Aircraft Flight Planning Using Derived Airspeed and Selective Uplinks
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing flight planning systems face challenges in optimizing flight plans for fuel consumption and efficient communications with aircraft, particularly in situations where bandwidth and connectivity are limited, and aircraft-specific performance characteristics are not adequately accounted for.
Innovation Solution
A ground-based system uses non-instrumented data such as GPS and winds aloft data to derive approximate flight characteristics, adjusts aircraft performance models, and generates optimized flight plans, reducing the need for extensive uplinking of data to the aircraft.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Measurement precision
If extensive data uplinking is performed to provide copious amounts of information to aircraft for flight plan optimization, then flight plan accuracy and optimization capability improve, but communication costs and system complexity increase
Solution Approach 1:
The patent extracts and processes only the essential data elements needed for flight plan optimization (GPS positions, winds aloft data, approximate flight characteristics) rather than transmitting all available information. This selective extraction reduces communication bandwidth requirements while maintaining sufficient accuracy for flight planning decisions.
Solution Approach 2:
The ground-based system acts as an intermediary that derives approximate flight characteristics from limited uplinked data and generates optimized flight plans locally. This intermediary processing approach eliminates the need for complex real-time communication systems while achieving effective flight plan optimization.
2Loss of energy
If aircraft-specific performance characteristics are incorporated into flight plan optimization, then fuel efficiency improves, but data processing requirements and system complexity increase
Solution Approach 1:
The patent incorporates aircraft-specific performance characteristics as adjustable parameters in the flight plan optimization algorithm. By treating these characteristics as configurable parameters rather than hard-coded constraints, the system achieves fuel-efficient optimization while maintaining flexibility and reducing processing complexity through parameter-based control.
Solution Approach 2:
The system performs preliminary processing of aircraft performance data on the ground before flight execution. By pre-calculating and storing aircraft-specific performance characteristics, the system avoids complex real-time processing during flight while still achieving fuel-optimized flight plans that account for individual aircraft variations.
3Reliability
If real-time flight plan revisions are generated to account for variable conditions, then flight safety and efficiency improve, but communication bandwidth requirements increase
Solution Approach 1:
The patent implements partial action by generating flight plan revisions only when variable conditions (weather, air traffic, turbulence) warrant changes. Rather than continuously updating flight plans, the system performs revisions selectively based on condition thresholds, reducing communication data volume while maintaining flight safety through targeted updates.
Data Source
AI summary
Flight planning and/or optimizing flight plans can be performed using ground-based systems with little or no instrumented data, providing efficient communications between aircraft and ground-based systems. Estimates of airspeeds (i.e., derived airspeed) can be derived from transponder telemetry, which is optionally collected independently of flight planning. Alternative (adjusted or revised or modified) flight plans can be generated based on derived airspeed, weather, traffic, etc., and/or performance data specific to an individual aircraft. Aircraft performance models can be updated (e.g., fuel consumption) based on monitoring an aircraft over time. Winds aloft data can be updated based on monitoring of one or more aircraft. Data can be selectively identified and uplinked to aircraft based on certain criteria (e.g., data relevant to geographic areas and altitudes proximate flight path as indicated by flight plan).