Electronic Flight Management System for Visual Approach Trajectory Calculation
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Solution Overview
Problem
Current flight management systems are unable to provide effective assistance during the visual approach phase of aircraft landing, as they lack characterization of visual approaches and rely on pilot interpretation of ground landmarks, leading to unpredictable trajectories and potential safety risks.
Innovation Solution
An electronic flight management system that allows pilots to designate visual approach trajectory parameters, such as initial point, deviation heading, and turning radius, to calculate and display a customized visual approach path, and transmit instructions to the autopilot system for automatic navigation.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If the flight management system uses traditional instrument approach procedures with ground landmarks for visual approach, then the system can provide basic navigation guidance, but the trajectory becomes unpredictable and safety is compromised due to varying pilot interpretation of visual references
Solution Approach 1:
The patent transforms the visual approach from a purely manual pilot task into a managed guidance mode by defining specific trajectory parameters (lateral and vertical) that the flight management system can calculate and control. This changes the operational parameters from subjective visual reference interpretation to objective, system-managed trajectory following, thereby improving both safety and predictability
Solution Approach 2:
The patent introduces an intermediary system (the flight management system with visual approach capability) between the pilot and the visual approach task. This intermediary automatically calculates the visual approach trajectory based on stored visual approach data and aircraft position, removing the need for pilot interpretation of ground landmarks while maintaining the visual approach methodology
2Measurement precision
If the flight management system implements automated visual approach trajectory calculation and management, then navigation precision and trajectory predictability improve, but the device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent makes the existing flight management system multi-functional by enabling it to handle both traditional instrument approach procedures and visual approach procedures through the same automated trajectory management interface. The system can store and manage multiple types of approach data (instrument and visual) and automatically select and execute the appropriate procedure type, thereby achieving enhanced navigation precision without proportionally increasing complexity
Solution Approach 2:
The patent implements preliminary action by pre-storing visual approach data (including trajectory parameters, ground references, and procedure details) in the flight management system's database before the actual approach. This allows the system to automatically retrieve and execute the correct visual approach procedure without requiring real-time calculation or pilot interpretation, thus improving navigation accuracy while keeping the real-time system complexity manageable
Data Source
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AI summary
This method of managing the flight of an aircraft in the visual approach phase to a landing runway is implemented by an electronic flight management system and includes: - the acquisition (120) of at least one set from a set of values of visual approach lateral trajectory parameters and a set of values of visual approach vertical trajectory parameters, at least one of said values of visual approach trajectory parameters being user-designable, - the calculation (130) of at least one trajectory from a visual approach lateral trajectory from the values of said lateral trajectory parameters and a visual approach vertical trajectory from the values of said vertical trajectory parameters, and - the generation (140) of a visual approach trajectory to the landing runway from the visual approach lateral trajectory and/or the visual approach vertical trajectory.