Aircraft Trajectory Switching for Continuous Autopilot Control
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing guidance systems for aircraft and vehicles face disruptions when mid-course changes in flight plans occur, leading to unexpected course changes due to the need to recalculate entire flight paths, which can interrupt autopilot control and cause discomfort.
Innovation Solution
A computing device calculates a new flight trajectory in parallel with the current one, allowing for seamless switching without interrupting control by processing mid-course changes through a trajectory calculator with multiple processes, ensuring continuous flight by remapping trajectories and maintaining control without restarting calculations.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Adaptability or versatility
If the system recalculates the entire flight path when mid-course changes occur, then the flight plan can be updated to reflect new requirements, but the autopilot control is interrupted and unexpected course changes occur causing discomfort
Solution Approach 1:
The patent segments the flight trajectory into multiple discrete points (current location, previous location, waypoints, destination). Instead of recalculating the entire flight path as a single unit, the system individually processes and selects from these segmented trajectory points, allowing partial trajectory maintenance during flight plan changes.
Solution Approach 2:
The system performs preliminary actions by storing multiple trajectory points and preparing alternative path segments in advance. When a flight plan change occurs, the system can immediately switch to pre-prepared trajectory segments rather than calculating everything from scratch, maintaining control continuity.
2Adaptability or versatility
If the system recalculates the entire flight path when mid-course changes occur, then the flight plan can be updated, but this process causes interruptions and unexpected course changes
Solution Approach 1:
The patent implements dynamic trajectory selection where the system can adaptively switch between different trajectory segments based on flight plan changes. The trajectory points and segments are dynamically selected and combined to create a smooth transition path, avoiding abrupt course changes while maintaining operational smoothness.
3Measurement precision
If the system performs full recalculation of flight trajectories, then accurate navigation can be maintained, but the process is time-consuming and causes control interruptions
Solution Approach 1:
The patent extracts and reuses valid portions of the original flight trajectory that remain applicable after flight plan changes. Instead of taking out and discarding the entire trajectory for recalculation, the system identifies and extracts usable trajectory segments (such as portions after the change point) to maintain navigation accuracy while minimizing recalculation time.
Solution Approach 2:
The system discards only the portions of the flight trajectory that are affected by changes (segments before the modification point) and recovers/reuses the unaffected portions (segments after the change point). This selective discarding and recovering approach maintains navigation accuracy for the relevant portions while avoiding redundant calculations.
Data Source
AI summary
Apparatus and methods for controlling an aircraft are described. A computing device can receive a flight plan from an origin to a destination via waypoint(s) and can calculate a flight trajectory for the flight plan. While controlling the aircraft to fly along the flight trajectory, the computing device can receive inputs that change the flight plan resulting in trajectory recalculation. After determining that the inputs include the inputs to change the flight plan resulting in trajectory recalculation, the computing device can calculate a new flight trajectory for the new flight plan. After calculating the new flight trajectory, the computing device can switch from the flight trajectory to the new flight trajectory, where the aircraft maintains continuous flight along the flight trajectory during the switch.