Aircraft Energy Guidance Using High-Energy Joining Profiles
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Solution Overview
Problem
Current aircraft energy management systems fail to adequately assist pilots in anticipating and managing energy dissipation needs, leading to potential non-coherence with piloting strategies and excessive cockpit information.
Innovation Solution
A method that determines energy meeting points with altitude and speed constraints, calculates energy states relative to a reference profile, and generates a high-energy joining profile for energy dissipation strategies, displaying energy deviations to guide pilots in aligning with their chosen strategies without overwhelming cockpit information.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If traditional energy constraint monitoring is used with fixed constraints, then energy compliance is maintained, but irrelevant information is displayed leading to cockpit information overload
Solution Approach 1:
The patent transforms fixed, static energy constraints into dynamic, adaptive constraints that automatically adjust based on the aircraft's actual energy state and pilot-selected descent strategies. The system continuously updates energy meeting point constraints to reflect current flight conditions, ensuring relevance and preventing information overload in the cockpit.
Solution Approach 2:
The system implements closed-loop feedback by continuously monitoring aircraft energy state (altitude, speed, mass) and comparing it against dynamically calculated constraints. This feedback mechanism allows the system to adapt constraints in real-time based on actual flight performance, providing pilots with actionable, relevant information rather than static, potentially irrelevant data.
2Reliability
If pilots are given traditional energy management tools, then basic energy monitoring is available, but pilots cannot anticipate energy dissipation needs early enough leading to strategy non-coherence
Solution Approach 1:
The patent calculates and displays dynamic energy meeting point constraints in advance, allowing pilots to anticipate future energy dissipation needs before they become critical. By projecting energy state trajectories and identifying upcoming constraint violations, the system enables pilots to take preliminary actions aligned with their chosen descent strategies, ensuring temporal coherence between pilot intent and energy management actions.
3Measurement precision
If multiple energy constraint parameters are displayed, then comprehensive energy monitoring is provided, but information overload occurs in the cockpit
Solution Approach 1:
The patent extracts and highlights only the most critical energy constraint information that is dynamically relevant to the current flight state and pilot-selected strategy. Rather than displaying all possible energy parameters, the system selectively presents constrained information that directly impacts pilot decision-making, reducing display complexity while maintaining monitoring precision.
Solution Approach 2:
The system applies local quality by tailoring the displayed energy information to the specific context of each flight phase and pilot-selected descent strategy. Different energy parameters and constraint levels are emphasized locally based on where the aircraft is in its descent and what energy management approach the pilot has chosen, making the information both precise and appropriately scoped.
Data Source
AI summary
An aid method for controlling the energy situation of an aircraft. The method includes determining (i) an energy meeting point corresponding to a constraint point, (ii) a meeting type based on the constraint at the constraint point, (iii) an energy state of the aircraft relative to a reference altitude profile determined by a flight management system, (iv) a high-energy joining profile representative of a future path of the aircraft with an energy dissipation strategy, and (v) energy deviations relative to the high-energy joining profile. Determining the high energy joining profile is carried out backwards depending on the type of meeting and the energy state of the aircraft. The energy deviations are displayed to an operator of the aircraft.