Flight Management System Altitude Time Fix Generation
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing aircraft Flight Management Systems (FMS) lack features to determine coordinates for altitude or time targets relative to an aircraft's trajectory, limiting navigation and control capabilities.
Innovation Solution
The system receives target values for altitude or time, calculates the corresponding aircraft position, and displays the distance to travel to reach that position, providing coordinates for integration into the flight management system to modify flight plans and improve navigation.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Adaptability or versatility
If existing FMS fix info functions are used, then basic navigation capabilities are maintained, but the system lacks features to determine coordinates for altitude or time targets relative to aircraft trajectory
Solution Approach 1:
The system pre-calculates and stores fix coordinates for various altitude and time targets along the aircraft's trajectory before they are needed for navigation decisions, allowing the FMS to quickly provide accurate position information without real-time computation delays
Solution Approach 2:
The patent introduces an intermediary calculation layer between the flight management system and the navigation display, which computes intermediate fix points based on altitude and time parameters, then provides these calculated coordinates to the user interface for navigation planning
2Measurement precision
If the FMS calculates and displays target aircraft position and distance, then navigation accuracy is improved, but the system complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The FMS is enhanced to perform multiple functions using the same core calculation engine: it can compute fix coordinates for altitude targets, time targets, or a combination of both, and can provide this information in different formats (coordinates, distance, time estimates) without requiring separate dedicated systems for each function
Solution Approach 2:
The flight management system automatically calculates and updates fix coordinates based on the current flight plan and aircraft performance data, without requiring manual intervention or external computational resources, making the enhanced functionality self-sufficient
3Productivity
If the system provides comprehensive fix information including coordinates and distance, then flight management efficiency is improved, but the ease of operation may be reduced due to additional information processing
Solution Approach 1:
The user interface presents different levels of information detail in different contexts: basic navigation displays show only essential fix points, while detailed navigation planning modes provide comprehensive coordinate and distance information, allowing users to access full functionality when needed without being overwhelmed during routine operations
Data Source
AI summary
Techniques for aircraft flight management are disclosed. These techniques include receiving, at a flight management system (FMS) of an aircraft, a target value, the target value including at least one of: (i) an altitude target value or (ii) a time target value. The techniques further include determining a target aircraft position relating to the target value, based on a trajectory for the aircraft. The techniques further include calculating a distance for the aircraft to travel from a current aircraft position to the target aircraft position and displaying the calculated distance in a user interface of the aircraft. The techniques further include providing coordinates for the target aircraft position to the FMS for use in flight management of the aircraft.