초록 ▼

A method is provided for assisting the piloting of a rotorcraft in which vertical speed variation (DVZ) of the rotorcraft is determined as a function of a horizontal speed variation (DVH) of the aircraft and as a function of data representative of the power (W) absorbed for providing the rotorcraft

A method is provided for assisting the piloting of a rotorcraft in which vertical speed variation (DVZ) of the rotorcraft is determined as a function of a horizontal speed variation (DVH) of the aircraft and as a function of data representative of the power (W) absorbed for providing the rotorcraft with lift and forward advance, the ratio between variation speed vertical (DVZ) and the horizontal speed (VH) of the rotorcraft is calculated, and a piloting assistance symbol is presented on a display in a position (α) that is a function of the ratio.

대표청구항 ▼

What is claimed is: 1. A method of assisting the piloting of an aircraft, comprising: determining via a processor a variation (DVZ) in the vertical speed of the aircraft as a function of a variation (DVH) in the horizontal speed of the aircraft and as a function of data representative of the power

What is claimed is: 1. A method of assisting the piloting of an aircraft, comprising: determining via a processor a variation (DVZ) in the vertical speed of the aircraft as a function of a variation (DVH) in the horizontal speed of the aircraft and as a function of data representative of the power absorbed (W) by the main rotor of the aircraft used in providing the aircraft with lift and forward drive; calculating a ratio between the variation (DVZ) in vertical speed and the horizontal speed (VH) of the aircraft; and presenting a piloting assistance symbol (21) on a display (12), with the position (α) of the symbol being a function of said ratio. 2. The method according to claim 1, wherein the position of the symbol (21) along a vertical axis (23) of the display varies with the arc-tangent of said ratio. 3. The method according to claim 1, wherein the aircraft is a rotorcraft having a lift and forward drive rotor, and the position of a member for controlling the collective pitch of the rotor blades is measured (46), and that data representative of the power is determined as a function of the result of said measurement. 4. The method according to claim 3, wherein the mass of the rotorcraft and ambient temperature and pressure are measured (44, 45), and said data representative of power is determined as a function of the result of said measurements. 5. The method according to claim 1, wherein, in addition to said piloting assistance symbol (21), the following are presented to the pilot (28) on the display (12): a symbol (29) representative of a horizon, such as a line; a symbol (22) representative of the direction of the aircraft speed vector, such as a circle associated with two segments in alignment with a diameter of the circle; and a symbol (24) representative of a target direction to be followed by the aircraft. 6. The method according to claim 5, wherein the symbol (24) representative of a target direction comprises an outline or frame surrounding the current direction of a straight line passing through the current position of the aircraft and through a point of a trajectory to be followed or joined by the aircraft. 7. The method according to claim 1, wherein the piloting assistance symbol (21) comprises two signs disposed symmetrically about a vertical axis (23) passing through the center of the speed symbol (22). 8. A device for providing assistance in piloting a rotorcraft, the device comprising: a module (42) for determining vertical speed variation that is arranged to determine vertical speed variation (DVZ) as a function of horizontal speed variation (DVH) and of current power (W) absorbed by the main rotor of the rotorcraft used in providing the aircraft with lift and forward drive; a module (47) for determining the position (α) of a piloting assistance symbol (21), which module is connected to the module (42) for determining vertical speed variation and is arranged to determine the position (α) as a function of the vertical speed variation (DVZ) and the horizontal speed (VH) of the rotorcraft; and a symbol generator (14) connected to the module (47) for determining position (α) and arranged to control the display of the symbol (21). 9. The device according to claim 8, further comprising: a module (43) for determining the current power (W) as a function of the position of a member for controlling the collective pitch of the rotor blades, an output from the module (43) for determining current power being connected to an input of the module (42) for determining vertical speed variation. 10. The device according to claim 9, further comprising: a module (44, 45) for measuring the mass of the rotorcraft and the ambient temperature and pressure, an output thereof being connected to an input of the module (43) for determining power (W). 11. The device according to claim 8, further comprising: a comparator (41) receiving as inputs, data (VHC) representative of a reference horizontal speed and data (VH) representative of horizontal speed, and delivering data representative of horizontal speed variation (DVH) to the module (42) for determining vertical speed variation. 12. A computer readable recording medium with a computer program recorded thereon comprising code usable by a piloting assistance computer for a rotorcraft having a lift and forward drive rotor, wherein the code comprises: a first code segment for comparing data (VHC) representative of a reference horizontal speed for the rotorcraft and data (VH) representative of the horizontal speed of the rotorcraft, and for delivering data representative of variation (DVH) in the horizontal speed of the rotorcraft; a second code segment for determining data representative of variation (DVZ) in the vertical speed of the rotorcraft as a function of the data representative of the variation (DVH) in the horizontal speed of the rotorcraft and data representative of the power (w) absorbed by the rotor of the rotorcraft used in providing the aircraft with lift and forward drive; a third code segment for calculating the ratio between the data (DVZ) representative of vertical speed variation and the data (VH) representative of the horizontal speed of the aircraft; and a fourth code segment for determining the position (α) of a piloting assistance symbol (21) on a display (12) as a function of said ratio. 13. A computer readable recording medium with a computer program stored thereon usable by a rotorcraft computer to assist the pilot (28) of the rotorcraft, the program enabling a symbol (21) to be displayed using a method in accordance with claim 1.