Apparatus and method for controlling the vertical profile of an aircraft

Claim 1

In an aircraft having a Flight Management System, the Flight Management System including a plurality of inputs for controlling the lateral position of the aircraft to a desired lateral position along a desired flightplan, the Flight Management System further including an apparatus for controlling the aircraft along a vertical profile of the desired flightplan, said apparatus comprising: a) means for providing information denoting actual vertical position of said aircraft; b) means for generating information specifying a desired vertical position of said aircraft along the vertical profile of the predetermined desired flightplan; c) logic means, operatively connected to said means for providing and to said means for generating, for processing said actual vertical position and said desired vertical position in accordance with predefined decision construct control laws to determine a value for each of a predetermined number of real-time target signals, wherein the decision construct control laws includes a plurality of sets of scenarios, and wherein each set of scenario includes a predetermined number of procedures associated with said scenarios, the predetermined number of procedures including: a) takeoff scenario, b) climb scenario, c) climb intermediate scenario, d) cruise scenario, e) profile decent scenario, f) descent intermediate level scenario, g) late descent scenario, h) early descent scenario, and i) airmass descent scenario; and d) control means, operatively connected to said logic means to receive said predetermined number of real-time target signals, for controlling at least one control element of said aircraft, the control elements causing the aircraft to move in the vertical plane, such that the apparatus coordinates the control of said control elements, thereby controlling the vertical profile of the flight-plan.