Integrated Flight Management System for Dynamic Obstacle Avoidance

Resolve Bottlenecks,
Find Innovative SolutionsGenerate Solutions

Solution Overview

Problem

Current aircraft flight management systems lack the capability to ensure compliance with all flight constraints, including obstacles, reliefs, regulated zones, and nearby aircraft and weather phenomena, due to insufficient integration of digital terrain models and real-time meteorological data, leading to inadequate safety margins in flight planning.

Innovation Solution

A device aboard the aircraft that uses sensors to detect surrounding objects and weather phenomena, calculates prohibited and reachable zones, and iteratively adjusts the flight plan to ensure safety by selecting a joining point and recalculating the flight plan based on quality criteria, incorporating a digital terrain model and meteorological data to optimize route adjustments.

Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles

VSEngineering Contradiction Analysis

1Reliability

If FMS flight management systems are used for creating flight plans, then navigation functions are provided, but the systems cannot ensure compliance with all flight constraints including obstacles, reliefs, regulated zones, and nearby aircraft

Engineering Contradiction:

Improveflight plan safety complianceVSAvoidconstraint detection capability

Core Design Contradiction:

ReliabilityVSAdaptability or versatility

Solution Approach 1:

The patent combines multiple previously separate systems (FMS navigation functions, TAWS terrain avoidance, WXR weather detection, TCAS aircraft detection) into a single integrated flight management system. This merging enables the system to simultaneously handle navigation, terrain avoidance, weather avoidance, and aircraft separation, ensuring comprehensive compliance with all flight constraints while maintaining reliable flight plan creation

Inventive Principle:

Principle #5Merging (Combining)

Solution Approach 2:

The integrated flight management system performs multiple functions within a single system: navigation path planning, terrain constraint verification, weather phenomenon detection and avoidance, regulated zone compliance, and nearby aircraft detection. This multi-functionality allows the system to ensure compliance with all flight constraints without requiring separate dedicated systems for each constraint type

Inventive Principle:

Principle #6Universality (Multi-functionality)

2Reliability

If TAWS systems with digital terrain models are used for terrain avoidance, then terrain constraint compliance is improved, but the systems are decoupled from navigation and cannot formulate complete flight plans

Engineering Contradiction:

Improveterrain avoidance capabilityVSAvoidflight plan formulation integration

Core Design Contradiction:

ReliabilityVSEase of operation

Solution Approach 1:

The patent merges the TAWS terrain avoidance system with the FMS navigation system, allowing the digital terrain model to be directly integrated into flight plan formulation. The system uses the terrain model to automatically adjust the flight path, ensuring terrain clearance is built into the navigation plan itself rather than being a separate alerting function

Inventive Principle:

Principle #5Merging (Combining)

3Loss of information

If WXR systems are used for weather detection, then meteorological data is provided, but the systems cannot dynamically adjust flight plans to avoid weather phenomena

Engineering Contradiction:

Improvemeteorological data availabilityVSAvoidflight plan dynamic adjustment

Core Design Contradiction:

Loss of informationVSAdaptability or versatility

Solution Approach 1:

The system implements feedback by continuously monitoring weather phenomena through WXR sensors and automatically adjusting the flight plan in response. The weather data feeds back into the flight management system, which reculates the optimal path to avoid severe weather while maintaining progress toward the destination, enabling dynamic adaptation to changing meteorological conditions

Inventive Principle:

Principle #23Feedback

4Reliability

If multiple independent systems are used for different flight constraints, then comprehensive constraint coverage is achieved, but system complexity and integration difficulties increase

Engineering Contradiction:

Improveconstraint coverage completenessVSAvoidsystem integration complexity

Core Design Contradiction:

ReliabilityVSDevice complexity

Solution Approach 1:

The patent merges multiple independent systems (FMS, TAWS, WXR, TCAS) into a single integrated flight management system that handles all flight constraints through unified processing. This consolidation reduces the number of separate systems required while maintaining comprehensive constraint coverage, as the integrated system shares common sensors, processors, and flight plan formulation capabilities across all constraint types

Inventive Principle:

Principle #5Merging (Combining)

Data Source

PatentUS8275499B2Device for calculating a flight plan of an aircraft

Publication Date: 2012.09.25 THALES SA

AI summary

The invention relates to a device for formulating a flight plan ensuring sufficient safety margins for a duration of a few minutes in relation to the set of flight constraints that could arise and comprising means for:detecting the surrounding moving objects (aircraft or meteorological phenomena),evaluating their type and the danger that they represent,formulating a reconfiguration flight plan ensuring a separation with these phenomena and taking best account of the constraints of the initially followed flight plan, avoiding prohibited or regulated airspaces and avoiding the surrounding relief with ad hoc operational margins.