1. A method for determining an energy recovery profile for an aircraft needed to arrive at a point along a flight path further ahead of the aircraft at as close to a desired time of arrival and energy level of a flight plan as possible, the method including:
monitoring and assessing an energy state of the aircraft and any time deviation with respect to the flight plan prior to start of descent phase of the flight plan and throughout the descent phase of a flight;
comparing the current energy state to the expected energy state;
identifying a trajectory and corresponding aircraft states that allows the aircraft to arrive at the point in space ahead of the aircraft at a speed, altitude and time as close to the flight plan as possible;
generating adjustments to the flight plan to produce an energy recovery profile pertaining to the identified trajectory and aircraft states; and
outputting the energy recovery profile to at least one of a display device and a flight management system of the aircraft.
2. The method of claim 1, further comprising monitoring the energy state of the aircraft during a descent phase of the flight plan and triggering the method when an incorrect energy condition (or time) is detected.
3. The method of claim 1, further comprising implementing a track adjustment to the flight plan based on the generated energy recovery profile.
4. The method of claim 1, further comprising inserting path extensions into the flight plan when an amount of track miles needed to be flown to a target fix is more than the amount of miles planned in the flight plan.
5. The method of claim 1, wherein the comparing includes comparing an amount of excessive energy at a future position along the current flight plan with a target energy constraint defined at the said future position.
6. The method of claim 1, wherein lateral and vertical profiles of the trajectory identified are calculated in succession during identifying the trajectory and corresponding aircraft states.
7. The method of claim 1, wherein the lateral profile is determined based on the vertical profile calculated.
8. The method of claim 1, wherein generating adjustments to the flight plan includes changes to at least one of auto-thrust modes, speed targets, speed-brake deployment and remaining track miles.
9. The method of claim 1, wherein the adjustments to the flight plan are generated in real-time.
10. An energy recovery system that monitors energy and time states of an aircraft and defines flight strategies to enable the aircraft to arrive at a target point with a desired energy andor at a desired time, the system comprising:
an inputoutput device that supports wired andor wireless communication;
a data storage device;
a user input device;
a display device; and
a computational unit including a processor configured to execute instructions implementing an energy recovery process and a memory unit a storing instruction for implementing the energy recovery process, the computational unit including:
an aircraft state monitor configured to continuously monitor and assess an energy state of the aircraft and any time deviation with respect to a flight plan prior to start of descent phase of the flight plan and throughout the descent phase of the flight,
a state predictor configured to predict an expected energy and time-of-arrival at a selected point ahead of the aircraft along a particular recovery path,
a recovery search manager configured to receive data from the aircraft state monitor and the state predictor and identify a recovery plan that brings aircraft energy from a current state to a desired state with minimal violation of time constraints,
a path planner configured to receive data from the recovery search manager and generate adjustments to the flight plan based on the data received from the recovery search manager to produce the recovery plan, and
an output interface configured to receive the recovery plan from the path planner and output the recovery plan to at least one of the display and a flight management system.
11. The energy recovery system of claim 10, wherein the recovery search manager is further configured to identify the recovery plan based on status of an autopilot mode, calibrated airspeed target, distance-to-fix, speedbrakes duration, and rate-of-descent.
12. The energy recovery system of claim 10, wherein the path planner is further configured to insert path extensions into the flight plan if the path planner determines that track miles needed to be flown to a target fix is more than the amount of miles planned in the flight plan.
The claims below are in addition to those above.
All refrences to claim(s) which appear below refer to the numbering after this setence.
1. A linear reciprocating device comprising a base, a linear guide (2) fixedly mounted on the base, a load (4) matching the linear guide for linear reciprocating movement, and a motor (8) driving said load (4), characterized in that said linear reciprocating device further includes:
a limit detection device for detecting an origin position of the load;
a displacement detection device for detecting a relative displacement value of the load in a positioning region; and
a controller coupled with said limit detection device, said displacement detection device and said motor (8).
2. The device according to claim 1, characterized in that said limit detection device includes:
a disk stop (5) with one end being mounted on said load (4) and the other end extending towards said base; and
an optoelectronic sensor (7) mounted on said base and placed on the path of motion of said disk stop (5), said optoelectronic sensor (7) has a slot suitable for said disk stop to pass through.
3. The device according to claim 2, characterized in that said optoelectronic sensor (7) is placed at the origin position of the linear reciprocating movement of said load (4).
4. The device according to claim 3, characterized in that said optoelectronic sensor (7) sends a signal A when it detects the disk stop (5); said controller is used to stop said motor (8) in real time when said controller receives said signal A.
5. The device according to claim 1, characterized in that said displacement detection device includes:
a block stop (3) with one end being mounted on said load (4) and the other end extending towards said base; and
a differential transformer type displacement sensor (1) being mounted on said base and placed on the path of motion of said block stop (3), the slide bar of said differential transformer type displacement sensor (1) positively works with collision of said block stop (3).
6. The device according to claim 5, characterized in that said differential transformer type displacement sensor (1) is placed at the positioning region of said load (4).
7. The device according to claim 1, characterized in that said differential transformer type displacement sensor (1) sends a signal B when it detects said block stop (3) colliding its slide bar; the amplitude of said signal B is related to displacement value of said slide bar; said controller is used to control said motor (8) according to amplitude of said signal B in real time to linearly decelerate until stopping at a positioning position when said controller receives said signal B.
8. A positioning control method for a linear reciprocating device, said linear reciprocating device includes a base, a linear guide (2) fixedly mounted on said base, a load (4) matching said linear guide for linear reciprocating movement, and a motor (8) driving said load (4), characterized in that said linear reciprocating device further includes: a limit detection device for detecting an origin position of said load; a displacement detection device for detecting a relative displacement value of said load in a positioning region; and a controller coupled with said limit detection device, said displacement detection device and said motor (8), the method includes:
said controller controls the motion of said motor (8) according to position detection result of said limit detection device and displacement detection result of said displacement detection device.
9. The method according to claim 8, characterized in that said limit detection device includes: a disk stop (5) with one end being mounted on said load (4) and the other end extending towards said base; and an optoelectronic sensor (7) being mounted on said base and placed on the path of motion of said disk stop (5), said optoelectronic sensor (7) has a slot suitable for said disk stop to pass through, said optoelectronic sensor (7) is placed at the origin position of the linear reciprocating movement of said load (4);
said optoelectronic sensor (7) sends a signal A when it detects said disk stop (5);
said controller is used to stop said motor (8) in real time when said controller receives said signal A.
10. The method according to claim 8, characterized in that said displacement detection device includes: a block stop (3) with one end being mounted on said load (4) and the other end extending towards said base; and a differential transformer type displacement sensor (1) being mounted on said base and placed on the path of motion of said block stop (3), the slide bar of the differential transformer type displacement sensor (1) works with the collision of said block stop (3), said differential transformer type displacement sensor (1) is placed at the positioning region of said load (4);
said differential transformer type displacement sensor (1) sends a signal B when it detects said block stop (3) colliding its slide bar, the amplitude of said signal B is related to displacement value of said slide bar;
said controller is used to control said motor (8) according to amplitude of said signal B in real time to linearly decelerate until stopping at a positioning position when said controller receives said signal B.