Aircraft Speed Profile Segmentation for RTA Compliance
Find Innovative SolutionsGenerate Solutions
Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional aircraft systems face challenges in accurately controlling flight speed to meet timing constraints, particularly when flying to a designated altitude and location at a specific time, due to the complexity of flight planning and inherent uncertainties.
Innovation Solution
The system divides the flight plan into regions with individual speed adjustment parameters, prioritizing adjustments to optimize compliance with the required time of arrival (RTA) by iteratively updating speed profiles using a speed profile generator, trajectory predictor, and RTA solver within the flight management system, auto-pilot system, and user interface.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Measurement precision
If conventional aircraft systems use a single speed profile for the entire flight, then the system complexity is low, but the precision of meeting required time of arrival is insufficient
Solution Approach 1:
The flight path is divided into multiple sequential regions, each with its own speed adjustment parameter (SAP). The speed profile is segmented into region-specific segments that can be independently adjusted. This allows precise control of aircraft speed in different flight phases while maintaining systematic organization through the region-based segmentation approach.
Solution Approach 2:
The system dynamically adjusts speed profiles by iteratively updating SAP values based on predicted time of arrival deviations. The speed adjustment parameters are not fixed but are modified in real-time based on flight progress and RTA requirements, enabling adaptive speed control that responds to changing flight conditions.
2Reliability
If the system adjusts speed profiles for all regions simultaneously, then the required time of arrival compliance improves, but the computational complexity and processing time increase
Solution Approach 1:
The speed adjustment process is segmented into region-specific adjustments rather than simultaneous global adjustment. Each region's SAP can be evaluated and adjusted independently based on its contribution to RTA compliance, reducing computational complexity while maintaining overall reliability through cumulative effect of regional adjustments.
Solution Approach 2:
Different regions are assigned different priority levels for speed adjustment, allowing the system to focus computational resources on critical regions that have the greatest impact on RTA compliance. High-priority regions receive more aggressive adjustment while low-priority regions use conservative adjustments, optimizing the balance between reliability and computation time.
Data Source
Figure 1
Figure 2~3
Figure 4
AI summary
A method is provided for controlling speed of a vehicle. The method includes determining an arrival time error (ATE) for a required time of arrival (RTA) and a projected trajectory according to a travel plan with a current speed profile having a plurality of regions, each with a respective speed adjustment parameter (SAP) and a respective SAP value relative to a nominal speed profile. The method further includes selecting, when the ATE is greater than a threshold, one of the regions as a selected region for modification based on a priority order of the regions. The method further includes modifying the current speed profile by adjusting the respective SAP value for the selected region according to the respective SAP in order to decrease the ATE; and implementing the modified speed profile.