Method and device for guiding an aircraft

1. A method of guiding an aircraft along a flight trajectory to comply with a time constraint for arriving at a required arrival time at a waypoint of said flight trajectory, comprising the steps of:

A/ determining speed setpoints according to a speed profile that complies with the required arrival time at said waypoint based on estimated values of parameters relating to the flight of the aircraft, said speed setpoints being further determined by taking account of an upper limit for a maximum speed at which the aircraft flies along said flight trajectory (TV); and

B/ applying the determined speed setpoints to the aircraft during guidance of the aircraft along said flight trajectory,

wherein, in the course of the flight, in step A/:

a) a current stretch is determined which depends on a current position of the aircraft and which corresponds to a stretch of the flight trajectory, comprising at least one part of the flight trajectory ahead of the current position of the aircraft, said current stretch being directly followed by a distant stretch which is defined along said flight trajectory at least up to said waypoint,

wherein, in the course of the flight, in step A/, to implement predictions of speed setpoints, the following steps are further carried out:

b) determining a first speed margin for the maximum speed of the aircraft along said distant stretch and an auxiliary upper limit, which is lower than said upper limit for said distant stretch, with the aid of the first speed margin; and

c) determining the following:

speed setpoints for said current stretch, by taking account of said upper limit, said speed setpoints relating to a guidance prediction for the guidance of the aircraft in step B/; and

speed setpoints for said distant stretch, by taking account of said auxiliary upper limit to correct errors in the estimated values of parameters relating to the flight of the aircraft,

wherein:

in step b), a second speed margin is determined for the minimum speed of the aircraft along said distant stretch and an auxiliary lower limit, which is higher than a lower limit for said distant stretch, and with the aid of the second speed margin, said lower limit representing a minimum speed at which the aircraft can fly along said flight trajectory; and

in step c), the following are further determined:

speed setpoints for said current stretch are determined by taking account of said lower limit, said speed setpoints relating to the guidance prediction for the guidance of the aircraft in step B/; and

speed setpoints for said distant stretch are determined by taking account of said auxiliary lower limit to correct errors in the estimated values of parameters relating to the flight of the aircraft.

2. A method of guiding an aircraft along a flight trajectory to comply with a time constraint for arriving at an arrival time at a waypoint of said flight trajectory, comprising the steps of:

A/ determining speed setpoints according to a speed profile that complies with the required arrival time at said waypoint, based on estimated values of parameters relating to the flight of the aircraft, said speed setpoints being further determined by taking account of an upper limit for a maximum speed at which the aircraft flies along said flight trajectory; and

B/ applying the determined speed setpoints to the aircraft during guidance of the aircraft along said flight trajectory,

wherein, in the course of the flight, in step A/:

a) a current stretch is determined which depends on a current position of the aircraft and which corresponds to a stretch of the flight trajectory, comprising at least one part of the flight trajectory ahead of the current position of the aircraft, said current stretch being directly followed by a distant stretch which is defined along said flight trajectory up to said waypoint,

wherein, in the course of the flight, in step A/, to implement predictions of speed setpoints, the following steps are further carried out:

b) determining a first speed margin for the maximum speed of the aircraft along said distant stretch and an auxiliary upper limit, which is lower than said upper limit for said distant stretch, with the aid of the first speed margin; and

c) determining the following:

speed setpoints for said current stretch, by taking account of said upper limit, said speed setpoints relating to a guidance prediction for the guidance of the aircraft in step B/; and

speed setpoints for said distant stretch, by taking account of said auxiliary upper limit to correct errors in the estimated values of parameters relating to the flight of the aircraft, wherein in step A/:

α) account is taken of a speed profile (PV), which comprises:

at least one speed, which is lower than said limit value, for said current stretch of the flight trajectory; and

at least one speed which is lower than said auxiliary limit value, for said distant stretch (TE) of the flight trajectory (TV));

β) an estimated arrival time at said waypoint is determined with the aid of said speed profile and of values of parameters relating to the flight of the aircraft;

γ) a difference between the estimated arrival time and said required arrival time is calculated and the difference is compared with a threshold value; and

δ) as a function of the comparison:

said speed profile is preserved when said difference is less than or equal to said threshold value; and

when said difference is greater than said threshold value, a new speed profile is chosen and the previous steps α) to δ) are repeated using the new speed profile, said step α) to δ) being repeated until the difference obtained in step γ) becomes less than or equal to said threshold value.

3. The method as claimed in claim 1 ,

wherein in step A/a), said current stretch represents a stretch of the flight trajectory, which starts at the current position of the aircraft and which is defined following a predetermined distance.

4. The method as claimed in claim 1 ,

wherein said flight trajectory is formed of a series of successive segments connected together at waypoints, and wherein said current stretch corresponds to the segment of the flight trajectory, which is currently followed by the aircraft.

5. The method as claimed in claim 1 ,

wherein, upon a change of speed from a first speed to a second speed, said speed profile exhibits a transient phase corresponding to a gradual progression from said first speed to said second speed.

6. The method as claimed in claim 1 ,

wherein in step B/, during the guidance of the aircraft, the speed of the aircraft is adjusted over the whole of the flight trajectory ahead of the aircraft.

7. The method as claimed in claim 1 ,

wherein in step B/, during the guidance of the aircraft, the speed of the aircraft (A) is adjusted solely on said current stretch.

8. A device for guiding an aircraft along a flight trajectory to comply with a time constraint for arriving at a required arrival time at a waypoint of said flight trajectory, said device comprising:

a flight management system which determines, based on estimated values of parameters relating to the flight of the aircraft, speed setpoints according to a speed profile that complies with the required arrival time at said waypoint, said speed setpoints being determined by taking account of an upper limit for a maximum speed at which the aircraft flies along said flight trajectory, said flight management system comprising first determination unit that determines a current stretch which depends on a current position of the aircraft and which corresponds to a stretch of the flight trajectory, comprising at least one part of the flight trajectory ahead of the current position of the aircraft, said current stretch being directly followed by a distant stretch which is defined along said flight trajectory up to said waypoint; and

a guidance system which guides the aircraft along said flight trajectory, by applying speed setpoints,

wherein said flight management system further comprises:

second unit that determines a first speed margin for the maximum speed of the aircraft along said distant stretch and, with the aid of the first speed margin, an auxiliary upper limit, which is lower than said upper limit for said distant stretch; and

third unit that determines

speed setpoints for said current stretch, by taking account of said upper limit, said speed setpoints relating to a guidance prediction for the guidance of the aircraft; and

speed setpoints for said distant stretch, by taking account of said auxiliary upper limit to correct errors in the estimated values of parameters relating to the flight of the aircraft

wherein:

said second unit further determines a second speed margin for a minimum speed of the aircraft along said distant stretch and, with the aid of the second speed margin, an auxiliary lower limit, which is higher than a lower limit for said distant stretch, said lower limit representing the minimum speed at which the aircraft flies along said flight trajectory; and

said third unit further determines:

speed setpoints for said current stretch by taking account of said lower limit, said speed setpoints relating to the guidance prediction for the guidance of the aircraft; and

speed setpoints for said distant stretch by taking account of said auxiliary lower limit to correct errors in the estimated values of parameters relating to the flight of the aircraft.