Aircraft Flight Control for Ice Crystal Risk Routing
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing aircraft flight planning systems fail to accurately predict and avoid atmospheric contaminants like ice crystals, leading to potential engine blockage and instrument failure, and lack real-time data to adjust flight paths effectively.
Innovation Solution
An aircraft flight control system using machine learning and statistical models to assess atmospheric contamination risk, incorporating spatial and temporal uncertainty, provides real-time recommendations for adjusting flight trajectories to avoid hazards.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If basic weather parameters (temperature, precipitation, wind) are used to avoid storms, then aircraft can avoid dangerous weather phenomena, but the system cannot detect or avoid high altitude ice crystals that cause engine and instrument icing
Solution Approach 1:
The patent transitions from monitoring basic weather parameters (temperature, precipitation, wind) to monitoring specific atmospheric parameters relevant to ice crystal formation and distribution. This includes tracking temperature at different altitudes, humidity levels, and pressure gradients that indicate the presence of ice crystals, thereby changing the parameter set used for weather assessment to one that directly addresses the harmful factor of ice crystal exposure
Solution Approach 2:
The patent segments the atmosphere into different altitude layers and monitors ice crystal risk separately for each layer. By dividing the atmospheric profile into segments (surface level, lower atmosphere, cruise altitude, upper atmosphere), the system can specifically target the altitude ranges where ice crystals are most dangerous to aircraft while maintaining awareness of overall weather conditions
2Object-affected harmful factors
If aircraft re-route to avoid hazardous phenomena, then exposure to contaminants is reduced, but flight costs and time increase due to cancellations and re-routing
Solution Approach 1:
The system performs preliminary assessment of ice crystal risk along proposed flight paths before the aircraft commits to a route. By evaluating atmospheric conditions, predicted ice crystal formation zones, and alternative routing options in advance, the system enables flight planners to select optimal paths that minimize contaminant exposure without requiring last-minute cancellations or expensive detours
Solution Approach 2:
The patent implements a feedback mechanism where real-time atmospheric data and ice crystal risk assessments are continuously fed back to flight management systems. This allows dynamic adjustment of flight paths during cruise based on actual conditions, enabling the aircraft to maintain efficient routing while avoiding developing ice crystal zones through continuous monitoring and responsive trajectory modification
3Difficulty of detecting and measuring
If radar is used to detect ice crystals, then some atmospheric hazards can be identified, but small particle size ice crystals remain undetected and radars cannot distinguish them
Solution Approach 1:
The patent introduces atmospheric models and meteorological data as intermediary tools between the radar system and ice crystal detection. Rather than relying solely on radar to directly detect ice particles, the system uses weather models that predict ice crystal formation based on temperature, humidity, and pressure profiles, serving as an intermediary layer that compensates for radar's inability to detect small particles directly
Solution Approach 2:
The patent replaces reliance on mechanical radar detection with a computational approach using atmospheric physics models. Instead of depending on the mechanical scattering of radar waves from ice particles (which fails for small crystals), the system substitutes this with computational predictions based on thermodynamic and meteorological principles that accurately predict ice crystal presence regardless of particle size
4Reliability
If anti-ice systems are activated to protect against icing, then engine and instrument protection is provided, but the systems are not tested in actual atmospheric icing conditions and may fail
Solution Approach 1:
The system activates anti-ice protection measures preliminarily based on predicted ice crystal risk zones before the aircraft actually encounters hazardous conditions. By using atmospheric models to forecast where and when ice crystals will form along the flight path, the system can pre-position protection measures and alert pilots to upcoming icing zones, allowing anti-ice systems to be tested and validated in controlled manner before actual exposure
Data Source
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AI summary
There is provided an aircraft flight control system comprising: a computing arrangement including an input interface and an output interface; wherein in operation the computing arrangement executes instructions to provide indications related to an estimated atmospheric contamination risk to at least one aircraft at selected locations and altitudes or pressures, by (i) receiving at least one aircraft flight plan data from the input interface; wherein at least one aircraft flight plan data includes at least one of time, a pressure or an altitude, a trajectory and a location representing at least one aircraft flight; (ii) determining the estimated atmospheric contamination risk using a measure of the at least one atmospheric contaminant for the at least one aircraft flight based upon a location, an altitude or pressure, a trajectory and a time information extracted from the at least one aircraft flight plan data; and (iii) providing, via the output interface, a resultant indication related to the estimated atmospheric contamination risk to the at least one aircraft.