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US 2015/0317905 A1Published application
Method and device for determining a linear terrain profile along a lateral approach trajectory of an airport
AssigneeAirbus Operations GmbH
InventorsThierry Bourret, Kenji AHUALLE HORIMOTO
Life of this patent
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Abstract
A device comprising a computation unit for computing, for each of a plurality of different distances relative to a threshold of a landing runway along a lateral approach trajectory, a geometric altitude, using a measured and stored barometric altitude, a computation unit for computing a terrain height, by subtracting, from the computed geometric altitude, a measured and stored height, and a computation unit for determining a terrain profile from the set of terrain heights computed for the set of different distances.
Claims8
A method for determining a linear terrain profile along a lateral approach trajectory of an airport, comprising:
- a first set of steps, comprising measuring, on at least one aircraft, automatically and repetitively, during at least one flight of the aircraft along the lateral approach trajectory, during an approach to a landing runway of the airport:
- using at least one onboard radio altimeter, a height of the aircraft relative to the ground;
- using at least one onboard barometric altimeter, a barometric altitude;
- and
- using onboard sensors, a total air temperature and a Mach number of the aircraft;
- and
- storing the measured values, automatically, in at least one memory;
- and
- a second set of steps, implemented after the first set of steps and comprising, automatically, after the flight of the aircraft:
- repetitively, for each of a plurality of different distances relative to a threshold of the landing runway along the lateral approach trajectory:
- a) estimating, using the total air temperature, the Mach number and the barometric altitude, measured and stored in the memory, a variation of the static temperature dependent on the altitude and a temperature on the ground;
- b) computing a geometric altitude, using the barometric altitude measured and stored in the memory, as well as the variation of the static temperature and of the temperature on the ground, estimated in step a);
- c) computing a terrain height, by subtracting, from the geometric altitude computed in step b), the height measured by the radio altimeter and stored in the memory;
- and
- for the set of the plurality of different distances relative to the threshold of the landing runway along the lateral approach trajectory:
- d) determining at least one auxiliary terrain profile from the set of terrain heights computed for the set of different distances;
- e) determining a terrain profile using at least the auxiliary terrain profile, the terrain profile representing the trend of the terrain height as a function of the distance relative to the threshold of the landing runway, the terrain height being defined relative to a reference altitude corresponding to that of the threshold of the landing runway;
- and
- f) storing, in a database, the terrain profile determined in step e).
16 more elements
A device for determining a linear terrain profile along a lateral approach trajectory of an aircraft, comprising:
- at least one memory containing values measured on at least one aircraft, during at least one flight of the aircraft along the lateral approach trajectory, during an approach to a landing runway of the airport, namely:
- a height of the aircraft relative to the ground, measured using at least one onboard radio altimeter;
- a barometric altitude, measured using at least one onboard barometric altimeter;
- and
- a total air temperature and a Mach number, measured using onboard sensors;
- a first computation unit configured to estimate, for each of a plurality of different distances relative to a threshold of the landing runway along the lateral approach trajectory, using the total air temperature and the Mach number, stored in the memory, a variation of the static temperature dependent on the altitude and a temperature on the ground;
- a second computation unit configured to compute, for each of the plurality of distances, a geometric altitude, using the barometric altitude stored in the memory, as well as the variation of the static temperature and of the temperature on the ground, estimated by the first computation unit;
- a third computation unit configured to compute, for each of the plurality of distances, a terrain height, by subtracting, from the geometric altitude computed by the second computation unit, the height stored in the memory;
- a fourth computation unit configured to determine at least one auxiliary terrain profile from the set of the terrain heights computed for the set of different distances;
- a fifth computation unit configured to determine a terrain profile using at least the auxiliary terrain profile computed by the fourth computation unit, the terrain profile representing the trend of the terrain height as a function of the distance relative to the threshold of the landing runway, the terrain height being defined relative to a reference altitude corresponding to that of the threshold of the landing runway;
- and
- a database, in which is stored the terrain profile determined by the fifth computation unit.
9 more elements
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.