초록

A device for assisting in the piloting of an aircraft includes a detecting device for detecting all the aircraft in the vicinity and a display device for presenting, on a display screen illustrating a vertical plane, characteristic symbols indicating the positions of these aircraft in the vicinity.

대표청구항 ▼

The invention claimed is: 1. A method for assisting in the piloting of an aircraft, whereby there is displayed, on at least one display screen of said aircraft, a set of information that illustrates a vertical plane, said set of information comprising a system of axes, of which a Y axis is graduate

The invention claimed is: 1. A method for assisting in the piloting of an aircraft, whereby there is displayed, on at least one display screen of said aircraft, a set of information that illustrates a vertical plane, said set of information comprising a system of axes, of which a Y axis is graduated altitude-wise, and an X axis is graduated distance-wise from the position of the aircraft; a characteristic symbol representing the aircraft, which is positioned on said Y axis, in a position representative of the altitude of said aircraft, and where appropriate, an auxiliary characteristic symbol that represents an aircraft in the vicinity, method whereby distance and altitude information concerning an aircraft in the vicinity can be generated, said method comprising, during a flight of the aircraft: a) performing automatic surveillance of the surroundings of said aircraft, so as to be able to detect all aircraft in the vicinity that are located in a particular detection space situated at least in front of said aircraft, and determining a flight path angle for at least one aircraft in the vicinity detected in this step a); and b) for each of the aircraft in the vicinity detected in the step a), performing the following successive series of operations: b1) generating distance and altitude information concerning the aircraft in the vicinity; b2) determining using said distance and altitude information a distance value and an altitude value; and b3) presenting on said display screen: an auxiliary characteristic symbol that represents said aircraft in the vicinity and that is positioned on said system of axes in a position corresponding: on said Y axis, to said altitude value; and on said X axis, to said distance value; and in association with the auxiliary characteristic symbol representing at least one of said aircraft in the vicinity, a straight line segment illustrating the flight path angle of this aircraft in the vicinity. 2. The method as claimed in claim 1, wherein step b1) comprises generating distance and altitude information concerning at least one of said aircraft in the vicinity using a radar detection applied from said aircraft. 3. The method as claimed in claim 1, wherein step b1) comprises generating distance and altitude information concerning at least one of said aircraft in the vicinity using the detection on the aircraft of a response from said aircraft in the vicinity to a prior interrogation sent from said aircraft. 4. The method as claimed in claim 1, wherein step b1) comprises generating distance and altitude information concerning at least one of said aircraft in the vicinity using the reception on the aircraft of information that is transmitted by said aircraft in the vicinity. 5. The method as claimed in claim 1, wherein step b2) comprises determining the distance between the actual position of the aircraft and an auxiliary position linked to said aircraft in the vicinity as a distance value for at least one aircraft in the vicinity. 6. The method as claimed in claim 5, wherein said auxiliary position corresponds to the actual position of the aircraft in the vicinity. 7. The method as claimed in claim 5, wherein said auxiliary position corresponds to the orthogonal projection of the actual position of the aircraft in the vicinity on the axis of said aircraft. 8. The method as claimed in claim 5, wherein said auxiliary position corresponds to the orthogonal projection of the actual position of the aircraft in the vicinity on the segment of the flight path of the aircraft, which is the nearest to this actual position. 9. The method as claimed in claim 1, wherein step b2) comprises determining the actual altitude of said aircraft in the vicinity as an altitude value. 10. The method as claimed in claim 1, wherein step b3) comprises highlighting different distance values of aircraft in the vicinity, on the display screen, by different symbol systems. 11. The method as claimed in claim 1, wherein, in the step b3), the presentation characteristics of said set of information depend on at least one particular parameter. 12. The method as claimed in claim 1, wherein said Y axis of said system of axes has a variable scale. 13. The method as claimed in claim 1, wherein at least one auxiliary characteristic symbol presented on said display screen is interactive. 14. The method as claimed in claim 1, wherein said display screen comprises at least two display windows, of which a first window comprises said set of information and a second window comprises a set of additional information that illustrates a horizontal plane and that comprises: a system of axes graduated distance-wise and bearing-wise; a characteristic symbol illustrating the aircraft; and auxiliary characteristic symbols illustrating the aircraft in the vicinity that have been detected. 15. A device for assisting in the piloting of an aircraft, comprising: (a) a display device configured to present, on at least one display screen of said aircraft, a set of information that illustrates a vertical plane and that comprises: a system of axes, of which a Y axis is graduated altitude-wise, and an X axis is graduated distance-wise from the position of the aircraft; a characteristic symbol representing the aircraft, that is positioned on said Y axis in a position representative of the altitude of said aircraft; and where appropriate, an auxiliary characteristic symbol that represents an aircraft in the vicinity; (b) a second means device configured to generate, for aircraft in the vicinity, distance and altitude information (c) a surveillance device configured to perform an automatic surveillance of the surroundings of said aircraft so as to be able to detect all aircraft in the vicinity that are located in a particular detection space situated at least in front of said aircraft; (d) a third device configured to determine, for each of said aircraft in the vicinity detected, using distance and altitude information, a distance value and an altitude value; and wherein: the surveillance device determines the flight path angle of at least one aircraft in the vicinity; said second device is formed so as to generate distance and altitude information for each of the aircraft in the vicinity detected by said surveillance device; and said display device is formed to display, on said display screen: for each of the aircraft in the vicinity detected by said surveillance device, an auxiliary characteristic symbol that represents the aircraft in the vicinity concerned and that is positioned on said system of axes in a position corresponding: on said Y axis, to the corresponding altitude value; and on said X axis, to the corresponding distance value; and for at least one aircraft in the vicinity, in association with the auxiliary characteristic symbol representing this aircraft in the vicinity, a straight-line segment illustrating its flight path angle. 16. An aircraft, which comprises a device configured to implement the method specified under claim 1. 17. The aircraft, which comprises a device specified under claim 15. 18. The method as claimed in claim 1, wherein displayed on a first window of the at least one display screen is the set of information that illustrates the situation of the aircraft in a horizontal plane, and displayed on a second window of the at least one display screen is the set of information that illustrates the situation of the aircraft in the vertical plane. 19. The device as claimed in claim 15, wherein displayed on a first window of the at least one display screen is the set of information that illustrates the situation of the aircraft in a horizontal plane, and displayed on a second window of the at least one display screen is the set of information that illustrates the situation of the aircraft in the vertical plane.