# US 2021/0276728 A1 · Systems and methods for airport selection and display of range remaining during engine out conditions

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- Number: US 2021/0276728 A1
- Document ID: US20210276728A1
- Status: Published application
- Kind: A1
- Application number: 17/179,957
- Filed: 2021-02-19
- Published: 2021-09-09
- Earliest claimed: 2020-03-06
- Assignees: Honeywell International Inc.
- Applicants: Honeywell International Inc.
- Inventors: Michael Mast; Yuta Morioka; Martin Jezek; Jeffrey Glenn
- Web page: https://patentgrep.com/patent/US20210276728A1

## CPC

- B64D 45/00: Aircraft indicators or protectors not otherwise provided for
- 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
- B64D 43/02: for indicating aircraft speed or stalling conditions
- B64D 45/08: optical
- G05D 1/105: {specially adapted for unpowered flight, e.g. glider, parachuting, forced landing (parachutes per se B64D17/00)}
- G08G 5/50: Navigation or guidance aids
- G08G 5/54: for approach or landing
- G08G 5/55: for a single aircraft
- B64D 2045/0085: {Devices for aircraft health monitoring, e.g. monitoring flutter or vibration}
- B64D: EQUIPMENT FOR FITTING IN OR TO AIRCRAFT; FLIGHT SUITS; PARACHUTES; ARRANGEMENT OR MOUNTING OF POWER PLANTS OR PROPULSION TRANSMISSIONS IN AIRCRAFT
- 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

Flight guidance systems and methods that provide an airport selection in response to an EO condition in a single engine plane. The airport selection takes into consideration factors such as optimal approach type, runway length, weather, terrain, remaining battery time, and the like. Additionally, various also generate and display a visual indication of a remaining glide range when the EO condition is happening; the remaining glide range determination is based, at least in part, on terrain.

## Claims

### Claim 1

A flight guidance system for airport selection during engine out (EO) conditions in an aircraft, the system comprising:
a source of an engine status;
a source of aircraft status data for the aircraft; and
a controller architecture operationally coupled to the source of the engine status and the source of aircraft status data, and configured to:
determine, continuously, a current location and trajectory of the aircraft by processing the aircraft status data;
responsive to determining that an EO condition is indicated by the engine status,
generating a notification of the EO condition;
determine when an enable is valid for EO guidance;
receive an activate EO guidance command; and
begin an EO guidance mode responsive to receiving the activate EO guidance command when the enable is valid; and
while in the EO guidance mode, perform EO guidance operations including:
computing an optimal EO destination airport and corresponding path to it from the current location;
presenting the optimal EO destination airport and the corresponding path for a pilot to review;
receiving a pilot selection of the optimal EO destination airport subsequent to presenting the optimal EO destination airport;
constructing a lateral and a vertical glide path to the optimal EO destination airport; and
creating a plurality of glide profiles for each of a plurality of radials extending from the current location, each glide profile having a range that indicates an aircraft specific performance in wind and loss of potential energy due to lateral maneuvers.

### Claim 2 (depends on 1)

The flight guidance system of claim 1, wherein the controller architecture is further configured to determine that the enable is valid for EO guidance as a function of when an altitude of the aircraft is at or above a minimum height above ground.

### Claim 3 (depends on 2)

The flight guidance system of claim 2, wherein the controller architecture is further configured to receive the activate EO guidance command from a pilot via an input interface.

### Claim 4 (depends on 3)

The flight guidance system of claim 3, wherein the controller architecture is further configured to receive a deactivate input and turn off the EO guidance mode responsive to the received deactivate input.

### Claim 5 (depends on 3)

The flight guidance system of claim 3, wherein the controller architecture is further configured to generate the notification as an aural alert, a visual alert, or an aural alert and a visual alert.

### Claim 6 (depends on 3)

The flight guidance system of claim 3, wherein the controller architecture is further configured to generate the notification as an alphanumeric Engine Out message included into a visual alert incorporated into a Crew Alerting System (CAS) message.

### Claim 7 (depends on 1)

The flight guidance system of claim 1, wherein the controller architecture is further configured to present the optimal EO destination airport and the corresponding path on an avionic display in the aircraft.

### Claim 8 (depends on 7)

The flight guidance system of claim 7, wherein the controller architecture is further configured to determine proper points along the corresponding path to command an avionic display to indicate with a graphical object or icon placed in its relative position on the corresponding path, a timing for each of: setting landing flaps; deploying landing gears; and, turning on landing lights.

### Claim 9 (depends on 1)

The flight guidance system of claim 1, the controller architecture is further configured to determine the optimal EO destination airport is one of a number of optimal EO airports that are within a distance threshold from the aircraft.

### Claim 10 (depends on 9)

The flight guidance system of claim 9, the controller architecture is further configured to set the distance threshold equal to a glide ring.

### Claim 11 (depends on 10)

The flight guidance system of claim 10, the controller architecture is further configured to receive an assigned priority for each of the optimal EO airports in the number of optimal airports.

### Claim 12

A method for flight guidance for airport selection during engine out (EO) conditions in an aircraft, the method comprising:
at a controller architecture programmed by programming instructions,
processing received aircraft status data to determine, continuously, a current location and trajectory of the aircraft;
processing received engine status to determine whether an EO condition is indicated;
responsive to determining that an EO condition is indicated,
generating a notification of the EO condition;
determining when an enable is valid for EO guidance;
receiving an activate EO guidance command; and
beginning an EO guidance mode responsive to receiving the activate EO guidance command when the enable is valid; and
while in the EO guidance mode, performing EO guidance operations including:
computing an optimal EO destination airport and corresponding path to it from the current location;
presenting the optimal EO destination airport and the corresponding path for a pilot to review;
receiving a pilot selection of the optimal EO destination airport subsequent to presenting the optimal EO destination airport;
constructing a lateral and a vertical glide path to the optimal EO destination airport;
tuning a multi-mode digital radio (MMDR) to an appropriate frequency if the pilot selection includes an Instrument Landing System (ILS) approach; and
creating a plurality of glide profiles for each of a plurality of radials extending from the current location, each glide profile having a range that indicates an aircraft specific performance in wind and loss of potential energy due to lateral maneuvers.

### Claim 13 (depends on 12)

The method of flight guidance of claim 12, further comprising generating the notification as an aural alert, a visual alert, or an aural alert and a visual alert.

### Claim 14 (depends on 12)

The method of flight guidance of claim 12, further comprising generating the notification as an alphanumeric Engine Out message included into a visual alert incorporated into a Crew Alerting System (CAS) message.

### Claim 15 (depends on 13)

The method of flight guidance of claim 13, further comprising presenting the optimal EO destination airport and the corresponding path on an avionic display in the aircraft.

### Claim 16 (depends on 15)

The method of flight guidance of claim 15, further comprising determining points along the corresponding path to command the avionic display to indicate with a graphical object or icon placed in its relative position on the corresponding path, a timing for each of: setting landing flaps; deploying landing gears; and, turning on landing lights.

### Claim 17 (depends on 16)

The method of flight guidance of claim 16, further comprising determining the optimal EO destination airport is one of a number of optimal EO airports that are within a distance threshold from the aircraft.

### Claim 18 (depends on 17)

The method of flight guidance of claim 17, further comprising setting the distance threshold equal to a glide ring.

### Claim 19 (depends on 18)

The method of flight guidance of claim 18, further comprising receiving an assigned priority for each of the optimal EO airports in the number of optimal airports.

### Claim 20 (depends on 19)

The method of flight guidance of claim 19, further comprising receiving a deactivate input and turn off the EO guidance mode responsive to the received deactivate input.