US20210101674A1 - System and method of determining and displaying aircraft takeoff and landing performance - Google Patents
System and method of determining and displaying aircraft takeoff and landing performance Download PDFInfo
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- US20210101674A1 US20210101674A1 US16/948,853 US202016948853A US2021101674A1 US 20210101674 A1 US20210101674 A1 US 20210101674A1 US 202016948853 A US202016948853 A US 202016948853A US 2021101674 A1 US2021101674 A1 US 2021101674A1
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Classifications
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- B—PERFORMING OPERATIONS; TRANSPORTING
- B64—AIRCRAFT; AVIATION; COSMONAUTICS
- B64C—AEROPLANES; HELICOPTERS
- B64C25/00—Alighting gear
- B64C25/32—Alighting gear characterised by elements which contact the ground or similar surface
- B64C25/42—Arrangement or adaptation of brakes
- B64C25/426—Braking devices providing an automatic sequence of braking
-
- B—PERFORMING OPERATIONS; TRANSPORTING
- B64—AIRCRAFT; AVIATION; COSMONAUTICS
- B64D—EQUIPMENT FOR FITTING IN OR TO AIRCRAFT; FLIGHT SUITS; PARACHUTES; ARRANGEMENT OR MOUNTING OF POWER PLANTS OR PROPULSION TRANSMISSIONS IN AIRCRAFT
- B64D43/00—Arrangements or adaptations of instruments
-
- B—PERFORMING OPERATIONS; TRANSPORTING
- B60—VEHICLES IN GENERAL
- B60T—VEHICLE BRAKE CONTROL SYSTEMS OR PARTS THEREOF; BRAKE CONTROL SYSTEMS OR PARTS THEREOF, IN GENERAL; ARRANGEMENT OF BRAKING ELEMENTS ON VEHICLES IN GENERAL; PORTABLE DEVICES FOR PREVENTING UNWANTED MOVEMENT OF VEHICLES; VEHICLE MODIFICATIONS TO FACILITATE COOLING OF BRAKES
- B60T8/00—Arrangements for adjusting wheel-braking force to meet varying vehicular or ground-surface conditions, e.g. limiting or varying distribution of braking force
- B60T8/17—Using electrical or electronic regulation means to control braking
- B60T8/1701—Braking or traction control means specially adapted for particular types of vehicles
- B60T8/1703—Braking or traction control means specially adapted for particular types of vehicles for aircrafts
-
- B—PERFORMING OPERATIONS; TRANSPORTING
- B64—AIRCRAFT; AVIATION; COSMONAUTICS
- B64D—EQUIPMENT FOR FITTING IN OR TO AIRCRAFT; FLIGHT SUITS; PARACHUTES; ARRANGEMENT OR MOUNTING OF POWER PLANTS OR PROPULSION TRANSMISSIONS IN AIRCRAFT
- B64D45/00—Aircraft indicators or protectors not otherwise provided for
- B64D45/04—Landing aids; Safety measures to prevent collision with earth's surface
- B64D45/08—Landing aids; Safety measures to prevent collision with earth's surface optical
Definitions
- Embodiments of the invention relate to methods and systems for planning takeoff and landing procedures. Specifically, embodiments of the invention relate to methods and systems for planning and displaying aircraft takeoff brake release points and aircraft autobrake points.
- a pilot communicates with airport personnel.
- the airport personnel direct the pilot to the appropriate runway for takeoff and landing.
- the pilot may calculate takeoff brake release points and thrust settings for the aircraft based on aircraft performance characteristics and environmental conditions.
- the pilot may then confirm the takeoff brake release points with a co-pilot and the airport personnel.
- the pilot communicates with airport personnel to determine a runway for landing.
- the pilot may designate a runway exit point and calculate the autobrake point and autobrake settings based on the desired runway exit.
- the autobrake points and autobrake settings may be confirmed by the co-pilot prior to landing.
- changes may be made at the last minute.
- Environmental conditions may dictate that the aircraft configuration changes.
- the flap setting of the aircraft may change just prior to takeoff.
- the performance and brake release points must then be recalculated and confirmed.
- the pilot and co-pilot must perform the aircraft checklist with the new aircraft configuration. The procedures take time and may delay takeoff and may delay other aircraft that are in line for takeoff.
- Embodiments of the invention provide systems and methods that determine and display aircraft-specific takeoff brake release points, thrust settings, autobrake points, and autobrake settings.
- a first embodiment of the invention is directed to a system for planning aircraft takeoff brake release points, the system comprising a processor programmed to obtain at least one aircraft characteristic and at least one environmental condition, and determine at least one takeoff brake release point based on the at least one aircraft characteristic and the at least one environmental condition, a user interface comprising at least one user input, and a display configured to display one or more runways associated with an airport and at least one takeoff brake release point associated with a runway in the one or more runways.
- a second embodiment of the invention is directed to a system for planning aircraft autobrake points and settings, the system comprising at least one processor programmed to obtain an aircraft characteristic, a runway exit location, and an environmental condition, and determine an autobrake point and an autobrake setting based at least in part on the aircraft characteristic, the runway exit location, and the environmental condition, at least one user interface comprising a user input, and at least one display displaying one or more runways associated with an airport and the autobrake point associated with a runway in the one or more runways, wherein the autobrake point comprises a color indicative of the autobrake setting.
- a third embodiment of the invention is directed to a system for planning aircraft takeoff brake release points and aircraft autobrake points, comprising at least one processor programmed to obtain an aircraft characteristic, a first environmental condition at a first airport, a second environmental condition at a second airport, and a runway exit location, determine at least one takeoff brake release point based at least in part on the aircraft characteristic and the first environmental condition, and determine at least one autobrake point based at least in part on the aircraft characteristic, the second environmental condition, and the runway exit location, at least one display configured to display a first plurality of runways for takeoff associated with a first airport and the at least one takeoff brake release point associated with a first runway of the first plurality of runways, and display a second plurality of runways for landing associated with a second airport and the at least one autobrake point associated with a second runway of the second plurality of runways.
- FIG. 1 depicts an exemplary avionics control interface for embodiments of the invention
- FIG. 2 depicts an exemplary hardware control system for embodiments of the invention
- FIG. 3 depicts an exemplary hardware system for embodiments of the invention
- FIG. 4 depicts an embodiment of takeoff brake release points displayed on a user interface
- FIG. 5 depicts an embodiment of a takeoff brake release point summary screen
- FIG. 6 depicts an embodiment of a autobrake points and autobrake settings displayed on a user interface
- FIG. 7 depicts an embodiment of a landing autobrake points and autobrake settings summary screen
- FIG. 8 depicts an input screen for non-normal landing configurations
- FIG. 9 depicts an exemplary process of determining and displaying takeoff brake release points.
- FIG. 10 depicts an exemplary process of determining and displaying landing autobrake points and autobrake settings.
- references to “one embodiment,” “an embodiment,” or “embodiments” mean that the feature or features being referred to are included in at least one embodiment of the technology.
- references to “one embodiment,” “an embodiment,” or “embodiments” in this description do not necessarily refer to the same embodiment and are also not mutually exclusive unless so stated and/or except as will be readily apparent to those skilled in the art from the description.
- a feature, structure, act, etc. described in one embodiment may also be included in other embodiments, but is not necessarily included.
- the technology can include a variety of combinations and/or integrations of the embodiments described herein.
- takeoff and landing systems and method for planning aircraft-specific landing takeoff points, thrust settings, autobrake points, and autobrake settings are described.
- the takeoff and landing system is an aircraft on-board system obtaining aircraft information and environmental information and calculating and displaying the aircraft-specific landing/takeoff points, the thrust settings, the autobrake points, and the autobrake settings.
- the takeoff and landing system may be integrated into the aircraft avionics system or communicate wirelessly as a hand-held mobile device such as a tablet.
- FIGS. 1-2 illustrate an example configuration of an integrated avionics system.
- the user interface is provided by a tablet or an electronic flight bag.
- an integrated avionics system 100 may include one or more primary flight displays (PFDs) 102 , one or more multifunction displays (MFD) 104 , and one or more multi-product avionics control and display units (CDU) 106 .
- PFDs primary flight displays
- MFD multifunction displays
- CDU multi-product avionics control and display units
- the integrated avionics system 100 may be configured for use in an aircraft that is flown by one or two pilots (e.g., a pilot and a copilot).
- the integrated avionics system 100 may include a first PFD 102 ( 1 ), a second PFD 102 ( 2 ), an MFD 104 , a first CDU 106 ( 1 ), and a second CDU 106 ( 2 ), and a third CDU 106 ( 3 ) that are mounted in the aircraft's instrument panel 108 .
- the MFD 104 is mounted generally in the center of the instrument panel 108 so that it may be accessed by either pilot (e.g., by either the pilot or the copilot).
- the first PFD 102 ( 1 ) and the first CDU 106 ( 1 ) are mounted in the instrument panel 108 generally to the left of the MFD 104 for viewing and access by the pilot.
- the second PFD 102 ( 2 ) and the second CDU 106 ( 2 ) are mounted in the instrument panel 108 generally to the right of the MFD 104 for viewing and access by the aircraft's copilot or other crew member or passenger.
- the third CDU 106 ( 3 ) may be mounted between the first and second CDUs 106 ( 1 ), 106 ( 2 ).
- the CDUs 106 may be positioned within the instrument panel 108 so that they may be readily viewed and/or accessed by the pilot flying the aircraft (which could be either the pilot or copilot).
- the PFDs 102 may be configured to display primary flight information, such as aircraft attitude, altitude, heading, vertical speed, and so forth.
- primary flight information such as aircraft attitude, altitude, heading, vertical speed, and so forth.
- the PFDs 102 may display primary flight information via a graphical representation of basic flight instruments such as an attitude indicator, an airspeed indicator, an altimeter, a heading indicator, a course deviation indicator, and so forth.
- the PFDs 102 may also display other information providing situational awareness to the pilot such as terrain information, ground proximity warning information, and so forth.
- the primary flight information may be generated by one or more flight sensor data sources including, for example, one or more attitude, heading, angular rate, and/or acceleration information sources such as attitude and heading reference systems (AHRS) 110 such as 110 ( 1 ) and 110 ( 2 ), one or more air data information sources such as air data computers (ADCs) 112 such as 112 ( 1 ) and 112 ( 2 ), and/or one or more angle of attack information sources.
- AHRS attitude and heading reference systems
- ADCs air data computers
- the AHRSs 110 may be configured to provide information such as attitude, rate of turn, slip and skid
- the ADCs 112 may be configured to provide information including airspeed, altitude, vertical speed, and outside air temperature. Other configurations are possible.
- Integrated avionics units may aggregate the primary flight information from the AHRS 110 and ADC 112 and, in one example configuration, provide the information to the PFDs 102 via an avionics data bus 116 .
- the various IAUs may directly communicate with each other and other system components.
- the IAUs may also function as a combined communications and navigation radio.
- the IAUs may include a two-way VHF communications transceiver, a VHF navigation receiver with glide slope, a global positioning system (GPS) receiver, and so forth.
- GPS global positioning system
- each integrated avionics unit may be paired with a primary flight display, which may function as a controlling unit for the integrated avionic unit.
- the avionics data bus 116 may comprise a high speed data bus (HSDB), such as data bus complying with ARINC 429 data bus standard promulgated by the Airlines Electronic Engineering Committee (AEEC), a MIL-STD-1553 compliant data bus, and so forth.
- HSDB high speed data bus
- a radar altimeter may be associated with one or more of the IAUs, such as via data bus 116 or a direct connection, to provide precise elevation information (e.g., height above ground) for autoland functionality.
- the system 100 includes a radar altimeter to assist an autoland module in various functions of the landing sequence, such as timing and maintaining the level-off and/or flare.
- the MFD 104 displays information describing operation of the aircraft such as navigation routes, moving maps, engine gauges, weather radar, ground proximity warning system (GPWS) warnings, traffic collision avoidance system (TCAS) warnings, airport information, and so forth, that are received from a variety of aircraft systems via the avionics data bus 116 .
- information describing operation of the aircraft such as navigation routes, moving maps, engine gauges, weather radar, ground proximity warning system (GPWS) warnings, traffic collision avoidance system (TCAS) warnings, airport information, and so forth, that are received from a variety of aircraft systems via the avionics data bus 116 .
- the CDUs 106 may furnish a general purpose pilot interface to control the aircraft's avionics.
- the CDUs 106 allow the pilots to control various systems of the aircraft such as the aircraft's autopilot system, flight director (FD), electronic stability and protection (ESP) system, autothrottle, navigation systems, communication systems, engines, and so on, via the avionics data bus 116 .
- the CDUs 106 may also be used for control of the integrated avionics system 100 including operation of the PFD 102 and MFD 104 .
- the PFD 102 may be a separate wired or wireless computer or mobile device such as a tablet.
- the display 120 displays information to the pilot of the aircraft.
- the display 120 may comprise an LCD (Liquid Crystal Diode) display, a TFT (Thin Film Transistor) LCD display, an LEP (Light Emitting Polymer or PLED (Polymer Light Emitting Diode)) display, a cathode ray tube (CRT), and so forth, capable of displaying text and/or graphical information, such as a graphical user interface.
- the display 120 may be backlit via a backlight such that it may be viewed in the dark or other low-light environments.
- the display 120 may include a touch interface, that can detect a touch input within a specified area of the display 120 for entry of information and commands.
- a touch screen may employ a variety of technologies for detecting touch inputs.
- the touch screen may employ infrared optical imaging technologies, resistive technologies, capacitive technologies, surface acoustic wave technologies, and so forth.
- buttons, softkeys, keypads, knobs and so forth may be used for entry of data and commands instead of or in addition to the touch screen.
- Computer 302 can be a desktop computer, a laptop computer, a server computer, a mobile device such as a smartphone or tablet, combinations thereof, or any other form factor of general- or special-purpose computing device. Depicted with computer 302 are several components, for illustrative purposes. In some embodiments, certain components may be arranged differently or absent. Additional components may also be present. In some embodiments, computer 302 may be wired or wirelessly connected to the integrated avionics system 100 . Included in computer 302 is system bus 304 , whereby other components of computer 302 can communicate with each other.
- graphics card 310 there may be multiple busses or components may communicate with each other directly.
- CPU central processing unit
- RAM random-access memory
- graphics card 310 is also attached to system bus 304 .
- graphics card 310 may not be a physically separate card, but rather may be integrated into the motherboard or the CPU 306 .
- graphics card 310 has a separate graphics-processing unit (GPU) 312 , which can be used for graphics processing or for general purpose computing (GPGPU).
- GPU memory 314 Also on graphics card 310 is GPU memory 314 .
- display 316 Connected (directly or indirectly) to graphics card 310 is display 316 for user interaction.
- no display is present, while in others it is integrated into computer 302 .
- peripherals such as keyboard 318 and mouse 320 are connected to system bus 304 . Like display 316 , these peripherals may be integrated into computer 302 or absent.
- local storage 322 Also connected to system bus 304 is local storage 322 , which may be any form of computer-readable media, and may be internally installed in computer 302 or externally and removably attached.
- Computer-readable media include both volatile and nonvolatile media, removable and nonremovable media, and contemplate media readable by a database.
- computer-readable media include (but are not limited to) RAM, ROM, EEPROM, flash memory or other memory technology, CD-ROM, digital versatile discs (DVD), holographic media or other optical disc storage, magnetic cassettes, magnetic tape, magnetic disk storage, and other magnetic storage devices. These technologies can store data temporarily or permanently.
- the term “computer-readable media” should not be construed to include physical, but transitory, forms of signal transmission such as radio broadcasts, electrical signals through a wire, or light pulses through a fiber-optic cable. Examples of stored information include computer-useable instructions, data structures, program modules, and other data representations.
- NIC 324 is also attached to system bus 304 and allows computer 302 to communicate over a network such as network 326 .
- NIC 324 can be any form of network interface known in the art, such as Ethernet, ATM, fiber, Bluetooth, or Wi-Fi (i.e., the IEEE 802.11 family of standards).
- NIC 324 connects computer 302 to local network 326 , which may also include one or more other computers, such as computer 328 , and network storage, such as data store 330 .
- a data store such as data store 330 may be any repository from which information can be stored and retrieved as needed.
- data stores include relational or object-oriented databases, spreadsheets, file systems, flat files, directory services such as LDAP and Active Directory, or email storage systems.
- a data store may be accessible via a complex API (such as, for example, Structured Query Language), a simple API providing only read, write and seek operations, or any level of complexity in between. Some data stores may additionally provide management functions for data sets stored therein such as backup or versioning.
- Data stores can be local to a single computer such as computer 328 , accessible on a local network such as local network 326 , or remotely accessible over Internet 332 .
- Local network 326 is in turn connected to Internet 132 , which connects many networks such as local network 326 , remote network 334 or directly attached computers such as computer 336 .
- computer 302 can itself be directly connected to Internet 332 .
- FIG. 4 depicts an embodiment of a user interface 400 displayed by a takeoff and landing planning system on the computer 302 that, in some embodiments, may be, or may be in communication with, the integrated avionics system 100 .
- the user interface 400 may be configured to display takeoff brake release points 402 on an exemplary layout of the airport 404 .
- the user interface 400 may be displayed via any display in communication with the integrated avionics system 100 and the exemplary hardware platform 300 described above.
- the information obtained from the aircraft computer system and the airport 404 including aircraft characteristics and environmental data, is obtained, processed, and displayed at the computer 302 which, in some embodiments, is a tablet computer.
- the displayed layout of the airport 404 may include runways 406 and runway labels for pilots to navigate the runways 406 for takeoff, landing, and taxi to and from designated terminals.
- the airport 404 may be any airport that may have a stored layout that may be accessible by at least one processor associated with the computer 302 or integrated avionics system 100 .
- the environmental information may be received from the airport 404 and may be accessible from an application such as Digital Airport Terminal Information Service (D-ATIS).
- D-ATIS Digital Airport Terminal Information Service
- the information obtained from the exemplary third-party application may be the environmental conditions described in detail below.
- all or some of the runways 406 associated with the airport 404 may be displayed. All of the runways 406 may be displayed and analyzed for takeoff and landing. The length of each of the runways 406 and the weather conditions may be used along with aircraft characteristics to determine the takeoff brake release points 402 for the aircraft. In some embodiments, only particular runways may be displayed and analyzed. For example, only runways that are currently used for takeoff may be displayed and analyzed for departing aircraft while the runways being used for landing may be displayed to incoming aircraft and analyzed for landing. Any number of the runways 406 may be displayed. Further, the particular runways that are displayed may be customizable by the user.
- the brake release points 402 are determined for each departing aircraft.
- the brake release points 402 may be determined by analyzing local environmental conditions and aircraft characteristics.
- the environmental conditions include weather conditions, runway conditions (e.g., wet, snowy, icy, etc.), atmospheric conditions (e.g., temperature, pressure, etc.), wind direction, aircraft traffic conditions at the airport, and any other environmental information that may be useful to the pilot.
- the environmental conditions may be obtained by wirelessly accessing such exemplary software as D-ATIS that may be provided by airport servers.
- the environmental conditions may be displayed on the user interface 400 along with the airport 404 , for example in D-ATIS box 424 .
- the environmental conditions data may be automatically pushed from the airport server to the computer 302 .
- the data may be processed, and the brake release points 402 may be determined and displayed at the computer 302 and pushed to the integrated avionics system 100 for aircraft processing and control. This allows the takeoff and landing performance to be calculated and the user interface 400 to be updated in real time.
- a shape of the brake release points 402 are indicative of the aircraft configuration.
- the brake release points 402 may be square, circular, and oval shaped as shown in FIG. 4 . However, the brake release points 402 may also be triangular or any polygon or irregular shape.
- the shape of the brake release points 402 may be indicative of the configuration of the aircraft. For example, the shape of the brake release points 402 may be indicative of a flap configuration. The flaps of the aircraft may be lowered to generate a higher lift coefficient reducing the speed required for takeoff. A plurality of flap settings may be used to determine a plurality of airspeeds required for takeoff. Each shape of the brake release points 402 may be indicative of different flap settings or any other aircraft configuration.
- a color (as shown in FIG. 4 as a texture and referenced in legend 408 ) of the brake release points 402 may be indicative of a thrust setting for the aircraft.
- a plurality of thrust settings (indicated by color of the brake release points 402 ) may be determined for each configuration settings of the aircraft (indicated by shape of the brake release points).
- the combination of the thrust setting and the aircraft configuration may indicate a location of the brake release points 402 for proper takeoff. For example, as stated above, more flap may increase lift coefficient but also increase drag coefficient.
- An amount of thrust may be required to accelerate the aircraft to takeoff speed before a minimum distance from the end of a runway B 410 .
- the takeoff performance of the aircraft may be determined by the aircraft characteristics and the environmental conditions as described above.
- the brake release points may indicate to the pilot the thrust settings and the aircraft configuration necessary for takeoff to meet a particular constraint.
- Brake release points may be indicated on runway B 410 comprising various shapes and colors.
- brake release point B 7 412 is represented by a red square.
- the square shape represents a specific aircraft takeoff configuration and the red color represents a specific thrust setting (in this case 100%).
- Brake release point B 9 414 is a blue square.
- the aircraft taking off from brake release point B 9 414 has the same configuration at brake release point B 7 412 but a lower thrust setting represented by the blue color used.
- the aircraft has a longer runway to utilize, therefore a lower thrust setting may be used.
- Brake release point B 10 416 is a blue rectangle.
- the blue color represents the same thrust setting as brake release point B 9 414 but the rectangle represents a different aircraft configuration.
- the different aircraft configuration may be engine bleed on which takes energy from the engine but provides enhanced passenger comfort. The reduced energy may require a longer runway and, as such, the same thrust is required between the different configurations of brake release point B 9 414 and brake release point B 10 416 .
- brake release point B 11 418 requires the same configuration as brake release point B 10 416 but has a lower thrust setting (green) based on the longer runway to utilize. Similar configuration and thrust setting differences may be required for brake release point 420 .
- the brake release point and thrust setting may be determined based on a desired distance to the end of the runway and an economic impact to the aircraft described in detail below. At the bottom of FIG.
- brake release points E 10 , E 11 , and E 12 are also depicted on runway 25 R. These bake release points are all represented by a circle and a yellow color signifying that brake release points E 10 -E 12 require the same configuration and thrust.
- the thrust may be reduced if a greater distance between the takeoff point and the brake release point is used. This may be desirable as a lower thrust may result in a lower economic impact on the aircraft. For example, if only 70% (indicated by blue) of the available thrust is used at takeoff rather than 100% (indicated by red), less fuel may be used. Less fuel may reduce the cost of the flight of the aircraft and may lessen the environmental impact of the aircraft. Further, the lower thrust may reduce the demand on the engine such that maintenance costs may be reduced. The engine may also sustain a longer life based on the number of reduced thrust, or derated, takeoffs.
- the colors of the brake release points 402 may be represented by red for 100%, or full thrust, blue for a first reduced thrust or derated thrust (e.g., 80%), yellow for a second derated thrust (e.g., 70%), and green for a lowest derated thrust (e.g., 60%). Derated thrust is described in detail below.
- An optimal thrust to economic impact e.g., monetary savings based on the reduced maintenance and fuel costs
- a linear or nonlinear program may be used to maximize thrust while minimizing cost with constraints on a minimum amount of thrust for takeoff.
- the thrust setting and brake release points may be based at least in part on the determined optimal thrust.
- green may indicate the lowest possible derated thrust value that may achieve a desired takeoff distance from the end of runway B 410 .
- one, three, five, or any number of derated thrust values may be calculated and presented and each derated thrust value may have a corresponding color.
- the derated thrust values and corresponding brake release points 402 may be colored or may simply display the derated thrust value.
- the derated thrust may be shown as a percentage, a value from 1-10, 1-100, a fraction, or any other notation that may indicate a derated thrust.
- derated thrust is a thrust setting or an operational limit that is applied by the pilot.
- the derated thrust and brake release points 402 may be determined by the takeoff and landing system and the brake release points 402 may be presented via the user interface 400 .
- the derated thrust may be displayed along with the brake release points 402 or may be displayed when the user interacts with the brake release points 402 by hovering a cursor over the brake release points 402 or clicking or tapping on the brake release points 402 .
- the interaction with the brake release points 402 opens a screen shown in FIG. 5 and described in more detail below.
- derated thrust may also include atmospheric conditions. Atmospheric conditions may affect the thrust and, consequently, the thrust may be adjusted based on the atmospheric conditions.
- the local atmospheric pressure may provide an assumed temperature for thrust.
- a high air density such as, for example, when the temperature is low, may provide good conditions to generate high temperature and pressure in the engine and thus increased thrust. Consequently, when the temperature is low, the thrust setting may be reduced. Therefore, the pilot may apply an assumed temperature when the atmospheric pressure is higher than the associated atmospheric temperature. This is called assumed temperature thrust reduction.
- the takeoff and landing system may automatically determine the thrust settings based on the aircraft characteristics and the environmental conditions.
- the thrust may be degraded based on atmospheric pressure as well as the weight of the aircraft while still providing enough thrust to take off in the expected minimum distance from the end of the runway.
- the temperature at an airport is 100° F.
- the aircraft is flying from Kansas City to Denver which is only 20% of the maximum endurance of the aircraft. Therefore, the aircraft is only carrying 20%+ reserve of the normal fully loaded fuel of the aircraft.
- the thrust may be derated to 70% of the full thrust based on the decreased weight of the aircraft when utilizing a particular distance for takeoff which can be referenced as brake release point B 10 .
- the derated thrust uses reduces wear on the engine and can provide other benefits. Further, under the same aircraft characteristics, the temperature may be 30° F.
- the thrust may be further derated based on the low temperature/higher atmospheric pressure (i.e., the environmental conditions). Consequently, the thrust is derated to 60% providing even greater economic savings. Therefore, the aircraft may still utilize brake release point B 10 however the color of the B 10 may change from blue (displayed in FIG. 4 ) to yellow indicating a derated thrust value.
- the environmental conditions may affect the performance of the aircraft.
- the atmospheric pressure and temperature may be taken into account for lift, drag, and engine performance. For example, lift and drag may be higher when the atmospheric pressure is high.
- the thrust may be higher when the pressure is high.
- the air taken into the engine may be at a higher initial pressure. Consequently, as the air goes through the engine a higher relative pressure is attained. This process increases a thrust per fuel input and, therefore, may further allow for a derated thrust as described above.
- environmental conditions may comprise weather and runway conditions. Snow and rain may collect on the runway B 410 resulting in drag that may reduce the acceleration and or speed of the aircraft relative to thrust. To compensate, a higher thrust setting or a longer runway may be calculated based on a resistance coefficient of the runway B 410 .
- the brake release points 402 may be adjusted for the poor environmental conditions and displayed as the brake release points 402 .
- red zones 422 may be displayed on the user interface 400 .
- the red zones may be zones around other aircraft, vehicle, animals, construction, or any area that may not be desirable for the aircraft to travel.
- the red zones 422 may be move with the vehicle traffic and may be received by the takeoff and landing system from the airport server.
- FIG. 5 depicts an exemplary brake release point summary screen 500 presenting takeoff brake release point summaries 502 on the user interface 400 .
- the takeoff brake release point summaries 502 may be accessed by clicking or tapping on a brake release point or by hovering over a brake release point on the user interface 400 presented in FIG. 4 above. Interaction with any of the brake release points 402 may open the brake release point summary screen 500 displaying information associated with the particular brake release point that receives the interaction.
- the brake release point summary screen 500 may display relevant information for the pilot when taking off and when determining which runway for takeoff.
- the brake release point summary screen 500 may display such brake release point summary components 502 as taxiway information, aircraft configuration information, and thrust information for each brake release point on each runway.
- Each of these brake release point summary components 502 may be used by the pilot or airport personnel to determine a runway and a brake release point for takeoff.
- runway B 410 may be selected based on the economic impact as described above.
- the takeoff brake release points summary components 502 may be accessible via a tab from a main screen of the user interface 400 and may be displayed along with airport information, environmental conditions, and aircraft characteristics.
- the screen may display all takeoff performance information as displayed in the takeoff brake release point summary screen 500 presented in FIG. 5 .
- a runway layout may be displayed as well as airport information.
- the airport information may be included in the environmental conditions.
- the airport information may include elevation, pattern altitude, magnetic variation, sunrise and sunset times, local time, and the best runway as determined above.
- tabs may present selections for the user where the user may access information for the runways 406 , weather, procedures, and other information that may be useful for the pilot.
- FIG. 6 depicts an exemplary landing user interface 600 .
- the landing user interface 600 may display the airport 404 and runways 406 and any information gathered from the airport server such as, for example, from the D-ATIS that may be representative of the aircraft characteristics and the environmental conditions.
- the takeoff and landing system may use the environmental conditions and the aircraft characteristics to generate autobrake points 602 based on calculated autobrake settings.
- the autobrake points 602 may comprise any autobrake points indicated on runway A 10 including B 4 , B 5 , B 6 , and B 7 as well as any autobrakes on runway 25 R reference and discussed in detail below.
- the autobrake settings and autobrake points 602 may be based at least in part on the aircraft characteristics, the environmental conditions, and runway exit points.
- last touchdown points 604 may also be shown on or near the runways 406 .
- the last touchdown points 604 may comprise any last touchdown points depicted on or near the runways 406 .
- the pilot may indicate an exit to runway E 606 that the pilot wishes to utilize.
- the takeoff and landing system may determine the exit location and recommend the autobrake points 602 and autobrake settings based on the determined exit location.
- the exit to runway E 606 may be based at least in part on a designated terminal for the aircraft at the airport.
- the autobrake points 602 are located at the exit location and are indicative of the autobrake settings required to slow the aircraft down enough to take the corresponding exit.
- the autobrake points 602 are based on the exit location of the aircraft.
- the exit location may be assigned by the pilot prior to landing.
- the autobrake points 602 and autobrake settings may be calculated based on the aircraft (e.g., type of aircraft, heading, altitude, rate of descent, and air and ground speed, etc.), the aircraft configuration for landing (e.g., flaps, engine bleed settings, landing gear configuration, etc.), environmental conditions (e.g., weather, atmosphere, traffic, runway, etc.), and any other conditions that may affect the landing and autobrake settings.
- the autobrake settings may be any setting of the autobrake from 0-100 percent. Low settings may not stop the aircraft until the end of runway E 606 and 100 percent, or full autobrake, may not be comfortable for the passengers.
- the autobrake points 602 may be color coded (depicted as texture) based on the settings. For example, a runway exit location may be input by the pilot and several autobrake points may be determined and displayed based on the determined autobrake settings. For example, on runway E 606 depicted in FIG. 6 , autobrake points 608 - 614 are depicted.
- Autobrake setting E 4 608 may be a least aggressive setting (represented by green) because the aircraft landing from the right has the longest runway to stop.
- Autobrake settings E 5 610 and E 6 612 may require a slightly more aggressive setting (represented by yellow) and autobrake setting E 7 614 may have a most aggressive setting (represented by red).
- the autobrake settings may be represented by the colors and may be indicative of the exit location of the aircraft. For example, 60% autobraking may be represented by a green color for exit E 4 . For exits E 5 and E 6 , a moderate autobrake setting of 70% may be required represented by a yellow color. To exit at E 7 , an autobrake setting of 100% may be required and represented by a red color. Any colors and textures may be used for the autobrake points 602 to represent the autobrake settings.
- the last touchdown points 604 may be determined and displayed.
- the last touchdown points 604 may provide markers for the pilot such that the pilot knows the risk if the airplane approach is too high or too fast.
- the trajectory and the speed of the aircraft may be used to determine the last touchdown points 604 .
- the last touchdown points 604 may be color coded to represent autobrake settings that are necessary to stop the aircraft before a minimum distance from the end of the runways 406 .
- the first last touchdown point 616 may be represented by a green line.
- the green line may represent that the least aggressive (e.g., 60%) autobrake setting may be used.
- the second last touchdown point 618 is still green.
- a third last touchdown point 620 of yellow is displayed.
- the third last touchdown point 620 may represent a more aggressive autobrake setting (e.g., 80%) is necessary.
- a final last touchdown point 622 representing full autobrake setting (e.g., 100%) is necessary to stop the aircraft at a minimum distance from the end of runway E 606 .
- any number of autobrake settings may be associated with any number of last touchdown points 604 . Further, any colors and textures and line types (as displayed) may be associated with the last touchdown points 604 . The lines representing the last touchdown points 604 may be any shape and any color.
- FIG. 7 depicts an exemplary landing brake to vacate points summary screen 700 presenting landing brake to vacate points summary 702 .
- the landing brake to vacate points summary 702 may be accessed by clicking on the autobrake points 602 or by hovering over the autobrake points 602 on the display presented in FIG. 6 above. The user may click or hover over each individual autobrake point to display the landing brake to vacate point summary screen 700 .
- the landing brake to vacate points summary 702 may display relevant information for the pilot when landing and when determining which exit to take during landing.
- the landing brake to vacate points summary 702 may display such items as taxiway information, runway information, aircraft configuration information, autobrake settings, and velocity information for each runway 406 . Each of these items may be used by the pilot or airport personnel to determine a runway for landing and the autobrake settings for each runway.
- the runway may be selected based on the lowest economic impact, passenger comfort, and performance as described above.
- the landing brake to vacate points summary screen 700 may be accessible via a tab from a main screen and may be displayed with airport information as described above.
- the airport layout may be displayed as well as airport information.
- the airport information may be included in the environmental conditions.
- the airport information may include elevation, pattern altitude, magnetic variation, sunrise and sunset times, local time, and the best runway as determined above.
- tabs may present selections for the user where the user may access information for the runways, weather, procedures, and other information that may be useful for the pilot.
- FIG. 8 depicts an exemplary screen presenting non-normal landing configurations screen 800 .
- the non-normal landing configurations screen presents fields 802 for selection and/or input of configurations.
- the fields may include inputs for reference velocity, flap configuration, environmental controls, anti-ice systems, auto or manual landing, and any other non-normal configurations.
- the configuration of the aircraft may affect the takeoff and landing performance. Any non-normal configuration may be taken into account and takeoff brake release points, thrust settings, autobrake points, and autobrake settings may be determined and displayed based on the non-normal configurations.
- FIG. 9 depicts an exemplary process of determining and displaying takeoff brake release points generally referenced by numeral 900 .
- the system receives data for calculation of the takeoff brake release points 402 as described in embodiments above.
- the information that may be obtained may be aircraft characteristics and environmental conditions.
- the aircraft characteristics may be, for example, the type of aircraft and associated geometry and dynamic model, weight and balance information, takeoff configuration, and any other aircraft information that may be useful for takeoff.
- the type of aircraft may be indicative of engine type and may include any aircraft parameter such as lift coefficient, drag coefficient, and any other stability and control derivatives and performance characteristics that may be useful when calculating the takeoff performance as described in embodiments above.
- environmental conditions may be obtained by the system.
- the environmental conditions may be any information indicative of the takeoff environment such as, for example, weather conditions, runway conditions, atmospheric pressure, air temperature, elevation of the airport, magnetic variation, airport layout information including runway maps and runway designations, and any other information that may be useful in determining takeoff brake release points for each runway.
- the environmental conditions may be obtained from software such as D-ATIS for example.
- the takeoff brake release points 402 may be calculated based on the aircraft characteristics and the environmental information.
- the takeoff brake release points 402 may be determined for different economic impacts to the aircraft. For example, a low thrust setting of 80% may have a lower economic impact than a thrust setting of 100%.
- the takeoff brake release points 402 may be adjusted based on the thrust setting to ensure that the aircraft takes off from runway B 410 at a minimum distance from the end of runway B 410 .
- the takeoff brake release points 402 are displayed.
- the takeoff brake release points 402 may be displayed as various shapes with various colors.
- the shape may be indicative of an aircraft configuration and the color may be indicative of a thrust setting.
- the combination of the shape and the color may be recognizable to the pilot such that the pilot may simply view the shape, color, and location of the takeoff brake release point relative to the runway and know the aircraft takeoff starting location, configuration, and thrust settings for takeoff.
- the user e.g., pilot
- new information is pushed to the takeoff and landing system and updated in real time.
- new information may be available before takeoff. For example, the wind may change direction or the pressure may drop while the aircraft is taxiing.
- the new information may be automatically pushed from the airport server to the computer 302 .
- New takeoff brake release points may be calculated and displayed based on the new information.
- FIG. 10 depicts an exemplary process of determining and displaying the autobrake points 602 and autobrake settings generally referenced by numeral 1000 .
- the system receives data for calculation of the autobrake points 602 and the autobrake settings.
- the information that may be obtained may be aircraft characteristics and environmental conditions as described above.
- the aircraft characteristics may comprise the type of aircraft, weight and balance information, takeoff configuration.
- the type of aircraft may be indicative of engine type and dynamic model and may include any aircraft parameters such as lift coefficient, drag coefficient, and any other stability and control derivatives and performance characteristics that may be useful when calculating the landing performance as described in embodiments above.
- the aircraft information may include heading, altitude, rate of descent, and air and ground speed and any other information that may be useful in determining the autobrake points and autobrake settings.
- the environmental conditions may be information indicative of the takeoff environment such as, for example, weather conditions, runway conditions, atmospheric pressure, air temperature, elevation of the airport, magnetic variation, airport layout information including runway maps and runway designations, and any other information that may be useful in determining takeoff brake release points for each runway.
- the information is combined and the autobrake points 602 , autobrake settings, and last touchdown points 604 are determined.
- the information may be used to calculate a stopping time and location of the aircraft on the runways 406 given the environmental conditions and aircraft characteristics which may include: heading, altitude, rate of descent, and air and ground speed.
- the last touchdown points 604 may be calculated based on the aircraft characteristics and the environmental conditions as described in embodiments above.
- the last touchdown points 604 may be indicative of an autobrake setting required to stop the aircraft a minimum distance from the end of the runways 406 .
- the autobrake points 602 and autobrake settings are displayed.
- the autobrake points 602 may be displayed on or near the runways 406 and at or near the runway exit point of the aircraft.
- the autobrake points 602 may be indicative of a location of exit of the aircraft from the runways 406 to the taxiway and a color of the autobrake points 602 may be indicative of the autobrake settings necessary to brake before the exit.
- the autobrake settings may be displayed on the autobrake settings summary screen 700 which may be accessed by clicking on or hovering over the autobrake points 602 .
- the last touchdown points 604 may be displayed.
- the last touchdown points 604 may be displayed on or near the runways 406 .
- the last touchdown points 604 may be displayed at a location and with a color indicative of the autobrake settings required to stop the aircraft at a minimum distance from the end of the runways 406 .
- the autobrake points, autobrake settings, and last touchdown points 604 are updated when changes occur in real time.
- the landing conditions may change in real time. For example, high-volume traffic may cause a runway designation to change.
- the new runway information may be pushed to the computer 302 automatically and new runway information, autobrake points 602 , last touchdown points 604 , and autobrake settings may be calculated and displayed.
- the color of the autobrake points 602 is indicative of autobrake settings for the aircraft.
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Abstract
Description
- The present application claims the benefit under 35 U.S.C. 119(e) of U.S. Provisional Application Ser. No. 62/910,084, filed Oct. 3, 2019, and entitled “AIRCRAFT PERFORMANCE MONITOR,” which is herein incorporated by reference in its entirety.
- Embodiments of the invention relate to methods and systems for planning takeoff and landing procedures. Specifically, embodiments of the invention relate to methods and systems for planning and displaying aircraft takeoff brake release points and aircraft autobrake points.
- In typical aircraft takeoff and landing procedures, a pilot communicates with airport personnel. The airport personnel direct the pilot to the appropriate runway for takeoff and landing. The pilot may calculate takeoff brake release points and thrust settings for the aircraft based on aircraft performance characteristics and environmental conditions. The pilot may then confirm the takeoff brake release points with a co-pilot and the airport personnel.
- In typical aircraft landing procedures, the pilot communicates with airport personnel to determine a runway for landing. The pilot may designate a runway exit point and calculate the autobrake point and autobrake settings based on the desired runway exit. The autobrake points and autobrake settings may be confirmed by the co-pilot prior to landing.
- In some cases, changes may be made at the last minute. Environmental conditions may dictate that the aircraft configuration changes. For example, the flap setting of the aircraft may change just prior to takeoff. The performance and brake release points must then be recalculated and confirmed. Further, the pilot and co-pilot must perform the aircraft checklist with the new aircraft configuration. The procedures take time and may delay takeoff and may delay other aircraft that are in line for takeoff.
- Embodiments of the invention provide systems and methods that determine and display aircraft-specific takeoff brake release points, thrust settings, autobrake points, and autobrake settings. A first embodiment of the invention is directed to a system for planning aircraft takeoff brake release points, the system comprising a processor programmed to obtain at least one aircraft characteristic and at least one environmental condition, and determine at least one takeoff brake release point based on the at least one aircraft characteristic and the at least one environmental condition, a user interface comprising at least one user input, and a display configured to display one or more runways associated with an airport and at least one takeoff brake release point associated with a runway in the one or more runways.
- A second embodiment of the invention is directed to a system for planning aircraft autobrake points and settings, the system comprising at least one processor programmed to obtain an aircraft characteristic, a runway exit location, and an environmental condition, and determine an autobrake point and an autobrake setting based at least in part on the aircraft characteristic, the runway exit location, and the environmental condition, at least one user interface comprising a user input, and at least one display displaying one or more runways associated with an airport and the autobrake point associated with a runway in the one or more runways, wherein the autobrake point comprises a color indicative of the autobrake setting.
- A third embodiment of the invention is directed to a system for planning aircraft takeoff brake release points and aircraft autobrake points, comprising at least one processor programmed to obtain an aircraft characteristic, a first environmental condition at a first airport, a second environmental condition at a second airport, and a runway exit location, determine at least one takeoff brake release point based at least in part on the aircraft characteristic and the first environmental condition, and determine at least one autobrake point based at least in part on the aircraft characteristic, the second environmental condition, and the runway exit location, at least one display configured to display a first plurality of runways for takeoff associated with a first airport and the at least one takeoff brake release point associated with a first runway of the first plurality of runways, and display a second plurality of runways for landing associated with a second airport and the at least one autobrake point associated with a second runway of the second plurality of runways.
- This summary is provided to introduce a selection of concepts in a simplified form that are further described below in the detailed description. This summary is not intended to identify key features or essential features of the claimed subject matter, nor is it intended to be used to limit the scope of the claimed subject matter. Other aspects and advantages of the invention will be apparent from the following detailed description of the embodiments and the accompanying drawing figures.
- Embodiments of the invention are described in detail below with reference to the attached drawing figures, wherein:
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FIG. 1 depicts an exemplary avionics control interface for embodiments of the invention; -
FIG. 2 depicts an exemplary hardware control system for embodiments of the invention; -
FIG. 3 depicts an exemplary hardware system for embodiments of the invention; -
FIG. 4 depicts an embodiment of takeoff brake release points displayed on a user interface; -
FIG. 5 depicts an embodiment of a takeoff brake release point summary screen; -
FIG. 6 depicts an embodiment of a autobrake points and autobrake settings displayed on a user interface; -
FIG. 7 depicts an embodiment of a landing autobrake points and autobrake settings summary screen; -
FIG. 8 depicts an input screen for non-normal landing configurations; -
FIG. 9 depicts an exemplary process of determining and displaying takeoff brake release points; and -
FIG. 10 depicts an exemplary process of determining and displaying landing autobrake points and autobrake settings. - The drawing figures do not limit the invention to the specific embodiments disclosed and described herein. The drawings are not necessarily to scale, emphasis instead being placed upon clearly illustrating the principles of the invention.
- The following detailed description references the accompanying drawings that illustrate specific embodiments in which the invention can be practiced. The embodiments are intended to describe aspects of the invention in sufficient detail to enable those skilled in the art to practice the invention. Other embodiments can be utilized and changes can be made without departing from the scope of the invention. The following detailed description is, therefore, not to be taken in a limiting sense. The scope of the invention is defined only by the appended claims, along with the full scope of equivalents to which such claims are entitled.
- In this description, references to “one embodiment,” “an embodiment,” or “embodiments” mean that the feature or features being referred to are included in at least one embodiment of the technology. Separate references to “one embodiment,” “an embodiment,” or “embodiments” in this description do not necessarily refer to the same embodiment and are also not mutually exclusive unless so stated and/or except as will be readily apparent to those skilled in the art from the description. For example, a feature, structure, act, etc. described in one embodiment may also be included in other embodiments, but is not necessarily included. Thus, the technology can include a variety of combinations and/or integrations of the embodiments described herein.
- Generally, takeoff and landing systems and method for planning aircraft-specific landing takeoff points, thrust settings, autobrake points, and autobrake settings are described. In some embodiments, the takeoff and landing system is an aircraft on-board system obtaining aircraft information and environmental information and calculating and displaying the aircraft-specific landing/takeoff points, the thrust settings, the autobrake points, and the autobrake settings. The takeoff and landing system may be integrated into the aircraft avionics system or communicate wirelessly as a hand-held mobile device such as a tablet.
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FIGS. 1-2 illustrate an example configuration of an integrated avionics system. However, in other embodiments, the user interface is provided by a tablet or an electronic flight bag. In some embodiments, an integratedavionics system 100 may include one or more primary flight displays (PFDs) 102, one or more multifunction displays (MFD) 104, and one or more multi-product avionics control and display units (CDU) 106. For instance, in the implementation illustrated inFIG. 1 , the integratedavionics system 100 may be configured for use in an aircraft that is flown by one or two pilots (e.g., a pilot and a copilot). In this implementation, the integratedavionics system 100 may include a first PFD 102(1), a second PFD 102(2), an MFD 104, a first CDU 106(1), and a second CDU 106(2), and a third CDU 106(3) that are mounted in the aircraft'sinstrument panel 108. As shown, the MFD 104 is mounted generally in the center of theinstrument panel 108 so that it may be accessed by either pilot (e.g., by either the pilot or the copilot). The first PFD 102(1) and the first CDU 106(1) are mounted in theinstrument panel 108 generally to the left of the MFD 104 for viewing and access by the pilot. Similarly, the second PFD 102(2) and the second CDU 106(2) are mounted in theinstrument panel 108 generally to the right of the MFD 104 for viewing and access by the aircraft's copilot or other crew member or passenger. The third CDU 106(3) may be mounted between the first and second CDUs 106(1), 106(2). In implementations, the CDUs 106 may be positioned within theinstrument panel 108 so that they may be readily viewed and/or accessed by the pilot flying the aircraft (which could be either the pilot or copilot). - The
PFDs 102 may be configured to display primary flight information, such as aircraft attitude, altitude, heading, vertical speed, and so forth. In implementations, thePFDs 102 may display primary flight information via a graphical representation of basic flight instruments such as an attitude indicator, an airspeed indicator, an altimeter, a heading indicator, a course deviation indicator, and so forth. ThePFDs 102 may also display other information providing situational awareness to the pilot such as terrain information, ground proximity warning information, and so forth. - The primary flight information may be generated by one or more flight sensor data sources including, for example, one or more attitude, heading, angular rate, and/or acceleration information sources such as attitude and heading reference systems (AHRS) 110 such as 110(1) and 110(2), one or more air data information sources such as air data computers (ADCs) 112 such as 112(1) and 112(2), and/or one or more angle of attack information sources. For instance, the
AHRSs 110 may be configured to provide information such as attitude, rate of turn, slip and skid; while theADCs 112 may be configured to provide information including airspeed, altitude, vertical speed, and outside air temperature. Other configurations are possible. - Integrated avionics units (IAUs) may aggregate the primary flight information from the
AHRS 110 andADC 112 and, in one example configuration, provide the information to thePFDs 102 via anavionics data bus 116. In other examples, the various IAUs may directly communicate with each other and other system components. The IAUs may also function as a combined communications and navigation radio. For example, the IAUs may include a two-way VHF communications transceiver, a VHF navigation receiver with glide slope, a global positioning system (GPS) receiver, and so forth. As shown, each integrated avionics unit may be paired with a primary flight display, which may function as a controlling unit for the integrated avionic unit. In implementations, theavionics data bus 116 may comprise a high speed data bus (HSDB), such as data bus complying with ARINC 429 data bus standard promulgated by the Airlines Electronic Engineering Committee (AEEC), a MIL-STD-1553 compliant data bus, and so forth. A radar altimeter may be associated with one or more of the IAUs, such as viadata bus 116 or a direct connection, to provide precise elevation information (e.g., height above ground) for autoland functionality. For example, in some configurations, thesystem 100 includes a radar altimeter to assist an autoland module in various functions of the landing sequence, such as timing and maintaining the level-off and/or flare. - The
MFD 104 displays information describing operation of the aircraft such as navigation routes, moving maps, engine gauges, weather radar, ground proximity warning system (GPWS) warnings, traffic collision avoidance system (TCAS) warnings, airport information, and so forth, that are received from a variety of aircraft systems via theavionics data bus 116. - The
CDUs 106 may furnish a general purpose pilot interface to control the aircraft's avionics. For example, theCDUs 106 allow the pilots to control various systems of the aircraft such as the aircraft's autopilot system, flight director (FD), electronic stability and protection (ESP) system, autothrottle, navigation systems, communication systems, engines, and so on, via theavionics data bus 116. In implementations, theCDUs 106 may also be used for control of theintegrated avionics system 100 including operation of thePFD 102 andMFD 104. In some embodiments, thePFD 102 may be a separate wired or wireless computer or mobile device such as a tablet. - The
display 120 displays information to the pilot of the aircraft. In implementations, thedisplay 120 may comprise an LCD (Liquid Crystal Diode) display, a TFT (Thin Film Transistor) LCD display, an LEP (Light Emitting Polymer or PLED (Polymer Light Emitting Diode)) display, a cathode ray tube (CRT), and so forth, capable of displaying text and/or graphical information, such as a graphical user interface. Thedisplay 120 may be backlit via a backlight such that it may be viewed in the dark or other low-light environments. - The
display 120 may include a touch interface, that can detect a touch input within a specified area of thedisplay 120 for entry of information and commands. In implementations, a touch screen may employ a variety of technologies for detecting touch inputs. For example, the touch screen may employ infrared optical imaging technologies, resistive technologies, capacitive technologies, surface acoustic wave technologies, and so forth. In implementations, buttons, softkeys, keypads, knobs and so forth, may be used for entry of data and commands instead of or in addition to the touch screen. - Turning now to
FIG. 3 , anexemplary hardware platform 300 that can form one element of certain embodiments of the invention is depicted.Computer 302 can be a desktop computer, a laptop computer, a server computer, a mobile device such as a smartphone or tablet, combinations thereof, or any other form factor of general- or special-purpose computing device. Depicted withcomputer 302 are several components, for illustrative purposes. In some embodiments, certain components may be arranged differently or absent. Additional components may also be present. In some embodiments,computer 302 may be wired or wirelessly connected to theintegrated avionics system 100. Included incomputer 302 issystem bus 304, whereby other components ofcomputer 302 can communicate with each other. In certain embodiments, there may be multiple busses or components may communicate with each other directly. Connected tosystem bus 304 is central processing unit (CPU) 306. Also attached tosystem bus 304 are one or more random-access memory (RAM)modules 308. Also attached tosystem bus 304 isgraphics card 310. In some embodiments,graphics card 310 may not be a physically separate card, but rather may be integrated into the motherboard or theCPU 306. In some embodiments,graphics card 310 has a separate graphics-processing unit (GPU) 312, which can be used for graphics processing or for general purpose computing (GPGPU). Also ongraphics card 310 isGPU memory 314. Connected (directly or indirectly) tographics card 310 isdisplay 316 for user interaction. In some embodiments no display is present, while in others it is integrated intocomputer 302. Similarly, peripherals such askeyboard 318 andmouse 320 are connected tosystem bus 304. Likedisplay 316, these peripherals may be integrated intocomputer 302 or absent. Also connected tosystem bus 304 islocal storage 322, which may be any form of computer-readable media, and may be internally installed incomputer 302 or externally and removably attached. - Computer-readable media include both volatile and nonvolatile media, removable and nonremovable media, and contemplate media readable by a database. For example, computer-readable media include (but are not limited to) RAM, ROM, EEPROM, flash memory or other memory technology, CD-ROM, digital versatile discs (DVD), holographic media or other optical disc storage, magnetic cassettes, magnetic tape, magnetic disk storage, and other magnetic storage devices. These technologies can store data temporarily or permanently. However, unless explicitly specified otherwise, the term “computer-readable media” should not be construed to include physical, but transitory, forms of signal transmission such as radio broadcasts, electrical signals through a wire, or light pulses through a fiber-optic cable. Examples of stored information include computer-useable instructions, data structures, program modules, and other data representations.
- Finally, network interface card (NIC) 324 is also attached to
system bus 304 and allowscomputer 302 to communicate over a network such asnetwork 326.NIC 324 can be any form of network interface known in the art, such as Ethernet, ATM, fiber, Bluetooth, or Wi-Fi (i.e., the IEEE 802.11 family of standards).NIC 324 connectscomputer 302 tolocal network 326, which may also include one or more other computers, such ascomputer 328, and network storage, such asdata store 330. Generally, a data store such asdata store 330 may be any repository from which information can be stored and retrieved as needed. Examples of data stores include relational or object-oriented databases, spreadsheets, file systems, flat files, directory services such as LDAP and Active Directory, or email storage systems. A data store may be accessible via a complex API (such as, for example, Structured Query Language), a simple API providing only read, write and seek operations, or any level of complexity in between. Some data stores may additionally provide management functions for data sets stored therein such as backup or versioning. Data stores can be local to a single computer such ascomputer 328, accessible on a local network such aslocal network 326, or remotely accessible overInternet 332.Local network 326 is in turn connected to Internet 132, which connects many networks such aslocal network 326,remote network 334 or directly attached computers such ascomputer 336. In some embodiments,computer 302 can itself be directly connected toInternet 332. -
FIG. 4 depicts an embodiment of auser interface 400 displayed by a takeoff and landing planning system on thecomputer 302 that, in some embodiments, may be, or may be in communication with, theintegrated avionics system 100. Theuser interface 400 may be configured to display takeoff brake release points 402 on an exemplary layout of theairport 404. Theuser interface 400 may be displayed via any display in communication with theintegrated avionics system 100 and theexemplary hardware platform 300 described above. In some embodiments, the information obtained from the aircraft computer system and theairport 404, including aircraft characteristics and environmental data, is obtained, processed, and displayed at thecomputer 302 which, in some embodiments, is a tablet computer. The displayed layout of theairport 404 may includerunways 406 and runway labels for pilots to navigate therunways 406 for takeoff, landing, and taxi to and from designated terminals. Theairport 404 may be any airport that may have a stored layout that may be accessible by at least one processor associated with thecomputer 302 orintegrated avionics system 100. In some embodiments, the environmental information may be received from theairport 404 and may be accessible from an application such as Digital Airport Terminal Information Service (D-ATIS). The information obtained from the exemplary third-party application may be the environmental conditions described in detail below. - In some embodiments, all or some of the
runways 406 associated with theairport 404 may be displayed. All of therunways 406 may be displayed and analyzed for takeoff and landing. The length of each of therunways 406 and the weather conditions may be used along with aircraft characteristics to determine the takeoff brake release points 402 for the aircraft. In some embodiments, only particular runways may be displayed and analyzed. For example, only runways that are currently used for takeoff may be displayed and analyzed for departing aircraft while the runways being used for landing may be displayed to incoming aircraft and analyzed for landing. Any number of therunways 406 may be displayed. Further, the particular runways that are displayed may be customizable by the user. - In some embodiments, the brake release points 402 are determined for each departing aircraft. The brake release points 402 may be determined by analyzing local environmental conditions and aircraft characteristics. The environmental conditions include weather conditions, runway conditions (e.g., wet, snowy, icy, etc.), atmospheric conditions (e.g., temperature, pressure, etc.), wind direction, aircraft traffic conditions at the airport, and any other environmental information that may be useful to the pilot. In some embodiments, the environmental conditions may be obtained by wirelessly accessing such exemplary software as D-ATIS that may be provided by airport servers. In some embodiments, the environmental conditions may be displayed on the
user interface 400 along with theairport 404, for example in D-ATIS box 424. - In some embodiments, when changes to the environmental conditions occur, the environmental conditions data may be automatically pushed from the airport server to the
computer 302. The data may be processed, and the brake release points 402 may be determined and displayed at thecomputer 302 and pushed to theintegrated avionics system 100 for aircraft processing and control. This allows the takeoff and landing performance to be calculated and theuser interface 400 to be updated in real time. - In some embodiments, a shape of the brake release points 402 are indicative of the aircraft configuration. The brake release points 402 may be square, circular, and oval shaped as shown in
FIG. 4 . However, the brake release points 402 may also be triangular or any polygon or irregular shape. The shape of the brake release points 402 may be indicative of the configuration of the aircraft. For example, the shape of the brake release points 402 may be indicative of a flap configuration. The flaps of the aircraft may be lowered to generate a higher lift coefficient reducing the speed required for takeoff. A plurality of flap settings may be used to determine a plurality of airspeeds required for takeoff. Each shape of the brake release points 402 may be indicative of different flap settings or any other aircraft configuration. - In some embodiments, a color (as shown in
FIG. 4 as a texture and referenced in legend 408) of the brake release points 402 may be indicative of a thrust setting for the aircraft. A plurality of thrust settings (indicated by color of the brake release points 402) may be determined for each configuration settings of the aircraft (indicated by shape of the brake release points). The combination of the thrust setting and the aircraft configuration may indicate a location of the brake release points 402 for proper takeoff. For example, as stated above, more flap may increase lift coefficient but also increase drag coefficient. An amount of thrust may be required to accelerate the aircraft to takeoff speed before a minimum distance from the end of arunway B 410. The takeoff performance of the aircraft may be determined by the aircraft characteristics and the environmental conditions as described above. - In some embodiments, the brake release points may indicate to the pilot the thrust settings and the aircraft configuration necessary for takeoff to meet a particular constraint. Brake release points may be indicated on
runway B 410 comprising various shapes and colors. For example, brakerelease point B7 412 is represented by a red square. The square shape represents a specific aircraft takeoff configuration and the red color represents a specific thrust setting (in thiscase 100%). Brakerelease point B9 414 is a blue square. The aircraft taking off from brakerelease point B9 414 has the same configuration at brakerelease point B7 412 but a lower thrust setting represented by the blue color used. The aircraft has a longer runway to utilize, therefore a lower thrust setting may be used. Brakerelease point B10 416 is a blue rectangle. The blue color represents the same thrust setting as brakerelease point B9 414 but the rectangle represents a different aircraft configuration. The different aircraft configuration may be engine bleed on which takes energy from the engine but provides enhanced passenger comfort. The reduced energy may require a longer runway and, as such, the same thrust is required between the different configurations of brakerelease point B9 414 and brakerelease point B10 416. Similarly, brakerelease point B11 418 requires the same configuration as brakerelease point B10 416 but has a lower thrust setting (green) based on the longer runway to utilize. Similar configuration and thrust setting differences may be required forbrake release point 420. The brake release point and thrust setting may be determined based on a desired distance to the end of the runway and an economic impact to the aircraft described in detail below. At the bottom ofFIG. 4 , brake release points E10, E11, and E12, are also depicted onrunway 25R. These bake release points are all represented by a circle and a yellow color signifying that brake release points E10-E12 require the same configuration and thrust. - The thrust may be reduced if a greater distance between the takeoff point and the brake release point is used. This may be desirable as a lower thrust may result in a lower economic impact on the aircraft. For example, if only 70% (indicated by blue) of the available thrust is used at takeoff rather than 100% (indicated by red), less fuel may be used. Less fuel may reduce the cost of the flight of the aircraft and may lessen the environmental impact of the aircraft. Further, the lower thrust may reduce the demand on the engine such that maintenance costs may be reduced. The engine may also sustain a longer life based on the number of reduced thrust, or derated, takeoffs. In some embodiments, the colors of the brake release points 402 may be represented by red for 100%, or full thrust, blue for a first reduced thrust or derated thrust (e.g., 80%), yellow for a second derated thrust (e.g., 70%), and green for a lowest derated thrust (e.g., 60%). Derated thrust is described in detail below. An optimal thrust to economic impact (e.g., monetary savings based on the reduced maintenance and fuel costs) may be determined. For example, a linear or nonlinear program may be used to maximize thrust while minimizing cost with constraints on a minimum amount of thrust for takeoff. The thrust setting and brake release points may be based at least in part on the determined optimal thrust.
- In some embodiments, green may indicate the lowest possible derated thrust value that may achieve a desired takeoff distance from the end of
runway B 410. In some embodiments, one, three, five, or any number of derated thrust values may be calculated and presented and each derated thrust value may have a corresponding color. In some embodiments, the derated thrust values and corresponding brake release points 402 may be colored or may simply display the derated thrust value. In some embodiments, the derated thrust may be shown as a percentage, a value from 1-10, 1-100, a fraction, or any other notation that may indicate a derated thrust. - In some embodiments, derated thrust is a thrust setting or an operational limit that is applied by the pilot. In embodiments, as described above, the derated thrust and brake release points 402 may be determined by the takeoff and landing system and the brake release points 402 may be presented via the
user interface 400. The derated thrust may be displayed along with the brake release points 402 or may be displayed when the user interacts with the brake release points 402 by hovering a cursor over the brake release points 402 or clicking or tapping on the brake release points 402. In some embodiments, the interaction with the brake release points 402 opens a screen shown inFIG. 5 and described in more detail below. - In some embodiments, derated thrust may also include atmospheric conditions. Atmospheric conditions may affect the thrust and, consequently, the thrust may be adjusted based on the atmospheric conditions. For example, the local atmospheric pressure may provide an assumed temperature for thrust. For example, a high air density such as, for example, when the temperature is low, may provide good conditions to generate high temperature and pressure in the engine and thus increased thrust. Consequently, when the temperature is low, the thrust setting may be reduced. Therefore, the pilot may apply an assumed temperature when the atmospheric pressure is higher than the associated atmospheric temperature. This is called assumed temperature thrust reduction. Here, the takeoff and landing system may automatically determine the thrust settings based on the aircraft characteristics and the environmental conditions. The thrust may be degraded based on atmospheric pressure as well as the weight of the aircraft while still providing enough thrust to take off in the expected minimum distance from the end of the runway. For example, the temperature at an airport is 100° F. The aircraft is flying from Kansas City to Denver which is only 20% of the maximum endurance of the aircraft. Therefore, the aircraft is only carrying 20%+ reserve of the normal fully loaded fuel of the aircraft. The thrust may be derated to 70% of the full thrust based on the decreased weight of the aircraft when utilizing a particular distance for takeoff which can be referenced as brake release point B10. The derated thrust uses reduces wear on the engine and can provide other benefits. Further, under the same aircraft characteristics, the temperature may be 30° F. The thrust may be further derated based on the low temperature/higher atmospheric pressure (i.e., the environmental conditions). Consequently, the thrust is derated to 60% providing even greater economic savings. Therefore, the aircraft may still utilize brake release point B10 however the color of the B10 may change from blue (displayed in
FIG. 4 ) to yellow indicating a derated thrust value. - In some embodiments, the environmental conditions may affect the performance of the aircraft. The atmospheric pressure and temperature may be taken into account for lift, drag, and engine performance. For example, lift and drag may be higher when the atmospheric pressure is high. Further, the thrust may be higher when the pressure is high. The air taken into the engine may be at a higher initial pressure. Consequently, as the air goes through the engine a higher relative pressure is attained. This process increases a thrust per fuel input and, therefore, may further allow for a derated thrust as described above.
- Further, environmental conditions may comprise weather and runway conditions. Snow and rain may collect on the
runway B 410 resulting in drag that may reduce the acceleration and or speed of the aircraft relative to thrust. To compensate, a higher thrust setting or a longer runway may be calculated based on a resistance coefficient of therunway B 410. The brake release points 402 may be adjusted for the poor environmental conditions and displayed as the brake release points 402. - In some embodiments,
red zones 422 may be displayed on theuser interface 400. The red zones may be zones around other aircraft, vehicle, animals, construction, or any area that may not be desirable for the aircraft to travel. Thered zones 422 may be move with the vehicle traffic and may be received by the takeoff and landing system from the airport server. -
FIG. 5 depicts an exemplary brake releasepoint summary screen 500 presenting takeoff brakerelease point summaries 502 on theuser interface 400. The takeoff brakerelease point summaries 502 may be accessed by clicking or tapping on a brake release point or by hovering over a brake release point on theuser interface 400 presented inFIG. 4 above. Interaction with any of the brake release points 402 may open the brake releasepoint summary screen 500 displaying information associated with the particular brake release point that receives the interaction. - The brake release
point summary screen 500 may display relevant information for the pilot when taking off and when determining which runway for takeoff. The brake releasepoint summary screen 500 may display such brake releasepoint summary components 502 as taxiway information, aircraft configuration information, and thrust information for each brake release point on each runway. Each of these brake releasepoint summary components 502 may be used by the pilot or airport personnel to determine a runway and a brake release point for takeoff. In some embodiments,runway B 410 may be selected based on the economic impact as described above. - In some embodiments, the takeoff brake release
points summary components 502 may be accessible via a tab from a main screen of theuser interface 400 and may be displayed along with airport information, environmental conditions, and aircraft characteristics. The screen may display all takeoff performance information as displayed in the takeoff brake releasepoint summary screen 500 presented inFIG. 5 . In some embodiments, a runway layout may be displayed as well as airport information. The airport information may be included in the environmental conditions. The airport information may include elevation, pattern altitude, magnetic variation, sunrise and sunset times, local time, and the best runway as determined above. In some embodiments, tabs may present selections for the user where the user may access information for therunways 406, weather, procedures, and other information that may be useful for the pilot. -
FIG. 6 depicts an exemplarylanding user interface 600. Thelanding user interface 600 may display theairport 404 andrunways 406 and any information gathered from the airport server such as, for example, from the D-ATIS that may be representative of the aircraft characteristics and the environmental conditions. The takeoff and landing system may use the environmental conditions and the aircraft characteristics to generateautobrake points 602 based on calculated autobrake settings. The autobrake points 602 may comprise any autobrake points indicated on runway A10 including B4, B5, B6, and B7 as well as any autobrakes onrunway 25R reference and discussed in detail below. The autobrake settings andautobrake points 602 may be based at least in part on the aircraft characteristics, the environmental conditions, and runway exit points. Further, last touchdown points 604 may also be shown on or near therunways 406. The last touchdown points 604 may comprise any last touchdown points depicted on or near therunways 406. - In some embodiments, the pilot may indicate an exit to
runway E 606 that the pilot wishes to utilize. In some embodiments, the takeoff and landing system may determine the exit location and recommend the autobrake points 602 and autobrake settings based on the determined exit location. The exit torunway E 606 may be based at least in part on a designated terminal for the aircraft at the airport. In some embodiments, the autobrake points 602 are located at the exit location and are indicative of the autobrake settings required to slow the aircraft down enough to take the corresponding exit. - In some embodiments, the autobrake points 602 are based on the exit location of the aircraft. The exit location may be assigned by the pilot prior to landing. The autobrake points 602 and autobrake settings may be calculated based on the aircraft (e.g., type of aircraft, heading, altitude, rate of descent, and air and ground speed, etc.), the aircraft configuration for landing (e.g., flaps, engine bleed settings, landing gear configuration, etc.), environmental conditions (e.g., weather, atmosphere, traffic, runway, etc.), and any other conditions that may affect the landing and autobrake settings.
- The autobrake settings may be any setting of the autobrake from 0-100 percent. Low settings may not stop the aircraft until the end of
runway E runway E 606 depicted inFIG. 6 , autobrake points 608-614 are depicted.Autobrake setting E4 608 may be a least aggressive setting (represented by green) because the aircraft landing from the right has the longest runway to stop.Autobrake settings E5 610 andE6 612 may require a slightly more aggressive setting (represented by yellow) andautobrake setting E7 614 may have a most aggressive setting (represented by red). The autobrake settings may be represented by the colors and may be indicative of the exit location of the aircraft. For example, 60% autobraking may be represented by a green color for exit E4. For exits E5 and E6, a moderate autobrake setting of 70% may be required represented by a yellow color. To exit at E7, an autobrake setting of 100% may be required and represented by a red color. Any colors and textures may be used for the autobrake points 602 to represent the autobrake settings. - In some embodiments, the last touchdown points 604 may be determined and displayed. The last touchdown points 604 may provide markers for the pilot such that the pilot knows the risk if the airplane approach is too high or too fast. The trajectory and the speed of the aircraft may be used to determine the last touchdown points 604. The last touchdown points 604 may be color coded to represent autobrake settings that are necessary to stop the aircraft before a minimum distance from the end of the
runways 406. - As displayed in
FIG. 6 , onrunway E 606 with an aircraft approaching from the right, the firstlast touchdown point 616 may be represented by a green line. The green line may represent that the least aggressive (e.g., 60%) autobrake setting may be used. At the next measurement, the secondlast touchdown point 618 is still green. Further down the runway, a thirdlast touchdown point 620 of yellow is displayed. The thirdlast touchdown point 620 may represent a more aggressive autobrake setting (e.g., 80%) is necessary. Further down the runway, a finallast touchdown point 622 representing full autobrake setting (e.g., 100%) is necessary to stop the aircraft at a minimum distance from the end ofrunway E 606. Any number of autobrake settings may be associated with any number of last touchdown points 604. Further, any colors and textures and line types (as displayed) may be associated with the last touchdown points 604. The lines representing the last touchdown points 604 may be any shape and any color. -
FIG. 7 depicts an exemplary landing brake to vacatepoints summary screen 700 presenting landing brake to vacatepoints summary 702. The landing brake to vacatepoints summary 702 may be accessed by clicking on the autobrake points 602 or by hovering over the autobrake points 602 on the display presented inFIG. 6 above. The user may click or hover over each individual autobrake point to display the landing brake to vacatepoint summary screen 700. - The landing brake to vacate
points summary 702 may display relevant information for the pilot when landing and when determining which exit to take during landing. The landing brake to vacatepoints summary 702 may display such items as taxiway information, runway information, aircraft configuration information, autobrake settings, and velocity information for eachrunway 406. Each of these items may be used by the pilot or airport personnel to determine a runway for landing and the autobrake settings for each runway. In some embodiments, the runway may be selected based on the lowest economic impact, passenger comfort, and performance as described above. - In some embodiments, the landing brake to vacate
points summary screen 700 may be accessible via a tab from a main screen and may be displayed with airport information as described above. In some embodiments, the airport layout may be displayed as well as airport information. The airport information may be included in the environmental conditions. The airport information may include elevation, pattern altitude, magnetic variation, sunrise and sunset times, local time, and the best runway as determined above. In some embodiments, tabs may present selections for the user where the user may access information for the runways, weather, procedures, and other information that may be useful for the pilot. -
FIG. 8 depicts an exemplary screen presenting non-normallanding configurations screen 800. In some embodiments, the non-normal landing configurations screenpresents fields 802 for selection and/or input of configurations. For example, the fields may include inputs for reference velocity, flap configuration, environmental controls, anti-ice systems, auto or manual landing, and any other non-normal configurations. As described above, the configuration of the aircraft may affect the takeoff and landing performance. Any non-normal configuration may be taken into account and takeoff brake release points, thrust settings, autobrake points, and autobrake settings may be determined and displayed based on the non-normal configurations. -
FIG. 9 depicts an exemplary process of determining and displaying takeoff brake release points generally referenced bynumeral 900. Atstep 902, the system receives data for calculation of the takeoff brake release points 402 as described in embodiments above. The information that may be obtained may be aircraft characteristics and environmental conditions. The aircraft characteristics may be, for example, the type of aircraft and associated geometry and dynamic model, weight and balance information, takeoff configuration, and any other aircraft information that may be useful for takeoff. The type of aircraft may be indicative of engine type and may include any aircraft parameter such as lift coefficient, drag coefficient, and any other stability and control derivatives and performance characteristics that may be useful when calculating the takeoff performance as described in embodiments above. - Further, environmental conditions may be obtained by the system. The environmental conditions may be any information indicative of the takeoff environment such as, for example, weather conditions, runway conditions, atmospheric pressure, air temperature, elevation of the airport, magnetic variation, airport layout information including runway maps and runway designations, and any other information that may be useful in determining takeoff brake release points for each runway. In some embodiments, the environmental conditions may be obtained from software such as D-ATIS for example.
- At
step 904, the takeoff brake release points 402 may be calculated based on the aircraft characteristics and the environmental information. The takeoff brake release points 402 may be determined for different economic impacts to the aircraft. For example, a low thrust setting of 80% may have a lower economic impact than a thrust setting of 100%. The takeoff brake release points 402 may be adjusted based on the thrust setting to ensure that the aircraft takes off fromrunway B 410 at a minimum distance from the end ofrunway B 410. - At
step 906, the takeoff brake release points 402 are displayed. The takeoff brake release points 402 may be displayed as various shapes with various colors. The shape may be indicative of an aircraft configuration and the color may be indicative of a thrust setting. The combination of the shape and the color may be recognizable to the pilot such that the pilot may simply view the shape, color, and location of the takeoff brake release point relative to the runway and know the aircraft takeoff starting location, configuration, and thrust settings for takeoff. Further, the user (e.g., pilot) may click on or hover over the takeoff brake release point to display the takeoff brake releasepoint summary screen 500. - At
step 908, new information is pushed to the takeoff and landing system and updated in real time. In some embodiments, new information may be available before takeoff. For example, the wind may change direction or the pressure may drop while the aircraft is taxiing. The new information may be automatically pushed from the airport server to thecomputer 302. New takeoff brake release points may be calculated and displayed based on the new information. -
FIG. 10 depicts an exemplary process of determining and displaying the autobrake points 602 and autobrake settings generally referenced by numeral 1000. Atstep 1002, the system receives data for calculation of the autobrake points 602 and the autobrake settings. The information that may be obtained may be aircraft characteristics and environmental conditions as described above. The aircraft characteristics may comprise the type of aircraft, weight and balance information, takeoff configuration. The type of aircraft may be indicative of engine type and dynamic model and may include any aircraft parameters such as lift coefficient, drag coefficient, and any other stability and control derivatives and performance characteristics that may be useful when calculating the landing performance as described in embodiments above. Further, the aircraft information may include heading, altitude, rate of descent, and air and ground speed and any other information that may be useful in determining the autobrake points and autobrake settings. The environmental conditions may be information indicative of the takeoff environment such as, for example, weather conditions, runway conditions, atmospheric pressure, air temperature, elevation of the airport, magnetic variation, airport layout information including runway maps and runway designations, and any other information that may be useful in determining takeoff brake release points for each runway. - At
step 1004, the information is combined and the autobrake points 602, autobrake settings, and last touchdown points 604 are determined. The information may be used to calculate a stopping time and location of the aircraft on therunways 406 given the environmental conditions and aircraft characteristics which may include: heading, altitude, rate of descent, and air and ground speed. - Further, the last touchdown points 604 may be calculated based on the aircraft characteristics and the environmental conditions as described in embodiments above. The last touchdown points 604 may be indicative of an autobrake setting required to stop the aircraft a minimum distance from the end of the
runways 406. - At
step 1006, the autobrake points 602 and autobrake settings are displayed. The autobrake points 602 may be displayed on or near therunways 406 and at or near the runway exit point of the aircraft. The autobrake points 602 may be indicative of a location of exit of the aircraft from therunways 406 to the taxiway and a color of the autobrake points 602 may be indicative of the autobrake settings necessary to brake before the exit. The autobrake settings may be displayed on the autobrakesettings summary screen 700 which may be accessed by clicking on or hovering over the autobrake points 602. - Further, the last touchdown points 604 may be displayed. The last touchdown points 604 may be displayed on or near the
runways 406. The last touchdown points 604 may be displayed at a location and with a color indicative of the autobrake settings required to stop the aircraft at a minimum distance from the end of therunways 406. - At
step 1008, the autobrake points, autobrake settings, and last touchdown points 604 are updated when changes occur in real time. In some embodiments, the landing conditions may change in real time. For example, high-volume traffic may cause a runway designation to change. The new runway information may be pushed to thecomputer 302 automatically and new runway information, autobrake points 602, last touchdown points 604, and autobrake settings may be calculated and displayed. In some embodiments, the color of the autobrake points 602 is indicative of autobrake settings for the aircraft. - Although the invention has been described with reference to the embodiments illustrated in the attached drawing figures, it is noted that equivalents may be employed and substitutions made herein without departing from the scope of the invention as recited in the claims.
- Having thus described various embodiments of the invention, what is claimed as new and desired to be protected by Letters Patent includes the following:
Claims (20)
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US16/948,853 US20210101674A1 (en) | 2019-10-03 | 2020-10-02 | System and method of determining and displaying aircraft takeoff and landing performance |
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US11066181B2 (en) | 2021-07-20 |
US11851166B2 (en) | 2023-12-26 |
US20210354808A1 (en) | 2021-11-18 |
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