Electronic system and decision support method for a civil aircraft operator, including the development of aeronautical indicator(s), civil aircraft and associated computer program

Abstract

Electronic system and method for assisting a civil aircraft operator in decision-making with the development of aeronautical indicator(s), civil aircraft and associated computer program. The present invention relates to an electronic system (15) for assisting a civil aircraft operator in decision-making (10), comprising: - an electronic device (18) for displaying information; - an electronic device (20) for developing aeronautical indicators, comprising: + a module (30) for acquiring at least one aeronautical information message comprising a header and a useful part, the useful part including several data fields, including a free-format text field, called the free field;+ a module (32) for calculating several aeronautical indicators for each aeronautical information message via the application of an artificial intelligence algorithm to said message, the artificial intelligence algorithm receiving the free field as input and delivering the indicators as output, these being distinct from the data contained in said message; + a module (34) for displaying a rendering of the aeronautical indicators. Figure for the abbreviation: Figure 1;

Description

Title of the invention: Electronic system and method for decision support for a civil aircraft operator, including the development of aeronautical indicator(s), civil aircraft, and associated computer program

[0001] The present invention relates to an electronic decision support system for an operator of a civil aircraft, as well as a decision support method implemented by such a system.

[0002] The invention also relates to a civil aircraft comprising such an operator decision support system; and to a computer program comprising software instructions which, when executed by a computer, implement such a decision support system.

[0003] The invention is in the field of air transport, and more particularly of information to pilots via aeronautical information messages, such as NOTAM messages (from the English Notice to Airmen), SNOWTAM messages, or ASHTAM messages.

[0004] A NOTAM is an official communication issued by a civil aviation regulatory authority to inform pilots of any significant or disruptive event related to flight operations. These notifications may concern temporary changes, closures, or operational constraints in a given airspace.

[0005] A SNOWTAM message (from the combination of the English term SNOW for snow and NOTAM) is a NOTAM message relating to the snow conditions of the runways of an airport.

[0006] An ASHTAM message (from the combination of the English term ASH for ash and NOTAM) is a NOTAM message providing information on the state of activity of a volcano when a change in its activity is or is expected to be operationally significant.

[0007] For air operations, NOTAM messages provide valuable information on ongoing runway work, unavailable navigation equipment, airport closures, flight restrictions, temporary obstacles such as cranes, malfunctioning signaling equipment, military exercise areas, danger zones, and many other relevant factors. This information is essential for ensuring flight safety and enabling pilots to plan their routes while avoiding hazardous or disrupted areas.

[0008] NOTAMs are regularly updated to reflect evolving temporary situations, ongoing work, and operational changes. Therefore, it is important for pilots to regularly consult NOTAMs to obtain the most up-to-date information and make appropriate decisions during their flight operations.

[0009] Unfortunately, thousands of NOTAM messages are sent every day, and their number is increasing very rapidly. One reason for this rapid increase is an ever-lower threshold for sending a new NOTAM message, which sometimes leads to irrelevant NOTAMs. As a result, each pilot has to search for and sort through an increasing number of NOTAMs, resulting in wasted time and an increased risk of overlooking important messages. In large airlines, a "NOTAM agent" is sometimes assigned to review NOTAMs before forwarding them to the pilots.

[0010] To address this, it is known to apply classification models to categorize NOTAM messages into different possible classes, and in particular to indicate to the pilot for each NOTAM message whether it is important, i.e., critical, or, on the contrary, should be disregarded. The documents "NOTAM Text Analysis and Classification Based on Attention Mechanism" by B. Mi et al. (2022), "Knowledge extraction from aeronautical messages (NOTAMs) with self-supervised language models for aircraft pilots" by A. Arnold et al. (2022), and "NOTAM Smartification" by M. Bravin (2020) describe such classification models, the last of the aforementioned documents also proposing to remove unnecessary words or phrases from NOTAM messages.

[0011] It is also known from document FR 3 061 342 B1 a semantic analysis of the content of NOTAM messages by automatic language processing, then a comparison of the analyzed content with elements of aeronautical databases.

[0012] Such methods can help the aircraft pilot, but this help is sometimes insufficient.

[0013] The aim of the invention is therefore to propose an electronic system and a decision support method for an operator of a civil aircraft, making it easier for a pilot to take into account such aeronautical information messages, particularly of the NOTAM type, in order to reduce the cognitive load of the pilot and thus improve the safety of the flight of the aircraft.

[0014] To this end, the invention relates to an electronic decision support system for an operator of a civil aircraft, the system being intended to be carried on board the aircraft and comprising:

[0015] - an electronic information display device;

[0016] - an electronic device for generating aeronautical indicators, comprising:

[0017] + an acquisition module configured to acquire at least one message aeronautical information, each aeronautical information message comprising a header and a useful part, the useful part including several data fields, including a free format text field, called a free field;

[0018] + a calculation module configured to calculate several aeronautical indicators for each aeronautical information message acquired, the aeronautical indicators being calculated via the application of an artificial intelligence algorithm to said aeronautical information message, the artificial intelligence algorithm receiving the free field as input and delivering the aeronautical indicators as output, the aeronautical indicators being distinct from the data contained in said aeronautical information message;

[0019] + a display module configured to display, on the display device information, a presentation of the calculated aeronautical indicators.

[0020] With the decision support system according to the invention, the calculated aeronautical indicators, then displayed on the information display device, allow the pilot to assess much more easily and efficiently the impact of each aeronautical information message on the flight of the aircraft, and this in addition more precisely the calculated aeronautical indicators corresponding to different criteria, i.e. to different types of potential impact.

[0021] With the decision support system according to the invention, the calculated aeronautical indicators do not result from a simple filtering of the content of each aeronautical information message, these being calculated via the artificial intelligence algorithm and being distinct from the data contained in said information message.

[0022] Unlike prior art systems which essentially assess the criticality, or importance, of each NOTAM message, the decision support system according to the invention aims to assess the impact of each aeronautical information message on the flight of the aircraft, also called indirect impact, the aeronautical indicators advantageously being indicators for assessing an impact of the free field content on the flight of the aircraft, the impact assessed typically being an additional consumption of energy, a delay, a disruption for passengers, a disruption for the crew, including the pilot, a disruption for the external environment of the aircraft, and an ecological impact.

[0023] According to other advantageous aspects of the invention, the electronic decision support system comprises one or more of the following features, taken individually or in all technically possible combinations:

[0024] - each aeronautical information message is chosen from the group consisting in: a NOTAM message, a SNOWTAM message and an ASHTAM message;

[0025] - the free field is chosen from the group consisting of: field E of the message NOTAM, the T field of the SNOWTAM message and the K field of the ASHTAM message, as defined by the International Civil Aviation Organization;

[0026] - Aeronautical indicators are indicators for assessing the impact of content of the free field for aircraft flight;

[0027] each aeronautical indicator being preferably chosen from the group consisting of: an indicator of additional energy consumption by the aircraft, an indicator of aircraft delay, an indicator of disruption for aircraft passengers, an indicator of disruption for aircraft crew, an indicator of disruption for an external environment of the aircraft, and an indicator of additional ecological impact;

[0028] - each aeronautical indicator is expressed as a numerical value chosen from a binary value, a value from a range of at least three values ​​and a value from a range of values;

[0029] - the artificial intelligence algorithm is trained during a learning process carried out with training data, the calculation of aeronautical indicators being carried out during an inference of the artificial intelligence algorithm, subsequent to the training of the artificial intelligence algorithm;

[0030] learning being preferably supervised learning;

[0031] the artificial intelligence algorithm preferably comprising a single model for all aeronautical indicators or several distinct models, each model then being associated with one or more respective aeronautical indicators; and

[0032] - the restitution of the calculated aeronautical indicators includes, for each aeronautical indicator, a respective visual sign representing the value of said aeronautical indicator.

[0033] The invention also relates to a civil aircraft comprising an electronic decision support system as defined above.

[0034] The invention also relates to a method for assisting the decision-making of an operator of a civil aircraft, implemented by an electronic decision-support system intended to be carried on board the aircraft and comprising an electronic information display device and an electronic device for generating aeronautical indicators, the method comprising the following steps:

[0035] - acquire at least one aeronautical information message, each message aeronautical information comprising a header and a working part, the working part including several data fields, including a free format text field, called a free field;

[0036] - calculate several aeronautical indicators for each information message aeronautical data acquired, the aeronautical indicators being calculated via the application of an artificial intelligence algorithm to the aeronautical information message, the artificial intelligence algorithm receiving the free field as input and delivering the aeronautical indicators as output, the aeronautical indicators being distinct from the data contained in the said aeronautical information message;

[0037] - display, on the information display device, a rendering of the indicators calculated aeronautics.

[0038] The invention also relates to a computer program comprising software instructions which, when executed by a computer, implement a decision support method, as defined above.

[0039] These features and advantages of the invention will become clearer upon reading the following description, given solely by way of non-limiting example, and made with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which:

[0040] [Fig-1] [Fig.1] is a schematic view of a civil aircraft according to the invention, including a radio transceiver and an electronic decision support system for an aircraft operator, the system being configured to develop and then display aeronautical indicators;

[0041] [Fig.2] [Fig.2] is a view illustrating the display of aeronautical indicators according to two examples of restitution; and

[0042] [Fig. 3] [Fig. 3] is a flowchart of a method, according to the invention, for assisting in the operator's decision, the process being implemented by the decision support system of [Fig.1].

[0043] In the following description, the expression "approximately equal to" defines a relationship of equality to plus or minus 20%, preferably to plus or minus 10%, and preferably still to plus or minus 5%.

[0044] In [Fig.1], a civil aircraft 10 comprises one or more radio transceivers 12 and an electronic decision support system 15, the system 15 being intended to be carried on board the aircraft 10 and to be connected to the radio transceiver(s) 12.

[0045] The civil aircraft 10 is in particular an airplane, such as an airliner, as shown in [Fig. 1]. Alternatively, the civil aircraft 10 is a rotary-wing aircraft, such as a civil helicopter, or a civil drone remotely piloted by a remote operator.

[0046] The operator then typically corresponds to the pilot of the civil aircraft 10.

[0047] The aircraft 10 is configured to communicate, via the radio transceiver(s) 12, with ground-based electronic systems, such as a or several aeronautical information transmission systems via a radio link, not shown.

[0048] Each aeronautical information transmission system is known in itself. The aeronautical information transmission system supports, for example, an aeronautical information message transmission service M, configured to broadcast, for example, a NOTAM (Notice to AirMen) message, a SNOWTAM (Snow) message, or an ASHTAM (Ash) message, for example, in the event of notification(s) of a runway, taxiway, apron with a risk or presence of snow, ice and / or standing water (SNOWTAM message), or in the event of notification(s) concerning a change in volcanic activity that is important for operations, a volcanic eruption and / or a volcanic ash cloud (ASHTAM message).

[0049] The transmission of NOTAM, SNOWTAM, and ASHTAM messages is defined by the International Civil Aviation Organization, also known as ICAO, and by the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA). The transmission of NOTAM, SNOWTAM, and ASHTAM messages as defined by ICAO, for example, conforms to Chapter 5 of Annex 15 of ICAO, in its 16th edition of 2018; and to ICAO Doc 10066, entitled "Aeronautical Information Management," in its 1st edition of 2018. and / or to ICAO Doc 8126, entitled "Aeronautical Information Services Manual", in its 7th edition of 2021. The transmission of NOTAM, SNOWTAM and ASHTAM messages as defined by the FAA is, for example, in accordance with Order 7930.2R entitled “Notice to AirMen (NOTAMs)”, dated January 5, 2017; and / or to Circular AC 150 / 5200-28F entitled “Notice to AirMen (NOTAMs) for Airport Operators”, dated December 30, 2016.

[0050] Each aeronautical information message M is then chosen from the group consisting of: a NOTAM message, a SNOWTAM message and an ASHTAM message.

[0051] Each radio transceiver 12 is known in itself, and is adapted to transmit and / or receive radio signals, in particular to and / or from the ground-based aeronautical information transmission system(s), in particular via one or more digital data links.

[0052] The electronic decision support system 15 includes an electronic information display device 18 and an electronic aeronautical indicator development device 20 connected to the display device 18.

[0053] The electronic display device 18 typically includes an information display screen 22, and a human-machine interface, not shown, for example integrated into the screen 22 in the form of a touch screen.

[0054] According to another example, the human-machine interface is a real, i.e. physical keyboard, or a virtual keyboard, or even an actionable cursor connected to the display device 18.

[0055] The human-machine interface is capable of allowing the operator to select elements or enter data.

[0056] The electronic processing device 20 includes a module 30 for acquiring at least one aeronautical information message M, a module 32 for calculating several aeronautical indicators for each aeronautical information message M and a module 34 for displaying a rendering RI, R2 of the aeronautical indicators on the information display device 18.

[0057] In the example of [Fig.1], the electronic processing device 20 includes an information processing unit 40 formed for example of a memory 42 and a processor 44 associated with the memory 42.

[0058] In the example of [Fig. 1], the acquisition module 30, the calculation module 32, and the display module 34 are each implemented as a software program, or a software component, executable by the processor 44. The memory 42 of the electronic processing device 20 is then capable of storing acquisition software, calculation software, and display software. The processor 44 is then capable of executing each of the following software programs: acquisition software, calculation software, and display software.

[0059] In an alternative not shown, the acquisition module 30, the calculation module 32 and the display module 34 are each made in the form of a programmable logic component, such as an FPGA (Field Programmable Gate Array) or in the form of a dedicated integrated circuit, such as an ASIC (Application Specified Integrated Circuit).

[0060] When the electronic processing device 20 is implemented in the form of one or more software programs, i.e., in the form of a computer program, it is also capable of being stored on a computer-readable medium (not shown). A computer-readable medium is, for example, a medium capable of storing electronic instructions and being connected to a bus of a computer system. For example, a readable medium is an optical disc, a magneto-optical disc, a ROM, a RAM, any type of non-volatile memory (e.g., EPROM, EEPROM, FLASH, NVRAM), a magnetic card, or an optical card. A computer program comprising software instructions is then stored on the readable medium.

[0061] The acquisition module 30 is configured to acquire at least one aeronautical information message M, each aeronautical information message M having a header and a payload, the payload including several data fields, including a free-format text field, called a free field.

[0062] In the example of the NOTAM message, according to the ICAO definition, in particular Chapter 6 of Part III of the aforementioned Doc 8126, the NOTAM format consists of two parts, namely a) forming the header and b) forming the content and containing the NOTAM information. Part a) forming the header contains a priority indicator, addresses, the date and time of posting, and an indicator of the message's author, as further specified in Chapter 9 of Part III of the aforementioned Doc 8126. Part b) forming the content includes several data fields, including fields successively labeled Q, then A to G, and the free text field corresponds to field E.According to the aforementioned Doc 8126, field E provides information on a NOTAM in plain language (i.e., uniform abbreviated phraseology) and, where applicable, ICAO abbreviations, indicators, identifiers, designators, call signs, frequencies, and numbers, also in plain language. The NOTAM format is further specified in Annex 3 of the aforementioned Doc 10066.

[0063] In the example of the SNOWTAM message, according to the ICAO definition, in particular Chapter 7 of Part III of the aforementioned Doc 8126, the SNOWTAM format consists of three parts: a) forming the header, b) intended for automatic processing in computer databases, forming the abbreviated header, and c) forming the data portion and containing the SNOWTAM information. Part a) forming the header contains a priority indicator, addresses, the date and time of deposit, and an indicator of the message's author, as further specified in Chapter 9 of Part III of the aforementioned Doc 8126. Part b) forming the abbreviated header contains a SNOWTAM serial number, as well as the location, date, and time of the observation. Part c) forming the data portion includes several data fields, successively labeled A to T, and the free text field corresponds to field T.The SNOWTAM format is also specified in Annex 4 of the aforementioned Doc 10066 document. According to this Annex 4, the T field describes in plain language all information important from an operational point of view, while always indicating a length of the uncleaned runway (point D) and an extent of runway contamination (point F) for each third of the runway and according to a scale specified in this Annex 4.

[0064] In the example of the ASHTAM message, according to the ICAO definition, in particular according to Chapter 8 of Part III of the aforementioned Doc 8126, the ASHTAM format consists of three parts, namely a part a) forming in The ASHTAM format consists of two parts: a header, a part b) intended for automatic processing in computer databases (forming an abbreviated header), and a part c) forming the main part and containing the ASHTAM information. Part a) forming the header contains a priority indicator, addresses, the date and time of submission, and an indicator of the message's author, as further specified in Chapter 9 of Part III of the aforementioned Doc 8126. Part b) forming the abbreviated header contains an ASHTAM serial number, as well as the location, date, and time of the observation. Part c) forming the main part includes several data fields, successively labeled A through K, with the free text field corresponding to field K. The ASHTAM format is also specified in Appendix 5 of the aforementioned Doc 10066.According to the aforementioned Doc 8126 document, or according to Annex 5 of Doc 10066, field K includes any operationally significant information in addition to what is stated above in fields A to J, in clear and plain language.

[0065] According to the FAA definition, the format of the aeronautical information message M is analogous to the ICAO format, as defined above, but structuring the information in a particular order instead of putting letters identifying the fields, i.e. the categories of information.

[0066] According to the FAA definition, there is no specific free field for the NOTAM message, the SNOWTAM message, or the ASHTAM message, and the free field is a part of said message.

[0067] The calculation module 32 is configured to calculate several aeronautical indicators for each aeronautical information message M acquired, via the application of an artificial intelligence algorithm to said aeronautical information message M. The aeronautical indicators are distinct from the data contained in said aeronautical information message M.

[0068] For each aeronautical information message M, the artificial intelligence algorithm receives the free field as input and delivers the aeronautical indicators as output.

[0069] The artificial intelligence algorithm was trained during a preliminary learning phase, performed with training data. The calculation of the aeronautical indicators is carried out during an inference of the artificial intelligence algorithm, subsequent to said learning. Advantageously, the learning is supervised learning.

[0070] During training, the training data typically includes, as input data, free fields of multiple aeronautical information messages M, and as output data, expected values, i.e. target values, for each aeronautical indicator, and this for each corresponding free field in the input.

[0071] The artificial intelligence algorithm includes, for example, a single model for all aeronautical indicators.

[0072] Alternatively, the artificial intelligence algorithm comprises several distinct models, each model then being associated with one or more respective aeronautical indicators.

[0073] The learning method is identical regardless of the number of model(s) included in the artificial intelligence algorithm.

[0074] When, in a variant, the artificial intelligence algorithm comprises several distinct models, learning is performed for each respective model, with training data specific to each model. In other words, the learning is then differentiated from one model to another, using different training data from one model to another.

[0075] Advantageously, aeronautical indicators are indicators for evaluating the impact of the content of the free field on the flight of aircraft 10.

[0076] According to this advantageous aspect, each aeronautical indicator is, for example, an indicator of additional energy consumption by the aircraft 10, or an indicator of delay of the aircraft 10, or an indicator of disruption for the passengers of the aircraft 10, or an indicator of disruption for the crew of the aircraft 10, or an indicator of disruption for an external environment of the aircraft 10, or even an indicator of additional ecological impact.

[0077] Table 1 then contains examples of information contained in the free field of the aeronautical information message M for each respective indicator.

[0078] [Tables] Indicators Examples of information in the free field Additional energy consumption Longer routes, different altitudes, go-arounds, waiting turns, airport closure... Delay Runway closure, weather conditions, strike, longer routes, go-arounds, ground hold, equipment malfunctions, airspace restriction... Passenger disruption Weather conditions, strike, turbulence, go-arounds, ground hold, delay... External environmental disruption Low altitude, noise abatement, rerouting... Crew disruption High coordination / communication, rerouting, extended flight times... Additional environmental impact: Rerouting, airport closure, noise pollution...

[0079] When the aeronautical indicator is the additional energy consumption indicator, it will provide the operator with an indication of the additional energy consumption generated by the content of the free-text field of the corresponding aeronautical information message M. Similarly, when the aeronautical indicator is the delay indicator, it will provide the operator with an indication of the delay relative to the initially scheduled arrival time, generated by the content of the free-text field of the corresponding aeronautical information message M.Similarly, when the aeronautical indicator is a respective disruption indicator (passenger disruption, crew disruption, or environmental disruption), the corresponding indicator will provide the operator with information about a possible disruption, and advantageously about the respective level of disruption, caused by the content of the free-text field in the corresponding aeronautical information message M. Likewise, when the aeronautical indicator is an additional environmental impact indicator, it will provide the operator with information about an additional environmental impact caused by the content of the free-text field in the corresponding aeronautical information message M. The environmental impact is, for example, the emission of an additional quantity of carbon dioxide resulting from additional fuel consumption.

[0080] Each aeronautical indicator is for example expressed as a binary value, or as a value from a range of at least three values, or as a value from an interval of values.

[0081] Those skilled in the art will understand that when the aeronautical indicator is expressed as a binary value, i.e., a Boolean, it merely provides an indication of the presence or absence of the impact, such as additional energy consumption, delay, disruption, or additional environmental impact. Advantageously, when the aeronautical indicator is expressed as a range of at least three values, or as a value within a range of values, it also provides an indication of the level of impact when such an impact is present.

[0082] The display module 34 is configured to display, on the information display device 18, the rendering RI, R2 of the aeronautical indicators calculated by the calculation module 32.

[0083] Advantageously, the RI, R2 output of the calculated aeronautical indicators includes, for each aeronautical indicator, a respective visual symbol 50, also called symbol, representative of the value of said aeronautical indicator, as shown in [Fig.2].

[0084] Alternatively, the output of the calculated aeronautical indicators includes, for each aeronautical indicator, an alphanumeric string, i.e., a text message, typically corresponding to the name of the indicator, such as "additional energy consumption" or "delay," thus specifying the aeronautical indicator concerned. Advantageously, according to this alternative, this text output also includes an indication of the value or level of the calculated indicator, such as, for example, "slight delay," "moderate delay," or "significant delay."

[0085] In the example of [Fig.2], a first visual sign 50A, or first symbol 50A, corresponds to the additional energy consumption indicator; a second visual sign 50B, or second symbol 50B, corresponds to the delay indicator; a third visual sign 50C, or third symbol 50C, corresponds to the additional environmental impact indicator; a fourth visual sign 50D, or fourth symbol 50D, corresponds to the passenger disruption indicator; and a fifth visual sign 50E, or fifth symbol 50E, corresponds to the crew disruption indicator; a visual sign corresponding to the external environment disruption indicator is not shown in [Fig.2].

[0086] This example in [Fig. 2] illustrates a first RI rendering, in which the calculated aeronautical indicators are expressed as binary values, i.e., Booleans, and the presence of an impact is then displayed by showing the respective visual symbol 50 corresponding to the indicator in question. The absence of an impact corresponds to the absence of the display of the visual symbol 50 corresponding to the indicator in question. In the example in [Fig. 2], only the first 50A, second 50B, and third 50C symbols are displayed for the first RI rendering, which means that the aeronautical information message M in question has an impact in terms of additional energy consumption, delay, and additional environmental impact, and no impact in terms of disruption for passengers or crew.Alternatively, the absence of impact is represented by a specific symbol, distinct from the respective symbols 50, associated with the calculated indicators.

[0087] This example in [Fig. 2] also illustrates a second representation R2, in which the calculated aeronautical indicators are expressed as a value within a range of values. For this second representation R2, the range of values ​​is then represented as a scale 60, and the value of the corresponding indicator is represented as a cursor along this scale 60, or as a level 62 within this scale. In the example in [Fig. 2], a person skilled in the art will observe that the cursor is at the minimum of the scale 60, the level 62 not exceeding the minimum, for the fourth 50D and fifth 50E symbols, which corresponds to an absence of impact in terms of disruption for passengers, for the crew, in a manner analogous to the first restitution RI. The second restitution R2 further informs the operator that the aeronautical information message concerned M has a fairly significant impact in terms of additional energy consumption, a significant delay and a low additional environmental impact, the level 62 being close to the maximum value for the second symbol 50B corresponding to the delay indicator, approximately equal to three-quarters of the maximum value for the first symbol 50A corresponding to the additional energy consumption indicator, and close to the minimum value for the third symbol 50C corresponding to the additional environmental impact indicator.

[0088] The person skilled in the art will then understand that the second output R2 provides more decision support to the operator than the first output RI, by informing not only of the presence or absence of the impact corresponding to the calculated indicator, but also of the level of the impact when it is present for the calculated indicator.

[0089] The operation of the electronic decision support system 15, and in particular of the electronic processing device 20, will now be explained, in particular with the help of [Fig.3] representing a flowchart of the process, according to the invention, of assisting the decision of the operator of the aircraft 10.

[0090] During an initial step 100, the electronic processing device 20 acquires, via its acquisition module 30, one or more aeronautical information messages M, such as one or more NOTAM, SNOWTAM and / or ASHTAM messages.

[0091] The electronic processing device 20 then calculates, during the next step 110 and via its calculation module 32, several aeronautical indicators for each aeronautical information message M acquired during the acquisition state 100.

[0092] During calculation step 110, the aeronautical indicators are calculated by applying the artificial intelligence algorithm to each acquired aeronautical information message M. During this inference of the artificial intelligence algorithm, the artificial intelligence algorithm receives as input the free field of each acquired aeronautical information message M, and delivers as output the aeronautical indicators calculated for each aeronautical information message M.

[0093] The aeronautical indicators are distinct from the data contained in said aeronautical information message M, and this calculation step 110 is therefore distinct from a simple filtering of the content of each acquired aeronautical information message M.

[0094] The electronic processing device 20 finally displays, during a subsequent step 120 and via its display module 34, the output RI, R2 of the aeronautical indicators calculated during the calculation step 110.

[0095] During this display step 120, the rendering is for example in the form of the first rendering RI, or even of the second rendering R2, each being illustrated in [Fig.2].

[0096] Thus, the calculated aeronautical indicators, then displayed on the display device 18, allow the pilot to assess much more easily and efficiently the impact of each aeronautical information message M on the flight of the aircraft 10. Moreover, this assessment is more precise, the calculated aeronautical indicators corresponding to different types of potential impact, such as impacts in terms of additional energy consumption, delay, additional ecological impact, disruption for passengers, for the crew, or even for the external environment.

[0097] Unlike prior art systems which essentially assess the criticality, or importance, of each NOTAM message, the decision support system 15 according to the invention makes it possible to estimate the indirect impact of each aeronautical information message M on the flight of the aircraft 10.

[0098] It is thus understood that the electronic system 15 and the decision support method according to the invention make it possible to provide significant assistance to the pilot of the aircraft 10 in taking into account aeronautical information messages M, and thereby reduce the cognitive load of the pilot and thus improve the flight safety of the aircraft 10.

Claims

Demands

1. Electronic system (15) for assisting the decision-making of an operator of a civil aircraft (10), the system (15) being intended to be carried on board the aircraft (10) and comprising: - an electronic device (18) for displaying information; - an electronic device (20) for developing aeronautical indicators, comprising: + an acquisition module (30) configured to acquire at least one aeronautical information message (M), each aeronautical information message (M) comprising a header and a useful part, the useful part including several data fields, including a free-format text field, referred to as the free field;+ a calculation module (32) configured to calculate several aeronautical indicators for each acquired aeronautical information message (M), the aeronautical indicators being calculated via the application of an artificial intelligence algorithm to said aeronautical information message (M), the artificial intelligence algorithm receiving the free field as input and delivering the aeronautical indicators as output, the aeronautical indicators being distinct from the data contained in said aeronautical information message (M); + a display module (34) configured to display, on the information display device (18), a rendering (RI, R2) of the calculated aeronautical indicators.

2. System (15) according to claim 1, wherein each aeronautical information message (M) is chosen from the group consisting of: a NOTAM message, a SNOWTAM message and an ASHTAM message.

3. System (15) according to claim 2, wherein the free field is chosen from the group consisting of: the E field of the NOTAM message, the T field of the SNOWTAM message and the K field of the ASHTAM message, as defined by the International Civil Aviation Organization.

4. System (15) according to any one of the preceding claims, wherein the aeronautical indicators are indicators for evaluating the impact of the free field content on the flight of the aircraft (10); each aeronautical indicator being preferably chosen from the group consisting of: an indicator of additional energy consumption by the aircraft (10), an indicator of aircraft delay (10), an indicator of disruption to aircraft passengers (10), an indicator of disruption to aircraft crew (10), an indicator of disruption to an external environment of the aircraft (10), and an indicator of additional ecological impact.

5. System (15) according to any one of the preceding claims, wherein each aeronautical indicator is expressed as a numeric value selected from a binary value, a value from a range of at least three values ​​and a value from a range of values.

6. System (15) according to any one of the preceding claims, wherein the artificial intelligence algorithm is trained during a learning process carried out with training data, the calculation of the aeronautical indicators being carried out during an inference of the artificial intelligence algorithm, subsequent to the training of the artificial intelligence algorithm; the learning being preferably supervised learning; the artificial intelligence algorithm preferably further comprising a single model for all the aeronautical indicators or several distinct models, each model then being associated with one or more respective aeronautical indicators.

7. System (15) according to any one of the preceding claims, wherein the restitution (RI; R2) of the calculated aeronautical indicators comprises, for each aeronautical indicator, a respective visual sign (50) representative of the value of said aeronautical indicator.

8. Civil aircraft (10) comprising an electronic system (15) for operator decision support according to any one of the preceding claims.

9. A method for assisting the decision-making of an operator of a civil aircraft (10), implemented by an electronic decision-support system (15) intended to be carried on board the aircraft (10) and comprising an electronic information display device (18) and an electronic device (20) for generating aeronautical indicators, the method comprising the following steps: - acquire (100) at least one aeronautical information message (M), each aeronautical information message (M) comprising a header and a useful part, the useful part including several data fields, including a free-format text field, called the free field; - calculate (110) several aeronautical indicators for each aeronautical information message (M) acquired, the aeronautical indicators being calculated via the application of an artificial intelligence algorithm to said aeronautical information message (M), the artificial intelligence algorithm receiving the free field as input and delivering the aeronautical indicators as output, the aeronautical indicators being distinct from the data contained in said aeronautical information message (M); - display (120), on the information display device (18), a rendering (RI, R2) of the calculated aeronautical indicators.

10. A computer program comprising software instructions which, when executed by a computer, implement a method according to the preceding claim.

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