Autopilot on Boeing and Airbus?
Discussion
Anyone here know how the autopilot on a modern Boeing or Airbus works?
I am working on an idea for a way of improving one of the functions of how it might function. Still at the very earliest stage, with a few dumb questions.
When autopilot is set, is it to go from A to B as a direct route and how are cross winds factored in to the path that is taken?
I am working on an idea for a way of improving one of the functions of how it might function. Still at the very earliest stage, with a few dumb questions.
When autopilot is set, is it to go from A to B as a direct route and how are cross winds factored in to the path that is taken?
Edited by Olivero on Tuesday 25th November 04:43
First, thank you to everyone who replied. It is very much appreciated.
We are a small team based in New York and France. At the moment we are working on the next generation of super computers who can quickly crunch huge amounts of data. Think of IBMs Jeopardy, but with raw data rather than quiz questions.
Our idea is to improve on the (very) short term decisions auto pilot uses. Weather effects, eg wind could be compensated for in real time. Imagine that the flight path was updated many times every second. Our aim is not to replace any of the existing systems, but rather to build an add-on that would create an optimized flight path. The biggest two benefits we imagine would be fuel savings and a smother ride.
It is too early for us to show a prototype, but not to have general discussions.
We are a small team based in New York and France. At the moment we are working on the next generation of super computers who can quickly crunch huge amounts of data. Think of IBMs Jeopardy, but with raw data rather than quiz questions.
Our idea is to improve on the (very) short term decisions auto pilot uses. Weather effects, eg wind could be compensated for in real time. Imagine that the flight path was updated many times every second. Our aim is not to replace any of the existing systems, but rather to build an add-on that would create an optimized flight path. The biggest two benefits we imagine would be fuel savings and a smother ride.
It is too early for us to show a prototype, but not to have general discussions.
djc206 said:
My understanding of the above is that you want to make flying from point A to point B more efficient by updating the track of the aircraft several times a second to avoid any zig zagging, am I on the right lines?
If I am I believe that autopilot systems already do this. Certainly on radar even when we've got stonking upper winds aircraft on their own nav tend to fly what looks like a perfectly straight line I'm guessing through constant minute adjustments by the autopilot systems.
If I'm off the mark disregard!
This is pretty much exactly what we are planning to do. Without wanting to go into too much detail (for obvious reasons) we have software that will optimize this action. The end result will be a plane that will need less fuel. If I am I believe that autopilot systems already do this. Certainly on radar even when we've got stonking upper winds aircraft on their own nav tend to fly what looks like a perfectly straight line I'm guessing through constant minute adjustments by the autopilot systems.
If I'm off the mark disregard!
djc206 said:
How much deviation is there at the moment? I know the PRNAV error is in theory fairly large but the reality is that aircraft fly very precise tracks. What sort of gains are you looking at and have you based your calculations on permitted deviation or radar derived/ aircraft data from operators?
The deviation at the moment differs depending on aircraft type, weather and route. There is very little publicly available data to study for obvious reasons. Gains would be from within the most narrow permitted deviation. The aim after all is not to change the overall flight route but rather optimize the path.
rhinochopig said:
Oli, are you familiar with IEC61508? Your team will probably need to be.
Yes, very familiar...Our system will not be mission critical. It would operate in addition to existing systems rather than any kind of replacement. A simple flip of a switch could turn it off without effecting autopilot.
AER said:
I would reckon the biggest efficiency gains in air transport lie in managing traffic as it departs and converges on the airports. Modern airliners are at their most efficient in cruise, but waste most energy and time in the departure and arrival process. Your computing power could be better assigned to optimizing this problem which could include manipulating cruise speeds to program arrival to slot into a narrower arrival schedule window.
This is part two of our 'solution'. We want to get the system up and running on a number of commercial aircraft first, then use individual data collected to construct testable hypotheses. It is a bit of a chicken and egg situation. el stovey said:
The aircraft I fly has Rockwell Collins avionics, are you suggesting they would buy your system and integrate it with theirs or that each individual airline would buy it and retrofit it to the existing approved and certified avionics that come with the aircraft?
Ideally this would be an add on to an existing system. We are not trying to 'reinvent the wheel' just improve it. One limiting factor is the frequency of data collection in traditional systems.
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