Patent Grant
8229604
The present invention relates to a method and a device for controlling at least partially automatically an aircraft taxiing on the ground, in particular in an airport area, such as an airport or an aerodrome, within a convoy of aircraft. It also relates to a method and a system for automatically managing at least one such convoy of aircraft.
The present invention therefore applies to the taxiing of an aircraft on the ground, in particular of an airplane, civilian or military, for transporting passengers or freight, or even a drone. It more particularly relates to the total or partial automation of the control of such an aircraft taxiing on the ground, within a convoy of aircraft.
In the context of the present invention:
Currently, the pilot controls the movements of the aircraft on the ground, using manual piloting members (for example a control wheel used to steer the wheel of the front landing gear, an engine thrust control lever, brake pedals, a rudder bar), along a trajectory on the ground. These members are used to control actuators of the aircraft capable of influencing the movements of the aircraft, in particular through the intermediary of the engines, the brakes, the orientation of the wheel of the front landing gear (and possibly the orientation of the rear gears), and the drift control rudder.
The term “trajectory on the ground” designates the path taken by the aircraft on an airport area such as an aerodrome or an airport, including in particular the take-off and landing runways, the taxiways, the turn-around areas, the holding bays, the stop bars, the stands, the maneuvering areas and the parking areas.
The trajectory on the ground is generally supplied to the pilot, in particular via radiocommunication means or another usual means such as a digital data transmission link, by an air traffic controller or by a ground controller, but it can also, in certain cases, be chosen freely by the pilot.
The trajectory is defined in the form of a succession of elements
of the airport area, and it indicates a path making it possible to reach, from a point or region of the airport area, another point or region of this area.
The expression “element of the airport area” denotes any portion of the area, designated or not by a name, and identified as a distinct and delimited part of the area. An element can, if necessary, include one or more others. The term “element” designates in particular the take-off and landing runways, the taxiways, the turn-around areas, the holding bays, the stop bars, the stands, the maneuvering areas and the parking areas.
Knowing the ground trajectory to be followed, the pilot acts on the abovementioned piloting members, in order to the control the movements of the aircraft on the ground (the longitudinal speed and the lateral displacements of the aircraft). He also does so to follow the trajectory so that all parts of the aircraft in contact with the ground (the wheels of the front and rear landing gears) remain permanently on the surface provided for aircraft taxiing. For most airports accommodating civilian or military transport airplanes, the term “ground” is understood to mean the parts covered with tarmac and provided for this purpose. The objective of the pilot is therefore to manage a trajectory so that none of the parts of the aircraft in contact with the ground is, at a given moment, on a portion of the airport area not designed for aircraft taxiing, in particular portions covered with grass, earth or sand, or portions designed solely for the taxiing of lighter vehicles (cars, trucks).
During this taxiing phase, the pilot may be required, on instruction or not from ground control, to follow at a given distance another aircraft taxiing on the ground, which can be likened to an informal and non-coherent convoy of two aircraft. This is generally the case when they are both following one and the same trajectory portion, or they are going to places close to the airport.
The manual piloting of an aircraft on the ground represents a major workload for the pilot. The latter must in practice:
This major workload can, consequently, affect the vigilance of the pilot, and lead, in particular, to an unscheduled trajectory being followed, departures from the surface provided for aircraft taxiing, and close contacts with other vehicles or obstacles that can cause significant material and human damage.
In these conditions, manually following another aircraft at the correct speed and at the correct distance (with a safety distance to be observed) represents an additional workload for the pilot, and can prove difficult, even impossible, if the operational conditions are degraded (for example: reduced visibility, bad weather, wet or contaminated runway).
Moreover, even assuming the best case scenario where the pilot has an automatic taxiing function and only has to manually control the speed of the aircraft (the trajectory being followed laterally automatically), manual piloting leads to an under-use of the operational capabilities of the aircraft. In particular:
Finally, currently, there is no functional framework for ensuring the coherence of the convoy by the sharing of information between the aircraft and ground control, and between the aircraft themselves. There is also no formal operational procedure for managing convoys of aircraft, in particular the maneuvers of aircraft wanting to enter or leave the convoy. Consequently, ground control is obliged to manage each aircraft of the convoy individually, and cannot manage the convoy as a whole.
The object of the present invention is to remedy the abovementioned drawbacks. It relates to a method of controlling at least partially automatically a following aircraft taxiing on the ground within a convoy of aircraft, said convoy of aircraft comprising a coherent set of at least two aircraft which follow one another along a common trajectory, namely a lead aircraft, called leader aircraft (or leader) and at least one aircraft following it, called following aircraft.
To this end, according to the invention, said method is noteworthy in that:
Thus, thanks to the invention, assistance is provided in controlling a following aircraft that is taxiing on the ground within the convoy of aircraft, preferably by implementing automatic piloting of the following aircraft so that it observes said yaw speed instruction and said longitudinal speed instruction.
The present invention thus provides effective assistance, at least partially automatic, in the control of a following aircraft that is part of a convoy of aircraft taxiing on the ground, in particular in an airport area. As specified hereinbelow, this control assistance makes it possible in particular to simplify the management of traffic and ensure the stability and the safety of the convoy.
In a preferred embodiment, the longitudinal speed instruction is limited by an allowable maximum speed envelope, in order in particular to observe speed, acceleration and jerk constraints, in particular so that the controlled speed does not lead to behaviors that are occasionally uncomfortable for the passengers or hazardous for the aircraft and its environment.
Furthermore, advantageously, said longitudinal speed instruction is calculated by taking into account one of the following information items:
Moreover, in the context of the present invention, said current status table includes, for each aircraft of the convoy, at least the following information:
The present invention also relates to a method of automatically managing at least one convoy of aircraft taxiing on the ground.
According to the invention, said method is noteworthy in that, for at least one of the following aircraft of said convoy, an (at least partially automatic) control method such as that mentioned above, is implemented.
In the context of the present invention, there is no need for all the following aircraft of the convoy to implement the abovementioned (preferably automatic) control method. Consequently, mixed convoys can be formed, comprising following aircraft implementing said control method according to the invention, and manually piloted aircraft. This makes it possible in particular to incorporate in the convoy aircraft that do not have means for implementing such an automatic (or semi-automatic) control mode. Obviously, such a mixed convoy is less efficient, in particular regarding speed, than a convoy in which all the following aircraft implement said automatic control method.
Nevertheless, to be able to be part of such a convoy, a following aircraft, even if it does not implement said automatic control method, must be able to exchange information with the other aircraft of the convoy and with ground control. Thus, in a preferred embodiment:
Moreover, the leader of the convoy behaves independently. In particular, its speed does not depend on the behavior of the other members of the convoy. Said leader can be piloted automatically or semi-automatically, or manually. However, in a particular embodiment, the leader aircraft is piloted according to a speed profile that takes into account constraints that are associated with at least one following aircraft of the convoy, for example lower maximum allowable speeds or more restrictive jerk or acceleration values.
Furthermore, advantageously:
Thanks to these possibilities of attaching and detaching aircraft to and from the convoy, the following various maneuvers specified below can be implemented:
The present invention also relates to a device for controlling at least partially automatically a following aircraft taxiing on the ground within a convoy of aircraft, said convoy of aircraft comprising a coherent set of at least two aircraft that follow one another along a common trajectory, namely a lead aircraft, called leader aircraft (or leader), and at least one aircraft following it, called following aircraft.
According to the invention, said device is noteworthy in that it comprises:
Moreover, the present invention also relates to a system for automatically managing at least one convoy of aircraft taxiing on the ground, which is noteworthy in that it comprises:
The present invention therefore relates to the automatic management of convoys of aircraft on the ground and to the control of each of the aircraft within a convoy, that make it possible to remedy the abovementioned drawbacks.
An important advantage is that this automatic convoying function simplifies traffic management from the ground control point of view, because a convoy can be seen as a single entity, and not as a set of separate objects. It is simpler to indicate to an entire convoy a single destination, and to handle the convoy as a single object, than to have a set of aircraft converge toward one and the same destination, while maintaining adequate safety distances between them, avoiding the risks of collision and close contact (intersecting trajectories for example), with a timing that is fairly great to allow safety margins for these maneuvers.
Furthermore, this management function makes it possible to ensure the stability (the convoy is regulated even in the presence of disturbances) and the safety (the aircraft are careful not to move too close to or too far away from the aircraft that precedes them) of the convoy. Consequently, compared to a convoy consisting of aircraft in which the speed is piloted automatically, the automation of the speed of at least certain aircraft makes it possible to reduce the distances between aircraft, and increase the overall speed of the convoy. This reduction of the margins, which would be hazardous, even impossible, in manual piloting mode, makes it possible to create more dense convoys of aircraft, in which the aircraft are more grouped together. It is therefore possible to form longer convoys than in manual piloting mode (that is, convoys consisting of more aircraft), or, given the same number of aircraft, form shorter convoys.
Furthermore, when the servocontrol is provided automatically by the device, the pilot is relieved of all the workload corresponding to the manual piloting of the aircraft, which allows him to concentrate on other tasks, in particular monitoring the external environment (movements of the other vehicles, surrounding obstacles), or communications with air traffic/ground control. Furthermore, this automatic servocontrol can be implemented with degraded visual conditions (for example, at night) or atmospheric conditions (rain, fog, snow), which would make the job of manually piloting the following of the convoy difficult or impossible.
The abovementioned advantages mean that the use of convoys of aircraft makes it possible to increase ground traffic density, and reduce overall the occupancy times of the runways and the taxiways by the convoys. In the current context of saturation of the major international airports, increasing the traffic while maintaining an equivalent safety level is of obvious economic interest to the airlines and the airports.
The present invention also makes it possible to provide an operational and functional framework for convoy management, and for the maneuvers of aircraft that join the convoy or detach themselves from the latter. In particular, it makes it possible to codify the information exchanged, the instructions coming from ground control, the maneuvers that are allowed, and so on.
Moreover, the invention presents the benefit of being able to mix within one and the same convoy aircraft managed automatically by the function (according to the invention) and aircraft that are piloted manually (because the function is not present or is not active). It is therefore possible, during the transitional phase of progressively equipping airline fleets, to form mixed convoys. This makes it possible to retain the advantages associated with the simplification of traffic management, even if the efficiency of the mixed convoys is lower, because of the presence of manually piloted aircraft.
Furthermore, this function provides a way of ensuring flight/ground continuity for trains of aircraft. In practice, a standard function of ASAS (“Airbone Separation Assurance System”) type ensures similar behaviors in flight during the approach phase (maintaining a constant time separation between two or more aircraft). A train of aircraft formed in flight can therefore continue to exist on the ground, which makes it possible to optimize the traffic and make it more fluid by grouping together several aircraft within one and the sane entity.
There are a number of possible aircraft convoy applications.
A first application relates to the possibility of forming trains of aircraft. For example:
A second application relates to the collection of aircraft, that is, the possibility for an aircraft, or for a convoy that is already formed, to pass close to other aircraft and attach them to the tail of the convoy. Thus, a set of aircraft can easily be collected to group them together and bring them to a given point of the airport, for example close to the entry to a runway.
Furthermore, similarly, a third application allows for the distribution of aircraft to a set of terminals. In this case, a convoy that is already formed can pass close to a set of airport terminals, and, at some of them, leave one or more of the aircraft from the convoy, considerably increasing the fluidity of the traffic.
The present invention also relates to an aircraft that includes a control device like that mentioned above.
The figures of the appended drawing will give clear understanding of how the invention can be represented. In these figures, identical references designate similar elements.
The system 1 according to the invention is diagrammatically represented in
In the context of the present invention, a convoy of aircraft CA is considered to be a coherent set of at least two aircraft A1, A2, A3, A4 following one another in Indian file, along a common trajectory TR for taxiing on the ground, as represented in
For the convoy 1 to be coherent, said system 1 comprises, as represented in
Ground control 4 schedules the convoy, and receives from each aircraft, via the means 6 and 5, or via any information technology means (for example of “DataLink” or “Wimax” type), or a radiocommunication (audio dialog between the pilot and the control station), the information relating to the status of the convoy. Conversely, each aircraft receives from ground control, via the means 5 and 6, for example at regular intervals or on a change of status of the convoy CA, the overall status of the convoy, possibly updated according to information transmitted individually by each of the aircraft of the convoy.
Two levels of information exchange, necessary to the correct operation of the convoy CA, can therefore be distinguished:
On each aircraft A1 to An, said first and second transmission means 2 and 6 can:
According to the invention, said system 1 also comprises at least one device 10 which is mounted on one of the following aircraft A2, A3, A4 of the convoy CA. Preferably, said system 1 comprises several devices 10, each of which is mounted on a following aircraft. Such a device 10 is designed to handle a control, at least partially automatic within the convoy of aircraft, of the following aircraft on which it is mounted.
According to the invention, said device 10 comprises, to this end, as represented in
Said means 12 calculate said longitudinal speed instruction, taking into account the following information items:
Said device 10 also comprises:
Furthermore, said means 11 and 12 can be part of a guidance system 3 which is linked via links 16, 17, 18 and 19 respectively to said navigation system 14, to said unit 8, to said set 15 and to said system 13 (which is also linked by a link 20 to the set 15).
Said system 13 can comprise:
In a particular embodiment, the means 21 can comprise, for the application of the longitudinal speed instruction:
For the yaw speed instruction, the means 21 can comprise similar standard means.
The function according to the present invention that is implemented by a device 10 (in conjunction with said system 1) is hereinafter called “OGAPAS function” (OGAPAS standing for “On-Ground Aircraft Platooning Automatic System”).
As detailed further hereinbelow, this OGAPAS function consists of three main subfunctions:
The generation of the speed command uses the information from a number of identical modules (incorporated in the device 10) making it possible to calculate status vectors of certain members of the convoy. In a preferred embodiment, the device 10 of an aircraft uses the status vectors of that aircraft, of the aircraft preceding it in the convoy, and of the lead aircraft, and it therefore comprises three status vector computation modules.
These computation modules use the trajectory to be followed, and measurements, in particular of position, speed and orientation (heading), to reconstruct the status vector of the aircraft. All the status vectors relate to the trajectory of the aircraft itself (because the trajectories of the other members of the convoy are unknown). For example, the lateral and angular separations of the preceding aircraft are calculated relative to the trajectory of the aircraft on which this calculation is performed, and not in relation to the trajectory followed by the preceding aircraft.
The status vector of an aircraft Ai is called the following vector:
with:
si the curvilinear abscissa on an element of trajectory Ni;
vi: the longitudinal speed;
{tilde over (y)}i: the lateral separation represented in
{tilde over (ψ)}i: the angular separation;
c(si): the curvature of the trajectory at a target point H; and
Ni: the current element of the trajectory TR.
In
The place of each aircraft Ai within the convoy CA is given by its rank i:
One condition that is fundamental and necessary to the creation of a convoy CA is the existence of a trajectory TR common to all the members of that convoy CA. In practice, given the complexity of the environment of the aircraft on the ground [(airport traffic (other aircraft and vehicles), obstacles (buildings, panels, antennas, etc.), . . . ], the rest of the convoy is not made to follow the lead aircraft A1 along the lateral axis, but only along the longitudinal axis. Each aircraft follows its own trajectory, but servocontrols its speed so as to observe its rank and separations that are constant with one or more other members of the convoy CA. Consequently, all the aircraft must follow the same path.
For all the aircraft forming the convoy CA, the objectives of the command are therefore to follow a common path, while observing a predefined separation (in time or in space) with at least one other member of the convoy. In a preferred embodiment, it involves observing a first separation with the preceding aircraft, and a second separation with the leader aircraft A1.
In the context of the present invention, it is possible to envisage the presence, in the convoy, of following aircraft that are not equipped with the OGAPAS function implemented by the device 10, subject to certain conditions described hereinbelow. In particular, it is possible to envisage:
The expression “status of the convoy CA” denotes a set of information, describing the current and essential characteristics of the convoy, and enabling each of the aircraft of the convoy to know its macroscopic situation. The status of the convoy must be shared by all the aircraft in the convoy, and by ground control 4.
As an example, a table such as that described hereinbelow summarizes the status of the convoy:
With this table, each aircraft of the convoy thus has access to the following information:
A table such as that specified above is called current status table (TEC), because it characterizes the current status of the convoy CA. On a change of status (an aircraft leaves the convoy CA for example), it is essential for all the aircraft of the convoy CA to be informed of this change at the same time, for all the aircraft of the convoy to simultaneously change the description of the status of the convoy, in order to ensure the safety of the convoy.
From this table TEC, by using the information that it contains and the moment at which it is sent simultaneously to the members of the convoy, the system 1 will be able to complete various maneuvers that can arise while taxiing, in particular:
The sharing of the information concerning the status of the convoy can be managed by the aircraft themselves, by dialogs between the aircraft. However, the occasional presence in the convoy of aircraft that are not equipped with the OGAPAS function (device 10) means that it is simpler to manage the sharing of the information by centralizing the data at ground control 4 level.
Moreover, as indicated hereinabove, ground control 4 schedules the convoy, and receives from each aircraft, either by any information technology means (for example of “DataLink” or “Wimax” type), or by radio (audio dialog between the pilot and the control tower), the information relating to the status of the convoy (for example, whether it has the OGAPAS function, whether or not it is attached to the convoy, etc.). Conversely, each aircraft receives from ground control, for example at regular intervals or on a change of status of the convoy CA, the status of the convoy, possibly updated according to the information transmitted individually by each of the aircraft of the convoy.
In a particular embodiment, the OGAPAS function according to the invention is associated with an “Auto-Taxi” function. This Auto-Taxi function which is also implemented by the device 1 (using appropriate means that are not represented) is based on four modes (plus a direct mode in the event of failures), namely:
The OGAPAS function adds an additional mode; with the same level of automation as the M/FA mode. However, instead of following a speed profile associated with a trajectory, the aircraft is servocontrolled on the rest of the convoy.
Moreover, concerning the aircraft forming the convoy CA, two main operating modes are envisaged in the context of the present invention: a master mode, which is reserved for the leader, and a slave mode, which is used by the rest of the members of the convoy (following aircraft).
Thus, within one and the same convoy CA, only the lead aircraft A1 is in master mode. In this master mode, the aircraft A1 behaves independently. Its speed does not depend on the behavior of the other members of the convoy. However, this leader aircraft A1 can, if necessary, take account of the fact that other aircraft servocontrol their speed on their own, in order to limit its own maximum speed, so as not to distance the rest of the convoy.
The leader is, from the point of view of the Auto-Taxi function, preferably in “Full-Auto” mode (M/FA), but there is no constraint preventing the leader from being in a less automatic mode [“Auto-Lateral” (M/AL) or “Visual Help” (M/VH)], even in normal mode. It is even possible to envisage a leader not equipped with the OGAPAS function, or with the Auto-Taxi function, and therefore in a virtual master mode.
In M/FA mode, the leader follows its generated speed profile without worrying about the rest of the convoy. On the other hand, the generation of the speed profile of the leader can incorporate certain additional constraints associated with the aircraft that make up the convoy, for example lower maximum allowable speeds, or even more restrictive jerk or acceleration values.
Furthermore, the slave mode is dedicated to the following aircraft. Their speed is locked according to the behavior of the convoy, thanks to the longitudinal speed control specific to the OGAPAS function. For this, the Auto-Taxi function must be present and active, in order for:
In practice, in order to observe its own constraints, notably speed, acceleration and jerk, each aircraft equipped with the device 1 must limit (using the means 24) the speed calculated by the longitudinal command of the OGAPAS function by an envelope of maximum allowable speeds. Thus, the controlled speed does not lead to behaviors that are potentially uncomfortable for the passengers or hazardous for the aircraft and its environment.
The automatic following of a following aircraft can be done in fully automatic mode, or even in M/AL or M/VH mode. It is also possible to envisage, in certain conditions, a following aircraft being piloted entirely manually, in which case the aircraft is in a virtual slave mode.
By default, the M/FA mode is that of the Auto-Taxi function, that is, the aircraft is in master M/FA mode. When the conditions of activation of the OGAPAS function are satisfied, there is a switch to the slave M/FA mode thanks to a subfunction (means 25) of the OGAPAS function which will be responsible for switching between the longitudinal guidance law of the Auto-Taxi function and that of the OGAPAS function (means 7).
Moreover, the transitions to less automated modes are always possible, and operate in the same way as for the Auto-Taxi function. In slave M/FA mode, an action on a longitudinal piloting member, or a disconnection of the auto-throttle (A/THR) switches the aircraft to M/AL mode, in which the speed is controlled manually by the pilot. Similarly, an action on a lateral piloting member, or a disconnection of the automatic pilot (A/P) switches the aircraft directly to M/VH mode. Thus, the modal behavior remains consistent with the architecture of the existing Auto-Taxi function.
Among the conditions of engagement in slave mode of the OGAPAS function, when using both the Auto-Taxi and OGAPAS functions, it is worth mentioning:
In case of the combined use of the Auto-Taxi and OGAPAS functions, the means 25 that implement a change-of-mode subfunction, controlled by the mode management subfunction (means 9), will be responsible for sending to a ground protection envelope either the speed instruction obtained from the Auto-Taxi function when the current mode is the master mode, or the speed instruction obtained from the OGAPAS function when the current mode is the slave mode. The speed instruction obtained from the ground protection envelope is then sent to the speed piloting function (means 13).
It is possible to envisage the participation in the convoy CA of aircraft that are not equipped with the OGAPAS function, regardless of the rank of the convoy. The Auto-Taxi function is no longer mandatory.
In certain conditions described hereinbelow, the convoy can include, or be controlled by, an aircraft that is piloted manually and/or that does not have any function for automating control on the ground (for example, Auto-Taxi, OGAPAS and other functions).
The present invention can be implemented with a fleet of mixed aircraft (that is, some have the OGAPAS function, others do not). It is therefore possible to create convoys of aircraft even if certain aircraft in the convoy are not equipped with the OGAPAS function and are piloted manually. For this, a certain number of conditions are required:
All the functions for automating control on the ground can be handled manually by the pilot, by adapting certain safety values, for example by increasing the minimum distance to be observed between the aircraft of the convoy.
The ideal situation is, of course, a convoy made up of only aircraft equipped with a device 10. A majority that mostly comprises aircraft not equipped with a device 10 is of no real interest compared to an entirely manual convoy. In practice, the presence of aircraft that are not equipped reduces the efficiency that can be obtained with an entirely automatic convoy, notably in terms of maximum speed of the convoy, separations between the aircraft, reactivity, safety, response time, etc.
Moreover, in order to ensure the stability of the convoy (avoid accordian-type oscillations for example), each aircraft that is not equipped with a device 10 may be required to be bracketed at the very least by two aircraft that are so equipped.
As indicated previously, the various possible maneuvers are:
The term “collection phase” is used to mean the transitional phase during which a following aircraft is attached to the rest of the convoy, that is, it is placed, from a trajectory that meets that of the convoy, behind the aircraft previously situated at the tail of the convoy. It is assumed that the following conditions are satisfied:
In the context of the present invention:
The aircraft A2 can, knowing the position of the aircraft A1, determine whether the latter is or is not on a portion of its own trajectory. Specifically, this amounts to determining whether the aircraft A1 has passed the point Pa, the beginning of the trajectory portion TR common to both aircraft A1 and A2, in which case the aircraft A2 can commence the collection phase.
The collection phase obviously presupposes that the aircraft A2 is initially upstream of the point Pa. Otherwise, the convoy may not be formed correctly, particularly if the aircraft A1 is itself upstream of said attachment point Pa.
In the examples of
The aircraft A2 cannot compare the planned trajectory of the aircraft A1 to its own to determine the point Pa (since it does not known it). On the other hand, it can determine the separations (lateral and angular) of the aircraft A1 relative to its own trajectory. When these separations meet certain criteria, the attachment phase can commence.
For this, the device 1 of the following aircraft A2 has appropriate means making it possible to determine the following elements:
The first three criteria ensure that the aircraft A1 is indeed on the trajectory of the aircraft A2, and is oriented correctly relative to the latter, and the fourth criterion ensures that the aircraft A1 is indeed in front of the aircraft A2. {tilde over (y)}1 and {tilde over (ψ)}1 are compared to threshold values that are predetermined. N2 is the number of the current element of the aircraft A2.
Thus, when the aircraft A2 detects that the preceding aircraft (in this case, the aircraft A1, or indeed the aircraft at the tail of the convoy in the general case) follows the same trajectory as it, and is indeed downstream, it can switch to the guidance law of the OGAPAS function aiming to regulate its speed so as to maintain constant separations with the aircraft preceding it and/or with the lead aircraft.
Moreover, the criteria for determining a detachment point Pd is similar to the preceding criterion. It is assumed that the aircraft has passed the point Pd when:
In an example represented in
In this example, before ground control 4 decides to attach the aircraft A6 to the convoy, the aircraft A1 to A5 receive the following current status table TEC (it is assumed in this example that all the aircraft are in automatic mode):
It is assumed that the aircraft A6 is in position to attach the convoy CA, that is, that it is stopped on a trajectory T6 close to that TR of the convoy CA and it is not hampering it. When ground control decides to attach the aircraft A6 to the convoy CA, it sends the following new table TEC to all the aircraft, including to the aircraft A6:
The lead aircraft A1 now knows that a new aircraft A6 has just arrived, which can possibly affect its pace, in order to allow time for the arriving aircraft A6 to be attached in correct conditions.
When the last aircraft A5 of the convoy CA passes the attachment point Pa, the aircraft A6 switches to its regulation law suited to convoy-following, and informs ground control that it is in the process of joining the end of the convoy:
When the aircraft A6 in turn passes the point Pa, it is attached to the convoy. It informs ground control of this and ground control sends a new table TEC:
The collection operation is a particular case of a more general maneuver consisting in incorporating an aircraft at an arbitrary rank in the convoy.
Returning to the preceding example, it is now assumed that the aircraft A6 wants to join the convoy at rank 4, that is, be placed between the aircraft A3 and A4, as represented in
The status of the convoy before the arrival of the aircraft A6 is given by the following table TEC:
When the aircraft A6 is in a waiting position and ready to join the convoy, ground control sends the following table TEC to all the aircraft of the convoy:
This new table indicates that the new arrival will be placed at rank 4. Consequently, the aircraft A4 (which is now in rank 5), knows that an aircraft will have to be placed in front of it. Ground control can, if necessary, ask it to double its distance to be maintained with the preceding aircraft, in order to allow the aircraft A6 that is arriving to join the trajectory TR of the convoy without being hampered. When the aircraft A3 passes the attachment point Pa, the aircraft A6 informs ground control thereof and commences joining the convoy by following its trajectory, and by being locked to the aircraft A1 and A3. The new table TEC sent by ground control to all of the convoy is therefore:
In order not to interfere with the arriving aircraft A6, the aircraft A4 stops (also leading to the stopping of the rest of the convoy that follows it), because the words “In progress” appear, which leaves place within the convoy for the incoming aircraft A6. When the aircraft A6 has finished its joining maneuver and it is considered to be attached to the convoy (that is, it has passed the attachment point Pa), the aircraft A6 informs ground control thereof, which then sends a new status table, indicating that the convoy can be regulated normally:
Since the aircraft A6 is now correctly attached to the convoy, the aircraft A4 can be socked onto the aircraft A1 and A6, by notably observing the initial separation D4 to be followed.
It will be noted that, in the case where the new aircraft arrives in the lead position, the behavior of the convoy remains the same. The only separation is that the aircraft that is inserted does not switch to slave mode, but remains in master mode (Auto-Taxi function or manual mode).
The reverse situation, corresponding to the removal of an aircraft A3 from the convoy CA (represented in
It is assumed that the aircraft A3 has to leave the convoy.
When the aircraft A3 detects that the aircraft A2 has passed the detachment point Pd, it informs ground control thereof to indicate to it that it will soon assume a trajectory T3 that is different from that TR of the convoy CA (because it has seen that the aircraft A2 that precedes it is visibly taking a different path). The new table TEC sent by ground control to the convoy is then as follows:
The aircraft A4 that follows it is then locked on the aircraft A3 (unlike in the previous case where, in the “in progress” phase, it was locked on the aircraft two ranks in front of it). Since the aircraft A3 is taking a trajectory T3 that differs from that TR of the convoy CA, the guidance law of the aircraft A4 will send a reduced speed instruction (or zero speed instruction if the aircraft A3 takes a trajectory perpendicular to that of the convoy CA), in order to leave space for the aircraft A3 to leave in total safety.
When the aircraft A3 detects that it is no longer attached to the convoy (it has passed the detachment point Pd and is no longer hampering the convoy), it informs ground control thereof, which sends a new table TEC to the remaining convoy, in which the aircraft A3 no longer appears:
The aircraft A4 then automatically locks itself on the aircraft A1 and the aircraft A2, and thus makes up the empty space left by the departure of the aircraft A3.
It should be noted that the safety of the convoy CA is always assured, in particular in the case where the outgoing aircraft A3 is stopped just at the edge of the trajectory. In practice, the longitudinal guidance law of the aircraft A4 maintains a safety distance with the outgoing aircraft A3 as long as the latter is considered to be attached to the convoy CA. In the case where the outgoing aircraft A3 indicates that it has left the convoy (the aircraft A4 is then locked on the aircraft A2) whereas in reality it is still hampering the convoy, this potentially hazardous situation (because the guidance law no longer takes account of the outgoing aircraft A3, and therefore no longer manages the risks of collision with the latter) is managed in the usual manner by a ground anti-close contact function, which assumes control and starts to monitor the aircraft A3 from the moment when the latter indicates it has left the convoy. The outgoing aircraft A3 is therefore continually monitored by an anti-close contact system, whether by that incorporated in the OGAPAS function or indeed by that of the ground anti-close contact function.
Furthermore, in the case where the outgoing aircraft is the leader A1, the behavior of the convoy CA remains the same. The only separation is that the aircraft A2 which was at rank 2 changes to leader, and switches from the slave mode to the master mode (Auto-Taxi function or manual mode).
It is also possible to envisage the case where the convoy CA must be split into two distinct convoys CA1, CA2, each taking a different path TR1, TR2 at the detachment point Pd, as represented in
This maneuver is a generalization of extraction from the convoy, the separation being that, at the end of the maneuver, there are two distinct convoys CA1 and CA2, and not just one as in the preceding case.
The convoy CA1, consisting of five aircraft A1 to A5, contains a sub-convoy CA2 (consisting of the aircraft A3 and A4), the trajectory TR2 of which differs from that TR1 of the convoy CA1 from the detachment point Pd. The initial status of the convoy is as follows:
At the moment when the aircraft A2 passes the point Pd, the aircraft A3 detects it and informs ground control thereof, which now knows that the convoy CA2 must leave the convoy CA1, and sends the following table TEC:
There are now two convoys nested within each other. When the tail aircraft of the convoy CA2, namely the aircraft A4, detects that it is no longer attached to the convoy CA1, and therefore that there is no longer any risk of collision, notably with the aircraft A5, it informs ground control thereof, which updates the status tables:
The two convoys CA1 and CA2 are therefore detached in total safety, and can continue their own trajectories TR1, TR2 independently.
It will be noted that the case where the two convoys are not nested is a particular case, simpler than the case described previously.
Moreover, in the example of
In this case, the starting point is the following tables:
This maneuver generalizes the insertion of an aircraft within a convoy. When the convoy CA2 is in a waiting position and is ready to include the convoy CA1, at the level of rank 3 for example, ground control sends to the aircraft of the convoy CA1 the following table TEC:
When the aircraft A4 detects that the aircraft A2 is passing the attachment point Pd, it informs ground control thereof, which sends the new table to the five aircraft, which now form a single convoy:
In order not to collision with the tail aircraft A5 of the old convoy CA2, the aircraft A3 stops (also leading to the stopping of the rest of the convoy that follows it), because the words “In progress” appear, which allows space within the convoy for the incoming aircraft. When the aircraft A4 and A5 have finished their joining maneuver and they are considered to be attached to the convoy, they inform ground control thereof, which sends a new status table, indicating that the convoy can be regulated normally:
Since the aircraft A3 and A4 are now correctly attached to the convoy, the aircraft A3 can be locked on the aircraft A1 and A5, observing in particular the initial separation D3 to be followed.
From the point of view of the aircraft A3, the maneuver proceeds as follows:
The case where the two convoys are not nested one within the other is a particular case, simpler than the case described previously. In such a situation, the two convoys are simply concatenated:
Moreover, in the case where at least one aircraft performing a maneuver (insertion, removal) is piloted manually, it is essential for the pilot of this aircraft to communicate its own situation to ground control, for example:
Generally, when there are aircraft piloted manually in the convoy, the safety of the convoy is assured by the pilots and ground control.
The present invention therefore relates to the automatic management of convoys of aircraft on the ground and of the control of each of the aircraft within a convoy.
An important advantage is that the system 1 simplifies the management of the traffic from the ground control point of view, because a convoy can be seen as a single entity, and not as a set of distinct objects. It is simpler to indicate a single destination to an entire convoy, and to treat this convoy as a single object, than to have a set of aircraft converge towards one and the same destination, while maintaining sufficient safety distances between them, avoiding the risks of collision and close contact (trajectories that intersect for example), with fairly lengthy timing to allow safety margins for these maneuvers.
Furthermore, the system 1 ensures the stability (the convoy is regulated even in the presence of disturbances) and the safety (the aircraft are careful not to become too close to or distant from the aircraft that precedes them) of the convoy. Consequently, compared to a convoy consisting of aircraft where the speed is piloted manually, the automation of the speed of at least some aircraft provides a way of reducing the distances between the aircraft, and increasing the overall speed of the convoy. This reduction of the margins, which would be hazardous or even impossible in manual piloting, makes it possible to create denser convoys of aircraft, in which the aircraft are more grouped together. It is therefore possible to form longer convoys than in manual piloting mode (that is, convoys consisting of more aircraft), or, given an equal number of aircraft, form shorter convoys.
Furthermore, when the lock is applied automatically by the device 10, the pilot is relieved of the entire workload corresponding to the manual piloting of the aircraft, which allows him to concentrate on other tasks, in particular monitoring the outside environment (movements of the other vehicles, surrounding objects), or communications with air traffic/ground control. Furthermore, this automatic locking can be implemented with degraded visual conditions (for example at night) or atmospheric conditions (rain, fog, snow) which would make manually piloting the following of the convoy difficult or impossible.
The consequence of the abovementioned advantages is that the use of convoys of aircraft makes it possible increase the density of the traffic on the ground, and reduce overall the occupancy time of the runways and of the taxiways by the convoys. In the current context of saturation of the major international airports, the increase in traffic, while maintaining an equivalent safety level, presents an obvious economic benefit for the airlines and the airports.
| Number | Date | Country | Kind |
|---|---|---|---|
| 08 03002 | Jun 2008 | FR | national |
| Number | Name | Date | Kind |
|---|---|---|---|
| 5400864 | Winner et al. | Mar 1995 | A |
| 6032097 | Iihoshi et al. | Feb 2000 | A |
| 6144915 | Shiomi et al. | Nov 2000 | A |
| 6223117 | Labuhn et al. | Apr 2001 | B1 |
| 6462697 | Klamer et al. | Oct 2002 | B1 |
| 6463383 | Baiada et al. | Oct 2002 | B1 |
| 6703944 | Obradovich | Mar 2004 | B1 |
| 7212920 | Bailey et | May 2007 | B1 |
| 7222017 | Clark et al. | May 2007 | B2 |
| 7248963 | Baiada et al. | Jul 2007 | B2 |
| 7340327 | Villaume et al. | Mar 2008 | B2 |
| 7613563 | Haegebarth et al. | Nov 2009 | B2 |
| 7623956 | Kawaguchi | Nov 2009 | B2 |
| 7747360 | Canu-Chiesa et al. | Jun 2010 | B2 |
| 7894982 | Reeser et al. | Feb 2011 | B2 |
| 8024078 | Coulmeau et al. | Sep 2011 | B2 |
| 8026833 | Villaume et al. | Sep 2011 | B2 |
| 20020183900 | Sainthuile | Dec 2002 | A1 |
| 20040006412 | Doose et al. | Jan 2004 | A1 |
| 20040049343 | Yamadaji et al. | Mar 2004 | A1 |
| 20060094417 | Allen et al. | May 2006 | A1 |
| 20090018713 | Coulmeau et al. | Jan 2009 | A1 |
| 20090295601 | Villaume et al. | Dec 2009 | A1 |
| 20090299552 | Villaume et al. | Dec 2009 | A1 |
| Number | Date | Country |
|---|---|---|
| 2 816 091 | May 2002 | FR |
| Number | Date | Country | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 20090299552 A1 | Dec 2009 | US |
