Method and System for Controlling an Aircraft

Abstract

The invention relates to a method for controlling aircraft. A specified flight position of the aircraft is compared with a piece of geographical height information corresponding to the provided flight position. The piece of geographical height information is obtained from a set of pieces of height information, said set corresponding to a geographical area, wherein for a first part of the geographical area, the set of pieces of height information indicates a piece of relevant geographical height information and for a second part of the geographical area, the set indicates a piece of height information deviating from the actual geographical height. The second part of the geographical area comprises a first special area, in which the aircraft is only permitted to operate to a limited degree. The height information deviating from the actual geographical height is evaluated in order to actuate an operating component of the aircraft such that the aircraft complies with the limitation when the aircraft is operated in the first special area. The invention additionally relates to a corresponding control system.

Claims

1. A method for controlling an aircraft, in which an intended flight position of the aircraft is matched against an item of geographical elevation information that corresponds to the intended flight position, wherein the item of geographical elevation information is taken from a set of items of elevation information that corresponds to a geographical area, wherein the set of items of elevation information indicates, for a first part of the geographical area, a true item of geographical elevation information and, for a second part of the geographical area, an item of elevation information that differs from the actual geographical elevation, wherein the second part of the geographical area includes a first special area in which the aircraft may only be operated under a restriction, and wherein the item of elevation information differing from the actual geographical elevation is evaluated in order to actuate an operating component of the aircraft such that the aircraft complies with the restriction when the aircraft is operated in the first special area, wherein the restriction specifies a noise-reduced operation of the aircraft or includes a maximum or minimum flight speed of the aircraft, and that, upon entry into the first special area, a drive component of the aircraft is actuated such that a specified limit value for noise emission or flight speed is adhered to.

2. (canceled)

3. (canceled)

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the item of elevation information differing from the actual geographical elevation includes an item of geographical information and an operational specification, wherein the item of geographical information includes the actual elevation.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein the item of elevation information differing from the actual geographical elevation is evaluated in order to define the flight altitude of the aircraft in the first special area.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein a control command, by means of which the aircraft is controlled into a predefined position, is derived from the item of geographical elevation information.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein the item of elevation information indicated for the second part of the geographical area is outside the range of elevation positions accessible by the aircraft.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein a fixed value is defined, which is assigned as an item of elevation information to a special area.

9. The method of claim 1, wherein the second part of the geographical area (35) includes a second special area, wherein the second special area is a prohibited area in which the aircraft may not be operated.

10. The method of claim 1, wherein the second part of the geographical area includes a third special area, wherein the third special area is an area having a predefined minimum flight altitude.

11. A control system for an aircraft comprising a computing unit that matches an intended flight position of the aircraft against an item of geographical elevation information that corresponds to the intended flight position, wherein the item of geographical elevation information is taken from a set of items of elevation information that corresponds to a geographical area, wherein the set of items of elevation information indicates, for a first part of the geographical area, a true item of geographical elevation information and, for a second part of the geographical area, an item of elevation information that differs from the actual geographical elevation, wherein the second part of the geographical area includes a first special area in which the aircraft may only be operated under a restriction specifying a noise-reduced operation of the aircraft or a maximum or minimum flight speed of the aircraft, and wherein the item of elevation information differing from the actual geographical elevation is evaluated in order to actuate an operating component of the aircraft such that the aircraft complies with a specified limit value for noise emission or flight speed included in the restriction when the aircraft is operated in the first special area.

12. The control system of claim 11, wherein the control system comprises a control unit of the aircraft, and that the control unit is designed to actuate an operating component of the aircraft on the basis of a control command derived from the item of geographical elevation information.

13. The control system of claim 11, wherein the aircraft is an unmanned aircraft.

Description

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0037] The invention is described below by way of example with reference to the accompanying drawings, on the basis of advantageous embodiments. In the drawings:

[0038] FIG. 1 shows a schematic representation of a control system according to the invention;

[0039] FIG. 2 shows a block diagram of the control system from FIG. 1;

[0040] FIG. 3 shows an intended flight route;

[0041] FIG. 4 shows an extract from a set of items of elevation information;

[0042] FIG. 5 shows a flight route determined by means of the control system according to the invention;

[0043] FIG. 6 shows an input interface of a control system according to the invention;

[0044] FIGS. 7-10 show examples for the execution of the method according to the invention.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0045] In the exemplary embodiment according to FIGS. 1, 2, a control system according to the invention comprises a remote-control module 14 operated by a person 15, and a control unit 16 arranged in an aircraft 17. The aircraft 17 is a quadcopter having four rotors 21 and a respective drive motor 22 for each of the rotors 21. The aircraft comprises an indicator lamp 51 for emitting light signals.

[0046] The remote-control module 14 comprises an input interface 18 in the form of a touch screen having graphically represented operator-controlled elements 36. Via the input interface 18, the operator 15 inputs that the aircraft 17 is to move from its current position 19 to a destination position 20.

[0047] There is a radio link between a radio unit 23 of the remote control module 14 and a radio unit 24 of the aircraft 17. Via the radio link, the remote-control module 14 interrogates the current position of the aircraft 17. The information concerning the current position is provided in the aircraft 17 by a GPS unit 25.

[0048] A flight route between the current position 19 and the destination position 20 is calculated by means of a computing unit 26 of the remote control module 14. In the calculation, items of geographical elevation information stored in a data store 27 of the remote control module 14 are accessed.

[0049] According to the graphical representation in FIG. 4, the set of items of elevation information stored in the data store 27 comprises a first sub-set 28 in which actual elevation information 30 is indicated, and a second sub-set 29 in which elevation information 31, differing from the actual elevation, is indicated. It is referred to as actual elevation information 30 if the indication in the data store 27 corresponds to the actual topographical conditions at the respective geographical position. The elevation indication 30, the value of which is indicated by the vertical position within the perspective representation, is between 316 m and 324 m in the sub-set 28. This indication represents the height above sea level. An aircraft 17 flying, for example, at an altitude of 80 m above a geographical elevation of 316 m would have a height of 396 m above sea level.

[0050] In the second sub-set 29, which relates to a special geographical area 32 in which aircraft 17 may be used only under restrictions, the elevation indication is set to 10324 m. The elevation indication 31 in the second sub-set 29 does not correspond to the actual geographical elevation. The actual geographical elevation is 324 m above sea level, similar to the adjacent area. This elevation indication 31 is contained in the same data set in which the actual geographical elevation indication 30 is given in the first sub-set 28.

[0051] It is specified in the computing unit 26 that only the last four digits of the elevation indication 31 correspond to an actual geographical elevation. The elevation indication 10324 m therefore provides the computing unit 26 with geographical information (the actual geographical elevation of 324 m) and an operational specification (the preceding digit 1). The preceding digit 1 of the elevation indication 10324 m conveys to the computing unit 26 that the aircraft 17 may only be operated in the geographical special area 32 under the restriction that a light signal is emitted via an indicator lamp. The computing unit 26 determines the operating parameters that comply with the restrictions, and that are transmitted to the aircraft 17 via the radio link between the radio units 23, 24. Upon entry into the geographical special area 29, the control unit 16 switches on the indicator lamp 51 on the basis of the transmitted operating parameters. In another exemplary embodiment, the conversion of an elevation indication 31 into operating parameters for controlling operating components such as the indicator lamp 51 is effected directly in the control unit 16. Only geographical elevation indications 31 are then transmitted from the remote-control module 14 to the aircraft 17.

[0052] In another example, the restriction over the special area 29 relates to an operation of the aircraft 17 that is only permitted at a reduced noise level. The control unit 16 actuates the drive motors 22 on the basis of received operating parameters and reduces their rotational speed and/or power in order to comply with the noise-reduced operation.

[0053] In the exemplary embodiment shown in FIG. 5, the direct route 33 between the current position 19 and the destination position 20 passes through the special area 32. If the aircraft 17 cannot comply with the restrictions of the special area 32, for example because corresponding operating components are missing or have failed, the computing unit 26 calculates a flight route 34 that goes around the special area 32. If the aircraft 17 can comply with the restrictions, the operating components are adapted to the restrictions and the direct flight route 33 is selected.

[0054] The calculated flight route 33, 34 is transmitted to the aircraft 17 via the radio link between the radio units 23, 24. From this, and in further consideration of the data received from the GPS module 25, the control unit 16 of the aircraft 17 calculates control commands for the drive motors 22 of the aircraft 17. The aircraft 17 flies under the control of the control unit 16 along the flight route 33, 34 from the current position 19 to the destination position 20. In the process, data relating to the current position and the flight status are continuously transmitted to the remote-control module 14 via the radio link 23, 24.

[0055] In the case of the exemplary embodiment shown in FIG. 6, the operator 15 uses the input interface 18 of the remote-control module 14 to input a geographical area 35 to be flown over by the aircraft 17 in order to obtain photographs. The input interface 18 is designed as a touch screen with a plurality of graphically represented operator controlled elements 36.

[0056] A portion of a map is represented on a sub-section 37 of the touch screen. The geographical area 35 is input by drawing it on the map with a stylus. The computing unit 26 of the remote-control module 14 translates this graphical input into a coordinate representation. On the basis of the coordinate representation, the item of elevation information is retrieved from the data store 27. The interrogation reveals that the geographical area 35 overlaps with a special area 32 in which the aircraft 17 is not permitted to take photographs and may only be operated with reduced noise. The rest of the geographical area 35 is a normal flight area 45 in which operation of the aircraft 17 is permitted without restriction.

[0057] The computing unit 26 generates an error message, which is output via the input interface 18. The error message prompts the operator 15 to change the geographical area 35 to avoid overlapping with the special area 32, or alternatively to confirm the geographical area 35 despite the restrictions of the special area 32. If the geographical area 35 is confirmed, the aircraft 17 automatically complies with the special area 32 restrictions by not taking photographs over the special area 32 and by operating with reduced noise.

[0058] Represented in FIG. 8 is a variant in which, in addition to the error message, the computing unit 26 calculates a possible flight route 34 with which the geographical area 35 is flown over, as far as this is possible without overlapping with the special area 32. The operator 15 has the option to confirm the suggestion. The flight route 34 is then transmitted to the aircraft 17 via the radio link 23, 24, such that the aircraft 17 flies the flight route 34 under the control of the control unit 16. During the flight, current photographs are continuously transmitted to the remote control module 14 via the radio link 23, 24.

[0059] In the exemplary embodiment according to FIG. 9, the special area 32 is a channel used for shipping. To prevent collisions between aircraft and ships, a predefined minimum flight altitude of 50 m and the switching-on of an indicator lamp 51 when crossing the channel are prescribed. The set of items of elevation information stored in the data store 27 comprises a first sub-set 28, in which the item of elevation information 30 corresponds to the actual geographical elevation. In the special area 32 corresponding to the navigation channel, a second sub-set 29 contains items of elevation information 31 differing from the actual geographical elevation.

[0060] After retrieving the items of elevation information 30, 31 from the data store 27, the computing unit 26 recognizes that the direct path 33 between the current position 19 and the destination position 20 conflicts with the special area 32. The operational specification within the item of elevation information 31 conveys to the computer unit 26 that the aircraft 17 may only enter the special area 32 if the flight altitude is at least 50 m above the actual geographical elevation and the indicator lamp 51 is switched on. The actual geographical elevation is taken by the computer unit from the actual elevation indication within the items of geographical elevation information 31. The operational parameters are transmitted to the aircraft 17. The aircraft 17, under control of the control unit 16, flies from the current position 19 to the destination position 20, complying with the restrictions of the special area 32 by adjusting the flight altitude and switching on the indicator lamp 51.