# US 2010/0168936 A1 · Method of Constructing a Vertical Profile in the Event of Depressurization in an Area with Risks and Associated Devices

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- Number: US 2010/0168936 A1
- Document ID: US20100168936A1
- Status: Published application
- Kind: A1
- Application number: 12/635,421
- Filed: 2009-12-10
- Published: 2010-07-01
- Earliest claimed: 2008-12-16
- Assignees: Thales
- Inventors: Christophe Caillaud; Jérôme Sacle
- Web page: https://patentgrep.com/patent/US20100168936A1

## CPC

- G01C 23/00: Combined instruments indicating more than one navigational value, e.g. for aircraft; Combined measuring devices for measuring two or more variables of movement, e.g. distance, speed or acceleration
- G05D 1/0676: {specially adapted for landing}
- G08G 5/34: for flight plan modification
- G01C: MEASURING DISTANCES, LEVELS OR BEARINGS; SURVEYING; NAVIGATION; GYROSCOPIC INSTRUMENTS; PHOTOGRAMMETRY OR VIDEOGRAMMETRY (measuring liquid level G01F; radio navigation, determining distance or velocity by use of propagation effects, e.g. Doppler effects, propagation time, of radio waves, analogous arrangements using other waves G01S)
- G05D: SYSTEMS FOR CONTROLLING OR REGULATING NON-ELECTRIC VARIABLES
- G08G: TRAFFIC CONTROL SYSTEMS (guiding railway traffic, ensuring the safety of railway traffic B61L; arrangement of road signs or traffic signals E01F9/00; radar or analogous systems, sonar systems, lidar systems specially adapted for traffic control G01S13/91, G01S15/88, G01S17/88; {radar or analogous systems, sonar systems, lidar systems specially adapted for anti-collision purposes G01S13/93, G01S15/93, G01S17/93})

## Abstract

The method of generating a secure flight plan portion in the event of depressurization corresponding to a time-conditioned descent profile that may include a succession of levels, comprises: a step of defining a first point of the flight plan, called non-return point, denoted NRP, and a second point of the flight plan, called EOZ, the two points delimiting a portion of the flight plan plotted above an area identified as “with risks”; a step of defining two radials in the horizontal plane respectively passing through the first and the second points; a step of determining a first flight plan portion comprising the definition of a lateral offset angle from the original flight plan; a step of determining a vertical descent profile; a step of displaying time markers indicating the exhaustion of the oxygen reserve.

## Claims

### Claim 1

Method of generating a flight plan portion that is secured in case of depressurization corresponding to a depressurization descent profile in the presence of obstacles, an original flight plan being defined, wherein it comprises:
a step of defining a first point of the flight plan, called non-return point, denoted NRP, and a second point of the flight plan, called EOZ, the two points delimiting a portion of the flight plan plotted above an area identified as “with risks”;
a step of determining a first flight plan portion comprising the definition of a lateral offset angle from the original flight plan and the definition of a distance to be traveled on said offset branch, the initial point of the first portion necessarily being situated between the non-return point NRP and the second point EOZ;
a step of determining a vertical descent profile comprising the vertical part of the first flight plan portion and the vertical part of a second flight plan portion, a set of safety altitudes defining a set of levels and of waypoints for the aircraft on the two flight plan portions, the last level allowing the crew and the passengers to breathe freely without the need for additional oxygen.

### Claim 2 (depends on 1)

Method of generating a secure flight plan portion in the event of depressurization corresponding to a depressurization descent profile according to claim 1, wherein it comprises:
a step of defining two radials in the horizontal plane respectively passing through the first NRP and the second EOZ points and each forming a determined angle with the route formed by the flight plan, the area situated between the two radials forming an area of obstacles in which a depressurization descent profile is adopted from means of activation by the crew of the aircraft when the aircraft is in this area.

### Claim 3 (depends on 1)

Method of generating a secure flight plan portion in the event of depressurization corresponding to a depressurization descent profile according to claim 1, wherein the step of determining a descent profile comprises the definition of a first intermediate level and a last level making it possible for the crew and the passengers to breathe freely without the need for additional oxygen.

### Claim 4 (depends on 3)

Method of generating a secure flight plan portion in the event of depressurization corresponding to a depressurization descent profile according to claim 3, wherein the step of determining a descent profile comprises the definition:
of a first duration corresponding to the period between the start of the offset of the aircraft and the start of the descent to the last level;
of an altitude of an intermediate level, the aircraft performing, during the first duration, a descent to the intermediate level and a flight at said altitude.

### Claim 5 (depends on 4)

Method of generating a secure flight plan portion in the event of depressurization corresponding to a depressurization descent profile according to claim 4, wherein the lateral part of the second flight plan portion is generated from copying the lateral part of the original flight plan, the aircraft flying the second portion on completion of the first portion.

### Claim 6 (depends on 5)

Method of generating a secure flight plan portion in the event of depressurization corresponding to a depressurization descent profile according to claim 5, wherein a depressurization descent profile is preconfigured, the lateral offset start point being the point NRP.

### Claim 7 (depends on 6)

Method of generating a secure flight plan portion in the event of depressurization corresponding to a depressurization descent profile according to claim 6, wherein a preconfigured depressurization descent profile can be modified by the crew of the aircraft.

### Claim 8 (depends on 5)

Method of generating a secure flight plan portion in the event of depressurization corresponding to a depressurization descent profile according to claim 5, wherein a step of verifying the presence of the aircraft between the two radials defining the area makes it possible to preactivate and activate the depressurization descent.

### Claim 9 (depends on 8)

Method of generating a secure flight plan portion in the event of depressurization corresponding to a depressurization descent profile according to claim 8, wherein the step of determining a descent profile comprises the definition:
of a first time marker corresponding to a first predicted position of the aircraft on the descent profile, the first position corresponding to the stopping of the provision of oxygen for the passengers;
of a second time marker corresponding to a second predicted position of the aircraft on the descent profile, the second position corresponding to the stopping of provision of oxygen for the crew.

### Claim 10 (depends on 9)

Method of generating a secure flight plan portion in the event of depressurization corresponding to a depressurization descent profile according to claim 9, wherein a step of displaying the first and the second markers from viewing means comprises the display of the markers on the portion of the flight plan corresponding to a depressurization descent profile and the display of the predictions of the altitudes and of the times of passage at said points.

### Claim 11 (depends on 10)

Method of generating a secure flight plan portion in the event of depressurization corresponding to a depressurization descent profile according to claim 10, wherein the last level is situated at an altitude of 10 000 feet.

### Claim 12 (depends on 9)

Method of generating a secure flight plan portion in the event of depressurization corresponding to a depressurization descent profile according to claim 9, wherein the time needed to travel the distance already traveled from the point NRP to the pressurization failure point is automatically deducted from the initial duration needed to travel the intermediate level.

### Claim 13 (depends on 12)

Method of generating a secure flight plan portion in the event of depressurization corresponding to a depressurization descent profile according to claim 12, wherein the automatic pilot pilots the aeroplane controls automatically when the activation by the crew of the depressurization descent profile is engaged.

### Claim 14

Device for securing a flight for aircraft said device comprising:
a flight computer capable of generating a depressurization descent profile;
an interface for managing the parameters of the depressurization descent profile;
wherein the interface for managing the parameters of the depressurization descent profile can be used to configure:
a first duration corresponding to the time elapsed between the moment of lateral offset and the moment of the start of the descent to the last level;
the lateral offset angle from the original flight plan;
a distance to be traveled on said offset branch;
the altitude of the intermediate level, corresponding to a minimum altitude above the relief;
the points NRP and EOZ.

### Claim 15 (depends on 14)

Device for securing a flight for aircraft according to claim 14, wherein the interface for managing the parameters of the depressurization descent profile can be used to configure lateral inclination angles of the radials passing through each of said points.

### Claim 16 (depends on 14)

Device for securing a flight for aircraft according to claim 14, wherein the interface for managing the parameters of the depressurization descent profile can be used to manually or automatically configure a descent profile comprising a number of descent segments before reaching a last level, the profile comprising, by means of the flight computer, the calculation of:
the flight duration of the first portion, the vertical profile during the first portion, and the position of the point of arrival at the intermediate altitude;
the flight duration of the intermediate level and the position of the start point of the descent to the last level;
the vertical profile and the flight duration of the descent to a last level of altitude corresponding to the reference altitude at which the aircraft is stabilized on completion of the depressurization descent procedure;
the position of the first waypoint at the last level.

### Claim 17 (depends on 14)

Device for securing a flight for aircraft according to claim 14, said device comprising:
a pressurization manager comprising means of detecting the loss of pressure in the cockpit;
an oxygen generator comprising interfaces with the FMS;
an interface for managing the parameters of the depressurization descent profile;
means of displaying the flight plan and the aircraft;
wherein the viewing means display:
the original flight plan;
the flight plan comprising the lateral offset and the vertical descent profile comprising the two generated portions and;
two markers on said portions indicating at which instants the oxygen reserves for the passengers and for the crew will be exhausted.