Method and device for the automated processing of one or more alerts in an aircraft

Abstract

Method and device for automated processing of one or more alerts in an aircraft. One aspect of the invention relates to a method for automated processing of one or more alerts in an aircraft, an alert being associated with an event relating to the state of the aircraft, an event being able to be associated with one or more alerts, the method being implemented by an automated processing system comprising one or more digitized control panels and a computing unit, the method comprising a step of preparing the processing of the alerts; a step of evaluating one or more procedures associated with each alert; a step of selecting a mode of execution of the procedures to be implemented from among a manual mode in which the actions associated with each procedure are executed by the user himself and an automatic mode in which the actions associated with each procedure are executed by the automated processing system;a step of executing the procedures from the ordered list of procedures to be implemented, this execution being carried out in accordance with the ordering of said list when the automatic execution mode is selected by the user; a step of displaying the actions implemented during the previous step, the changes obtained and / or expected associated with each of these actions and the adequacy between the changes obtained and the changes expected.;

Description

Title of the invention: Method and device for automated processing of one or more alerts in an aircraft TECHNICAL FIELD OF THE INVENTION

[0001] The technical field of the invention is that of alert management in an aircraft.

[0002] The present invention relates to a method for processing alerts in an aircraft and in particular a method for partially or totally automating said processing. TECHNOLOGICAL BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

[0003] When an aircraft is faced with a set of significant failures, the pilot(s) must execute a set of procedures to decide whether the aircraft can remain in a stabilized flight condition and sufficiently navigable to continue the current flight / mission, or whether it is necessary to divert to land as quickly as possible.

[0004] During a major event such as an engine explosion damaging part of the aircraft wing, several dozen alerts related to major system failures are displayed to the pilots. This large number of alerts requires rapid processing and decision-making that can be complex. When there are several pilots in the aircraft, they can process a large number of alerts, for example by dividing up the verification of all the aircraft systems in order to identify the available systems. However, this distribution of tasks and their cooperative processing in a crisis situation is not necessarily easy. In addition, when a pilot is alone, it is sometimes impossible for him to process all the alerts because they are so numerous and complex. Thus, there is a need to assist the pilot(s) in managing the alerts.

[0005] In order to assist the pilot(s) in managing alerts, document WO 2021130520 A1 proposes a failure management system for complex systems. More particularly, the proposed system determines and restores the functionality of faulty systems and subsystems using an intervention approach based on a directed graph of the system state. But if such a system makes it possible to improve the information provided to the pilot(s), it does not make it possible to automate, even partially, the resolution of alerts.

[0006] There is therefore a need for a device and a method for automating, at least partially, the management of alerts. Summary of the invention

[0007] The invention provides a solution to the problems mentioned above, by proposing a method of automated processing of one or more alerts in an aircraft.

[0008] For this, a first aspect of the invention relates to a method for automated processing of one or more alerts in an aircraft, an alert being associated with an event relating to the state of the aircraft, an event being able to be associated with one or more alerts, the method being implemented by an automated processing system comprising one or more digitized control panels and a calculation unit, the method comprising: • A preparation step for processing alerts including: • A sub-step for storing alerts as well as a severity level associated with each alert; • A sub-step to verify the absence of other automated alert processing already in progress; • A step of evaluating one or more procedures associated with each alert, said evaluation comprising: • A sub-step of sorting and ordering procedures based on a list of actions and checks to be carried out associated with each procedure so as to obtain an ordered list of procedures to be implemented; • A sub-step for displaying the ordered list of procedures to be implemented, with the procedures associated with the alert having the highest severity level and / or ensuring stable flight conditions being displayed first; A step of selecting a mode of execution of the procedures to be implemented from a manual mode in which the actions associated with each procedure are executed by the user himself and an automatic mode in which the actions associated with each procedure are executed by the automated processing system; A step of executing the procedures of the ordered list of procedures to be implemented, this execution being carried out in accordance with the ordering of said list when the automatic execution mode is selected by the user, said step comprising, for each action associated with each procedure: • When the automatic execution mode is selected by the user, a sub-step of execution of the action by the automated processing system; • For each action performed during the previous sub-step or performed by the user, a sub-step updating the progress of each procedure as well as the changes obtained associated with this advancement in the state of the aircraft; • A step to display the actions implemented during the previous step, the changes obtained and / or expected associated with each of these actions and a match between the changes obtained and the expected changes.

[0009] Thanks to the invention, it is possible to partially or totally automate the processing of these alerts, in particular by sorting and ordering the alerts to be processed and the actions and checks to be carried out. It also makes it possible to guide the user (for example the pilot) in the processing of these alerts when the latter chooses to process all or part of these alerts manually. The invention makes it possible in particular to reduce the load on the user (for example the pilot) during the management of an abnormal situation in order to allow him to focus on piloting the aircraft.

[0010] In addition to the characteristics which have just been mentioned in the preceding paragraph, the method according to one aspect of the invention may have one or more complementary characteristics among the following, considered individually or according to all technically possible combinations.

[0011] In one embodiment, the step of selecting a mode of execution of the procedures to be implemented comprises a sub-step of displaying a dialog window allowing the user to choose the mode of execution.

[0012] In one embodiment, the step of executing the procedures comprises, for at least one action associated with a procedure: • A sub-step of actuating the (digital) elements of the control panel(s); and / or • A sub-step of actuating one or more electrical contactors in connection with at least one action associated with the procedure, so as to switch off a faulty component and / or switch on a backup component•

[0013] In one embodiment, during the sub-step of updating the progress of each procedure, a checked box is displayed when an action is carried out and a result obtained associated with said action is consistent with an expected result.

[0014] The term "result obtained associated with an action" means the result produced by the changes obtained associated with said action. The term "expected result associated with an action" means the result produced by the expected changes associated with said action.

[0015] In one embodiment, at the end of the sub-step of updating the progress of the procedure considered, when the changes obtained associated with the action considered are not in accordance with the expected changes associated with said action, the method comprises a sub-step of selection by the user of a procedure to follow from among the following two procedures to follow: • a continuation of the current procedure or the following procedure if the current procedure is completed, by implementing the previous sub-steps for the next action (i.e. the next action of the current procedure or the first action of the next procedure if the current procedure is completed); or • when the changes obtained associated with the action considered result in the need to implement a new procedure, the execution of this procedure according to the previous sub-steps, the processing of the current procedure resuming at the end of the implementation of the new procedure;

[0016] The selected procedure being implemented by the automatic processing system.

[0017] In one embodiment, at the end of the step of displaying the actions implemented, the method comprises a step of transitioning the automated processing system into a monitoring mode in which the processing system is configured to detect the occurrence of one or more alerts.

[0018] A second aspect of the invention relates to an automated alert processing system comprising at least one digital control panel, a computing unit connected to the digital control panel and means for monitoring the state of the unitary elements which make up a digital control panel, said automated alert processing system being configured to implement a method according to the first aspect of the invention.

[0019] A third aspect of the invention relates to a computer program comprising instructions which, when the program is executed by a computer, cause the apparatus according to the second aspect of the invention to carry out the steps of the method according to the first aspect of the invention.

[0020] A fourth aspect of the invention relates to a computer-readable medium, on which the computer program according to a third aspect of the invention is recorded.

[0021] The invention and its various applications will be better understood by reading the following description and examining the accompanying figures. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE FIGURES

[0022] The figures are presented for information purposes only and in no way limit the invention.

[0023] [Fig.lA] to [Fig.lE] show a schematic representation of a method according to the invention.

[0024] [Fig.2] shows a schematic representation of a system according to the invention.

[0025] [Fig.3] shows an extract from a MEL document.

[0026] [Fig.4] shows a schematic representation of the GEP function. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0027] The figures are presented for information purposes only and in no way limit the invention. Unless otherwise specified, the same element appearing in different figures has a single reference.

[0028] In the following, a procedure is defined as one or more actions and / or checks to be performed. In addition, an action can be associated with several procedures and it can be executed once or several times in each procedure.

[0029] Method for automated processing of one or more alerts in an aircraft

[0030] A first aspect of the invention illustrated in [Fig.lA] to [Fig.lE] relates to a method for automated processing of one or more alerts in an aircraft, an alert being associated with an event or a situation relating to the state of the aircraft, an event or a situation being able to be associated with one or more alerts.

[0031] More particularly, in an aircraft, the cockpit is generally provided with systems which alert the user in the event of danger or system failures impacting the progress of the mission. These alerts are materialized in several ways, for example: • A display of messages on the cockpit screens; • Visual indications by dedicated indicators (for example orange or red depending on the criticality of the situation) also called “attention getter”; • Audio alerts through voice messages or sounds; • Sensitive alerts by vibrations or pressures applied to the elements with which the user interacts with the aircraft.

[0032] These alerts can be of several types and are triggered in certain situations (for example, in the event of a risk of collision with another aircraft, in the event of a risk of collision with an obstacle or with the terrain) or even depending on certain events (for example, in the event of a serious malfunction of one or more systems having an impact on the airworthiness of the aircraft).

[0033] The method according to the invention aims to partially or totally automate the processing of these alerts, in particular by sorting and ordering the alerts to be processed and the actions and checks to be carried out, the method also making it possible to guide the user in the processing of these alerts when the latter chooses to process all or part of these alerts manually.

[0034] The method according to the invention is implemented by an automated processing system according to the invention (described in more detail in the second part of the description and illustrated in [Fig. 2] to [Fig. 4]) comprising a calculation unit and one or more digitized control panels. The calculation unit comprises a calculation means such as a processor as well as a memory (for example a random access memory of the RAM type and / or a hard disk) configured to store the data and the instructions ne- necessary for the implementation of the method according to the invention.

[0035] Thanks to digitization, in a control panel of a modern aircraft, the behavior of the unitary elements and integrated panels can be controlled either by a user action or by a software function executed by the computing unit of the system. These are generally referred to as digitized control panels. In the system according to the invention, when one or more alerts are triggered, the method according to the invention is implemented so as to execute the steps which will now be described.

[0036] Alert processing preparation step

[0037] As illustrated in [Fig.lA], the method according to the invention firstly comprises a step E1 of preparing the processing of the alerts. This step E1 comprises a sub-step of storing (for example in the memory of the system according to the invention) the alerts as well as a severity level associated with each alert.

[0038] This step also includes a sub-step of verifying the absence of another automated alert processing already in progress (for example linked to a previous implementation of the method according to the invention). If no procedure is in progress, the method according to the invention continues. Otherwise, the method according to the invention pauses until the procedure(s) associated with the processing of an alert in progress are completed. Alternatively, several procedures associated with the processing of one or more alerts can be processed in parallel. The term "in parallel" here means that their processing is concomitant and independent.

[0039] Step of evaluating one or more procedures associated with each alert

[0040] As illustrated in [Fig.lB], the method also comprises a step E2 of evaluating one or more procedures associated with each alert, said evaluation comprising: • A sub-step of sorting and ordering the procedures, for example based on a list of actions and checks (or “Non-Normal Checklist”) to be carried out associated with each procedure so as to obtain an ordered list of the procedures to be implemented; • A sub-step for displaying the ordered list of procedures to be implemented, with the procedures associated with the alert having the highest severity level and / or ensuring stable flight conditions being displayed first.

[0041] In an exemplary embodiment, the sorting and ordering sub-step comprises, when defining the aircraft, the study of all the fault trees of all the components and systems of the aircraft. In addition, this study can be carried out more precisely for the systems or components having a strong impact on the flight safety / airworthiness. This study allows the manufacturer to create a document called the Master Minimum Equipment List (MMEL). This document estimates the impact of each component or system on flight airworthiness. The MMEL document, which may be provided by the aircraft manufacturer, is used to create a more restrictive MEL document, which is the operator's responsibility. In the case where there are multiple alerts to be processed, the triage phase can determine which alerts can be processed in parallel, one criterion used being that the systems / components incriminated in the alerts are not functionally linked to each other.

[0042] In an exemplary embodiment, the severity level of the procedures associated with the alert can be determined by taking into account two criteria: the level of impact of the failure of a component and / or a system on maintaining the stability of the aircraft and / or when there are several failures, which procedure to execute first to ensure the stability of the aircraft as soon as possible. Thus, the procedures, which include a list of actions and checks to be carried out, are ordered according to their severity level.

[0043] In an exemplary embodiment, the evaluation of the procedures is carried out by taking two types of information into account; the first type is a list of actions associated with each alert and defined by the alert system, the second type is a list of actions and checks associated with each system and defined by the predictive MEL function which identifies the checks and potential operational restrictions to be taken into account during the flight or during a pre-flight maintenance operation. In one embodiment, the method comprises a step of displaying to the user the restrictions to be taken into account at the time when the flight phase in question is reached.

[0044] In one embodiment, the display of the list of procedures and checks to be carried out is done according to the order of priority, from the most important to the least important, the display also including the MEL documentary elements being presented to the user in correspondence with the highest priority alert to be processed.

[0045] Step of selecting an execution mode

[0046] As illustrated in [Fig.lC], the method also comprises a step E3 of selecting a mode of execution of the procedures to be implemented from a manual mode in which the actions associated with each procedure are executed by the user himself and an automatic mode in which the actions associated with each procedure are executed by the automated processing system according to the invention. In other words, once the identification of the list of procedures to be implemented has been carried out, the calculation unit of the system according to the invention is configured to ask the user for confirmation before launching the automatic execution of procedures.

[0047] To do this, in one embodiment, the method comprises generating a message in a window (for example of the “pop-up” type) on the screen. The user can choose to validate the automatic execution of the procedures (for example, by choosing “Y”) or not (for example, by choosing “N”). If he chooses “N”, the user will have to manually execute all the actions linked to the procedure(s). However, by digitizing all the elements with which the pilot interacts, the calculation unit is configured to record all the changes of state which will result from the actions of the user. The calculation unit is also configured to broadcast these changes of state to other functions, for example the predictive function MEL.This sharing of the current state of the cockpit and aircraft systems allows onboard functions to correlate information to improve user assistance in pursuing the mission.

[0048] Procedure execution step

[0049] As illustrated in [Fig.1D], the method also comprises a step E4 of executing the procedures of the ordered list of procedures to be implemented, this execution being carried out in accordance with the ordering of said list when the automatic execution mode is selected by the user.

[0050] This step includes, for each action associated with each procedure, when the automatic execution mode is selected by the user, a sub-step of execution of the action by the automated processing system. When the execution mode is the manual mode, each action is executed by the user and only the following sub-steps are implemented for each action executed by the user.

[0051] This step also includes, for each action considered executed during the previous sub-step or executed by the user, a sub-step of updating the progress of the procedure considered as well as the changes obtained associated with this progress in the state of the aircraft.

[0052] This step also includes, when the changes obtained associated with the action considered are not in accordance with expected changes associated with said action, a sub-step of selection, by the user, of a procedure to follow from among the following two procedures: • A continuation of the current procedure or the next procedure if the current procedure is completed, by implementing the previous sub-steps for the next action (i.e. the next action of the current procedure or the first action of the next procedure if the current procedure is completed); or • When the changes obtained associated with the action considered lead to the need to implement a new procedure, the execution of this procedure according to the previous sub-steps, the processing of the current procedure resuming at the end of the implementation of the new procedure;

[0053] The selected course of action is then implemented by the automated processing system. In one embodiment, the computing unit is configured to evaluate the impact and decide whether to: • Continue to perform the following actions of the procedure if the action or procedure that does not produce the expected result does not impact the progress of the following actions or procedures; • Suspend the execution of the following actions of the procedure and inform the user that the result obtained from an automatic action is different from the expected result. The decision to continue is in the hands of the pilot / user. The handling of this case is described in step E4bis.

[0054] Thus, the user only needs to intervene when the procedure impacts the progress of the following actions and procedures. As a general rule, the user evaluates the impact of the expected result of the suspended action. If the impact is low (or zero), the user can decide to restart the automatic execution of the following actions of the current procedure or of the following procedures if the current procedure is completed.

[0055] If, on the contrary, the impact may be significant and / or of a nature to induce one or more new procedures (also called additional procedures or nested procedures) linked to this new, unexpected state of a system, the user has the choice between manually or automatically carrying out the actions of the nested procedure or nested procedures.

[0056] When the user decides to launch the automatic procedure, the calculation unit is configured to execute the actions of the nested checklist procedure. Once all the actions have been successfully performed, the calculation unit is configured to inform the user of the result obtained from the nested procedure. The user validates the result obtained from the nested procedure and, at the same time, validates the continuation of the initial procedure. If during the execution of the actions of the nested procedure a new “unexpected” result is obtained, the process previously described is implemented again. The calculation unit is configured to implement the previous steps (and sub-steps) as many times as necessary for all the alerts to be processed.

[0057] In one embodiment, during the execution sub-step, the calculation unit is configured to execute the actions associated with each procedure in the following manner: • By automatically piloting digital elements of control panels to modify the behavior of an aircraft function or a system in accordance with the alert system procedure and / or the MEL predictive procedure, • By automatically controlling the modification of an electronic contactor via an Electronic Electrical Distribution Contactor Manager function to switch off a faulty system in accordance with the alert system procedure and / or the MEL predictive procedure, or to activate a compensation or “backup” system in accordance with the alert system procedure and / or the MEL predictive procedure.

[0058] In one embodiment, during the update sub-step, the calculation unit is configured to display the progress of the execution of the actions listed by the procedure, using validated tick boxes for example, each time an action is successfully performed. This allows the user to follow the progress of the actions. The information displayed relates for example to modifications of components of the digital control panels, the system pages and / or the procedures executed. In addition, the calculation unit is configured to record all changes of state that result from the automated actions. Furthermore, the calculation unit is configured to broadcast these changes of state to other functions such as the MEL predictive function and the flight and systems parameters acquisition function.This sharing of the current state of the cockpit and aircraft systems allows onboard functions to correlate information to improve user assistance in pursuing the mission.

[0059] Display step

[0060] As illustrated in [Fig. 1E], the method also comprises a step E5 of displaying the actions implemented during the previous step, the changes obtained and / or expected associated with each of these actions and the adequacy between the changes obtained and the expected changes.

[0061] In one embodiment, once all the procedures (and corresponding actions) have been executed, the calculation unit is configured to generate an information pop-up listing all the procedures executed and the associated tick-boxes showing the result obtained from the actions. In one embodiment, after validation by the user of the result obtained, the calculation unit is configured to return to the state of continuous monitoring of the appearance of an aircraft system malfunction alert.

[0062] System according to the invention

[0063] In order to implement the method according to the invention, a second aspect of the invention relates to an automated processing system comprising means configured to implement said method.

[0064] More particularly, the system according to the invention comprises a digitized control panel. In an exemplary embodiment illustrated in [Fig. 2], the digitized control panel PCN according to the invention is configured to interact with touch panels PT. These control or touch panels can, thanks to their digitization, be personalized and / or modified for example by reconfiguring the use of a button and / or panel, by improving the functional monitoring of a button and / or panel. All of these panels are connected to the computing unit UC (sometimes referred to as RCCP / UCAP or RCCP coming from the English “Remote Centralized Control Panel” and UCAP coming from the English “Ultra-Compact Avionics Platform”), this computing unit UC comprising all of the service modules, and in particular: • An Arinc 661 graphics generation MG module (standard for defining and creating aeronautical-certified graphical human-machine interfaces) linking in particular with FIA, FIL and FIR functions; • An MP module for managing / controlling control panels, notably linking it to the FIP control function; • A centralized MC calculation module.

[0065] The computing unit UC of the system according to the invention is configured to execute the main function associated with the method according to the invention: the Screen Page Manager function, NNC execution (for Non-Normal Checklist in English or abnormal checklist in French) and RCCP piloting, referred to hereinafter as the GEP function. This GEP function makes it possible in particular to modify the state of a digital element of the cockpit while recording the initial state and the modified state in order to trace any change. It also makes it possible to automatically execute all or part of the routine checklist procedures during the flight preparation phase.

[0066] It also allows, in the case of an abnormal situation or system failures, to make the link with the content of the "Minimum Equipment List" accessible through a predictive function of a list of minimum necessary equipment commonly called MEL, for "Minimum Equipment List" in English, in order to automatically execute all or part of the procedures (and therefore actions and checks) associated with the management of the abnormal check list (NNC). As a reminder, the information found in the MEL document is organized by system (ATA chapter for Air Transport Association, ATA 36 in the example above), subsystem (ATA subchapter 36-11), sub-subsystem or component (ATA sub-subchapter 36-11-05). Such an organization makes it possible to finely identify the elements contributing to the airworthiness of the aircraft.

[0067] An example of an excerpt from an FAA-issued MEL A350XWB document that illustrates how the information is structured is shown in [Fig.3]. In this example, when the condition 'Engine Bleed IP Check Valve' detected non-functional but in the 'open' position is met, there are two types of recommendations to be made: • (O): check operational impacts during flight to ensure the continuity of operation • (M): if the fault appears when the aircraft is on the ground, the decision to carry out the flight depends on the verification of functional impacts and their consideration by the user.

[0068] In this example, the device (or method) according to the invention, through the GEP software function, is configured to control the execution of the checks described in the procedure (O) during the flight, namely: • Verification: Verify that the Bleed system of the engine not affected by the fault is fully operational; AND • Verification: that the High Pressure valve of the engine affected by the Bleed fault is deactivated and in the 'closed' position; AND • Restriction: At low power, do not use the Bleed system of the affected engine in the descent and taxi phases.

[0069] In addition, the manager of the electronic electrical distribution contactors makes it possible to control the piloting of the electronic contactors. Indeed, certain procedures may require that a faulty system be switched off in order to avoid any disturbance to the overall behavior of the aircraft. In other cases, a procedure may require a cycle of the power supply of a system (Off - On) to make it switch to a particular operating mode. In other words, the link between the GEP software function and the manager function of the electronic electrical distribution contactors therefore allows the automation of the piloting of the electronic contactors.

[0070] In addition, the GEP function generates the system pages (or System Pages in English) with a set of parameters and a high-level architecture plan. The system pages are displayed on the screen dedicated to the system pages. The system pages describe in a simplified manner a view of the architecture of a system which may be complex with a focus on the main elements. These pages are used to inform the pilot in a synthetic manner on the operating state of a system. The systems displayed are those having an impact on the progress of the flight regardless of the phase. For example, a flight cannot take place if one of the doors is not correctly locked, this condition must be detected on the ground before the taxi phase. An example of a system page may include the following information (based on the definition A350XWB): • APU page- (ATA49) • BLEED page - (ATA36) • C / B page - status of electronic contactors open or tripped (ATA24) • CAB IN PRESSURE page - cabin pressure and temperature (ATA21) • AIR CONDITIONING page - (ATA21) smoke detection indication and avionics bay and in cargo • CRUISE page - Fuel, Air Conditioning and cabin pressure status. • DOOR page - (ATA52) • OXYGEN page (ATA35) • ELEC AC page - (ATA24) • ELEC DC page - (ATA24) • ENG page - complementary page to dedicated engine displays (ATA70) • FLIGHT / CTRL page - (ATA27) • FUEL page - (ATA28 & 47) • HYDRAULIC page - (ATA29) & status of hydraulic circuits with main parameters by exposing the valves • WHEEL page - (ATA32) & status of landing gear, brakes and tire pressure.

[0071] Thus, the GEP software function is configured to give the pilot the conclusion of the checks via the system page(s) and indicates the operational restrictions to be taken into account and possibly reminds the pilot of them during the “descent” and “taxi” phases (in connection with the illustrative example used in this document).

[0072] The GEP function also provides the link with a flight warning function (or FW for flight warning in English) which manages the alerts communicated to the user on screen, on dedicated indicators or even audio. More particularly, the FW flight warning function generates alerts in the event of a system failure but also when the aircraft is flying too close to the terrain, if there is a risk of collision, and more generally during any situation requiring the user's attention to take corrective action. Similarly, during normal operation or without active alert (situation not covered by the method according to the invention), the FWS system receives information circulating on the interconnection bus(es) of all the systems of the aircraft under surveillance.The central FC function also receives information circulating on the interconnection bus(es) of all the systems of the aircraft under surveillance and generates the system pages from this information.

[0073] The GEP function also allows automatic execution of step-by-step procedures while providing the necessary feedback to the user. In general, this feedback is materialized by displays of system pages on the display system of which a screen or a screen area is dedicated to these displays (or "System Display" in English), of change of state of the cockpit (or "cockpit control" in English) digitized and / or any other means which allows to keep the user informed of the current situation or its evolution. For example, when a procedure can impact or interfere with a piloting action, this function can be configured to generate a message requesting the agreement of the pilot / user before executing the procedure.

[0074] The GEP function also provides the link with all or part of the MEL predictive function to assess the operational impacts linked to a system failure if the information is not already available with the NNC checklist.

[0075] For this, as illustrated in [Fig.4], this GEP function is organized around a central automaton execution function, called central FC function in the following. This central FC function makes the link with the following external functions (i.e., not part of the GEP function): • The FWS or CAS function (from the English “Flight Warning System” or “Crew Alerting System”) which allows, among other things, the display of alerts at the aircraft cockpit level; • The FD management function of electrical contactors and electrical distributions; • The MEL predictive function; • The FA learning function; • The FP acquisition function of flight and systems parameters.

[0076] Furthermore, within the GEP function, the central FC function links with the following internal functions: • The FIP pilot function (RCCP); • The function of generating and displaying FIA system pages as well as procedures in the event of an alert; • The function for generating lists of abnormal FIL procedures (or Non Normal Check-List Procedures in English or NNC); • The function of generating a list of routine procedures FIR (or Routine Check-List Procedure in English or RC).

[0077] In one embodiment, the different systems of the aircraft are connected to each other by one or more connection buses, and the central function FC is connected to the interconnection buses so as to be able to interact with the different systems of the aircraft, for example using the external functions described previously. At the same time, the central function FC generates the system pages via the trusted graphics generation function (based on the Arinc 661 standard), acquires and records the state of the digital control panels via the function, acquires and records the state of the electronic contactors of the electrical distribution and provides all or part of this information to the Predictive MEL function in order to feed a knowledge base from which the learning function will be learned and updated. The learning function will learn from all the abnormal situations encountered and especially from the way in which these abnormal situations were managed and resolved. One of the objectives is to improve the sorting and scheduling of the procedures to be executed when faced with a multi-alert situation and to determine whether the alerts must be managed sequentially or whether there is a possibility of parallelizing the processing of some of them. Also, the idea is that this learning function is deployed on all the aircraft in a fleet and that all the learning is consolidated at the fleet level.The aim is to take advantage of a global increase in knowledge at the level of an aircraft fleet.

[0078] Thanks to this organization, the UC computing unit (sometimes called avionics platform) can perform continuous monitoring of the occurrence of malfunction alerts. This monitoring is possible thanks to the functional link between the GEP software function and the FWS function. In addition, the MEL predictive function which is based on the MEL structure provides functionalities which make it possible to offer optimal efficiency. Thus, the association of the MEL function with the GEP software function on the one hand and the OMS function, for "On-board Maintenance System" in English, on the other hand will make it possible to create an on-board collaborative space and a collection of the results obtained from all the actions executed by the user and / or the GEP function to process the alerts.

[0079] The OMS function is an onboard centralized maintenance function or system. Generally, the OMS function covers several functions such as the acquisition of flight parameters so that a prognostic function can process them, the acquisition of maintenance messages so that a diagnostic function can process them. Thus, the flight parameter and systems acquisition function receives information circulating on the interconnection bus(es) of all the aircraft systems and from all the systems capable of generating information in digital format and available on the interconnection bus(es).

[0080] Furthermore, thanks to the digitalization of the cockpit already mentioned, the GEP software function makes it possible to associate a learning function with the central FC function (called piloting and execution of automated procedures). This learning function aims to continuously improve the level of support for the user. Thanks to this overall continuous improvement in the management of alerts in a cockpit, the invention makes it possible to prepare the transition between the different levels towards autonomy as defined by EASA at know: level 1 = human assistance; level 2 = human-machine collaboration; level 3 = the machine executes, the human is in the loop.

[0081] In one embodiment, the central FC function of the GEP function is developed according to the most stringent aeronautical standards in order to ensure the highest possible level of confidence in the execution of the procedures. More particularly, the development of this function is based on the application of the standards according to a 'Design Assurance Level' or DAL objective; preferably, for the present case, the targeted DAL level will be B, i.e. a design making it possible to ensure that erratic behavior with a 'Hazardous' consequence cannot have a probability of occurrence greater than 10e7, or A, i.e. a design making it possible to ensure that erratic behavior with a 'Catastrophic' consequence cannot have a probability of occurrence greater than 10e9.

[0082] Thus, the system according to the invention which has just been described, by implementing the method according to the invention, makes it possible to relieve the user of the execution of “low level” procedures and tasks, which allows the latter to focus on the stability and navigability of the aircraft while feeding a knowledge base of the airworthiness status of the aircraft.

Claims

Claims

1. A method for automated processing of one or more alerts in an aircraft, an alert being associated with an event relating to the state of the aircraft, an event being able to be associated with one or more alerts, the method being implemented by an automated processing system comprising one or more digitized control panels and a computing unit, the method comprising: A step (El) of preparation for the processing of alerts including: • A sub-step for storing alerts as well as a severity level associated with each alert; • A sub-step to verify the absence of other automated alert processing already in progress; A step (E2) of evaluating one or more procedures associated with each alert, said evaluation comprising: • A sub-step of sorting and ordering the procedures according to a list of actions and checks to be carried out associated with each procedure so as to obtain an ordered list of procedures to be implemented; • A sub-step for displaying the ordered list of procedures to be implemented, with the procedures associated with the alert having the highest severity level and / or ensuring stable flight conditions being displayed first; A step (E3) of selecting a mode of execution of the procedures to be implemented from among a manual mode in which the actions associated with each procedure are executed by the user himself and an automatic mode in which the actions associated with each procedure are executed by the automated processing system; A step (E4) of executing the procedures of the ordered list of procedures to be implemented, this execution being carried out in accordance with the ordering of said list when the automatic execution mode is selected by the user, said step comprising, for each action associated with each procedure: • When the automatic execution mode is selected by the user, a sub-step of execution of the action by the automated processing system; • For each action executed during the previous sub-step or executed by the user, a sub-step of updating the progress of each procedure as well as the changes obtained associated with this progress in the state of the aircraft; - A step (E5) of displaying the actions implemented during the previous step, the changes obtained and / or expected associated with each of these actions and a match between the changes obtained and the expected changes.

2. Method according to the preceding claim in which the step of selecting a mode of execution of the procedures to be implemented comprises a sub-step of displaying a dialog window allowing the user to choose the mode of execution.

3. Method according to one of the preceding claims in which the step of executing the procedures comprises, for at least one action associated with a procedure: - A sub-step of actuating the (digital) elements of the control panel(s); and / or - A sub-step of actuating one or more electrical contactors in connection with the at least one action associated with the procedure, so as to switch off a faulty component and / or switch on a backup component.

4. Method according to one of the preceding claims in which, during the sub-step of updating the progress of each procedure, a checked box is displayed when an action is carried out and a result obtained associated with said action is consistent with an expected result.

5. Method according to one of the preceding claims comprising, at the end of the sub-step of updating the progress of the procedure considered, when the changes obtained associated with the action considered are not in accordance with the expected changes associated with said action, a sub-step of selection by the user of a procedure to follow from the following two procedures: - A continuation of the current procedure or of the next procedure if the current procedure is completed, by the implementation of the previous sub-steps for the next action (i.e. the next action of the current procedure or the first action of the next procedure if the current procedure is completed); or - When the changes obtained associated with the action considered lead to the need to implement a new procedure, the execution of this procedure according to the previous sub-steps, the processing of the current procedure resuming at the end of the implementation of the new procedure; The selected procedure being implemented by the automatic processing system.

6. Method according to one of the preceding claims comprising, at the end of the step of displaying the actions implemented, a step of transitioning the automated processing system into a monitoring mode in which the processing system is configured to detect the occurrence of one or more alerts.

7. Automated alert processing system comprising at least one digital control panel, a computing unit connected to the digital control panel and means for controlling the state of the unitary elements which make up a digital control panel, said automated alert processing system being configured to implement a method according to one of the preceding claims.

8. A computer program comprising instructions which, when the program is executed by a computer, cause the apparatus according to the preceding claim to execute the steps of the method according to one of claims 1 to 6.

9. Computer-readable medium, on which the computer program according to the preceding claim is recorded.

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