Aircraft Vertical Path Generation for Energy-Constrained Descent
Find Innovative SolutionsGenerate Solutions
Solution Overview
Problem
Current aircraft energy management during descent and approach phases is labor-intensive for pilots, leading to potential overshooting or undershooting of target points, especially in dynamic environments with obstacles, resulting in increased workload and time wastage due to go-arounds.
Innovation Solution
A method and device that automatically generate an optimized vertical flight path by iteratively processing possible flight strategies, validating path segments for obstacle avoidance, and scoring based on cost and proximity to a target state, ensuring collision-free and energy-constrained paths between the current and target states.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of operation
If pilots manually manage aircraft energy during descent and approach, then they can adapt to varying flight conditions, but the workload increases and the risk of human error rises
Solution Approach 1:
The system enables self-service by automatically generating and optimizing vertical flight paths without requiring pilot intervention. The flight management system autonomously computes optimal descent profiles, manages energy constraints, and adjusts flight parameters, allowing the aircraft to 'serve itself' during the critical approach phase while reducing pilot workload and eliminating human error in energy management
Solution Approach 2:
The patent replaces the manual mechanical process of pilot energy management with an automated computational system. The flight management system uses algorithms to calculate optimal vertical paths, substituting the pilot's manual evaluation and control actions with automated digital processing that continuously optimizes the descent profile based on real-time flight conditions
2Adaptability or versatility
If pilots divert from reference path for traffic control reasons, then traffic flow is managed, but multiple system interactions increase workload and complexity
Solution Approach 1:
The system applies dynamics by continuously adapting the vertical flight path in real-time based on changing traffic control requirements and flight conditions. When diversion from the reference path is needed, the system dynamically regenerates optimized vertical profiles that accommodate new constraints, maintaining adaptability while reducing the complexity of manual system interactions through automated recalculation
3Speed
If aircraft overshoots target point due to energy mismanagement, then the aircraft reaches the target area, but a go-around is required wasting time
Solution Approach 1:
The system implements continuous feedback by monitoring aircraft energy state, position, and descent rate throughout the approach phase. The flight management system compares actual flight parameters against the optimized vertical path and automatically adjusts control commands to maintain precise energy management, ensuring the aircraft reaches the target point at the correct altitude and speed without overshooting and requiring a go-around
Solution Approach 2:
The patent applies preliminary action by pre-calculating optimized vertical flight paths that account for energy constraints and target point requirements before the approach begins. The system proactively manages energy dissipation throughout the descent to ensure the aircraft arrives at the stabilization point with appropriate energy levels, preventing overshoot conditions before they occur
4Productivity
If automated systems generate optimal vertical paths in real-time, then flight efficiency improves and pilot workload decreases, but computational complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The system applies segmentation by dividing the vertical flight path into discrete segments or waypoints, with each segment having specific energy and altitude constraints. The flight management system computes optimized parameters for each segment independently, then integrates them into a complete vertical profile. This segmentation reduces computational complexity by breaking down the overall optimization problem into manageable sub-problems while maintaining overall approach efficiency
Data Source
AI summary
A method and device for generating an optimum vertical path intended to be followed by an aircraft. The device comprises at least one database relating to fixed and moving obstacles, a data entering unit, a data processing unit implementing iterative processing to generate an optimum vertical path between an initial state and a final state as a function of flight strategies, that optimum vertical path being generated in such a manner as to be free of any collision with surrounding obstacles and to conform to energy constraints, and a data transmission link for transmitting that optimum vertical path to at least one user system.