Aircraft navigation system with vertical guidance

Claim 2

In a navigation system the arrangement comprising: first means for storing, for a destination point and a start point on the ground, a selected destination point altitude and a start point altitude, respectively; second means for determining aircraft ground speed and aircraft altitude; and third means coupled to said first and second means for deriving a vertical profile as a function of the altitudes stored in said first means and the ground distance between said start and destination points, and for determining the aircraft''s elevation error from said profile and a vertical profile speed, needed to maintain said aircraft on said vertical profile.

Claim 3

The arrangement as recited in claim 1 further including first display means for displaying the aircraft''s elevation error as a function of the difference between the aircraft''s altitude and an altitude on said profile which is a function of the ground distance of the aircraft from said destination point, and second display means for displaying the vertical profile speed needed to maintain said aircraft on said vertical profile.

Claim 4

The arrangement as recited in claim 1 wherein said system includes means for varying at least one of the altitudes stored in said first means, when said aircraft is in flight toward said destination point.

Claim 5

The arrangement as recited in claim 1 wherein said third means include means for deriving a slope of said vertical profile as a function of the difference between the altitudes in said first means and the distance between said start and destination points, and for determining said aircraft elevation error as a function of aircraft actual altitude, said slope, the distance between the aircraft ground position and said destination point and the destination point altitude in said first means.

Claim 6

The arrangement as recited in claim 4 wherein said third means include means for deriving said vertical profIle speed as a function of said slope and the aircraft ground speed.

Claim 7

The arrangement as recited in claim 5 further including first display means for displaying the aircraft''s elevation error as a function of the difference between the aircraft''s altitude and an altitude on said profile which is a function of the ground distance of the aircraft from said destination point, and second display means for displaying the vertical profile speed needed to maintain said aircraft on said vertical profile.

Claim 8

The arrangement as recited in claim 6 wherein said system includes means for varying at least one of the altitudes stored in said first means, when said aircraft is in flight toward said destination point.

Claim 9

In a navigation system, the arrangement comprising: first means for storing a selected destination point altitude and a start point altitude; second means for storing horizontal coordinates of said destination and start points; first processing means coupled to said first and second means for deriving a vertical profile slope defining the required altitudes of an aircraft flying from said start point at said start point altitude so that when said aircraft is over said destination altitude it is at said selected destination point altitude; second processing means coupled to said first means and to means providing actual aircraft altitude, as said aircraft flies to said destination point, for providing an error signal which is a function of the deviation of said aircraft altitude from said slope; and third processing means for deriving aircraft vertical speed required to maintain said aircraft on a vertical profile having a slope equal to said slope derived by said first processing means.

Claim 10

In a navigation system, the arrangement comprising: first means for storing a selected destination point altitude and a start point altitude; second means for storing horizontal coordinates of said destination and start points; first processing means coupled to said first and second means for deriving a vertical profile slope defining the required altitudes of an aircraft flying from said start point at said start point altitude so that when said aircraft is over said destination altitude it is at said selected destination point altitude; second processing means coupled to said first means and to means providing actual aircraft altitude, as said aircraft flies to said destination point, for providing an error signal which is a function of the deviation of said aircraft altitude from said slope; and third processing means for deriving aircraft vertical speed required to maintain said aircraft on a vertical profile having a slope equal to said slope derived by said first processing means.

Claim 11

The arrangement as recited in claim 8 further including display means coupled to said second and third processing means for displaying said error signal and said vertical speed.

Claim 12

The arrangement as recited in claim 8 wherein said arrangement includes means for defining present aircraft position as said start point and means for storing present aircraft altitude as said start point altitude.

Claim 13

The arrangement as recited in claim 8 further including means for computing a vertical speed command, which said aircraft is to maintain to reach said destination point at said destination point altitude, as a function of aircraft actual altitude, destination point altitude, aircraft ground speed, and aircraft ground distance from said destination point.

Claim 14

In a navigation director for controlling the horizontal navigation of an aircraft, the director being of the type including a computer memory for storing horizontal coordinates of a start point and a destination point, and a computer processor for processing said coordinates to determine the horizontal distance between said points, the improvement comprising: storing means in said computer memory for storing a selected altitude for said destination point; control means coupled to said computer memory for communicating to said storing means a selected destination point altitude for storage therein; first processing means responsive to said destination point altitude and a start point altitude for deriving a vertical profile slope; second means for utilizing said slope and the aircraft''s actual altitude for displaying a signal whose polarity and magnitude are a function of the direction of and the separation of the actual aircraft altitude from said slope; and third means for utilizing said slope and a computed distance between the aircraft ground position and said destination point for deriving a vertical speed for said aircraft, needed to maintain said aircraft on said vertical profile slope.

Claim 15

In a navigation director for controlling the horizontal navigation of an aircraft, the director being of the type including a computer memory for storing horizontal coordinates of a start point and a destination point, and a computer processor for processing said coordinates to determine the horizontal distance between said points, the improvement comprising: storing means in said computer memory for storing a selected altitude for said destination point; control means coupled to said computer memory for communicating to said storing means a selected destination point altitude for storage therein; first processing means responsive to said destination point altitude and a start point altitude for deriving a vertical profile slope; second means for utilizing said slope and the aircraft''s actual altitude for displaying a signal whose polarity and magnitude are a function of the direction of and the separation of the actual aircraft altitude from said slope; and third means for utilizing said slope and a computed distance between the aircraft ground position and said destination point for deriving a vertical speed for said aircraft, needed to maintain said aircraft on said vertical profile slope.

Claim 16

The arrangement as recited in claim 12 further including means for computing a vertical speed command, which said aircraft is to maintain to reach said destination point at said destination point altitude, as a function of aircraft actual altitude, destinaTion point altitude, aircraft ground speed, and aircraft ground distance from said destination point.

Claim 17

In an aircraft navigation system of the type including a computer with a memory for storing ground coordinates of a start point and a destination point, and a processor for processing said coordinates to determine the ground distance between said points, an arrangement comprising: first means in said memory for storing a destination point altitude; second means for determining aircraft actual altitude and aircraft ground speed as said aircraft flies toward said destination point; third means for providing the aircraft''s ground coordinates as said aircraft flies toward said destination point; first means in said processor responsive to the aircraft''s ground coordinates and the destination point ground coordinates for computing the aircraft ground distance from said destination point; and second means in said processor for computing a vertical speed command as a function of said aircraft ground distance from said destination point, aircraft ground speed, aircraft actual altitude and destination point altitude, said vertical speed command representing required aircraft vertical speed which need be maintained so that when said aircraft arrives at said destination point it is at said destination point altitude.

Claim 18

In an aircraft navigation system of the type including a computer with a memory for storing ground coordinates of a start point and a destination point, and a processor for processing said coordinates to determine the ground distance between said points, an arrangement comprising: first means in said memory for storing a destination point altitude; second means for determining aircraft actual altitude and aircraft ground speed as said aircraft flies toward said destination point; third means for providing the aircraft''s ground coordinates as said aircraft flies toward said destination point; first means in said processor responsive to the aircraft''s ground coordinates and the destination point ground coordinates for computing the aircraft ground distance from said destination point; and second means in said processor for computing a vertical speed command as a function of said aircraft ground distance from said destination point, aircraft ground speed, aircraft actual altitude and destination point altitude, said vertical speed command representing required aircraft vertical speed which need be maintained so that when said aircraft arrives at said destination point it is at said destination point altitude.

Claim 19

The arrangement as recited in claim 14 wherein the vertical speed command, definable as Vc, is equal to (Ha -HD)G/D, wherein Ha is aircraft actual altitude, HD is destination point altitude, G is aircraft ground speed and D is aircraft ground distance to said destination point.

Claim 20

The arrangement as recited in claim 15 further including means for displaying said vertical command speed in conjunction with aircraft actual vertical speed.

Claim 21

The arrangement as recited in claim 15 further including means for displaying said vertical command speed.