Longitudinal piloting system for a taxiing aircraft

1. A longitudinal piloting system for a taxiing aircraft, said system including:

a plurality of engines that generates a thrust of the aircraft, each of said engines being controlled by a first associated controllable actuator, in accordance with a received control command; and

a plurality of brakes that reduces the speed of the aircraft when the aircraft is taxiing, each of said brakes being controlled by a second associated controllable actuator, in accordance with a received control command,

said system further including:

a control unit that generates a piloting setpoint which relates to the longitudinal behavior of the aircraft; and

a central processing unit for automatically determining, from said piloting setpoint, a plurality of individual control commands which are automatically applied respectively to said first and second actuators and which, as applied to said first and second actuators, satisfy said piloting setpoint, as well as a usage objective of said first and second actuators.

2. The system as claimed in claim 1 , wherein said central processing unit includes:

first means for determining an overall longitudinal action representative of said piloting setpoint;

second means for distributing said overall longitudinal action between a plurality of individual actions relating to said first and second actuators so as to satisfy said usage objective; and

third means for determining, from said individual actions, corresponding individual control commands, to be applied to said first and second actuators.

3. The system as claimed in claim 1 , wherein said central processing unit includes:

first means for generating, from said piloting setpoint, individual control commands to be applied to said first and second actuators; and

second means for modifying said individual control commands so as to satisfy said usage objective, and said piloting setpoint.

4. The system as claimed in claim 1 , wherein said control unit includes a specific control device for being actuated by a pilot of the aircraft, said piloting setpoint depending on the actuation of said control device.

5. The system as claimed in claim 1 , wherein said control unit includes a selection means for enabling a pilot of the aircraft to select a setpoint value, said piloting setpoint depending on the duly selected setpoint value.

6. The system as claimed in claim 1 , wherein said control unit includes:

a means for determining the current speed of the aircraft; and

a means for computing a setpoint value enabling the aircraft to maintain said current speed, said piloting setpoint depending on the duly computed setpoint value.

7. The system as claimed in claim 1 , wherein said control unit generates, as piloting setpoint, an acceleration setpoint.

8. The system as claimed in claim 1 , wherein said control unit generates, as piloting setpoint, a speed setpoint.

9. The system as claimed in claim 1 , wherein said central processing unit implements a usage objective relating to said first and second actuators, with the following characteristics:

when said first actuators relating to a thrust mode are activated, said central processing unit determines a setpoint N 1 relating to the speed of rotation of the low pressure module of the engines and compares said setpoint N 1 with an idling speed, and:

as long as said setpoint N 1 is greater than said idling speed, it retains said thrust mode; and

when said setpoint N 1 becomes less than or equal to said idling speed, it switches to a braking mode, for which said second actuators are activated and said first actuators are disabled;

when said second actuators relating to said braking mode are activated, said central processing unit determines a pressure setpoint, and:

as long as said pressure setpoint is positive, it retains said braking mode; and

when said pressure setpoint becomes zero or negative, it switches to said thrust mode, for which said first actuators are activated and said second actuators are disabled.