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EP-4742217-A1 - METHOD AND SYSTEM FOR MANAGEMENT OF INERTIAL TAXIING

EP4742217A1EP 4742217 A1EP4742217 A1EP 4742217A1EP-4742217-A1

Abstract

A method and system for developing a taxiing plan for an aircraft based on maximizing use of inertial thrust has been developed. First, taxiways include distances and stopping points for the aircraft are downloaded from a taxiway database with a flight management system (FMS). A desired speed is determined for the aircraft while using the taxiway along with calculating required engine thrust that is necessary to maintain the speed. A speed dissipation segment of each taxiway is calculated which is the estimated distance on the taxiway where the aircraft will stop if the thrust from the aircraft engine is reduced to idle and the speed of the aircraft relies on inertial thrust that dissipates along the segment. The start point of the speed dissipation segment is displayed to the pilot of the aircraft so the pilot may reduce the aircraft engine thrust to idle upon reaching the start point.

Inventors

  • SUBRAMANIYAN, Muthusankar
  • HE, GANG
  • POKORNY, PAVEL

Assignees

  • Honeywell International Inc.

Dates

Publication Date
20260513
Application Date
20250929

Claims (9)

  1. A method for developing a taxiing plan for an aircraft based on maximizing use of inertial thrust of the aircraft, comprising: downloading taxiways for the aircraft from a taxiway database with a flight management system (FMS), where the taxiways include a distance and a stopping point for each taxiway; determining a desired speed for the aircraft while using the taxiway; calculating a required thrust from at least one of an aircraft engine that is necessary to maintain the desired speed for the aircraft while using each taxiway; calculating a speed dissipation segment of each taxiway, where the speed dissipation segment is the estimated distance on the taxiway where the aircraft will stop at the stopping point if the thrust from the aircraft engine is reduced to idle and the speed of the aircraft relies on inertial thrust that dissipates along the speed dissipation segment; and displaying a start point of the speed dissipation segment of each taxiway to a pilot of the aircraft, where the pilot reduces the aircraft engine thrust to idle upon reaching the start point.
  2. The method of Claim 1, where the speed dissipation segment is calculated based on aircraft characteristics.
  3. The method of Claim 1, where the speed dissipation segment is calculated based on environmental characteristics.
  4. The method of Claim 1, where the display of the speed dissipation segment includes a percentage of thrust to apply to the aircraft engine.
  5. The method of Claim 1, where the display of the speed dissipation segment includes a point to add thrust to the aircraft engine.
  6. The method of Claim 1, where the display of the speed dissipation segment includes a point to idle the aircraft engine.
  7. The method of Claim 1, where the display of the speed dissipation segment includes a point apply brakes to the aircraft.
  8. The method of Claim 1, where the display of the speed dissipation segment includes glide settings for the aircraft that leverage using the slope of the taxiway.
  9. The method of Claim 1, where the display of the speed dissipation segment includes the anticipated stopping point.

Description

CROSS REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATION The present application claims benefit of prior filed India Provisional Patent Application No. 202411080604, filed October 23, 2024, which is hereby incorporated by reference herein in its entirety. TECHNICAL FIELD The present invention generally relates to aircraft operations, and more particularly relates to a method and system for management of inertial taxiing. BACKGROUND During taxiway operations, aircraft in the taxiway often have abrupt movements of engine thrust and braking actions. Excess thrusts during taxiing results in high fuel consumptions and frequent braking results in brakes wear and tear. Hence, there is a need for a method and system for management of inertial taxiing. BRIEF SUMMARY This summary is provided to describe select concepts in a simplified form that are further described in the Detailed Description. This summary is not intended to identify key or essential features of the claimed subject matter, nor is it intended to be used as an aid in determining the scope of the claimed subject matter. A method is provided for developing a taxiing plan for an aircraft based on maximizing use of inertial thrust of the aircraft. The method comprises: downloading taxiways for the aircraft from a taxiway database with a flight management system (FMS), where the taxiways include a distance and a stopping point for each taxiway; determining a desired speed for the aircraft while using the taxiway; calculating a required thrust from at least one of an aircraft engine that is necessary to maintain the desired speed for the aircraft while using each taxiway; calculating a speed dissipation segment of each taxiway, where the speed dissipation segment is the estimated distance on the taxiway where the aircraft will stop at the stopping point if the thrust from the aircraft engine is reduced to idle and the speed of the aircraft relies on inertial thrust that dissipates along the speed dissipation segment; and displaying a start point of the speed dissipation segment of each taxiway to a pilot of the aircraft, where the pilot reduces the aircraft engine thrust to idle upon reaching the start point. A system is provided for developing a taxiing plan for an aircraft based on maximizing use of inertial thrust of the aircraft. The system comprises: a flight management system (FMS) that downloads taxiways for the aircraft from a taxiway database, where the taxiways include a distance and a stopping point for each taxiway; an onboard aircraft computer system that, determines a desired speed for the aircraft while using the taxiway, calculates a required thrust from at least one of an aircraft engine that is necessary to maintain the desired speed for the aircraft while using each taxiway, calculates a speed dissipation segment of each taxiway, where the speed dissipation segment is the estimated distance on the taxiway where the aircraft will stop at the stopping point if the thrust from the aircraft engine is reduced to idle and the speed of the aircraft relies on inertial thrust that dissipates along the speed dissipation segment; and a flight display that shows a start point of the speed dissipation segment of each taxiway to a pilot of the aircraft, where the pilot reduces the aircraft engine thrust to idle upon reaching the start point. Furthermore, other desirable features and characteristics of the disclosed embodiments will become apparent from the subsequent detailed description and the appended claims, taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings and the preceding background. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF DRAWINGS The present disclosure will hereinafter be described in conjunction with the following drawing figures, wherein like numerals denote like elements, and wherein: FIG. 1 is a diagram of aircraft computer system 100 in accordance with the disclosed embodiments;FIG.2 is a functional block diagram of a computing device 200 in accordance with the disclosed embodiments;FIG. 3 depicts an exemplary embodiment of an aircraft system suitable for implementation onboard an aircraft shown previously in FIG. 1;FIG. 4 shows a diagram of a speed dissipation segment of a taxiway for an aircraft in accordance with the disclosed embodiments;FIG. 5A shows a flight display of a speed dissipation segment of a taxiway for an aircraft in accordance with the disclosed embodiments;FIG. 5B shows a primary flight display (PFD) for an aircraft in accordance with the disclosed embodiments;FIG. 6 shows a flow chart of aircraft taxiway operations in accordance with the disclosed embodiments; andFIG. 7 shows a flow chart of a method for developing a taxiing plan for an aircraft based on maximizing use of inertial thrust of the aircraft in accordance with the disclosed embodiments. DETAILED DESCRIPTION The following detailed description is merely exemplary in nature and is not intended to limit the invention or the application and uses of the invention. As used herein, the word "exempla