Patents by Inventor Christophe Caillaud

Christophe Caillaud has filed for patents to protect the following inventions. This listing includes patent applications that are pending as well as patents that have already been granted by the United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO).

  • Patent number: 8392038
    Abstract: The method of generating a secure flight plan portion in the event of depressurization corresponding to a time-conditioned descent profile that may include a succession of levels, comprises: a step of defining a first point of the flight plan, called non-return point, denoted NRP, and a second point of the flight plan, called EOZ, the two points delimiting a portion of the flight plan plotted above an area identified as “with risks”; a step of defining two radials in the horizontal plane respectively passing through the first and the second points; a step of determining a first flight plan portion comprising the definition of a lateral offset angle from the original flight plan; a step of determining a vertical descent profile; a step of displaying time markers indicating the exhaustion of the oxygen reserve.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 10, 2009
    Date of Patent: March 5, 2013
    Assignee: Thales
    Inventors: Christophe Caillaud, Jérôme Sacle
  • Patent number: 8214136
    Abstract: The invention relates to assistance in the navigation of an aircraft in the cruising phase, particularly in an emergency rerouting situation. The invention relates to a method of assisting in the choice of rerouting airports for an aircraft having a position P and a speed V.: generating A first list LAC—1 of airport names Ai is generated. The first list LAC—1 has N airport names, with i being an index between 1 and N which uniquely identifies an airport that an organization operating the aircraft chooses as a relevant destination. A number m is determined which is a minimum between a predefined number M and the number N. M airport names are presented from the first list LAC—1 to an operator of the aircraft in a predefined order.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 21, 2007
    Date of Patent: July 3, 2012
    Assignee: Thales
    Inventor: Christophe Caillaud
  • Patent number: 8185257
    Abstract: The invention relates to an automated system, for example an aircraft flight management system (FMS). If proposes harmonizing the response times of the FMS system between the various scenarios of one and the same family, as and when the product, and its usage context, changes. The system according to the invention comprises several subsystems, the external instruction processing time of which is variable, its response time to one and the same command being independent of the volume of internal and external data manipulated and of the future functional changes, and it is characterized in that it comprises, in each of its subsystems that have variable processing times and/or are likely to change (FPLN, NavDB, TRAJ/PRED, etc.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 9, 2008
    Date of Patent: May 22, 2012
    Assignee: Thales
    Inventors: Pierre Baude, Christophe Caillaud
  • Patent number: 8150623
    Abstract: The present invention relates to a method allowing a modification of the flight plan of an aircraft in a semi-automated manner. The invention presents the main advantage of affording the crew of an aircraft a method for aiding the rejoining of a flight plan requiring only a designation by an operator of the new active reference that he wishes to use for guiding the aircraft.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 17, 2008
    Date of Patent: April 3, 2012
    Assignee: Thales
    Inventors: Elias Bitar, Christophe Caillaud
  • Patent number: 8121783
    Abstract: The present invention relates to a method for selective filtering of a flight plan according to the operational needs, and it is characterized in that elements specific to the structure of the flight plan are added by the flight management system according to the nature of the elements inserted by the operator onto the flight plan, in order to determine whether these elements should or should not be taken into account for their use in the computations relating to the flight plan. This operator may, on his MMI (man-machine interface) carry out visual filterings of certain characteristic points or portions of the flight plan. This method makes it possible to add elements to a flight plan without modifying its essence and above all the maneuvers that are associated therewith.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 7, 2007
    Date of Patent: February 21, 2012
    Assignee: Thales
    Inventors: Elias Bitar, Stéphane Leriche, Christophe Caillaud
  • Patent number: 8116970
    Abstract: The invention relates to a method of calculating a path which is offset laterally by a first distance with respect to a reference path, comprising the calculation of a flight plan which is offset with respect to a reference flight plan. The reference flight plan is defined on the basis of waypoints and of segments defining a reference path between the waypoints. Each segment has a start point and an end point making it possible to define a course corresponding to the direction of travel by an aircraft. The laterally offset flight plan is calculated on the basis of waypoints associated with the waypoints of the reference flight plan, called associated points and being situated at the intersection. The laterally offset flight path includes lines, parallel with the segments of the reference flight plan, offset by the first distance from the reference flight plan. It is further defined by the bisectrix of the angle formed by two adjacent segments at a waypoint belonging to the reference path.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 21, 2007
    Date of Patent: February 14, 2012
    Assignee: Thales
    Inventors: Francois Hoofd, Christophe Caillaud
  • Patent number: 8108186
    Abstract: Flight management systems can behave erratically when the distance measurements on which they are based are subject to value jumps because they liken these value jumps to movements of the aircraft performed at speeds exceeding the performance levels of the aircraft for which they were designed. To avoid this, the proposed flight management system uses a filter to spread the distance value jumps in time, over periods of the order of those needed for the aircraft to come through the distance differences that they represent. This filter replaces a value jump with a ramp making up the difference and corresponding to a movement that remains within the performance scope of the aircraft.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 3, 2007
    Date of Patent: January 31, 2012
    Assignee: Thales
    Inventors: Christophe Caillaud, Guy Deker, François Hoofd
  • Publication number: 20110313598
    Abstract: A method of managing a flight procedure of an aircraft flight plan, which has at least one segment, includes a step in which an additional attribute of the segment representative of a compulsory or optional nature of the flight of said segment is dynamically selected.
    Type: Application
    Filed: December 15, 2010
    Publication date: December 22, 2011
    Applicant: THALES
    Inventors: François Coulmeau, Christophe Caillaud, Thierry Person
  • Publication number: 20110246053
    Abstract: A method for aiding the management of an aircraft flight according to an active flight plan receiving a control clearance transmitted at a current time includes a step of computing a reception flight plan based on the said control clearance, a step of storing the said reception flight plan in a memory space dedicated to the said reception flight plan. The method also includes, prior to the step of computing a reception flight plan: a step of determining the time, called the recognition time, assumed to have to elapse between the current time and a time at which the said control clearance is assumed to be recognized; a step of attribution, to the said control clearance, of a destination flight plan as a function of the recognition time, the said destination flight plan being the temporary flight plan when the recognition time is included in a first time slot and the destination flight plan being a secondary flight plan when the recognition time is included in a second time slot longer than the first time slot.
    Type: Application
    Filed: October 1, 2010
    Publication date: October 6, 2011
    Applicant: THALES
    Inventors: François Coulmeau, Xavier Blanchon, Christophe Caillaud
  • Patent number: 7999699
    Abstract: The general field of the invention is that of systems for aiding the guidance of an aircraft on an airport. The system according to the invention comprises means for determining at least one element of the topology of the airport in relation to the position of the aircraft for selecting. Selecting means are provided by the pilot of the aircraft for the element. Generating means are provided to generate at least one guidance or safety set-point using the topological element. Presenting means are provided for the element or the associated set-point on a man-machine interface to the pilot of the aircraft.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 6, 2008
    Date of Patent: August 16, 2011
    Assignee: Thales
    Inventors: Christophe Caillaud, Guy Deker, Nicolas Marty
  • Publication number: 20110160937
    Abstract: The present invention relates to a method and a device for centralized management of tasks to be carried out by a crew in the course of an aircraft flight. The method uses onboard navigation aid systems, such as a flight management system, a system for managing in-flight alerts for the implementation of the following steps: creation of a task by the flight management system; scheduling of the tasks by a system for managing alerts; and task execution by the system for managing alerts.
    Type: Application
    Filed: December 29, 2010
    Publication date: June 30, 2011
    Applicant: THALES
    Inventors: Christophe CAILLAUD, François COULMEAU, Gilles FRANCOIS
  • Publication number: 20110160938
    Abstract: The present invention relates to a device for centralized management of tasks to be carried out by a crew of an aircraft. A task to be carried out includes a triggering condition and an instruction to be executed. The device includes a man-machine interface for managing tasks by the crew, a module for creating, modifying, deleting tasks, a module for triggering a task, a module for acknowledging a task performed, a module for executing a task, and an interface with systems of the aircraft which are able to create and to execute tasks. The invention applies to the piloting tasks carried out by the pilots of an aircraft.
    Type: Application
    Filed: December 29, 2010
    Publication date: June 30, 2011
    Applicant: THALES
    Inventors: Christophe CAILLAUD, François COULMEAU, Gilles FRANCOIS, Nicolas MARTY
  • Publication number: 20110137495
    Abstract: A method is provided for assisting in rejoining a vertical descent trajectory that an aircraft is assumed to have to follow, using a flight management system FMS embedded onboard the aircraft, and includes the following steps: calculation of a vertical deviation VDEV, in the vertical plane, between the aircraft and the vertical descent trajectory, and comparison between the vertical deviation VDEV and a predetermined deviation threshold SVDEV; when the vertical deviation VDEV reaches the deviation threshold SVDEV, a step during which the activation of an optimized mode for catching up on the vertical descent trajectory is authorized; if the optimized mode for catching up on the vertical descent trajectory is activated, piloting of the aircraft by the flight management system FMS in optimized catch-up mode, that is to say at minimum thrust with a target rejoining speed in level VCRP and a target rejoining speed in downward trajectory, the target rejoining speed in level VCRP being equal to the maximum L/D rati
    Type: Application
    Filed: December 2, 2010
    Publication date: June 9, 2011
    Applicant: THALES
    Inventors: Jérôme SACLE, Christophe CAILLAUD, Lionel VEROT
  • Publication number: 20100217459
    Abstract: The invention relates to a method for formulating the strategy of an aircraft, with a view to favouring adherence to a time constraint. With this aim, the method according to the invention consists in optimizing the margin available for the formulation of the aircraft's speed strategy, by calculating a first target required time of arrival (RTAtarget) which is higher, respectively lower, than the required time of arrival (RTA), in the case where said required time of arrival (RTA) is greater, respectively less, than the mean estimated time of arrival (ETAmean). According to the invention, the first target required time of arrival (RTAtarget) is used for the formulation of the aircraft's speed strategy. According to the invention, a second target required time of arrival (RTAtarget2) can be determined subsequently, and used for the formulation of the speed strategy, with the aim of utilizing the margin, previously optimized, available for the formulation of the aircraft's speed strategy.
    Type: Application
    Filed: February 17, 2010
    Publication date: August 26, 2010
    Applicant: Thales
    Inventors: Christophe Caillaud, François Coulmeau, Manuel Gutierrez-Castaneda, Alain Martinez
  • Publication number: 20100168936
    Abstract: The method of generating a secure flight plan portion in the event of depressurization corresponding to a time-conditioned descent profile that may include a succession of levels, comprises: a step of defining a first point of the flight plan, called non-return point, denoted NRP, and a second point of the flight plan, called EOZ, the two points delimiting a portion of the flight plan plotted above an area identified as “with risks”; a step of defining two radials in the horizontal plane respectively passing through the first and the second points; a step of determining a first flight plan portion comprising the definition of a lateral offset angle from the original flight plan; a step of determining a vertical descent profile; a step of displaying time markers indicating the exhaustion of the oxygen reserve.
    Type: Application
    Filed: December 10, 2009
    Publication date: July 1, 2010
    Applicant: Thales
    Inventors: Christophe Caillaud, Jérôme Sacle
  • Publication number: 20100161156
    Abstract: The invention relates to a device for assisting in the choice of a diversion airport for an aircraft piloted by a crew (200), said aircraft comprising a flight management system including location means (207) calculating the position of the aircraft, said device comprising a navigation database (202) and a performance database (203) of the aircraft, said device being characterized in that it comprises: a company database (201) comprising airports and characteristics of said airports, means (205) of calculating a list of airports, called candidate airports, from the airports in the company database, from the navigation database and from the selected characteristics by the crew, means (204) for calculating remaining flight time and fuel consumption predictions for each of the candidate airports from the position of the aircraft, from weather conditions and from the performance database, an interface giving the favoured airports for diversion according to pre-established criteria or determined in r
    Type: Application
    Filed: December 9, 2009
    Publication date: June 24, 2010
    Applicant: THALES
    Inventors: François Coulmeau, Christophe Caillaud, Jérôme Sacle
  • Publication number: 20100131125
    Abstract: The invention relates to the field of civil aviation and, more specifically, relates to the flight management systems, more commonly known by the English acronym FMS. The method for assisting in the management of the flight of an aircraft in order to keep to a time constraint according to the present invention allows for a control of the keeping to the time constraint that presents a rapid dynamic, by avoiding as far as possible having the estimated time of arrival (ETA) at a particular point (P) able to drift relative to a required time of arrival (RTA) at said particular point (P), thanks to the use of a manoeuvring margin (M) granted to the guidance module of the aircraft.
    Type: Application
    Filed: November 24, 2009
    Publication date: May 27, 2010
    Applicant: THALES
    Inventors: Xavier Blanchon, Philippe Chaix, Christophe Caillaud
  • Patent number: 7711457
    Abstract: The invention relates to a navigation aid method of an aircraft comprising a step for positioning an execution order in a flight plan then in a flight path. When the order is for deferred execution, that is, comprises a condition, estimating the position of the aircraft when the condition associated with the order is satisfied, modifying the flight plan based on the estimated position according to the order, computing a new flight path based on the flight plan.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 22, 2005
    Date of Patent: May 4, 2010
    Assignee: Thales
    Inventor: Christophe Caillaud
  • Publication number: 20100100258
    Abstract: The invention relates to a method and an associated device making it possible to avoid guidance command input errors by the crew. Since the course and the radial are linked by different relationships depending on whether the aircraft is approaching or moving away from a point, the procedures from air traffic control may be given either in course or in radial, and since the FMS system can also require the input of one of the two values, the number of possible different combination creates a situation of ambiguity that is prejudicial to the safety of the flight. To resolve this problem, the invention proposes a systematic display in text mode and/or in graphic mode of the input datum (course or radial) and of the other for verification by the crew.
    Type: Application
    Filed: September 11, 2009
    Publication date: April 22, 2010
    Applicant: THALES
    Inventors: Elias Bitar, Christophe Caillaud
  • Patent number: 7698027
    Abstract: A method for assisting in verifying the path of an aircraft comprising a step of computing a path by means of a flight management computer, based on lateral constraints originating from a navigation database, characterized in that it comprises a step consisting in assisting the pilot to verify that the computed path complies with the lateral constraints in order to improve safety.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 26, 2005
    Date of Patent: April 13, 2010
    Assignee: Thales
    Inventor: Christophe Caillaud