Aircraft Navigation Aid for RNP Approach Safety
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Solution Overview
Problem
Current navigation systems in aircraft face challenges during RNP procedures, particularly in maintaining safety levels when satellite navigation information is lost, leading to unnecessary interruption of approaches and increased flight duration and costs.
Innovation Solution
A navigation aid method that determines a future path and calculates predicted protection radii to assess the maximum time available to reach a safety altitude, allowing the pilot or automatic pilot system to decide whether to continue or extract from the initial path, thereby reducing unnecessary extraction procedures and maintaining safety.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If the aircraft extracts from the initial path to reach safety altitude when satellite navigation information is lost, then safety level is guaranteed, but flight duration increases and airspace saturation worsens
Solution Approach 1:
The navigation system performs preliminary calculations of predicted protection radii along the future path before actually losing satellite navigation information. This allows the system to assess in advance whether the aircraft can complete the approach phase safely using only inertial information, avoiding unnecessary extraction maneuvers and reducing flight duration while maintaining safety
Solution Approach 2:
The system dynamically evaluates the protection radius along the future path and compares it with the alarm limit at different points. This dynamic assessment allows the aircraft to maintain the initial path when safety can be guaranteed, and only extract when necessary, optimizing the balance between safety and flight efficiency
2Loss of time
If the aircraft continues on the initial path after losing satellite navigation information, then flight duration is reduced, but safety level may be compromised
Solution Approach 1:
The system calculates predicted protection radii in advance along the future path to determine whether continuing on the initial path will maintain safety levels. This preliminary assessment enables the aircraft to continue the approach without extraction when the predicted protection radius remains below the alarm limit, reducing flight duration while guaranteeing safety
Solution Approach 2:
The system continuously monitors and compares the predicted protection radius with the alarm limit along the future path. This feedback mechanism allows real-time decision-making: if the predicted protection radius exceeds the alarm limit at any point, the system triggers extraction; otherwise, the aircraft continues on the initial path, optimizing safety and efficiency
3Productivity
If RNP procedures are used to reduce air corridor size, then airspace capacity increases, but navigation system performance requirements increase
Solution Approach 1:
The system pre-calculates predicted protection radii along the future path to assess whether RNP performance requirements can be maintained after losing satellite navigation information. This allows the aircraft to operate in reduced air corridors with higher precision requirements by verifying in advance that inertial navigation alone can satisfy the RNP performance standards
Solution Approach 2:
The system dynamically evaluates whether the predicted protection radius exceeds the alarm limit at any point along the future path. This dynamic monitoring ensures that the aircraft maintains the required navigation performance for RNP procedures by triggering extraction only when precision requirements would be compromised, enabling efficient use of reduced air corridors
Data Source
AI summary
Navigation aid method for determining, by an instruction giver, the path of an aircraft initially following a predetermined path in an approach phase and upon which are defined a safety altitude and an alarm limit, said aircraft including a navigation system of the INS/GNSS type including a satellite information receiver and at least one inertial unit producing position information, said method including determining a future path; estimating predicted protection radii on the future path are estimated, starting at the calculation time in the case of a critical situation, in terms of position information, which starts at the calculation time; calculating a limit time after which the predicted protection radius is greater than or equal to the alarm limit; and calculating a limit time after which the predicted protection radius is greater than or equal to the alarm limit.