuration. Among them, the eVTOL with a tilt-rotor configuration can be such that all lift / thrust components adopt a tilt-rotor configuration, or some of the lift / thrust components can also adopt a tilt-rotor configuration.

[0070] In the embodiment of this application, for the convenience of description, the following will be described with an eVTOL as the execution subject.

[0071] The eVTOL uses an electric propulsion system to achieve vertical landing and horizontal flight, and has the advantages of low noise, environmental friendliness, and flexible operation, becoming an ideal solution for future urban air mobility (UAM) and emergency rescue and other fields. However, for the eVTOL, the landing process is relatively complex. Compared with traditional aircraft, firstly, eVTOL aircraft usually land in a limited space, and the intricate buildings, obstacles, and wires in the urban environment all increase the difficulty of landing. Among them, the eVTOL with a rotor tilt assembly needs to go through three stages during the landing procedure: cruise flight, tilt transition, and vertical landing. Especially in the tilt transition stage, it requires the eVTOL to have a highly accurate path planning ability during the landing process to ensure that the aircraft can avoid obstacles and land smoothly in the complex urban environment.

[0072] Thus, for eVTOL pilots, during the bank transition phase, they need to process a large amount of information and make quick decisions on when to bank and how to adjust the flight attitude after entering the bank transition phase. However, the flight display systems in related technologies, such as MFD (Multifunctional Display) or PFD (Primary Flight Display), can provide basic flight information, but lack real-time, intuitive visual display of aircraft path planning during landing. Therefore, the human-computer interaction interface of the aircraft display system is difficult to meet the needs of pilots for efficient operation in complex urban environments, and the support for pilots' operational intervention is limited. It is difficult for pilots to obtain effective operational reminders from the aircraft display system, resulting in landing efficiency and safety that need to be improved.

[0073] To this end, the present application provides a solution. For an aircraft that has a tilt transition phase during the landing process, a flight boundary indication image reflecting the tilt transition flight corridor of the aircraft from the current air position to the reference hovering point is displayed on the aircraft's display system, thereby providing the pilot with a visual safety operation guidance. The visual safety operation guidance provides the pilot with effective operation reminders, so that the pilot can operate the aircraft in real time according to the flight boundary indication image, ensuring that the aircraft can safely transition from the cruise flight phase to the vertical landing phase.

[0074] It should be noted that the execution subject of this embodiment may be a computing service device with data processing, network communication, and program execution functions, such as an aircraft flight control module, a server, a computing terminal, etc. The flight control module is used as an example to illustrate this embodiment and the following embodiments.

[0075] Based on this, the embodiment of the present application provides an aircraft landing guidance method, referring to Figure 1 , Figure 1 This is a flow chart of the first embodiment of the aircraft landing guidance method of the present application.

[0076] In this embodiment, the aircraft landing guidance method includes steps S10 to S20:

[0077] Step S10: When it is detected that the aircraft meets the tilt guidance conditions, a flight boundary indication image of the aircraft is generated.

[0078] The flight boundary indicator image represents the tilt transition corridor for the aircraft to safely fly from its current aerial position to a reference hovering point. The aircraft comprises an airframe and a tiltrotor assembly, which is mounted within the airframe and configured to rotate between a cruise position and a vertical takeoff and landing position. The reference hovering point is located above the landing destination.

[0079] Step S20: Display the flight boundary indication image on the display system of the aircraft.

[0080] Specifically, the aircraft in this embodiment may be an eVTOL, and at least one lift / thrust component is provided on its fuselage. Among them, at least part of the lift / thrust component is configured as a tilt-rotor component, and the tilt-rotor component is arranged on the fuselage and configured to be rotatable between a cruise position and a vertical takeoff and landing position. During the cruise flight phase or the tilt transition phase, when it is detected that the aircraft meets the tilt guidance condition, the flight control module of the eVTOL starts to enter the landing guidance program.

[0081] The tilt guidance condition includes but is not limited to any one of the following conditions:

[0082] (1) The "landing point locking" function has been run and the landing destination has been locked.

[0083] Please refer to Figure 2 , in this embodiment, the flight control module of the eVTOL is configured with the "landing point locking" function. The landing point locking is completed through a high-precision sensor integration system and a target recognition algorithm configured in the flight control module. When the eVTOL approaches the landing destination and executes the landing procedure, the flight control module will search for the landing destination in the current scene environment through the high-precision sensor integration system. Once the landing destination is successfully identified, it will continuously track the landing destination and visually display the landing destination of the eVTOL on the MFD or HUD (Head-Up Display), such as tracking and highlighting the landing destination through the set landing destination locking element A01, so that the pilot can monitor the locking status of the landing point at any time. Even when the environment changes, the flight control module can still dynamically adjust and lock the landing destination, thereby preventing the aircraft from deviating from the safe landing area.

[0084] While visually displaying the landing destination of the eVTOL on the MFD or HUD, the flight control module will automatically calculate the reference flight path for the eVTOL to safely land from the current airborne position to the landing destination, as well as the flight corridor suitable for this reference flight path, based on the eVTOL parameter information (including but not limited to state parameters such as airspeed and altitude, and airframe parameters such as the size of the eVTOL itself) and the scene information of the surrounding environment (including but not limited to terrain information, obstacle information, and area control information such as control areas and no-fly zones).

[0085] It should be noted that the reference flight path includes three stages: the cruise flight stage, the tilt transition stage, and the vertical landing stage. The end point of the tilt transition stage in the reference flight path is the reference hover point. Each flight path point has corresponding data such as altitude reference information, distance reference information, and reference arrival time. It can be understood that the reference flight path is for the pilot's reference, but the specific flight operation and flight trajectory of the eVTOL are still determined by the pilot.

[0086] (2) The tilt enable switch or tilt enable control is switched to the enabled state

[0087] The eVTOL's cockpit is equipped with a tilt enable switch, which toggles between the enabled state and the off state. When the flight control module detects that the tilt enable switch is switched to the enabled state, the flight control module will also automatically calculate the reference flight path for the eVTOL to safely land from the current airborne position to the landing destination, as well as the flight corridor suitable for this reference flight path, based on the eVTOL parameter information and the scene information of the surrounding environment. Specifically, when the eVTOL approaches the landing destination, the pilot can toggle the tilt enable switch.

[0088] Of course, when the eVTOL is in the emergency mode, the pilot can also toggle the tilt enable switch to the enabled state, thereby triggering the flight control module to calculate the flight corridor. At this time, the landing destination is the emergency landing point, and the reference flight path is the emergency reference flight path for safely landing from the current airborne position to the emergency landing point.

[0089] Alternatively, for an unmanned eVTOL, a remote pilot can operate the tiltrotor UAV through a remote cockpit. At this time, the remote cockpit is equipped with a tilt enable switch or a tilt enable control. The tilt enable control can be a tilt enable virtual button. Or, when the unmanned eVTOL is controlled by a remote control device such as a tablet. The operation interface of the tablet is equipped with a corresponding tilt enable virtual button.

[0090] (3) Receive a landing instruction

[0091] Specifically, for the eVTOL, the eVTOL is communicatively connected to the remote tower, so that it can receive information sent by the remote tower. In extreme cases such as when the eVTOL's equipment is damaged or its vision is limited, the remote tower at the airport can send a landing instruction to the eVTOL. The landing instruction carries information such as the airspace information and environmental scene information from the eVTOL's current airborne position to the airport, which is helpful for the eVTOL to land, so that the flight control module of the eVTOL can calculate the reference flight path and the flight corridor accordingly.

[0092] Alternatively, for a tilt-rotor UAV, a landing instruction can be issued by a remote control device. After the flight control module of the tilt-rotor UAV receives the landing instruction, it starts to calculate the reference flight path and flight corridor.

[0093] (4) The tilt-rotor assembly is in a position between the vertical takeoff and landing position and the cruise position

[0094] It can be understood that during actual flight, the pilot does not operate the aircraft exactly along the reference flight path. Therefore, in this embodiment, the flight control module not only calculates the flight corridor before entering the tilt transition stage, but also continuously calculates the reference flight path and flight corridor in real time according to the real-time state of the eVTOL (aircraft) after entering the tilt transition stage, that is, when it detects that the tilt-rotor assembly is in a position between the vertical takeoff and landing position and the cruise position, so as to continuously update the reference flight path and flight corridor.

[0095] (5) Detecting a new obstacle

[0096] For the obstacle detection function, the flight control module uses a variety of sensors (such as lidar, infrared sensors, etc.) to detect obstacles around the aircraft in real time. It is worth mentioning that the obstacles can be static obstacles (buildings, trees, wires, etc.) or dynamic obstacles (such as UAVs, other aircraft, birds, etc.). For dynamic obstacles, the flight control module identifies and displays the dynamically moving obstacles in real time, and highlights their positions and movement trends in color on the MFD and HUD to ensure that the pilot can make timely avoidance decisions. In addition, during the vertical landing stage, the BVD (Bottom Vision Display) can also display obstacles. Therefore, the flight control module can achieve real-time monitoring of obstacles through the obstacle detection function, and thus continuously update the reference flight path and flight corridor in combination with the current speed, altitude and attitude of the aircraft to ensure the safe flight and landing of the aircraft in a complex environment.

[0097] It is worth mentioning that for obstacles, in this embodiment, not only obstacle warnings are given, but also the flight boundary indication image is updated to ensure that the pilot takes necessary and optimal avoidance actions in the shortest time to ensure safety.

[0098] The calculated reference flight path includes a tilt transition section and a vertical landing section. Therefore, the calculated flight corridor includes a tilt transition flight corridor corresponding to the tilt transition section and a vertical landing corridor corresponding to the vertical landing section. The demarcation point between the two stages is the reference hover point. Among them, the tilt transition flight corridor refers to a corridor-shaped space constructed with the tilt transition section in the reference flight path as the central axis and the safe flight distances in all directions (up, down, left, and right) of the eVTOL. When the eVTOL flies within this tilt transition flight corridor, it can avoid obstacles such as high-rise buildings and controlled areas and fly smoothly to the reference hover point above the landing destination.

[0099] Then, the flight control module generates a corresponding flight boundary indication image according to the tilt transition flight corridor. It can be understood that since the display system of the eVTOL includes but is not limited to MFD, PFD, and HUD, for different types of displays, corresponding flight boundary indication images can be generated according to the type of the display. Then, the flight boundary indication image is displayed on the corresponding type of display.

[0100] For example, for the PFD, the flight boundary indication image includes a first flight boundary indication image corresponding to the PFD; step S20 is specifically: superimposing and displaying the first flight boundary indication image on the attitude indicator area of the main flight display of the aircraft.

[0101] It is easy to understand that the most important flight data are displayed on the PFD, such as the attitude, airspeed, altitude, heading, etc. of the aircraft. Generally speaking, the display interface of the PFD includes an attitude indicator area (attitude ball) in the middle, an airspeed indicator area (airspeed tape) on the left, an altitude indicator (altitude tape) on the right, and a heading indicator area at the bottom. The attitude indicator area specifically displays the roll and pitch attitudes of the eVTOL; the airspeed tape on the left displays the indicated airspeed, and the Mach number is displayed below; the altitude tape on the right displays the barometric altitude and vertical speed, and the barometric altitude calibration value is displayed below the altitude tape; the horizontal situation indicator (HSI) at the bottom displays the heading, etc.

[0102] It should be noted that in order to avoid the first flight boundary indication image affecting the display of the existing information on the display interface of the PFD, the first flight boundary indication image is at least partially transparent.

[0103] The first flight boundary indication image can be composed of multiple dynamic trajectory lines, and the multiple dynamic trajectory lines jointly define a flight corridor. Or, as an implementation manner, the first flight boundary indication image includes multiple boundary indication elements located in multiple virtual vertical profiles respectively. Each boundary indication element at least includes a left boundary indication sub-element, a right boundary indication sub-element, an upper boundary indication sub-element, and a lower boundary indication sub-element located in the same virtual vertical profile, and the multiple virtual vertical profiles are arranged in sequence according to the order of the reference arrival times of the aircraft.

[0104] The left boundary indicating sub-element, right boundary indicating sub-element, upper boundary indicating sub-element, and lower boundary indicating sub-element are respectively used to prompt the safe flight range of the aircraft in the corresponding directions. The left boundary indicating sub-element, right boundary indicating sub-element, upper boundary indicating sub-element, and lower boundary indicating sub-element can be selectively displayed according to whether a prompt is required in the corresponding direction. Of course, since eVTOL needs to land in a complex urban environment, preferably, each boundary indicating element includes a left boundary indicating sub-element, a right boundary indicating sub-element, an upper boundary indicating sub-element, and a lower boundary indicating sub-element, so as to provide visual prompts for the pilot in all directions.

[0105] For the left boundary indicating sub-element, right boundary indicating sub-element, upper boundary indicating sub-element, and lower boundary indicating sub-element of the same virtual vertical section, the left boundary indicating sub-element, right boundary indicating sub-element, upper boundary indicating sub-element, and lower boundary indicating sub-element can be connected in sequence or spaced apart from each other. This embodiment does not limit this. Of course, the left boundary indicating sub-element, right boundary indicating sub-element, upper boundary indicating sub-element, and lower boundary indicating sub-element are located on a closed circular image. The closed circular image can be a polygon frame such as a rectangular frame, a circular frame, or an elliptical frame, etc. This embodiment also does not limit this.

[0106] Taking the closed circular image as a rectangular frame as an example:

[0107] Please refer to Figure 3 , in an example, the boundary indicating element A02 is a closed rectangular frame, and the left side border, right side border, upper border, and lower border of the rectangular frame are the corresponding left boundary indicating sub-element, right boundary indicating sub-element, upper boundary indicating sub-element, and lower boundary indicating sub-element respectively.

[0108] Alternatively, in another example, the boundary indicating element can also be a left boundary bar and a right boundary bar arranged at intervals left and right, and an upper boundary bar and a lower boundary bar arranged up and down, and the left boundary bar, right boundary bar, upper boundary bar, and lower boundary bar are arranged on a virtual rectangular frame. Compared with the previous example, the boundary indicating element in this example is a non-closed figure, so as to avoid blocking the display of the existing information in the display interface as much as possible. Or, in order to further avoid blocking the display of the existing information, the left boundary indicating sub-element, right boundary indicating sub-element, upper boundary indicating sub-element, and lower boundary indicating sub-element in the boundary indicating element each include at least two indicating line segments spaced apart from each other.

[0109] Alternatively, in another example, the left boundary indicating sub-element, the right boundary indicating sub-element, the upper boundary indicating sub-element, and the lower boundary indicating sub-element can also be the broken line segments at the four corners of a rectangular box. Compared with the previous example, the four corners have a smaller display area while being able to display the corridor range, thus further avoiding obscuring the display of the existing information on the display interface.

[0110] To avoid obscuring the display of the existing information on the display interface and due to the relatively fast forward flight speed of the aircraft, there is no need to calculate and display the boundary indicating elements corresponding to each trajectory point on the reference flight path. As an option in this embodiment, the sampling period can be determined according to a preset flight interval duration, and multiple periodic trajectory points can be sequentially determined from the reference flight path. Alternatively, the sampling period can be determined according to a preset flight interval distance, and multiple periodic trajectory points can be sequentially determined from the reference flight path. After obtaining multiple periodic trajectory points, the virtual vertical profiles of each periodic trajectory point can be obtained, and then the boundary indicating elements of each virtual vertical profile can be obtained.

[0111] The different boundary indicating elements A02 are located on different virtual vertical profiles, and all the boundary indicating elements A02 together form a corridor-shaped graph with the feature of "near being large and far being small". The multiple virtual vertical profiles are arranged in sequence according to the order of the reference arrival times of the eVTOL. That is, when the eVTOL flies along the reference flight path, the virtual vertical profile that the eVTOL flies to first is closer to the plane of the display interface than the virtual vertical profile that the eVTOL flies to later. Therefore, the boundary indicating element on the virtual vertical profile that the eVTOL flies to first is larger than the boundary indicating element on the virtual vertical profile that the eVTOL flies to later.

[0112] For example, in one example, please refer to Figure 2 , the first flight boundary indicating image is multiple nested rectangular boxes, and the inner rectangular box is smaller than the outer rectangular box. It is worth mentioning that when the current aerial position of the eVTOL continuously changes, the flight control module continuously calculates the reference flight path and the flight corridor, so the first flight boundary indicating image on the display interface is a dynamic image and also continuously changes. Among them, when the sampling period is determined according to the preset flight interval duration, the multiple rectangular boxes on the display interface are updated and displayed uniformly. That is, when the eVTOL flies over a virtual vertical profile, the outermost rectangular box corresponding to it disappears, and among any two adjacent layers of rectangular boxes, the inner rectangular box becomes larger and is displayed at the position of the outer rectangular box. When the sampling period is determined according to the preset flight interval distance, the real-time size of each rectangular box is calculated according to the virtual vertical profile where each rectangular box is located and the real-time aerial position of the eVTOL. At this time, the faster the forward flight speed of the eVTOL, the faster the update change rate of the rectangular box.

[0113] In addition, for the HUD, the flight boundary indication image includes a second flight boundary indication image corresponding to the PFD; specifically, step S20 is: superimposing the original attitude indicator image and the second flight boundary indication image to obtain a first projection image, and projecting the first projection image onto a preset projection plane through the head-up display of the aircraft.

[0114] Among them, for the HUD, the distribution of the original attitude indicator image is the same as the display interface of the PFD, that is, it also includes the attitude indicator (attitude ball) in the middle, the airspeed indicator (airspeed tape) on the left, the altitude indicator (altitude tape) on the right, and the navigation indicator at the bottom. Different from the display interface of the PFD, in order to avoid blocking the pilot's vision, in the projection image of the HUD, the attitude indicator (attitude ball), the airspeed indicator (airspeed tape) on the left, the altitude indicator (altitude tape) on the right, and the navigation indicator at the bottom are all composed of partially transparent lines.

[0115] The difference between the second flight boundary indication image and the first flight boundary indication image is that the left boundary indication sub-element, the right boundary indication sub-element, the upper boundary indication sub-element, and the lower boundary indication sub-element are all constructed as partially transparent lines. For the rest of the same parts, please refer to the description of the aforementioned first flight boundary indication image, and will not be elaborated here.

[0116] In this embodiment, only the PFD can display the first flight boundary indication image, or only the HUD can project and display the second flight boundary indication image. It can also be that the PFD displays the first flight boundary indication image while the HUD projects and displays the second flight boundary indication image. This embodiment does not limit this.

[0117] It is worth mentioning that for the convenience of operation, the flight boundary indication images all correspond to the observation points on the aircraft. In this way, during the tilt transition stage, when the pilot operates the eVTOL flight, the pilot can observe the display interface of the PFD and the projection image of the HUD with the naked eye to ensure that the observation mark is always within the flight boundary indication image, so as to ensure that the eVTOL flies within the tilt transition flight corridor. For example, in an example, for the PFD and the HUD, the observation mark is the FPV (flight path vector) icon in the attitude indicator. When the pilot operates the eVTOL flight, it is necessary to ensure that the FPV icon is always within the outermost rectangular frame in the flight boundary indication image. Of course, the pilot can also use the nose of the eVTOL as an auxiliary observation mark.

[0118] In addition, since the eVTOL involves three stages in the landing procedure, for the vertical landing stage, the flight control module also executes the following steps S30a to step S50a:

[0119] Step S30a: When it is detected that the aircraft meets the tilt guidance condition, generate a landing point safety boundary image and predicted landing point elements of the aircraft.

[0120] Among them, the landing point safety boundary image is used to reflect the vertical landing corridor for the aircraft to land safely from the reference hover point to the landing destination, and the predicted landing point elements are used to reflect the predicted landing point when the aircraft is at the current airborne position. The landing point safety boundary image includes a first landing point safety boundary image corresponding to the primary flight display and / or a second landing point safety boundary image corresponding to the head-up display.

[0121] Step S40a: Superimpose and display the first landing point safety boundary image and the predicted landing point elements in the attitude indicator area of the primary flight display, and the first landing point safety boundary image is at least partially transparent.

[0122] Step S50a: Superimpose the original attitude indicator image of the head-up display and the second landing point safety boundary image to obtain a second projection image, and project the second projection image onto a preset projection plane through the head-up display.

[0123] That is, the flight control module can also selectively generate a landing point safety boundary image and predicted landing point elements while generating a flight boundary indication image. It can be understood that the first landing point safety boundary image or the second landing point safety boundary image includes a plurality of landing point boundary indication elements A03 on a plurality of virtual horizontal sections. Each landing point boundary indication element A03 is a closed ring located on the same virtual horizontal section, and the plurality of virtual horizontal sections are arranged in sequence according to the order of the reference arrival time of the aircraft. Among them, in order to meet the projection relationship on the display interface, the closed ring can be an elliptical ring. Similarly to the tilt transition stage, in order to avoid blocking the display of existing information on the display interface, there is no need to calculate and display the landing point boundary indication elements corresponding to each trajectory point in the vertical landing stage of the reference flight path. As an option in this embodiment, the sampling period can be determined according to a preset flight interval duration, and a plurality of periodic trajectory points can be sequentially determined from the vertical landing stage of the reference flight path. Or, the sampling period can be determined according to a preset flight interval distance, and a plurality of periodic trajectory points can be sequentially determined from the vertical landing stage of the reference flight path. After obtaining a plurality of periodic trajectory points, the horizontal and vertical sections of each periodic trajectory point can be obtained, and then the boundary indication elements of each virtual horizontal section can be obtained. Of course, the size change of the landing point boundary indication elements can also be determined according to the preset flight interval duration or the preset flight interval distance, which will not be elaborated here.

[0124] Please refer to Figure 3, and all the landing point boundary indication elements A03 together form a multi-layered circular graphic with the feature of "larger near and smaller far". Multiple virtual horizontal sections are arranged in sequence according to the order of the reference arrival time of the eVTOL. That is, the virtual horizontal section that the eVTOL flies to first is closer to the plane where the display interface is located compared to the virtual horizontal section that the eVTOL flies to later. Therefore, the elliptical ring on the virtual horizontal section that the eVTOL flies to first is larger than the elliptical ring on the virtual horizontal section that the eVTOL flies to later. Of course, when the areas reflected by multiple virtual horizontal sections are far from the current airborne position, the multiple virtual horizontal sections are approximately nested on one virtual horizontal section.

[0125] It is worth mentioning that, in order to distinguish the landing point boundary indication element A03 from the aforementioned boundary indication element A02, their display colors are different. Additionally, the first landing point safety boundary image is at least partially transparent, and the line width of the landing point boundary indication element of the first landing point safety boundary image is greater than that of the landing point boundary indication element of the second landing point safety boundary image.

[0126] As mentioned before, the reference flight path line calculated by the flight control module is for the pilot's reference, but the specific decision is still made by the pilot. Therefore, the flight control module can combine the real-time parameter information of the eVTOL at the current airborne position and the reference flight path line to calculate the predicted landing point under the actual decision and operation of the pilot. Then the flight control module displays the predicted landing point through the predicted landing point element A04. The predicted landing point element A04 can be configured as a corresponding "cross-shaped" icon or a diamond icon, and its display position on the display interface is calculated according to the actual coordinates of the predicted landing point. Of course, on the display interface of the PFD, the "cross-shaped" icon or the diamond icon is displayed at the geometric center of the elliptical ring on the smallest virtual horizontal section on the display interface. It is easy to understand that when the pilot observes that the "cross-shaped" icon or the diamond icon is not within the elliptical ring, the pilot can manually adjust the state of the eVTOL through the joystick.

[0127] In this embodiment, in order to enhance the visual reminder effect, the predicted landing point elements A04 such as the "cross-shaped" icon or the diamond icon can be highlighted on the PFD and / or HUD. It can be understood that during the tilt transition stage and the vertical landing stage, the pilot should ensure that the predicted landing point elements A04 such as the "cross-shaped" icon or the diamond icon are located on the locked landing destination icon on the PFD and / or HUD.

[0128] It is not difficult to see that the landing point safety boundary image and the predicted landing point element A04 can ensure that the pilot can accurately monitor the state of the aircraft during the vertical landing process in the vertical landing stage and perform correct operations under the reminder of the display system.

[0129] For the MFD, the flight boundary indication image includes a third flight boundary indication image corresponding to the MFD; step S20 specifically includes: displaying the third flight boundary indication image in the vertical situation display area of the multifunctional display.

[0130] Among them, the third flight boundary indication image includes a reference track line element and a tilt transition flight corridor element; the reference track line element is connected to the aircraft's current position icon in the vertical situation display area, the tilt transition flight corridor element is superimposed on the reference track line element, and the points on the upper boundary of the vertical situation display area of the tilt transition flight corridor element are used to reflect the allowable height upper limit of the corresponding track points in the reference track line element, and the points on the lower boundary of the vertical situation display area of the tilt transition flight corridor element are used to reflect the allowable height lower limit of the corresponding points in the reference track line element; the reference track line element at least includes a cruise flight segment and a tilt transition segment from the current airborne position to the reference hover point.

[0131] Specifically, the VSD (Vertical Situation Display) area of the MFD is a device that provides a side view of the flight trajectory for the pilot, displays information such as terrain, waypoints, and glide path, and can help the pilot better master the flight state and the surrounding environment. Generally speaking, the frequently displayed information in the VSD area includes but is not limited to: preselected altitude, altitude scale band, distance scale band, VSD mode virtual button, distance range ratio, altitude pointer, track line, and aircraft current position icon. The distance range ratio indicates the ratio of the range displayed by the VSD distance scale band to the display range of the navigation map. The track line extending from left to right includes not only the track line composed of the waypoints that the aircraft has flown over, but also the planned track line. It can be understood that the planned track line can also be an emergency flight route in the emergency mode.

[0132] It should be noted that the updated display of the VSD includes but is not limited to the following methods:

[0133] (1) The display position of the background display elements in the VSD area remains unchanged, while the display position of the aircraft current position icon in the VSD area moves in real time according to the flight of the eVTOL.

[0134] (2) The display position of the background display elements in the VSD area moves in real time according to the flight of the eVTOL, while the display position of the aircraft current position icon in the VSD area remains unchanged.

[0135] Among them, the background display elements include but are not limited to preselected altitude, altitude scale band, distance scale band, VSD mode virtual button, distance range ratio, altitude pointer, track line, terrain element, obstacle icon, etc. Of course, the third flight boundary indication image provided in this embodiment also serves as a background display element.

[0136] Please refer to Figures 4 to 8 , in this embodiment, an aircraft current position icon is displayed in the VSD area. Starting from the aircraft current position icon A05, a track line extends to its right, and this track line is the reference track line element A06. A strip element is superimposed on the reference track line element A06 and extends along the extension direction of the reference track line element A06. This strip element is the tilt transition flight corridor element A07. The brown area indicates the terrain below, which is the highest terrain within the fixed projection range along the flight path. The red line indicates the height limit, that is, the height that the eVTOL cannot exceed.

[0137] It can be seen that corresponding to the height scale band in the frequently displayed information in the VSD area, the points on its upper boundary are used to reflect the upper limit of the allowable height of the corresponding track points in the reference track line, and the points on the lower boundary of the flight boundary indication element in the vertical situation display area are used to reflect the lower limit of the allowable height of the corresponding track points in the reference track line. In this way, the pilot can determine whether the eVTOL is within the tilt transition flight corridor by observing whether the aircraft current position icon A05 in the VSD area exceeds the upper boundary and / or the lower boundary of the third flight boundary indication image.

[0138] In addition, for the vertical landing phase in the landing procedure, the flight control module also executes the following steps S30b to step S40b:

[0139] Step S30b, when it is detected that the aircraft meets the tilt guidance condition, generate the vertical landing corridor element of the aircraft.

[0140] The vertical landing corridor element is used to reflect the vertical landing corridor for the aircraft to safely land from the reference hover point to the landing destination in the vertical situation display area.

[0141] Step S40b, display the vertical landing corridor element at the landing destination icon in the vertical situation display area.

[0142] Specifically, while generating the reference track line element A06 and the tilt transition flight corridor element A07 in the VSD area, the vertical landing corridor element A08 can also be selectively generated. The bottom end of the vertical landing corridor element A08 is connected to the landing destination icon A09, and its top end is connected to the tilt transition flight corridor element A07 directly below the aforementioned reference hover point. The outline of the vertical landing corridor element A08 is roughly funnel-shaped, that is, at any moment, the distance between the left and right boundaries of the vertical landing corridor element A08 becomes smaller from top to bottom. In addition, the overall size of the vertical landing corridor element A08 can be changed according to the adjustment of the distance range ratio in the VSD area.

[0143] Please refer to Figure 4 and Figure 6, the vertical landing corridor element A08 is a funnel-shaped gray corridor at "BOD". Please refer to Figure 8 , the vertical landing corridor element A08 is a funnel-shaped gray corridor at the white text "FTF".

[0144] It is easy to understand that the vertical landing corridor element A08 in the VSD area can assist the pilot to accurately monitor the state of the aircraft during the vertical landing phase and perform correct operations under the reminder of the display system.

[0145] In addition, during the actual flight process, for the three stages of the landing procedure, it is difficult for the pilot himself to determine when to perform the stage transition in a complex flight environment, that is, when to transition from the cruise flight stage to the tilt transition stage and when to transition from the tilt transition stage to the vertical landing stage. Therefore, in this embodiment, the flight control module also newly adds a function of prompting the decision-making conversion position and timing.

[0146] Specifically, the flight control module also executes the following steps S60 to step S70:

[0147] Step S60: Obtain the transition stage flight prediction point and / or the go-around prediction point corresponding to the current in-air position.

[0148] The transition stage flight prediction point includes the cruise flight to tilt transition prediction point and / or the reference hover point.

[0149] Step S70: Display the preset transition stage flight element and / or the preset go-around element on the display system.

[0150] The preset transition stage flight element is used to reflect the transition stage flight prediction point, and the preset go-around element is used to reflect the go-around prediction point.

[0151] Specifically, the flight control module can continuously and real-time analyze relevant information such as the state of the eVTOL and environmental conditions, and determine the best transition stage flight prediction point, that is, the decision-making conversion position (such as the key positions from cruise flight to tilt and from tilt to vertical landing) and the best timing of the decision.

[0152] The transition flight prediction points are the critical positions where the eVTOL transitions from one flight phase to another. In this embodiment, the landing procedure of the eVTOL includes 3 phases, so the transition flight prediction points include the cruise flight to tilt transition prediction point and the reference hover point. The go-around prediction point is the critical position where the eVTOL determines whether it is safe to continue landing or choose to go around during the approach. The flight control module provides clear cues to the pilot at this position to assist in making the decision of whether to continue landing. If the eVTOL does not meet the appropriate conditions (such as speed, attitude, descent rate, etc. do not meet the requirements) at the go-around prediction point, the flight control module will recommend that the pilot go around to ensure safety. The go-around prediction point cue helps the pilot evaluate whether it is safe to continue landing during the landing process, especially in complex weather conditions or restricted site situations. The flight control module reduces the pilot's decision-making pressure through cues to ensure the safe operation of the aircraft.

[0153] After calculating the transition flight prediction points and the go-around prediction points, the flight control module controls the display system to provide clear and intuitive visual cues, reducing the pilot's workload and ensuring the safe transition of the aircraft at each critical flight phase.

[0154] Specifically, the transition flight prediction points are displayed through the MFD, PFD, HUD, etc.

[0155] For the MFD, step S70 specifically includes: superimposing and displaying the preset transition flight elements and / or the preset go-around elements in the vertical situation interface on the reference track line in the vertical situation display area of the multifunctional display.

[0156] Specifically, in the MFD, the preset transition flight elements in the VSD area include the corresponding transition icons and the corresponding transition texts. Similarly, the preset go-around elements in the VSD area include the cue lines at a certain angle to the reference track line elements and the corresponding go-around texts.

[0157] In the emergency flight mode / planned flight mode, please refer to Figure 4 , the reference track line in the VSD area is displayed as a yellow / amber line. The yellow / amber diamond mark indicates the emergency waypoint, and the name and target flight altitude of this waypoint are displayed. The diamond transition icons and transition texts ("TOD" - top of descent and "BOD" - bottom of descent) indicate the transition flight prediction points, that is, the cruise flight to tilt transition prediction point and the reference hover point. The yellow / amber vertical line and text ("GA" - go-around point) indicate the go-around prediction point. Please refer to Figure 5 and Figure 6 , at this time the eVTOL is in the tilt transition phase. And Figure 5 and Figure 6 The display ratios of

[0158] In the track mode, please refer to Figure 7 , the constant display information in the VSD area includes the absolute or relative terrain (including the cross-section of urban buildings), obstacles, the preselected height set by the user, the current height of the aircraft, etc. along the extension line of the track angle. After performing step S10, please refer to Figure 8 , the VSD area newly adds the tilt transition corridor A07 calculated in real time, the reference track line element A06, the preset flight elements corresponding to the tilt transition prediction points during cruise flight to tilt, the reference hover point, and the preset go-around elements. Specifically, the display information includes the terrain (brown area) along the extension line of the track angle, the urban building model (gray rectangle), the landing destination icon A09, the tilt transition corridor calculated in real time (gray area), the reference track line element A06 (green line), the preset go-around elements corresponding to the go-around prediction points (amber text "GA" and vertical line), and the preset flight elements corresponding to the tilt transition prediction points during cruise flight to tilt (white text "FTF" - tilt end point and diamond).

[0159] It is worth mentioning that the display range of the VSD area can be determined according to the flight phase. For example, in an example, after the flight phase changes from the tilt transition phase to the vertical landing phase, the VSD area becomes to display the information within a preset distance from the aircraft. In an example, the preset distance is 500m.

[0160] For the PFD, step S70 specifically includes: superimposing and displaying the flight phase transition flight elements and / or the go-around elements of the main flight interface on the heading indicator area of the main flight display.

[0161] Specifically, simultaneously on the PFD, the tilt transition prediction points during cruise flight, the reference hover point, and the go-around prediction points are displayed on the track line of the heading indicator with corresponding symbols, ensuring that the pilot can always know the positions of the current flight phase transition prediction points and the go-around prediction points.

[0162] Through the position prompts of such decision-making points as the flight phase transition prediction points and / or the go-around prediction points, the pilot can clearly know when the eVTOL needs to perform the conversion of the flight mode, for example, when to start tilting or when to enter the vertical landing. This prompt reduces the pilot's judgment pressure and ensures that the aircraft can perform the operation conversion at the correct position.

[0163] In addition, during the busy landing phase, the pilot relies more on the prompts of the flight control module. Therefore, in addition to the aforementioned decision-making point position prompts, in an embodiment, the method further includes after step S40: outputting a preset flight phase transition prompt message when it is detected that the real-time air position of the aircraft satisfies the preset prompt condition with the flight phase transition prediction point; and / or, outputting a preset go-around prompt message when it is detected that the real-time air position of the aircraft satisfies the preset prompt condition with the go-around prediction point.

[0164] Specifically, the preset transition stage prompt information and the preset go-around prompt information are timing prompt elements for prompting the decision-making timing. It can be at the moment when the eVTOL flies to the corresponding position, and the flight control module controls the HUD and PFD to remind the pilot to perform the corresponding operations. The prompt of the decision-making timing is mainly displayed through the HUD. For the preset transition stage prompt information, it includes visual and sound warnings to ensure that the pilot can receive key information without diverting their line of sight. For example, a prompt symbol will appear on the HUD, and the pilot will be prompted with information such as "about to tilt" or "about to vertically land" to guide their operations. Of course, the preset go-around prompt information can also include visual and sound warnings, which will not be elaborated here.

[0165] It is not difficult to see that during the busy landing stage, the timing prompt element prompt helps the pilot maintain a high level of concentration during the operation. At the same time, with the assistance of the flight control module, it ensures that the eVTOL performs mode conversion at the most appropriate timing, avoiding aircraft attitude instability or operation errors caused by inappropriate timing. This prompt greatly reduces the pilot's workload and reduces the operation pressure under complex flight conditions.

[0166] In this embodiment, for an aircraft with a tilt transition stage during landing, by displaying a flight boundary indication image of a tilt transition flight corridor reflecting the aircraft's safe flight from the current airborne position to the reference hover point on the display system of the aircraft, a visual safe operation guide is provided for the pilot. This visual safe operation guide provides an effective operation reminder for the pilot, enabling the pilot to manipulate the aircraft in real time according to the flight boundary indication image to ensure that the aircraft can safely transition from the cruise flight stage to the vertical landing stage.

[0167] The pilot starts to operate the tilt-rotor assembly of the eVTOL to rotate, thus entering the tilt transition stage. During this stage, the flight control module also performs the following steps:

[0168] Step S80: During the tilting process of the tilt-rotor assembly, determine the tilt angle normal flight envelope corresponding to the real-time forward flight speed of the tilt-rotor assembly and / or the forward flight speed normal flight envelope corresponding to the real-time rotor tilt angle of the aircraft.

[0169] Step S91: Change the display parameters of the areas other than the first angle envelope area in the tilt angle indication bar in the display interface of the display system.

[0170] Step S92: Change the display parameters of the areas other than the first speed envelope area in the airspeed indicator area in the display interface of the display system.

[0171] The first angle envelope area A11 is the area corresponding to the normal flight envelope of the tilt angle in the tilt angle indicator bar, and the first speed envelope area A11 is the area corresponding to the normal flight envelope of the forward flight speed in the airspeed indicator area.

[0172] One of the key characteristics of a tilt-rotor eVTOL is that the aircraft can transition from a cruise flight mode to a vertical flight mode, which is controlled by the tilt angle of the tilt-rotor assembly. Therefore, on the display interface of the PFD or MFD of the eVTOL, there is a tilt angle indicator bar. During the tilt transition phase, the tilt angle is displayed through the tilt angle indicator bar to help the pilot monitor the transition state of the tilt-rotor assembly from cruise flight to vertical flight, ensuring that the eVTOL smoothly enters the vertical landing phase.

[0173] Please refer to Figure 9 , taking the PFD as an example, the tilt angle indicator bar includes a 1 / 4 circular arc indicator bar and a real-time tilt angle pointer that swings around the center of the 1 / 4 circular arc indicator bar. The 1 / 4 circular arc indicator bar has corresponding parameter scales. After entering the tilt-rotor stage, the flight control module will obtain various sensor data in real time, calculate and display the normal flight envelope of the eVTOL in the current state in real time. In this embodiment, the normal flight envelope includes the normal flight envelope of the forward flight speed corresponding to the real-time rotor tilt angle of the tilt-rotor assembly and / or the normal flight envelope of the tilt angle corresponding to the real-time forward flight speed of the aircraft. It is easy to understand that if the tilt angle is too large or the airspeed is too fast, the eVTOL may lose balance or exceed the tilt capacity range and get out of control. That is to say, the flight control module will calculate in real time the normal flight envelope of the tilt angle of the tilt-rotor assembly that ensures the safe flight of the eVTOL at the current forward flight speed. And the normal flight envelope of the forward flight speed that ensures the safe flight of the eVTOL at the current real-time rotor tilt angle.

[0174] Then, change the display parameters of the area in the tilt angle indicator bar other than the area corresponding to the normal flight envelope of the tilt angle (the first angle envelope area A11), so as to visually remind the pilot that the real-time rotor tilt angle of the tilt-rotor assembly should be ensured not to exceed this range. Similarly, change the display parameters of the area in the airspeed indicator area of the PFD other than the second envelope area, so as to visually remind the pilot that the forward flight speed of the eVTOL should be ensured not to exceed the normal flight envelope of the forward flight speed.

[0175] The display parameter change can be highlighting or flashing display, and this embodiment does not limit this. For example, in one embodiment, step S91 specifically includes: changing the display color of the second angle envelope area in the tilt angle indicator bar to a first preset color, and changing the display color of the third angle envelope area to a second preset color. Step S92 specifically includes: changing the display color of the second speed envelope area in the airspeed indicator area to a first preset color, and changing the display color of the third speed envelope area to a second preset color.

[0176] The second angle envelope area A12 includes the area in the tilt angle indicator bar from the boundary value of the normal flight envelope of the tilt angle to the boundary value of the operating flight envelope of the corresponding tilt angle; the third angle envelope area A13 includes the area in the tilt angle indicator bar from the boundary value of the operating flight envelope of the tilt angle to the boundary value of the limited flight envelope of the corresponding tilt angle.

[0177] The second speed envelope area includes the area in the airspeed indicator area from the boundary value of the normal flight envelope of the forward flight speed to the boundary value of the operating flight envelope of the forward flight speed; the third speed envelope area includes the area in the airspeed indicator area from the boundary value of the operating flight envelope of the forward flight speed to the boundary value of the limited flight envelope of the forward flight speed.

[0178] Specifically, the flight control module will calculate the normal forward flight speed envelope (the envelope can be understood as the upper and lower boundaries), the operating forward flight speed envelope, and the limited forward flight speed envelope of the forward flight speed at the real-time rotor tilt angle. Then, according to the normal forward flight speed envelope, the operating forward flight speed envelope, and the limited forward flight speed envelope of the forward flight speed, the airspeed indicator area is divided into three parts: the innermost first speed envelope area, the two third speed envelope areas at both ends (one is the area corresponding to the upper boundary of the operating forward flight speed envelope to the upper boundary of the limited forward flight speed envelope, and the other is the area corresponding to the lower boundary of the normal operating forward flight speed envelope to the lower boundary of the limited forward flight speed envelope), and the two second speed envelope areas between the first speed envelope area and the two third speed envelope areas (one is the area corresponding to the upper boundary of the normal forward flight speed envelope to the upper boundary of the operating forward flight speed envelope, and the other is the area corresponding to the lower boundary of the normal forward flight speed envelope to the lower boundary of the operating forward flight speed envelope); and their display colors are respectively changed to green, yellow (the first preset color), and red (the second preset color).

[0179] Similarly, please refer to Figure 9, the flight control module will calculate the normal flight envelope, operating flight envelope, and limiting flight envelope of the tilt angle of the rotor tilt angle assembly at the real-time forward flight speed. Then, according to the normal flight envelope, operating flight envelope, and limiting flight envelope of the tilt angle, the tilt angle indicator bar is divided into three parts: the innermost first angle envelope area A11, the two third angle envelope areas A13 at both ends (one is the area corresponding to the upper boundary of the operating flight envelope of the tilt angle to the upper boundary of the limiting flight envelope of the tilt angle, and the other is the area corresponding to the lower boundary of the normal operating envelope of the tilt angle to the lower boundary of the limiting flight envelope of the tilt angle), and the two second angle envelope areas A12 between the first angle envelope area A11 and the two third angle envelope areas A13 (one is the area corresponding to the upper boundary of the normal flight envelope of the tilt angle to the upper boundary of the operating flight envelope of the tilt angle, and the other is the area corresponding to the lower boundary of the normal flight envelope of the tilt angle to the lower boundary of the operating flight envelope of the tilt angle), and their display colors are respectively changed to green, yellow (the first preset color), and red (the second preset color).

[0180] It can be seen that by updating display parameters such as the display colors of the tilt angle indicator bar and the airspeed indicator area, the allowable tilt angle range and forward flight speed range of the aircraft at each moment during the tilt process are displayed, providing a visual operation reminder for the pilot and avoiding exceeding the safety limit during the tilt transition. That is, it avoids the aircraft from getting out of control due to too large or too small tilt angle or forward flight speed during the transition.

[0181] It is worth mentioning that the flight control module will continuously update the tilt angle indicator bar and the airspeed indicator area according to the real-time flight state, enabling the pilot to grasp the safety during the tilt process in real time.

[0182] In addition, not limited to the PFD, continuously updating the tilt angle indicator bar and the airspeed indicator area can also be the corresponding indicator areas on displays such as HUD or MFD to ensure that the pilot can clearly understand the current state and safety boundaries during the tilt phase.

[0183] It is not difficult to see that through this method, the pilot can clearly understand the safe operation range of the aircraft during the tilt and landing processes and make timely adjustments to ensure that the aircraft can smoothly transition to the vertical landing phase and finally achieve a safe landing.

[0184] In addition, for the various visual reminders mentioned above, in one embodiment, the method further includes: performing a first warning operation when it is detected that a first warning event occurs.

[0185] Wherein, the first warning event includes any one of the following events:

[0186] (1) The aircraft at least partially flies out of the tilt transition flight corridor.

[0187] (2) The aircraft at least partially flies out of the vertical landing corridor;

[0188] (3) The predicted landing point is located outside the landing destination.

[0189] Specifically, during the execution of the landing procedure, the flight control module not only conducts visual guidance and reminders through the display system, but also when the flight control module monitors through sensors that the airframe of the eVTOL exceeds the tilt transition flight corridor, or when the airframe of the eVTOL exceeds the vertical landing corridor, that is, when the flight control module monitors that the airframe of the eVTOL exceeds the safe flight boundary range, corresponding warning operations are carried out to prompt the pilot to make corresponding adjustments to ensure a safe landing.

[0190] When the predicted landing point is located outside the vertical landing corridor, it reflects that the eVTOL cannot correctly land within the safe boundary of the landing destination, and corresponding warning operations will also be carried out to prompt the pilot to make corresponding adjustments to ensure a safe landing.

[0191] It should be noted that the first warning operation can be visual reminders on each display of the display system, such as the display interface flashing, the display interface showing preset warning elements, etc., or the flight control module can control the speaker to conduct corresponding voice warnings.

[0192] It is not difficult to see that on the basis of the aforementioned visual guidance, this embodiment further prompts the pilot to make reasonable operations through corresponding warning operations, so as to ensure that the aircraft can smoothly transition to the vertical landing stage in a complex urban environment and finally achieve a safe landing.

[0193] In addition, during the flight of the eVTOL, the flight control module executes the following steps S100 to S200:

[0194] Step S100: Continuously obtain the predicted flight path within a preset time period after the current moment.

[0195] Step S200: Display the preset flight path elements on the display system.

[0196] Among them, the preset flight path elements are used to reflect the predicted flight path.

[0197] Specifically, the flight control module also continuously calculates and displays the predicted flight path of the eVTOL within the next few seconds by combining the current state of the aircraft and the flight dynamics model. The predicted flight path reflects the position and altitude that the eVTOL will reach while maintaining the current flight state. After calculating the predicted flight path, the flight control module controls the display system to display the predicted flight path, so as to ensure that the pilot can clearly see the future flight trend and make corrections in advance.

[0198] Specifically, during the cruise flight phase and the tilt transition phase, the predicted trajectory can be displayed on the MFD and HUD. For the HUD, the preset flight path is displayed via FPV. Please refer to Figure 10 , and in the 2D environment map of the MFD, the preset flight path element A14 is a vector line segment starting from the aircraft's current position icon A05. It is worth mentioning that the 2D environment map of the MFD also displays the planned flight path element A15, which is used to reflect the planned flight path. The planned flight path is an ideal flight path preset according to the flight plan of the aircraft, usually including requirements such as altitude, heading, tilt angle, and speed at different stages. The 2D environment map of the MFD visually displays the predetermined flight trajectory of the aircraft, ensuring that the pilot can clearly understand whether the eVTOL is currently moving along the planned path. It can be understood that the planned flight path is a reference benchmark for the pilot to compare with the current actual flight path of the eVTOL, helping the pilot ensure that the eVTOL flies within the planned flight routes and corridors. If the eVTOL deviates from the planned flight path, the flight control module can immediately issue a warning message to prompt the pilot to take necessary measures for correction.

[0199] In addition, for the MFD, the preset flight path elements displayed in its VSD area are also vector line segments starting from the aircraft's current position icon. The difference is that the preset flight path elements displayed in the VSD area are used to reflect the predicted flight path of the eVTOL in the vertical section. As shown in Figure 7 , the cyan line segment is the vertical preset flight path element A10 in the VSD area, that is, the predicted position of the aircraft in the vertical section after 6 seconds.

[0200] It is not difficult to see that the flight control module can compare the predicted flight path of the eVTOL with the pre-planned flight path in real time, helping the pilot promptly identify whether the eVTOL deviates from the planned path and make adjustments when necessary to ensure that the aircraft reaches the landing destination along a safe flight route. Specifically, the flight control module calculates the deviation between the predicted trajectory and the planned trajectory of the aircraft in real time to generate a comparison display. This comparison display can help the pilot quickly identify whether the aircraft deviates from the predetermined flight path during the flight and display the magnitude and direction of the deviation. The flight control module will issue warnings in different colors or visual cues according to the severity of the deviation to remind the pilot that adjustments are needed. That is, the comparison display of the predicted trajectory and the planned trajectory can significantly improve the pilot's situational awareness, helping them promptly detect and correct deviations during the flight and avoid the aircraft deviating from the safe path. Especially in complex urban environments or low visibility conditions, the pilot can accurately control the flight path correction of the aircraft through this display module to ensure a safe landing.

[0201] In addition, when the flight control module executes step S200 during the vertical landing phase, specifically: when it is detected that the aircraft is in the vertical landing phase, predictive landing trajectory elements are superimposed and displayed on the bottom image of the bottom vision image display.

[0202] The predictive landing trajectory elements A16 at least include two left and right landing trajectory lines that approach each other in the direction away from the current airborne position of the eVTOL. In addition, in order for the pilot to better grasp the current airborne position of the eVTOL through the BVD, the predictive landing trajectory elements A16 also include a broken line segment located in front of the two left and right landing trajectory lines, and the sharp angle of the broken line segment faces the current airborne position of the eVTOL.

[0203] For details, please refer to Figure 11 , during the vertical landing phase, the flight control module can also provide auxiliary prompts through the BVD. Specifically, predictive landing trajectory elements A16 are added to the bottom vision image display interface, and the predictive landing trajectory elements A16 reflect the positions that the eVTOL may reach within a preset duration after the current moment in real time. Thus, it not only provides the pilot with real-time environmental images below the eVTOL, but also integrates key landing assistance information to help the pilot perceive the traveling direction of the aircraft and its distance and angle relative to the ground landing point in advance during the landing process, ensuring a more precise landing operation. Especially in narrow or complex urban landing sites, the dynamic adjustment of the predictive landing trajectory elements A16 helps the pilot more intuitively understand the traveling trend during the landing process.

[0204] Of course, the predictive landing trajectory lines can also be displayed through the HUD to ensure that the pilot can understand the falling trend of the eVTOL and its relative position to the ground from multiple perspectives.

[0205] In addition, in addition to being superimposed with the real-time image, the predictive landing trajectory elements A16 can also be combined with the terrain information displayed by the synthetic vision system to provide a more detailed prediction of the environment below. When the aircraft is in low visibility or complex terrain, the synthetic vision system will display a three-dimensional model of the ground, and the predictive landing trajectory lines will display the predicted landing points of the aircraft on this three-dimensional model. This combination enables the pilot to ensure the precise landing of the aircraft through the virtual environment and predictive landing trajectory elements even when the real terrain cannot be seen.

[0206] It should be noted that the above examples are only for understanding this application and do not constitute a limitation on the aircraft landing guidance method of this application. Based on this technical concept, more forms of simple transformations are within the protection scope of this application.

[0207] In addition, to achieve the above object, this application also proposes a display system, and the display system includes:

[0208] The primary flight display, the multifunctional display;

[0209] A head-up display and / or a bottom-view image display;

[0210] A flight control module, which is respectively connected to a primary flight display and a multifunction display. The flight control module is also connected to a head-up display and / or a bottom-view image display. The flight control module includes a memory, a processor, and a computer program stored on the memory and executable on the processor. The computer program is configured to implement the steps of the aircraft landing guidance method as described above.

[0211] The flight control module includes: at least one processor; and a memory communicatively connected to the at least one processor; wherein the memory stores instructions executable by the at least one processor, and the instructions are executed by the at least one processor to enable the at least one processor to execute the aircraft landing guidance method in the first embodiment above.

[0212] As Figure 12 shown, the flight control module may include a processing device 1001 (such as a central processing unit, a graphics processing unit, etc.), which can perform various appropriate actions and processes according to a program stored in a read-only memory (ROM: Read Only Memory) 1002 or a program loaded from a storage device 1003 into a random access memory (RAM: Random Access Memory) 1004. In the RAM 1004, various programs and data required for the operation of the flight control module are also stored. The processing device 1001, the ROM 1002, and the RAM 1004 are connected to each other through a bus 1005. An input / output (I / O) interface 1006 is also connected to the bus. Generally, the following systems may be connected to the I / O interface 1006: an input device 1007 including, for example, a touch screen, a touchpad, a keyboard, a mouse, an image sensor, a microphone, an accelerometer, a gyroscope, etc.; an output device 1008 including, for example, a liquid crystal display (LCD: Liquid Crystal Display), a speaker, a vibrator, etc.; a storage device 1003 including, for example, a magnetic tape, a hard disk, etc.; and a communication device 1009. The communication device 1009 may allow the flight control module to communicate with other devices wirelessly or wiredly to exchange data. Although the figure shows a flight control module with various systems, it should be understood that it is not required to implement or have all the shown systems. More or fewer systems may be alternatively implemented or had.

[0213] In particular, according to the embodiments disclosed in the present application, the processes described above with reference to the flowcharts can be implemented as computer software programs. For example, the embodiments disclosed in the present application include a computer program product, which includes a computer program carried on a computer-readable medium, and the computer program contains program codes for executing the methods shown in the flowcharts. In such an embodiment, the computer program can be downloaded and installed from a network through a communication device, or installed from a storage device 1003, or installed from a ROM 1002. When the computer program is executed by a processing device 1001, the above-mentioned functions defined in the methods of the embodiments disclosed in the present application are executed.

[0214] It should be understood that the various parts disclosed in the present application can be implemented by hardware, software, firmware, or a combination thereof. In the description of the above embodiments, specific features, structures, materials, or characteristics can be combined in a suitable manner in any one or more embodiments or examples.

[0215] The above are only specific embodiments of the present application, but the protection scope of the present application is not limited thereto. Any person skilled in the art can easily think of changes or substitutions within the technical scope disclosed in the present application, and all should be covered by the protection scope of the present application. Therefore, the protection scope of the present application should be subject to the protection scope of the claims.

[0216] In addition, to achieve the above object, the present application also provides an aircraft, which includes:

[0217] A fuselage;

[0218] A tilt-rotor assembly, which is arranged on the fuselage and is configured to be rotatable between a cruise position and a vertical takeoff and landing position; and

[0219] A display system as described above, which is arranged inside the fuselage.

[0220] The above are only partial embodiments of the present application, and do not limit the patent scope of the present application. Any equivalent structural transformation made under the technical concept of the present application by using the content of the specification and drawings of the present application, or directly / indirectly applied in other related technical fields, is included in the patent protection scope of the present application.

Claims

1. A method for guiding an aircraft to land, characterized in that The method includes: During the tilting process of the tilt-rotor assembly, determining the tilt angle normal flight envelope corresponding to the real-time forward flight speed of the tilt-rotor assembly and / or the forward flight speed normal flight envelope corresponding to the real-time rotor tilt angle of the aircraft; the aircraft includes a fuselage and a tilt-rotor assembly, and the tilt-rotor assembly is arranged on the fuselage and configured to be rotatable between a cruise position and a vertical takeoff and landing position; Changing the display parameters of the area other than the first angle envelope area in the tilt angle indicator bar in the display interface of the display system, where the first angle envelope area is the area in the tilt angle indicator bar corresponding to the tilt angle normal flight envelope; and / or, changing the display parameters of the area other than the first speed envelope area in the airspeed indicator area in the display interface of the display system, where the first speed envelope area is the area in the airspeed indicator area corresponding to the forward flight speed normal flight envelope.

2. The aircraft landing guidance method according to claim 1, characterized in that The changing the display parameters of the area other than the first angle envelope area in the tilt angle indicator bar in the display interface of the display system includes: Changing the display color of the second angle envelope area in the tilt angle indicator bar to a first preset color; where the second angle envelope area includes the area in the tilt angle indicator bar between the boundary value of the tilt angle normal flight envelope and the corresponding boundary value of the tilt angle operating flight envelope.

3. The aircraft landing guidance method according to claim 2, characterized in that, The changing the display parameters of the area other than the first angle envelope area in the tilt angle indicator bar in the display interface of the display system further includes: Changing the display color of the third angle envelope area in the tilt angle indicator bar to a second preset color; where the third angle envelope area includes the area in the tilt angle indicator bar between the boundary value of the tilt angle operating flight envelope and the corresponding boundary value of the corresponding tilt angle limit flight envelope.

4. The aircraft landing guidance method according to claim 1, wherein The changing the display parameters of the area other than the first speed envelope area in the airspeed indicator area in the display interface of the display system includes: Changing the display color of the second speed envelope area in the airspeed indicator area to a first preset color; where the second speed envelope area includes the area in the airspeed indicator area between the boundary value of the forward flight speed normal flight envelope and the corresponding boundary value of the forward flight speed operating flight envelope.

5. The aircraft landing guidance method according to claim 4, wherein, The changing the display parameters of the area other than the first speed envelope area in the airspeed indicator area in the display interface of the display system further includes: Changing the display color of the third speed envelope area in the airspeed indicator area to a second preset color; the third speed envelope area includes the area in the airspeed indicator area between the boundary value of the forward flight speed operating flight envelope and the corresponding boundary value of the forward flight speed limit flight envelope.

6. A display system, characterized in that, The display system includes: A primary flight display and a multifunction display; A head-up display and / or a bottom-view imaging display; and A flight control module, the flight control module is respectively connected to the primary flight display and the multifunctional display, the flight control module is further connected to the head-up display and / or the bottom-view imaging display, the flight control module includes a memory, a processor, and a computer program stored on the memory and executable on the processor, the computer program is configured to implement the steps of the aircraft landing guidance method according to any one of claims 1 to 5.

7. An aircraft, characterized in that, The aircraft includes: A fuselage; A tilt-rotor assembly, the tilt-rotor assembly is disposed on the fuselage and configured to be rotatable between a cruise position and a vertical takeoff and landing position; and The display system according to claim 6, the display system is disposed within the fuselage.

Citation Information

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