Terrain Awareness Warning System with Dynamic Escape Maneuver Segmentation
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Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional Terrain Awareness Warning Systems (TAWS) issue unnecessary warnings due to their reliance on assumed aircraft performance capabilities and limitations, which can be optimistic or pessimistic, and fail to account for the aircraft's actual capabilities and future maneuvers, leading to reduced protection and increased nuisance warnings in mountainous terrain.
Innovation Solution
The system evaluates multiple potential escape maneuvers based on the aircraft's actual capabilities and predicts future positions using actual current maneuver and performance capability, comparing these to terrain data to determine when a terrain warning is necessary, thereby providing custom trajectories and varying levels of awareness based on terrain clearance.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of operation
If conventional TAWS uses a single forward look ahead volume based on current trajectory extrapolation, then the system is simple to operate, but it generates unnecessary nuisance warnings in mountainous terrain with curved arrival procedures
Solution Approach 1:
The patent segments the single forward look ahead volume into multiple look ahead volumes, each corresponding to a different potential escape maneuver (e.g., left turn, right turn, straight ahead). This allows the system to evaluate terrain clearance for multiple possible future paths simultaneously, reducing nuisance warnings when any escape path provides adequate clearance.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent makes the look ahead volume dynamic by adjusting its shape and extent based on the aircraft's actual performance capabilities and the specific escape maneuver being evaluated. Rather than using a fixed volume based on generic assumptions, the system adapts the evaluation volume to match realistic aircraft responses to terrain warnings.
2Object-generated harmful factors
If conventional TAWS shrinks the look ahead distance to reduce nuisance warnings, then nuisance warnings are reduced, but protection for the aircraft is reduced
Solution Approach 1:
By segmenting the look ahead evaluation into multiple maneuver-specific volumes, the system can maintain a long look ahead distance for each individual maneuver path while avoiding nuisance warnings. The segmentation allows the system to evaluate terrain clearance along each escape path independently, ensuring adequate protection without generating false alarms.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent changes the parameters defining the look ahead volume based on the specific escape maneuver being evaluated. Each maneuver (left turn, right turn, straight ahead) has its own customized look ahead volume with appropriate distance and angular parameters, allowing the system to maintain long protection distances while adapting to the specific geometry of each escape path.
3Ease of manufacture
If conventional TAWS uses assumed performance capabilities for generic aircraft, then the system is easy to implement, but it is not responsive to real time performance capabilities and limitations of the specific aircraft
Solution Approach 1:
The patent makes the system adaptive by dynamically adjusting the escape maneuver evaluation based on the specific aircraft's real-time performance capabilities. The system uses actual aircraft data (weight, engine power, maneuvering characteristics) to define the set of plausible escape maneuvers and their corresponding look ahead volumes, rather than relying on generic assumptions.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent changes the performance parameters used in terrain evaluation from fixed generic values to dynamic values based on the specific aircraft's current state. The system adjusts parameters such as climb rate, turn rate, and speed based on actual aircraft performance data, enabling accurate assessment of escape maneuver feasibility for each specific aircraft configuration.
Data Source
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AI summary
Avionics systems, aircraft, and methods are provided. An avionics system for an aircraft includes a trajectory modeling system and a Terrain Awareness Warning System (TAWS). The trajectory modeling system is programmed to determine a current performance capability of the aircraft and to generate potential escape data based on the current performance capability of the aircraft. The TAWS is programmed to generate a terrain margin using a TAWS algorithm based on the potential escape data and to generate a warning based on the terrain margin.