Patent · US Active

Method for assisting low altitude navigation of an aircraft

US7584046B2 · kind B2 · utility

5Cited by
7References
20Claims
0Family size

Assignee

Inventor

Key dates

Filing dateDec 13, 2004
Grant dateSep 1, 2009
Priority date
Expiry dateJul 8, 2026

Classification

  • Technology area (CPC G)Physics
  • CPC primaryG01C21/20
  • WIPO fieldMeasurement
  • WIPO sectorInstruments

Abstract

A method for assisting low-altitude navigation of an aircraft equipped with a system suited to determine a flight-plan ground trajectory based on intermediate points P at an altitude alt(P), and the aircraft's performance. The method includes the following steps: for each point P, calculating a safe altitude, to obtain a point Psafe, calculating a safe profile formed from segments joining the points Psafe, extracting summits S from among the points Psafe, determining the aircraft's weight at these points S, for each point S, determining the maximum climb slope MaxClimbFPA and the maximum descent slope MaxDescFPA, defining two performance segments which have slopes MaxClimbFPA and MaxDescFPA on either side of the point S and calculating a performance profile formed from performance segments.

Source: USPTO / EPO open patent data. Objective bibliographic and citation counts.