Aircraft Guidance Speed Setpoints for Arrival Time Compliance
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Solution Overview
Problem
Current methods for managing time constraints in aircraft flight trajectories, especially during descent and low-altitude flight sections, are complex and often result in incomplete compliance with arrival times, leading to increased risks of missing landing slots and additional operational costs, particularly for military aircraft with stringent time constraints.
Innovation Solution
A method that determines auxiliary arrival times and speed setpoints to ensure precise arrival at constrained sections of the flight trajectory, allowing the aircraft to comply with time constraints by adjusting speed upstream of these sections, thereby avoiding recalculations or speed modifications during constrained phases.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Measurement precision
If speed modulation is implemented to comply with time constraints during descent phase, then arrival time accuracy is improved, but the aircraft moves away from the descent profile and requires corrective actions that counteract time constraint compliance
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies preliminary action by calculating and applying speed modulation upstream of the constrained section (descent phase) rather than during it. The system determines an auxiliary arrival time at a first waypoint that is upstream of the constrained section, and calculates speed setpoints to achieve this auxiliary arrival time. This allows the aircraft to be positioned correctly before entering the descent phase, avoiding the need for speed changes during the constrained section that would disrupt the descent profile and require corrective actions.
2Adaptability or versatility
If a new calculation of climb and/or descent profiles is performed following speed modulation, then the profiles are optimized for new speeds, but corrective actions are required to converge towards the new profile which counteract compliance with the time constraint
Solution Approach 1:
The system performs the profile recalculation and speed setpoint determination upstream of the constrained section, before the aircraft enters the descent phase. By calculating the auxiliary arrival time and corresponding speed setpoints in advance, the aircraft follows a pre-determined path that naturally converges to the correct position at the constrained section without requiring corrective actions during the descent phase itself.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent segments the flight trajectory into distinct sections: an upstream section where speed modulation is applied, and a constrained section (descent phase) where the profile is maintained. This segmentation allows independent optimization of each section - speed adjustments are made only in the upstream section, while the constrained section maintains its original optimized profile, avoiding the conflicts that arise from trying to optimize both simultaneously.
3Device complexity
If time constraints are excluded or prohibited on descent and approach phases, then algorithmic complexity and fuel consumption are reduced, but the aircraft's ability to compensate for advance or delay is significantly reduced
Solution Approach 1:
The patent extracts the time constraint compliance function from the descent phase itself and relocates it to the upstream section. By determining auxiliary arrival times and applying speed modulation before the constrained section, the system removes the complexity of real-time constraint management during descent while maintaining full compliance capability. The descent phase can then follow its original simplified profile without embedded time constraint logic.
Data Source
AI summary
Disclosed is a method and device for guiding an aircraft flying along a flight trajectory. The flight trajectory has at least one constrained section, and the aircraft flies at a required speed within the constrained section to comply with a required arrival time at a predetermined waypoint in the constrained section. Auxiliary speed setpoints are determined to guide the aircraft to arrive at an auxiliary arrival tune at an auxiliary waypoint, with the auxiliary speed setpoints being applied by a guidance system to guide the aircraft.