Processing method and apparatus for an aircraft, computer-readable storage medium

Abstract

Provided are a processing method and device for an aircraft, and a computer readable storage medium. The method comprises: predicting a maximum offset distance of the aircraft based on information related to the aircraft and information related to a position where the aircraft is offset; and for each of one or more candidate landing airports, determining an offset center and an offset range of the candidate landing airport relative to the aircraft based on information related to the candidate landing airport and the first maximum offset distance of the aircraft, and determining a second maximum offset distance of the aircraft by using digital elevation model data representing ground elevation information based on the offset center and the offset range of the candidate landing airport relative to the aircraft. The present application provides an improved method for determining the maximum offset distance of the aircraft.

Description

TECHNICAL FIELD

[0001] The present disclosure relates to the field of aircraft, and more particularly, to a processing method and a processing device for an aircraft and a computer readable storage medium. BACKGROUND

[0002] Generally, an aircraft can include, for example, a balloon, a glider, a dirigible, an airplane, a helicopter, a drone, and the like. The flight process of an aircraft can include the following stages: taxiing, taking off, climbing, cruising, descending, and landing.

[0003] The progress of science and technology makes the navigation of an aircraft more accurate, which greatly promotes the development of civil aviation. In order to enhance the safety of aircraft flight, reasonable measures need to be taken.

[0004] Offset is a common means to avoid aircraft collision and increase the safety of civil aviation flight. At present, offset is more and more widely used in the control and flight of an aircraft.

[0005] It is necessary to study a method for determining the maximum offset range or distance of an aircraft to ensure the safety of aircraft flight when deviating from, about to deviate from, or intending to deviate from an air route due to various reasons. SUMMARY

[0006] According to some aspects of the present disclosure, a processing method for an aircraft is provided. The method comprises: predicting a first maximum offset distance of the aircraft based on information related to the aircraft and information related to a location where the aircraft is offset; and for each of one or more candidate landing airports, determining an offset center and an offset range of the candidate landing airport relative to the aircraft based on information related to the candidate landing airport and the first maximum offset distance of the aircraft, and determining a second maximum offset distance of the aircraft by using digital elevation model data representing ground elevation information based on the offset center and the offset range of the candidate landing airport relative to the aircraft.

[0007] In combination with one or more aspects of the above-described processing method for an aircraft, for example, determining the second maximum offset distance of the aircraft by using the digital elevation model data based on the offset center and the offset range of the candidate landing airport relative to the aircraft comprises: constructing a plurality of grid data by using the digital elevation model data based on the offset range, wherein each grid data corresponds to a pixel, and wherein a range formed by a plurality of pixels is the same as the offset range; and for each pixel in the plurality of pixels, determining the second maximum offset distance of the aircraft based on whether a distance of the pixel to the offset center is less than or equal to the first maximum offset distance and whether the pixel satisfies an over obstacle margin.

[0008] In combination with one or more aspects of the processing method for an aircraft described above, determining the second maximum offset distance of the aircraft based on the plurality of elements in the vector data includes, for each of the plurality of pixels, setting a flag bit of the pixel to a first value if the distance of the pixel to the offset center is less than or equal to the first maximum offset distance and the pixel satisfies the obstacle-exceeding margin, setting the flag bit of the pixel to a second value if the distance of the pixel to the offset center is greater than the first maximum offset distance and / or the pixel does not satisfy the obstacle-exceeding margin, converting the plurality of raster data to vector data including a plurality of elements, wherein the flag bit of the pixel is used as a classification attribute of the plurality of elements in the vector data, and determining the maximum offset distance of the aircraft based on the plurality of elements in the vector data.

[0009] In combination with one or more aspects of the processing method for an aircraft described above, determining the second maximum offset distance of the aircraft based on the plurality of elements in the vector data includes, for each of the plurality of pixels, setting a flag bit of the pixel to a first value if the distance of the pixel to the offset center is less than or equal to the first maximum offset distance and the pixel satisfies the obstacle-exceeding margin, setting the flag bit of the pixel to a second value if the distance of the pixel to the offset center is greater than the first maximum offset distance and / or the pixel does not satisfy the obstacle-exceeding margin, converting the plurality of raster data to vector data including a plurality of elements, wherein the flag bit of the pixel is used as a classification attribute of the plurality of elements in the vector data, and determining the maximum offset distance of the aircraft based on the plurality of elements in the vector data.

[0010] In combination with one or more aspects of the processing method for an aircraft described above, determining the second maximum offset distance of the aircraft based on the plurality of elements in the vector data includes, for each of the plurality of pixels, setting a flag bit of the pixel to a first value if the distance of the pixel to the offset center is less than or equal to the first maximum offset distance and the pixel satisfies the obstacle-exceeding margin, setting the flag bit of the pixel to a second value if the distance of the pixel to the offset center is greater than the first maximum offset distance and / or the pixel does not satisfy the obstacle-exceeding margin, converting the plurality of raster data to vector data including a plurality of elements, wherein the flag bit of the pixel is used as a classification attribute of the plurality of elements in the vector data, and determining the maximum offset distance of the aircraft based on the plurality of elements in the vector data.

[0011] In combination with one or more aspects of the processing method for an aircraft described above, determining the second maximum offset distance of the aircraft based on the plurality of elements in the vector data includes, for each of the plurality of pixels, setting a flag bit of the pixel to a first value if the distance of the pixel to the offset center is less than or equal to the first maximum offset distance and the pixel satisfies the obstacle-exceeding margin, setting the flag bit of the pixel to a second value if the distance of the pixel to the offset center is greater than the first maximum offset distance and / or the pixel does not satisfy the obstacle-exceeding margin, converting the plurality of raster data to vector data including a plurality of elements, wherein the flag bit of the pixel is used as a classification attribute of the plurality of elements in the vector data, and determining the maximum offset distance of the aircraft based on the plurality of elements in the vector data.

[0012] In combination with one or more aspects of the processing method for an aircraft described above, the method further includes determining a diversion plan for the aircraft based on the second maximum offset distance of each of the candidate landing airports.

[0013] In combination with one or more aspects of the processing method for an aircraft described above, for example, the information related to the aircraft includes one or more of the following: a unique identification of the aircraft, a model of the aircraft, a waypoint location of a flight plan of the aircraft, a candidate landing airport of the flight plan of the aircraft, a single engine drift down performance data when the aircraft fails, a maximum time to continue flying at a predetermined altitude when the aircraft fails.

[0014] In combination with one or more aspects of the processing method for an aircraft described above, for example, the information related to the location where the aircraft deviates includes one or more of the following: an altitude of the location where the aircraft deviates, a wind speed and / or a wind direction of the location where the aircraft deviates, a standard atmospheric temperature of the location where the aircraft deviates.

[0015] In combination with one or more aspects of the processing method for an aircraft described above, for example, the information related to the candidate landing airport includes one or more of the following: a location of the candidate landing airport, a wind speed of the candidate landing airport, or a wind direction of the candidate landing airport.

[0016] According to some aspects of the present disclosure, a processing apparatus for an aircraft is provided. The processing apparatus includes a memory; and one or more processors coupled to the memory and configured to perform one or more steps of the methods described above.

[0017] According to some aspects of the present disclosure, a computer-readable storage medium having stored thereon one or more computer programs, wherein the one or more computer programs, when executed by one or more processors, implement one or more steps of the methods described above. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF DRAWINGS

[0018] In order to more clearly illustrate the technical solutions of the embodiments of the present disclosure, the drawings of the embodiments of the present disclosure will be briefly introduced below. Obviously, the drawings described below only relate to some embodiments of the present disclosure, rather than limit the present disclosure, and the drawings include:

[0019] Figure 1 A flowchart of a processing method for an aircraft according to some embodiments of the present disclosure is shown;

[0020] Figure 2 An example of a candidate landing airport according to some embodiments of the present disclosure is shown;

[0021] Figure 3A A schematic diagram of a profile and altitude chart overlay when the aircraft fails according to some embodiments of the present disclosure is shown;

[0022] Figure 3B A terrain and altitude chart overlay view when the aircraft fails according to some embodiments of the present disclosure is shown.

[0023] Figure 3C An overlay view of terrain and elevation is shown in accordance with some embodiments of the present disclosure;

[0024] Figure 4 A schematic diagram of a bias range of an air route of an aircraft is shown in accordance with some embodiments of the present disclosure;

[0025] Figure 5 A block diagram of a processing device for an aircraft is shown in accordance with some embodiments of the present disclosure. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0026] For the purpose of clarity, technical solutions and advantages of embodiments of the present disclosure will be described below in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings of the embodiments of the present disclosure. Obviously, the described embodiments are part of the embodiments of the present disclosure, rather than all the embodiments. Based on the described embodiments of the present disclosure, all other embodiments obtained by those of ordinary skill in the art without creative labor fall within the scope of protection of the present disclosure.

[0027] Before undertaking a description of the specific embodiments of the present disclosure, it can be advantageous to set forth definitions of certain words and phrases that have been used throughout this patent document.

[0028] The term "coupled" and its derivatives refer to any direct or indirect communication between two or more elements, regardless of whether those elements are in physical contact with one another. The terms "transmit," "receive," and "communicate," as well as derivatives thereof, encompass both direct and indirect communication. The terms "connected" or "coupled" and the like are not limited to a direct connection or coupling, but also include an indirect connection or coupling, such as through an intermediary device. The terms "upper," "lower," "left," "right," and the like are used for description only and are not limiting as to the relative position of the described objects. The terms "include," "contain," and "comprise" and their derivatives mean "including, but not limited to." The term "or" is inclusive, meaning and / or. The phrase "associated with," as well as derivatives thereof, means to include, be included within, connect to, interconnect with, contain, be contained within, connect to or with, couple to or with, be communicable with, cooperate with, interleave, be proximate to, be bound to or with, have a property of, have relations with, or the like. The term "controller" or "processor" means any device, system or part thereof that controls at least one operation. Such a controller can be implemented in hardware or can be implemented as hardware and software and / or firmware. The functionality associated with any particular controller can be centralized or distributed, whether locally or remotely. The phrase "at least one of," when used with a list of items, means that different combinations of one or more of the listed items can be used and only one item from the list can be needed. For example, "at least one of A, B, and C" includes any of the following combinations: A, B, C, A and B, A and C, B and C, and A and B and C. For example, "at least one of A, B, or C" includes any of the following combinations: A, B, C, A and B, A and C, B and C, and A and B and C.

[0029] The terms used herein to describe the example embodiments of the present disclosure are not intended to limit and / or to define the scope of the present disclosure. For example, unless otherwise defined, technical terms or scientific terms used in the present disclosure should be interpreted as is generally understood by one of ordinary skill in the art to which the present disclosure pertains.

[0030] It should be understood that the "first," "second," and similar terms used in the present disclosure do not denote any order, quantity, or importance, but are merely used to distinguish different constituent parts. Unless the context clearly indicates otherwise, the singular forms "a," "an," and "the" and similar terms do not limit the number of referents to one but mean that there is at least one of the referents. For example, a reference to "a surface of a component" includes a reference to one or more such surfaces.

[0031] As used herein, any reference to “one example” or “an example,” “one embodiment” or “an embodiment” means that a particular element, feature, structure, or characteristic described in connection with the embodiment is included in at least one embodiment. The appearances of the phrase “in one embodiment” or “in one example” in various places in the specification are not necessarily all referring to the same embodiment.

[0032] As used herein, a “portion” of something means “at least some” of that thing, and thus can mean less than all of the thing or all of the thing. Thus, a “portion” of a thing includes the whole thing as a special example, i.e., the whole thing is an example of a portion of the thing.

[0033] As used herein, the term “set” denotes one or more. Thus, a set of items can be a single item or a collection of two or more items.

[0034] As used herein, the terms “determine” and “identify” or any variant thereof can include selecting, ascertaining, calculating, looking up, receiving, determining, establishing, obtaining, or otherwise determining or identifying in any manner.

[0035] As used herein, “element,” “module,” “component,” “device,” or “system” can refer to software, hardware, or a combination of software and hardware.

[0036] In the present disclosure, in order to determine whether a certain condition is satisfied, expressions such as “greater than” or “less than” are used as examples, and expressions such as “greater than or equal to” or “less than or equal to” are also applicable and are not excluded. For example, a condition defined with “greater than or equal to” can be replaced with “greater than” (or vice versa), a condition defined with “less than or equal to” can be replaced with “less than” (or vice versa), and so on.

[0037] An aircraft (e.g., an airplane) can deviate from an airway during flight (e.g., during cruise) for various reasons (e.g., due to a controller command to deviate, to avoid weather, or a malfunction, etc.). When an aircraft deviates from an airway during flight, the aircraft can be unprotected on the airway. This can affect flight safety.

[0038] There is a need for a processing method or apparatus for an aircraft to ensure flight safety of the aircraft when deviating from, about to deviate from, or intending to deviate from an airway due to various reasons.

[0039] As used herein, “deviation” or “deviate” can refer to a manner in which a flight trajectory of an aircraft is offset by a certain distance in a certain direction (left or right) with respect to a predetermined (e.g., pre-planned) route or airway.

[0040] According to an example embodiment of the present disclosure, a processing method for an aircraft is provided. The processing method comprises: predicting a first maximum offset distance of the aircraft based on information related to the aircraft and information related to a location where the aircraft is to be offset; and for each of one or more candidate landing airports, determining an offset center and an offset range of the candidate landing airport relative to the aircraft based on information related to the candidate landing airport and the first maximum offset distance of the aircraft, and determining a second maximum offset distance of the aircraft by using digital elevation model data representing ground elevation information based on the offset center and the offset range of the candidate landing airport relative to the aircraft.

[0041] According to an example embodiment of the present disclosure, a processing apparatus for an aircraft is provided. The processing apparatus comprises: a memory; and one or more processors coupled to the memory and configured to perform operations comprising: predicting a first maximum offset distance of the aircraft based on information related to the aircraft and information related to a location where the aircraft is to be offset; for each of one or more candidate landing airports, determining an offset center and an offset range of the candidate landing airport relative to the aircraft based on information related to the candidate landing airport and the first maximum offset distance of the aircraft; and determining a second maximum offset distance of the aircraft by using digital elevation model data representing ground elevation information based on the offset center and the offset range of the candidate landing airport relative to the aircraft.

[0042] According to an example embodiment of the present disclosure, a computer-readable storage medium having stored thereon one or more computer programs, wherein the one or more computer programs, when executed by one or more processors, implement operations comprising: predicting a first maximum offset distance of the aircraft based on information related to the aircraft and information related to a location where the aircraft is to be offset; for each of one or more candidate landing airports, determining an offset center and an offset range of the candidate landing airport relative to the aircraft based on information related to the candidate landing airport and the first maximum offset distance of the aircraft; and determining a second maximum offset distance of the aircraft by using digital elevation model data representing ground elevation information based on the offset center and the offset range of the candidate landing airport relative to the aircraft.

[0043] Example embodiments of the present disclosure will be described below with reference to the accompanying drawings.

[0044] Figure 1 A flowchart of a processing method for an aircraft according to an example embodiment of the present disclosure is shown.

[0045] Reference Figure 1At step S110, a first maximum offset distance of the aircraft is predicted based on the information related to the aircraft and the information related to the location where the aircraft is offset. For example, the first maximum offset distance of the aircraft can be predicted using historical data or empirical data. For the convenience of description, the predicted maximum offset distance at step S110 is referred to as the first offset distance, and the maximum offset distance of the aircraft determined at step S130 based on the offset center of the candidate landing airport relative to the aircraft and the offset range by using the digital elevation model data representing the ground elevation information is referred to as the second maximum offset distance. The second offset distance can be used to determine the final alternate landing plan. The second offset distance can be related to the maximum range where the aircraft can be alternately landed.

[0046] In some embodiments, the information related to the aircraft and the information related to the location where the aircraft is offset can be obtained (e.g., parsed) based on a flight plan of a current operation of the aircraft.

[0047] In some embodiments, the information related to the aircraft can include one or more of the following: a unique identification of the aircraft (e.g., a plane number, a tail number, a registration number, which is unique to the aircraft), a model of the aircraft (e.g., a type of aircraft), waypoint locations of a flight plan of the aircraft, candidate landing airports of the flight plan of the aircraft, single engine glide performance data (profile data) when the aircraft fails (e.g., cabin depressurization or any other force majeure), and a maximum time of flight at a predetermined altitude (e.g., 14,000 feet) when the aircraft fails (e.g., cabin depressurization). When the aircraft fails (e.g., one engine fails and the cabin depressurizes), the aircraft needs to operate under a specific performance profile, for example, a normal engine can fly 30,000 feet, when only one engine is operating, it needs to be calculated according to the load and other factors that it can fly at the maximum height (assuming the height is 20,000 feet), then the curve formed between 30,000 feet-20,000 feet can be referred to as the performance profile.

[0048] In some embodiments, the information related to the location where the bias occurs for the aircraft can include one or more of: an altitude of the location where the bias occurs, a wind speed and / or a wind direction of the location where the bias occurs, a standard atmosphere (ISA) temperature of the location where the bias occurs. The cabin depressurization and single engine out performance data (profile data) corresponding to the altitude where the bias occurs can be obtained based on the altitude of the location where the bias occurs and the single engine out performance data (profile data) when the aircraft fails. The “bias occurs” can refer to the aircraft performing a bias to a route or a track. The bias can occur due to, for example, a cabin depressurization or any other force majeure. For example, the candidate landing airport location information can be projected onto the route to determine the flight attributes (e.g., the flight altitude, speed, weight, ISA temperature, wind direction and speed, etc. at the time of the flight) when the bias occurs, for example, with the location (e.g., longitude and latitude) of the candidate landing airport as the center. For example, the information related to the location where the bias occurs for the aircraft can be information obtained in real time, for example, information obtained in real time when the aircraft is flying and the bias occurs. In this case, the location where the bias occurs for the aircraft can be the actual location where the bias occurs. For another example, the location where the bias occurs for the aircraft can be a predicted location where the bias can occur.

[0049] With reference to the above description of the method of determining the candidate landing airports, the method of determining the candidate landing airports can further include the following steps. Figure 1 At step S120, for each of the one or more candidate landing airports, a bias center and a bias range of the candidate landing airport relative to the aircraft are determined based on the information related to the candidate landing airport and the first maximum bias distance of the aircraft. For example, when the failure occurs, the farthest position that the flight can reach can be deduced reversely with the candidate landing airport as the center, i.e., the maximum range where the aircraft can be prepared to land is determined with the location (longitude and latitude) of the candidate landing airport as the center and with the time (the time when the predetermined condition is met so as to perform the bias) / distance (the distance to the candidate landing airport) of the profile of the aircraft failure as the radius. The profile of the failure (which can also be referred to as the profile of the depressurization) generally has a time limit, for example, the oxygen carried by the aircraft is generally 22 or 12 minutes. When the aircraft flies according to the profile data, the distance that can be biased can be determined according to the different time limits at different altitudes and the corresponding speeds (e.g., the product of the different time limits at different altitudes and the corresponding speeds), for example, the determined distance that can be biased can be taken as the radius (the maximum bias range) of the candidate landing airport (the prepared landing site).

[0050] In some embodiments, the one or more candidate landing airports can include candidate landing airports determined based on a route of the aircraft. For example, the one or more candidate landing airports can include airports having a distance to the route less than a predetermined threshold.

[0051] In some embodiments, the information related to the candidate landing airport can include one or more of: a location (e.g., geographic coordinates) of the candidate landing airport (may also be referred to as an alternate airport in embodiments of the present disclosure), a wind speed of the candidate landing airport, or a wind direction of the candidate landing airport. Figure 2 An example of information of a candidate landing airport is shown in accordance with some embodiments of the present disclosure.

[0052] With continued reference to Figure 1 At step S130, based on the offset center and offset range of the candidate landing airport relative to the aircraft, a second maximum offset distance of the aircraft is determined by using Digital Elevation Model (DEM) data representing the ground elevation information.

[0053] A digital elevation model can be a discrete mathematical representation of the topography of the earth's surface. An elevation or absolute elevation (may also be referred to as altitude) can refer to the distance between a target point and the geoid. Digital elevation model data can be a dataset (e.g., including one or more raster data) describing the ground elevation information by regular grid within a certain range, which can be used to reflect the spatial distribution of the regional topography, for example. Herein, the digital elevation model data is used as an example to illustrate how to determine the second maximum offset distance of the aircraft. However, embodiments of the present disclosure are not limited thereto, and other similar spatial model data can be used, such as digital surface model (DSM), digital ortho image (DOM), true ortho image (TDOM), oblique photogrammetry 3D model, laser point cloud, etc. Herein, “elevation” can be used interchangeably with “absolute elevation” unless otherwise specified. In some embodiments, the digital elevation model data can be acquired and / or stored in any suitable manner. For example, the information can be acquired from an external device (e.g., a server) or through a graphical user interface (through which user input is received). The acquired information can be stored in a memory. For another example, the information can be pre-stored in the memory, and thus the information can be acquired from the memory.

[0054] In some embodiments, a flight profile of the aircraft in case of failure (failure profile) can be superimposed on a terrain map (elevation map) based on the digital elevation model to obtain or confirm the over obstacle (also referred to as obstacle clearance) capability when flying over, and then a flight profile of the aircraft in case of failure superimposed view with the elevation map can be generated. Figures 3A-3C A schematic diagram of a flight profile of the aircraft in case of failure superimposed on an elevation map is shown in accordance with some embodiments of the present disclosure. The schematic diagram is a two-dimensional view of the ideal flight height of the aircraft when flying in the failure profile superimposed on the terrain height view of the corresponding location. Specifically, Figure 3AThe trajectory of the aircraft flying in a straight line to the center position within a fixed radius range centered on the position of the standby landing site is shown. Figure 3B The two-dimensional surface shown by the elevation profile of the aircraft flying to the center position after the superposition of the terrain and the profile (assuming that each point on the circumference of the range fails) is shown. Figure 3C The superimposed view of the terrain and the elevation is generated. Finally, the part that cannot be flown over and the range within a predetermined distance (for example, 25 km) from the part are deleted, and the remaining part is smoothed to determine (for example, draw) a plurality of irregular polygons (for example, representing the offset range corresponding to the standby landing site) with the standby landing site as the object and superimpose them on the flight path. Figure 4 The schematic diagram of the offset range of the flight path of the aircraft according to some embodiments of the present disclosure is shown. Figure 4 In the figure, a plurality of standby landing sites on the flight path are shown, including standby landing site ZLDH, standby landing site ZLJQ, and standby landing site ZLXN, where the position shown by the aircraft shape is the position of the airport. The offset range is determined for each standby landing site respectively (the shade color indicates the offset range of different standby landing sites). Note that the offset ranges of different standby landing sites may overlap, for example, the offset ranges of standby landing site ZLDH and standby landing site ZLJQ overlap. The offset range can indicate the range that can reach the position where the corresponding standby landing site is located in a straight line after the aircraft fails. Therefore, if the aircraft selects the above three standby landing sites during flight, it cannot deviate from the above offset range, that is, it cannot be outside the range covered by the shadow.

[0055] In some embodiments, step S130 can include, based on the offset range, constructing a plurality of grid data by using digital elevation model data, wherein each grid data corresponds to a pixel, and the plurality of pixels form a range identical to the offset range (i.e., a grid (also referred to as a grid cache in embodiments of the present disclosure) having the same size as the four-to-range), and for each pixel in the plurality of pixels, determining the second maximum offset distance of the aircraft based on whether the distance from the pixel to the offset center is less than or equal to the first maximum offset distance (i.e., the maximum offset distance determined or predicted in step S110) and whether the pixel satisfies the obstacle clearance margin.

[0056] In some examples, for each of the plurality of pixels, the flag bit of the pixel is set to a first value (e.g., 1) if the distance of the pixel to the center of the offset is less than or equal to the first maximum offset distance and the pixel satisfies the overhanging clearance. Additionally or alternatively, the flag bit of the pixel is set to a second value (e.g., 0) if the distance of the pixel to the center of the offset is greater than the first maximum offset distance and / or the pixel does not satisfy the overhanging clearance. The second maximum offset distance of the aircraft can be determined based on the flag bits of the plurality of pixels. Thus, the raster pixels of the terrain are compared to the profile to obtain a data buffer of the raster, if the flag bit of a pixel in the buffer is 0, the pixel does not belong to the offset range; if the flag bit of a pixel in the buffer is 1, the pixel belongs to the offset range. The flag bit of the pixel can be used as a classification attribute value of the vector after the subsequent raster is converted to vector.

[0057] For example, for each of the plurality of pixels, the pixel is determined to satisfy the overhanging clearance if one or more of the following are satisfied: the value of the pixel is a null value or is less than a limit elevation based on the overhanging clearance; or a difference between the profile elevation at the location of the offset of the aircraft and the value of the pixel is greater than or equal to a first predetermined value (e.g., 2000). For example, if the traversed terrain pixel is not within the offset range corresponding to the maximum offset range radius, the flag of the buffer corresponding pixel is set to 0. For example, if the value (i.e., height value) of the traversed terrain pixel is null (e.g., representing ocean) or is less than a given minimum height value (e.g., limit elevation), the pixel is within the offset range, the flag of the buffer corresponding pixel can be set to 1. For example, if the value of the traversed terrain pixel plus the first predetermined value (e.g., 2000 feet) is greater than the profile elevation, the terrain pixel is not within the offset range, the flag of the buffer corresponding pixel is set to 0.

[0058] For each of the plurality of pixels, an example description of setting the flag bit of the pixel is given below.

[0059] If the distance of the pixel to the center of the offset > the maximum offset range radius:

[0060] The flag bit of the pixel = 0

[0061] Else:

[0062] If the value of the pixel is a null value or the value of the pixel is less than the limit elevation:

[0063] The flag bit of the pixel = 1

[0064] Else If the value of the pixel + 2000 > the profile elevation:

[0065] The flag bit of the pixel = 0

[0066] Else:

[0067] Pixel flag bit = 1

[0068] In some examples, multiple raster data sets with cell flags can be processed. For instance, starting from the boundary cells of the raster data and moving to the offset center, a predetermined algorithm (e.g., the Bresenham algorithm) can be used to progressively count the position P where the flag of the furthest cell is 1, and then the flags of all cells on the line from the boundary cell to position P are set to 0. Furthermore, the data in the raster buffer can undergo image morphological processing, using various methods such as erosion and dilation to suppress excessively small or narrow regions in the image.

[0069] In some implementations, step S130 may further include converting multiple raster data (or multiple processed raster data) into vector data including multiple features, wherein the cell flag bits are used as classification attributes of the multiple features in the vector data; and determining the maximum offset distance of the aircraft based on the multiple features in the vector data.

[0070] In some examples, the vector data file can be traversed, and the maximum offset distance of the aircraft can be determined based on multiple features in the vector data. For example, if a feature's classification attribute is not equal to a first value (e.g., 1) (i.e., the distance from the corresponding cell to the offset center exceeds the maximum offset radius, or the obstacle clearance is not met), the corresponding feature is deleted. Additionally or alternatively, if the area of ​​a feature's geometry is smaller than the limit area or the feature's geometry does not contain the offset center, the feature is deleted. Furthermore, a predetermined data compression algorithm (e.g., thinning algorithm) can be used to reduce the number of boundary points in the feature geometry. Thus, the raster data buffer can be converted into a vector and further processed using spatial algorithms, where the converted cell values ​​are automatically mapped to the vector's classification attribute values.

[0071] For example, all geometric extents generated using the above raster-to-vector conversion method have categorical attribute values. If the categorical attribute is 1, the corresponding geometric extent needs to be retained; if the attribute is not 1, the corresponding geometric extent does not need to be retained and can be deleted. For example, when the categorical attribute of a geometric extent is 1, if the area is smaller than the limit area and does not contain an offset center (alternate airport), the geometric extent does not need to be retained and can be deleted. Boundary points can be thinned out for the last retained geometric extents to compress the data and reduce the data volume. An exemplary description of a method for converting multiple raster data (or multiple processed raster data) into vector data including multiple features is given below.

[0072] If the feature classification attribute! = 1:

[0073] Delete elements

[0074] Else:

[0075] If the feature's geometric area is less than the limit area, or the feature's geometric extent does not include the offset center:

[0076] Delete elements

[0077] Else:

[0078] Reduce the number of boundary points in feature geometry using thinning algorithms.

[0079] In some examples, after processing the features of a vector data file, the maximum offset range of candidate landing airports can be determined or obtained based on the processed features.

[0080] According to embodiments of this disclosure, a method for automatically calculating the maximum offset distance (range) of an aircraft is provided by using digital elevation model data characterizing ground elevation information, based on the offset center and offset range of a candidate landing airport relative to the aircraft. This method can quickly and / or in real-time (e.g., during flight) determine the maximum offset distance (range). Furthermore, using digital elevation model data characterizing ground elevation information to determine the maximum offset distance (range) improves the accuracy of the offset distance (range) calculation, providing more reliable auxiliary information for flight and ensuring flight safety when the aircraft deviates from its flight path for various reasons, is about to deviate, or intends to deviate. For example, in the raster data to vector data conversion method and / or the method for processing elements of a vector data file as described above, considering parameters such as limiting elevation, profile elevation, offset center, maximum offset range radius of the alternate landing field, and obstacle clearance margin, a more accurate maximum offset distance (range) can be obtained.

[0081] Step S130 can be performed for each of one or more candidate landing airports to determine the maximum offset range for each candidate landing airport. The maximum offset range of a flight route or airway can be used to determine or obtain the maximum offset range of the airway. Before or during flight, the aircraft's operations can be guided based on the determined or obtained maximum offset range. For example, when operating on a high-altitude route, if unforeseen circumstances cause a deviation from the original planned route, the flight crew can clearly know the maximum permissible deviation range. If air traffic control requires a deviation exceeding the maximum permissible deviation range, the pilot should explicitly refuse to comply to ensure safe operation of the flight in high-altitude areas.

[0082] Note that, although the information related to the aircraft, the information related to the position where the aircraft is biased, and the information related to the candidate landing airport are described in a separate manner, embodiments of the present disclosure are not limited thereto. For example, these information can be combined into one information, or the information included in the information related to the aircraft, the information included in the information related to the position where the aircraft is biased, and the information included in the information related to the candidate landing airport can be combined in any suitable manner.

[0083] In some examples, the information related to the aircraft and / or the information related to the position where the aircraft is biased and / or the information related to the candidate landing airport can be acquired and / or stored in any suitable manner. For example, these information can be acquired from an external device (e.g., a server) or through a graphical user interface (through which user input is received). The acquired information can be stored in the memory. For another example, these information can be pre-stored in the memory, and thus can be acquired from the memory.

[0084] In embodiments of the present disclosure, the aircraft can include, for example, a balloon, a glider, a dirigible, an airplane, a helicopter, a drone, and the like.

[0085] Figure 5 A block diagram of a processing device for an aircraft according to some embodiments of the present disclosure is shown.

[0086] Referring to Figure 5 The processing device includes a memory 510 and one or more processors 520.

[0087] The one or more processors 520 are coupled with the memory 510 and configured to perform one or more steps in the methods described according to various embodiments of the present disclosure.

[0088] For example, the one or more processors 520 can be configured to: predict a first maximum bias distance of the aircraft based on the information related to the aircraft and the information related to the position where the aircraft is biased; for each of the one or more candidate landing airports, determine a bias center and a bias range of the candidate landing airport with respect to the aircraft based on the information related to the candidate landing airport and the first maximum bias distance of the aircraft; and determine a second maximum bias distance of the aircraft by using digital elevation model data representing ground elevation information based on the bias center and the bias range of the candidate landing airport with respect to the aircraft.

[0089] Those skilled in the art will appreciate that the illustrative embodiments described above are described herein and are not intended to be limiting. It should be understood that any two or more of the disclosed embodiments can be combined in any combination. In addition, other embodiments can be utilized, and other changes can be made, without departing from the spirit and scope of the subject matter presented herein. It will be readily understood to those skilled in the art that the various aspects of the present disclosure, as generally described herein, and illustrated in the Figures, can be arranged, substituted, combined, separated, and designed in various different configurations, all of which are contemplated herein.

[0090] Those skilled in the art will appreciate that the various illustrative logical blocks, modules, circuits, and steps described in connection with the disclosure can be implemented as hardware, software, or combinations thereof. To clearly illustrate this interchangeability of hardware and software, various illustrative components, blocks, modules, circuits, and steps have been described above generally in terms of their functionality. Whether such functionality is implemented as hardware or software depends upon the particular application and design constraints imposed on the overall system. Skilled artisans can implement the described functionality in varying ways for each particular application, but such implementation decisions should not be interpreted as causing a departure from the scope of the present disclosure.

[0091] The various illustrative logical blocks, modules, and circuits described in connection with the disclosure can be implemented or performed with a general purpose processor, a Digital Signal Processor (DSP), an Application Specific Integrated Circuit (ASIC), a Field Programmable Gate Array (FPGA) or other programmable logic device, discrete gate or transistor logic, discrete hardware components, or any combination thereof designed to perform the functions described herein. A general purpose processor can be a microprocessor, but in the alternative, the processor can be any conventional processor, controller, microcontroller, or state machine. A processor can also be implemented as a combination of computing devices, such as a combination of a DSP and a microprocessor, a plurality of microprocessors, one or more microprocessors in conjunction with a DSP core, or any other such configuration.

[0092] The steps of a method or algorithm described in connection with the present disclosure can be embodied directly in hardware, in a software module executed by a processor, or in a combination of the two. A software module can reside in RAM memory, flash memory, ROM memory, EPROM memory, EEPROM memory, registers, hard disk, a removable disk, or any other form of storage medium known in the art. An exemplary storage medium is coupled to the processor such that the processor can read information from, and write information to, the storage medium. In the alternative, the storage medium can be integral to the processor. The processor and the storage medium can reside in an ASIC. The ASIC can reside in a user terminal. In the alternative, the processor and the storage medium can reside as discrete components in a user terminal.

[0093] In one or more exemplary designs, the functions described can be implemented in hardware, software, firmware, or any combination thereof. If implemented in software, the functions can be stored on or transmitted over as one or more instructions or code on a computer-readable medium. Computer-readable media include both computer storage media and communication media including any medium that facilitates transfer of a computer program from one place to another. Storage media can be any available media that can be accessed by a general purpose or special purpose computer.

[0094] The above-described exemplary embodiments are merely illustrative for the present application and do not in any way limit the scope of the present application, which is defined by the appended claims.

Claims

1. A method for handling aircraft, comprising: Based on information related to the aircraft and information related to the position where the aircraft is offset, predict the first maximum offset distance of the aircraft; as well as For each of one or more candidate landing airports: Based on information related to the candidate landing airport and the aircraft's first maximum offset distance, the offset center and offset range of the candidate landing airport relative to the aircraft are determined. Based on the offset center and offset range of the candidate landing airport relative to the aircraft, the second maximum offset distance of the aircraft is determined by using digital elevation model data that characterizes ground elevation information.

2. The processing method according to claim 1, wherein, Based on the offset center and offset range of the candidate landing airport relative to the aircraft, determining the second maximum offset distance of the aircraft using digital elevation model data includes: Based on the aforementioned offset range, multiple raster data are constructed using digital elevation model data, wherein each raster data corresponds to one cell, and the range formed by the multiple cells is the same as the offset range; and For each of the plurality of pixels, the second maximum offset distance of the aircraft is determined based on whether the distance from the pixel to the offset center is less than or equal to the first maximum offset distance and whether the pixel satisfies obstacle clearance margin.

3. The processing method according to claim 2, wherein, For each of the plurality of pixels, determining the second maximum offset distance of the aircraft based on whether the distance from the pixel to the offset center is less than or equal to a first maximum offset distance and whether the pixel satisfies obstacle clearance margin includes: If the distance from the pixel to the offset center is less than or equal to the first maximum offset distance and the pixel satisfies the obstacle clearance margin, the flag bit of the pixel is set to the first value; If the distance from the pixel to the offset center is greater than the first maximum offset distance and / or the pixel does not meet the obstacle clearance margin, the flag bit of the pixel is set to the second value; The multiple raster data are converted into vector data including multiple features, wherein the marker bits of the cells are used as classification attributes of the multiple features in the vector data; and The maximum offset distance of the aircraft is determined based on multiple elements in the vector data.

4. The processing method according to claim 3, wherein, Determining the second maximum offset distance of the aircraft based on multiple features in the vector data includes: Based on one or more of the classification attributes or geometric extents of multiple features in the vector data, features are deleted from the vector data to obtain updated vector data; and The second maximum offset distance of the aircraft is obtained from the updated vector data.

5. The processing method according to claim 4, wherein, Deleting features from multiple features in the vector data to obtain updated vector data, based on one or more of the categorical attributes or geometric extents of the features, includes: If the categorical attribute of an element is not equal to the first value, delete the element; and / or If the area of ​​a feature's geometric extent is smaller than the restricted area or if the feature's geometric extent does not contain the offset center, delete the feature; and / or The element is deleted if its classification attribute is equal to the first value and the area of ​​its geometric extent is less than the restricted area or the geometric extent of the element does not contain the offset center.

6. The processing method according to any one of claims 2-5, wherein, For each of a plurality of pixels, the pixel is determined to satisfy obstacle clearance margin if one or more of the following conditions are met: The value of the pixel is null or less than the elevation limit based on the obstacle clearance margin; or The difference between the profile elevation at the location where the aircraft is offset and the value of the pixel is greater than or equal to a first predetermined value.

7. The processing method of claim 1 further includes determining an alternate landing scheme for the aircraft based on a second maximum offset distance for each candidate landing airport.

8. The processing method according to claim 1, wherein, Information related to an aircraft includes one or more of the following: the aircraft's unique identifier, the aircraft's model, the waypoint location of the aircraft's flight plan, the candidate landing airports of the aircraft's flight plan, the single-engine drift performance data of the aircraft in the event of a malfunction, and the longest continuous flight time at a predetermined altitude when the aircraft malfunctions. and / or Information related to the location where the aircraft was deflected includes one or more of the following: altitude of the location where the deflection occurred, wind speed and / or wind direction of the location where the deflection occurred, and standard atmospheric temperature of the location where the deflection occurred. and / or Information associated with the candidate landing airport includes one or more of the following: the location of the candidate landing airport, the wind speed at the candidate landing airport, or the wind direction at the candidate landing airport.

9. A processing apparatus for an aircraft, comprising: Memory; as well as One or more processors, coupled to the memory and configured to perform the method as described in any one of claims 1-8.

10. A computer-readable storage medium having one or more computer programs stored thereon, wherein, The method described in any one of claims 1 to 8 is implemented when the one or more computer programs are executed by one or more processors.

Images