The present invention is for an autonomous aerial vehicle that enables near real-time and offline data processing among heterogenous devices that are in unreliable or unconnected network service areas, wherein the heterogenous devices are associated with heavy industrial systems. The autonomous aerial vehicle may obtain data from a first physical asset, and segment the obtained data as suitable for a local area compute node and/or a cloud compute node. The autonomous aerial vehicle may identify a location associated with the one or more destination devices and may compute a flight path to the destination location. The aerial device may thereafter travel to the destination location and upload relevant data to the at least one destination upon arrival.

A flight management system includes: an avionics core implementing generic aircraft management functionalities and providing services associated with the generic functionalities; at least one remote functionality in an open world part performing a function of interfacing between the avionics core and the open world applications run on the open world part which need to communicate with the avionics core, wherein the remote functionality ensures homogeneity and consistency of data exchanged and guaranteeing integrity and security of data exchanges, and an exchange interface of between the avionics core and the open world functionality supporting data exchanges.

Disclosed is A Global Positioning System (GPS) independent navigation system (GINS) for a self-guided aerial vehicle (SAV). The SAV has a housing, where the housing has an outer surface, a length, a front-end, and a longitudinal axis along the length of the housing. The GINS may include a first optical sensor, second optical sensor, storage unit, and comparator.

A method of error detection of a flight management system coupled with a guidance of an aircraft according to a flight plan, comprises the steps of: generating a first reference guidance order, monitoring the integrity of the first reference position, when the first reference position is not monitored as being dependable: invalidating the first FMS assembly and the associated guidance system, when the first reference position and the first reference trajectory are monitored as being dependable: generating a first monitoring guidance order, generating a first reference flight control, generating a first monitoring flight control, in monitoring the integrity of the first reference guidance order when the first reference guidance order is not monitored as being dependable: invalidating the first FMS assembly and the associated guidance.

A method and assembly for guidance of an aircraft during a low-altitude flight. The guidance assembly comprises a memory forming part of a flight management system, which is configured to store an active flight trajectory and any new flight trajectory, generated by the flight management system, and a memory forming part of a guidance system, which is configured to also store the flight trajectory and any new flight trajectory, which are received from the flight management system, the guidance assembly being configured to periodically transmit from the guidance system to the flight management system identification codes for the flight trajectories recorded in the memory of the guidance system.

A method and system for assisting guidance of an aircraft along a runway approach axis. The method includes acquiring a position deviation between a current position of the aircraft and the approach axis, determining an angle between a longitudinal axis of the aircraft and the approach axis, and determining a lateral offset of the trajectory of the aircraft likely to result from a maneuver of alignment of the longitudinal axis of the aircraft with the runway during the landing of the aircraft. A lateral trajectory correction is computed as a function of the lateral trajectory offset. This position deviation is corrected by adding the lateral trajectory correction to it. This position deviation is transmitted to the device for guiding the aircraft.

Systems and methods relating to assessing a navigation subsystem are provided. One method includes: acquiring a ground image associated with a nominal position; assigning one or more texture classes to each of a plurality of pixels of the ground image; partitioning the processed ground image into a plurality of ground image sub regions; retrieving a reference image from an atlas of reference images; generating a plurality of matching statistics comprising a matching statistic for each ground image sub region by comparing the ground image sub region to a portion of the reference image; calculating a calculated position of the ground image and an uncertainty associated with the calculated position based on the matching statistics; and determining critique data associated with the navigation subsystem based on a comparison of the calculated position of the ground image with at least one position determined by the navigation subsystem.

One or more unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) having a ground map stored therein are employed to assist an aircraft in landing at an airfield. A determination is made that the aircraft requires assistance landing at the airfield. Instructions are sent to the one or more UAVs to synchronize a flight path with the aircraft. The one or more UAVs receive sensor data regarding conditions surrounding the aircraft and the airfield. The aircraft is controlled by the one or more based upon the ground map, the flight characteristic profile, and the group map. The controlling of the aircraft by the one or more UAVs is discontinued upon the aircraft landing at the airfield.

The embodiments described herein can provide systems and methods for combining traditional navigational data with temporary updates. Such a system and method can facilitate the inclusion of temporary navigational events into the navigational data made available on aircraft flight management system (FMS). For example, the systems and methods can be used to combine Aeronautical Information Regulation and Control (AIRAC) navigational data that is traditionally updated on 28 day cycles, with temporary navigational data changes, such as those typically indicated in Notices to Airmen (NOTAM). The combined navigational dataset can then be provided to the FMS.

A pitch command display method includes identifying touchdown of an aircraft, identifying a first value representing an actual pitch reduction rate of the aircraft, identifying a second value representing a target pitch reduction rate of the aircraft, determining a difference between the first value and the second value, and displaying a pitch command when the difference between the first value and second value is greater than a threshold amount and the aircraft has touched down.