Automated take off control system and method

Abstract

Methods and systems for operating an avionics system on-board an aircraft are provided. In one embodiment, an indication of a position of the aircraft is received, the position is calculated based on the indication, the calculated position is compared to navigational information to establish the suitability of the calculated position for initiating a take off roll path, and an indication of the results is generated. In another embodiment, a desired angle of attack is determined, and during the automated take off, the pitch is adjusted such that an actual angle of attack is substantially the same as the desired angle of attack. In a further embodiment, data associated with a take off roll is received, one or more v-speeds of the aircraft associated with the take off roll are calculated, and during the take off roll, the aircraft is controlled based on the one or more calculated v-speeds.

1 . A method for operating an avionics system on-board an aircraft comprising:
 receiving one or more indications of a position of the aircraft;   calculating the position of the aircraft based on the one or more indications of the position of the aircraft;   comparing the position to navigational information stored in the avionics system to establish the suitability of the position for initiating a take off roll path; and   generating an indication of the suitability of the position for initiating a take off roll path.   
     
     
         2 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein the one or more indications of the position of the aircraft comprises an estimated position of the aircraft based on Global Positioning Satellite (GPS) information, an estimated position of the aircraft based on information generated by an inertial navigation system (INS) on-board the aircraft, and a signal generated in response to input entered by a user into a user input device on-board the aircraft, the input being indicative of an estimated position of the aircraft based on the user's observations, or a combination thereof 
     
     
         3 . The method of  claim 2 , wherein the comparing of the position to the navigational information comprises determining if the calculated position of the aircraft is within a predetermined distance from an ideal position to initiate the take off roll path at a first end of a runway. 
     
     
         4 . The method of  claim 3 , further comprising determining a centerline intersection at a second end of the runway based the navigational information in the avionics system. 
     
     
         5 . The method of  claim 4 , further comprising determining a take off roll path based on the ideal position to initiate the take off roll path and the centerline intersection at a second end of the runway. 
     
     
         6 . The method of  claim 5 , further comprising automatically performing a take off with the aircraft based on the determined take off roll path. 
     
     
         7 . The method of  claim 6 , further comprising:
 monitoring the calculated position of the aircraft during the take off in real-time; and   navigating the aircraft based on the monitoring of the calculated position of the aircraft during the take and the determined take off roll path.   
     
     
         8 . A method for controlling an aircraft during an automated take off, the method comprising:
 determining a desired angle of attack for the aircraft; and   during the automated take off, adjusting the pitch of the aircraft such that an actual angle of attack of the aircraft is substantially the same as the desired angle of attack of the aircraft.   
     
     
         9 . The method of  claim 8 , wherein the determining of the desired angle of attack for the aircraft is based on a desired performance of the aircraft during take off 
     
     
         10 . The method of  claim 8 , wherein the determining of the desired angle of attack for the aircraft comprises continuously computing the desired angle of attack in real-time. 
     
     
         11 . The method of  claim 10 , further comprising preventing the pitch of the aircraft from exceeding a predetermined threshold. 
     
     
         12 . The method of  claim 8 , further comprising:
 receiving one or more indications of a position of the aircraft;   calculating the position of the aircraft based on the one or more indications of the position of the aircraft;   comparing the position to navigational information stored in the avionics system to establish the suitability of the position for initiating a take off roll path; and   generating an indication of the suitability of the position for initiating a take off roll path.   
     
     
         13 . The method of  claim 12 , wherein the one or more indications of the position of the aircraft comprises an estimated position of the aircraft based on Global Positioning Satellite (GPS) information, an estimated position of the aircraft based on information generated by an inertial navigation system (INS) on-board the aircraft, and a signal generated in response to input entered by a user into a user input device on-board the aircraft, the input being indicative of an estimated position of the aircraft based on the user's observations, or a combination thereof 
     
     
         14 . A method for controlling an aircraft during an automated take off, the method comprising:
 receiving data associated with the aircraft during a take off roll;   calculating one or more v-speeds of the aircraft associated with the take off roll; and   during the take off roll, controlling the aircraft based on the one or more calculated v-speeds.   
     
     
         15 . The method of  claim 14 , wherein at least some of the data is received during the take off roll. 
     
     
         16 . The method of  claim 15 , wherein the received data comprises real-time aircraft performance data, environmental conditions, geographical data, or a combination thereof. 
     
     
         17 . The method of  claim 16 , wherein calculating of the one or more v-speeds comprises continuously computing the one of more v-speeds in real-time. 
     
     
         18 . The method of  claim 16 , further comprising aborting the take off if any of the received data exceeds a predetermined threshold. 
     
     
         19 . The method of  claim 16 , further comprising receiving one or more estimated v-speeds from a user input device on-board the aircraft. 
     
     
         20 . The method of  claim 19 , further comprising:
 comparing the one or more calculated v-speeds to the one or more estimated v-speeds; and   generating an indication if a difference between the one or more calculated v-speeds and the one or more estimated v-speeds is greater than a predetermined threshold.