Abstract: A method of managing the braking of an aircraft having landing gear with wheels fitted with friction brakes and with auxiliary brakes that enable energy to be dissipated by other than friction. The method comprises the steps of, (1) when braking is requested, testing the braking parameters to determine whether the aircraft is in a braking situation for which the friction brakes are not essential for providing the requested braking, and (2) performing the requested braking by giving priority to actuating the auxiliary brakes so long as the aircraft remains within the braking situation, and actuating the friction brakes only if the aircraft departs from the braking situation.

Abstract: The invention relates to a management method for managing a turning movement of an aircraft taxiing on the ground, the aircraft having wheels each fitted with an independent drive device, in which method commands are generated for the independent drive devices so that at least some of those devices contribute to the turning movement. According to the invention, the method comprises the steps of: estimating at each instant during the turning movement: an instantaneous total power developed by all of the independent drive devices in response to the commands; and an instantaneous mean angular acceleration for all of the wheels; and adapting the commands to the independent drive devices such that the total instantaneous power developed by all of the independent drive devices is minimized, while conserving the mean angular acceleration.

Abstract: A method of controlling a yawing movement of an aircraft running along the ground, the aircraft comprising at least one first landing gear with a steerable bottom part bearing wheels. The method comprises the steps of (1) on the basis of a yaw rate setpoint {dot over (?)}c, determining a wheel-steering prepositioning angle ?p; and (2) using closed-loop control which as its input has the yaw rate setpoint and which generates a command to steer the bottom part in order to steer it through a steering angle ?c equal to the sum of this prepositioning angle ?p and of an angle ?z which is determined taking account of an error between the yaw rate setpoint {dot over (?)}c and the measured yaw rate {dot over (?)}m when the steerable bottom part is steered by the steering angle ?c.

Abstract: The invention relates to a method of managing movement of an aircraft on the ground, the aircraft including at least one left main undercarriage and at least one right main undercarriage, each comprising wheels associated with torque application members for applying torque to the wheels in response to a general setpoint, the general setpoint comprising a longitudinal acceleration setpoint and an angular speed setpoint, the method including the successive steps of braking down the general setpoint into general torque setpoints for generating by the torque application members associated with each of the wheels.

Abstract: A system and method for the anticipated detection of a bend on a portion of road taken by a motor vehicle comprising the following steps: establishing, by means of a first system, called as the navigation system, a first set of information on the bend in question, the first set of information being associated with a first confidence index; establishing, by means of a second system, called as the image processing system, a second set of information on the bend in question, the second set of information being associated with a second confidence index; and establishing, from the first set of information and the second set of information and by taking into account the first confidence index and the second confidence index, a third set of information on the bend in question.

Abstract: An automatic process is provided for automatically determining a current speed limitation on a road being used by a motor vehicle, in which by means of a first system, making use in particular of a GPS aerial and cartographical details, a first set of information is established, in which at least one likely speed limitation is associated with a confidence index; by means of a second system, involving the use of a camera and image processing applications capable of identifying roadside speed limitation panels, a second set of information is established comprising at least one probable speed limitation, wherein the basis of the first and second sets of information, the current speed limitation is determined along the road in question.

Abstract: The invention relates to a method of managing a steering control for a steerable portion of an aircraft undercarriage, the method comprising implementing servo-control to servo-control an electromechanical steering actuator on an angular position setpoint, wherein, according to the invention, the servo-control implements a control relationship H? type, the position and speed information being delivered by means of a fieldbus of deterministic type to a computer that implements the servo-control.

Abstract: The invention provides a method of managing the braking of an aircraft having a plurality of brakes comprising friction elements, the method comprising the following steps for at least one group of brakes: estimating an energy level (?E) to be dissipated by the brakes of the group; and estimating individual braking setpoints (Fi) for each of the brakes of the group so that the individual braking setpoints make it possible, at least under normal operating conditions of the brakes, to implement braking that dissipates said energy level, the individual braking setpoints also being determined so as to satisfy at least one other given operating objective.

Abstract: A method for determining, in a predictive manner, types of road situations of a vehicle comprising the following steps: points defining at least one possible path situated in front of the vehicle are obtained from a navigation system, for each point, at least one attribute describing the type of road environment associated with this point is extracted from the navigation system, the attribute of this point is compared with that of the preceding point, if the attributes are identical, a driving situation is deduced from this such that said driving situation is a function of the attribute of the preceding point, if the two attributes are different, an end of driving situation is deduced from this, and a transition to a new driving situation is determined depending on the attribute of this point, in such a manner as to define a succession of driving situations for this path.

Abstract: A braking control method that includes: (1) regularly updating a grip model representative of a relationship between a coefficient of friction and a wheel slip rate; (2) determining, with an iterative calculation process including a plurality of calculation cycles a variation of a braking setpoint in a given prediction horizon, the variation of the braking setpoint in the given prediction horizon being established using the regularly updated grip model and its characteristic shape and so that the variation of the braking setpoint in the given prediction horizon complies with the braking order and complies with a given calculation constraint which is function of the wheel slip rate; and (3) retaining as the generated braking setpoint a value of the braking setpoint in the given prediction horizon which corresponds to a first calculation cycle of the plurality of calculation cycles of the iterative calculation process.

Abstract: A system and method for the anticipated detection of a bend on a portion of road taken by a motor vehicle comprising the following steps: establishing, by means of a first system, called as the navigation system, a first set of information on the bend in question, the first set of information being associated with a first confidence index; establishing, by means of a second system, called as the image processing system, a second set of information on the bend in question, the second set of information being associated with a second confidence index; and establishing, from the first set of information and the second set of information and by taking into account the first confidence index and the second confidence index, a third set of information on the bend in question.

Abstract: The invention relates to a method of managing movement of an aircraft on the ground, the aircraft including at least one left main undercarriage and at least one right main undercarriage, each comprising wheels associated with torque application members for applying torque to the wheels in response to a general setpoint, the general setpoint comprising a longitudinal acceleration setpoint and an angular speed setpoint, the method including the successive steps of braking down the general setpoint into general torque setpoints for generating by the torque application members associated with each of the wheels.

Abstract: The invention relates to a method of controlling a yawing movement of an aircraft running along the ground, the aircraft comprising at least one first landing gear with a steerable bottom part bearing wheels. According to the invention, the method comprises the steps of: on the basis of a yaw rate setpoint {dot over (?)}c, determining a wheel-steering prepositioning angle ?p; using closed-loop control which as its input has the yaw rate setpoint and which generates a command to steer the bottom part in order to steer it through a steering angle ?c equal to the sum of this prepositioning angle ?p and of an angle ?z which is determined taking account of an error between the yaw rate setpoint {dot over (?)}c and the measured yaw rate {dot over (?)}m when the steerable bottom part is steered by the steering angle ?c.

Abstract: A system and method for the anticipated detection of a bend on a portion of road taken by a motor vehicle comprising the following steps: establishing, by means of a first system, called as the navigation system, a first set of information on the bend in question, the first set of information being associated with a first confidence index; establishing, by means of a second system, called as the image processing system, a second set of information on the bend in question, the second set of information being associated with a second confidence index; and establishing, from the first set of information and the second set of information and by taking into account the first confidence index and the second confidence index, a third set of information on the bend in question.

Abstract: The invention relates to a management method for managing a turning movement of an aircraft taxiing on the ground, the aircraft having wheels each fitted with an independent drive device, in which method commands are generated for the independent drive devices so that at least some of those devices contribute to the turning movement. According to the invention, the method comprises the steps of: estimating at each instant during the turning movement: an instantaneous total power developed by all of the independent drive devices in response to the commands; and an instantaneous mean angular acceleration for all of the wheels; and adapting the commands to the independent drive devices such that the total instantaneous power developed by all of the independent drive devices is minimized, while conserving the mean angular acceleration.

Abstract: The invention relates to a method of managing the braking of an aircraft having landing gear with wheels fitted with friction brakes and with auxiliary brakes that enable energy to be dissipated by means other than friction, the method comprising the steps of: when braking is requested, testing the braking parameters to determine whether the aircraft is in a braking situation for which the friction brakes are not essential for providing the requested braking; and performing the requested braking by giving priority to actuating the auxiliary brakes so long as the aircraft remains within said braking situation, and actuating the friction brakes only if the aircraft departs from said braking situation.

Abstract: A method of distribution braking between the brakes of an aircraft. The method includes a first step of estimating a braking force objective and a steering torque objective to be achieved by the brakes of the aircraft. It also includes the steps of defining at least two groups of brakes (12, 13) and determining, for each group, a braking level that is to be achieved by the group. The braking levels being calculated in such a manner that braking performed in application of the braking levels is, at least under normal operating conditions of the brakes, in compliance with a braking force objective and with a steering torque objective.

Abstract: The invention relates to a method of managing a steering control for a steerable portion of an aircraft undercarriage, the method comprising implementing servo-control to servo-control an electromechanical steering actuator on an angular position setpoint, wherein, according to the invention, the servo-control implements a control relationship H? type, the position and speed information being delivered by means of a fieldbus of deterministic type to a computer that implements the servo-control.

Abstract: A method of distribution braking between the brakes of an aircraft. The method includes a first step of estimating a braking force objective and a steering torque objective to be achieved by the brakes of the aircraft. It also includes the steps of defining at least two groups of brakes (12, 13) and determining, for each group, a braking level that is to be achieved by the group. The braking levels being calculated in such a manner that braking performed in application of the braking levels is, at least under normal operating conditions of the brakes, in compliance with a braking force objective and with a steering torque objective.

Abstract: An automatic process is provided for automatically determining a current speed limitation on a road being used by a motor vehicle, in which by means of a first system, making use in particular of a GPS aerial and cartographical details, a first set of information is established, in which at least one likely speed limitation is associated with a confidence index; by means of a second system, involving the use of a camera and image processing applications capable of identifying roadside speed limitation panels, a second set of information is established comprising at least one probable speed limitation, wherein the basis of the first and second sets of information, the current speed limitation is determined along the road in question.