Back to results
US 11,619,953 B2Granted
Three dimensional aircraft autonomous navigation under constraints
AssigneeIsrael Aerospace Industries Ltd.
InventorsOhad Rozenberg, Erez Avrahamov
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
According to the presently discloses subject matter, a flight path is autonomously generated (e.g. in response to an unexpected need to land the aircraft) leading the aircraft from its current position towards a target destination (e.g. a landing site) where the flight path is generated while taking into consideration flight constraints existing in the area and avoiding violation of the flight constraints. The flight path is then used for autonomous generation of flight instructions for controlling the aircraft and leading the aircraft to the desired destination.
Claims14
A method of autonomous flight path generation and control over an aircraft while traversing an area, the method comprising:
- while the aircraft is flying in midair, in response to a need to unexpectedly land the aircraft due to a mechanical failure, calculating a flight path from a current position of the aircraft to a target position of the aircraft located near a landing site, the calculation comprising:
- determining an initial flight path leading from a current position to the target position;
- determining vertical maneuverability of the aircraft according to the mechanical failure;
- processing of the initial flight path, the processing comprising:
- A. determining whether there is one or more restricted areas located along the flight path;
- for each restricted area:
- calculating a respective predicted altitude range of the aircraft when traversing the restricted area based on data including a glide ratio of the aircraft;
- determining whether there is a conflict between an altitude restriction characterizing the restricted area and the predicted altitude range;
- and should such conflict exist,
- determining one or more alternative sections circumventing the restricted area;
- and generating one or more candidate flight paths, each comprising an alternative section, together with one or more previous sections leading to the alternative section;
- wherein in case the vertical maneuverability allows the aircraft to vertically circumvent the restricted area, the one or more alternative sections comprises at least one vertical alternative section;
- dividing the traverse area into cells;
- processing each candidate flight path, comprising:
- B. for each cell along the candidate flight path:
- determining whether there is a conflict between an altitude restriction characterizing the cell and a predicted altitude range of the aircraft when traversing the cell;
- the predicted altitude range of the aircraft when traversing the cell is calculated based on data including the glide ratio of the aircraft;
- and should such conflict exist,
- determining one or more alternative sections circumventing the cell;
- and generating one or more additional candidate flight paths, each comprising an alternative section, together with one or more previous sections leading to the alternative section;
- wherein in case the vertical maneuverability allows the aircraft to vertically circumvent the cell, the one or more alternative sections comprises at least one vertical alternative section;
- selecting a preferred flight path from among the candidate flight paths and the additional candidate flight paths;
- and
- generating instructions to aerial control devices for guiding the aircraft along the preferred flight path.
21 more elements
A system mountable on an aircraft for enabling autonomous flight path generation and control over aircraft;
- the system comprising a processing circuitry configured to:
- in response to data indicative of a need to unexpectedly land the aircraft due to a mechanical failure, to calculate a flight path from a current position of the aircraft to a target position of the aircraft located near a landing site, the calculation comprising:
- determining an initial flight path leading from a current position to the target position;
- determining vertical maneuverability of the aircraft according to the mechanical failure;
- processing of the initial flight path, the processing comprising:
- A. determining whether there is one or more restricted areas located along the flight path;
- for each restricted area:
- calculating a respective predicted altitude range of the aircraft when traversing the restricted area based on data including a glide ratio of the aircraft;
- determining whether there is a conflict between an altitude restriction characterizing the restricted area and the predicted altitude range;
- and should such conflict exist,
- determining one or more alternative sections circumventing the restricted area;
- and generating one or more candidate flight paths, each comprising an alternative section, together with one or more previous sections leading to the alternative section;
- wherein in case the vertical maneuverability allows the aircraft to vertically circumvent the restricted area, the one or more alternative sections comprises at least one vertical alternative section;
- dividing the traverse area into cells;
- processing each candidate flight path, comprising:
- B. for each cell along the candidate flight path:
- determining whether there is a conflict between an altitude restriction characterizing the cell and a predicted altitude range of the aircraft when traversing the cell;
- the predicted altitude range of the aircraft when traversing the cell is calculated based on data including the glide ratio of the aircraft,
- and should such conflict exist,
- determining one or more alternative sections circumventing the cell;
- and generating one or more additional candidate flight paths, each comprising an alternative section, together with one or more previous sections leading to the alternative section;
- wherein in case the vertical maneuverability allows the aircraft to vertically circumvent the cell, the one or more alternative sections comprises at least one vertical alternative section;
- selecting a preferred flight path from among the candidate flight paths and the additional candidate flight paths;
- and
- generating instructions to aerial control devices for guiding the aircraft along the preferred flight path.
22 more elements
A computer-readable non-transitory memory device tangibly embodying a program of instructions executable by the computer for executing a method of autonomous flight path generation and control over an aircraft while traversing an area, the method comprising:
- while the aircraft is flying in midair, in response to a need to unexpectedly land the aircraft due to a mechanical failure, calculating a flight path from a current position of the aircraft to a target position of the aircraft located near a landing site, the calculation comprising:
- determining an initial flight path leading from a current position to the target position;
- determining vertical maneuverability of the aircraft according to the mechanical failure;
- processing of the initial flight path, the processing comprising:
- A. determining whether there is one or more restricted areas located along the flight path;
- for each restricted area:
- calculating a respective predicted altitude range of the aircraft when traversing the restricted area based on data including a glide ratio of the aircraft;
- determining whether there is a conflict between an altitude restriction characterizing the restricted area and the predicted altitude range;
- and should such conflict exist,
- determining one or more alternative sections circumventing the restricted area;
- and generating one or more candidate flight paths, each comprising an alternative section, together with one or more previous sections leading to the alternative section;
- wherein in case the vertical maneuverability allows the aircraft to vertically circumvent the restricted area, the one or more alternative sections comprises at least one vertical alternative section;
- dividing the traverse area into cells;
- processing each candidate flight path, comprising:
- B. for each cell along the candidate flight path:
- determining whether there is a conflict between an altitude restriction characterizing the cell and a predicted altitude range of the aircraft when traversing the cell;
- the predicted altitude range of the aircraft when traversing the cell is calculated based on data including the glide ratio of the aircraft;
- and should such conflict exist,
- determining one or more alternative sections circumventing the cell;
- and generating one or more additional candidate flight paths, each comprising an alternative section, together with one or more previous sections leading to the alternative section;
- wherein in case the vertical maneuverability allows the aircraft to vertically circumvent the cell, the one or more alternative sections comprises at least one vertical alternative section;
- selecting a preferred flight path from among the candidate flight paths and the additional candidate flight paths;
- and
- generating instructions to aerial control devices for guiding the aircraft along the preferred flight path.
21 more elements
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.