阅读说明：本技术 飞行器滑行成本确定系统和方法 (Aircraft taxiing cost determination system and method ) 是由 R·R·S-Z·卡博斯 N·科纽博 于 2020-04-07 设计创作，主要内容包括：飞行器(200)滑行成本确定系统和方法包括滑行成本确定控制单元(102),该滑行成本确定控制单元(102)基于可用滑行场景(400a,400b)的燃料成本、发动机成本、机组人员成本和维护成本来确定飞行器(200)在机场的一个或多个可用滑行场景(400a,400b)的总成本。(A taxiing cost determination system and method for an aircraft (200) includes a taxiing cost determination control unit (102), the taxiing cost determination control unit (102) determining a total cost of one or more available taxiing scenarios (400a,400b) of the aircraft (200) at an airport based on fuel costs, engine costs, crew costs, and maintenance costs of the available taxiing scenarios (400a,400 b).)

1. An aircraft (200) taxi cost determination system, comprising:

a taxi cost determination control unit (102) that determines a total cost of one or more available taxi scenarios (400a,400b) of the aircraft (200) in the airport based on fuel costs, engine costs, crew costs, and maintenance costs of the one or more available taxi scenarios (400a,400 b).

2. The aircraft (200) taxiing cost determination system according to claim 1, further comprising an environmental subsystem (108) in communication with the taxiing cost determination control unit (102), wherein the environmental subsystem (108) stores environmental data (110), and wherein the taxiing cost determination control unit (102) analyzes the environmental data (110) in determining the total cost of the one or more available taxiing scenarios (400a,400 b).

3. The aircraft (200) taxiing cost determination system according to claim 1 or 2, further comprising an airport database (112) in communication with the taxiing cost determination control unit (102), wherein the airport database (112) stores airport data (114), and wherein the taxiing cost determination control unit (102) analyzes the airport data (114) in determining the total cost of the one or more available taxiing scenarios (400a,400 b).

4. The aircraft (200) taxiing cost determination system according to claim 1 or 2, further comprising an aircraft database (116) in communication with the taxiing cost determination control unit (102), wherein the aircraft database (112) stores aircraft data (118) about the aircraft (200), and wherein the taxiing cost determination control unit (102) analyzes the aircraft data (118) in determining the total cost of the one or more available taxiing scenarios (400a,400 b).

5. The aircraft (200) taxiing cost determination system according to claim 1 or 2, further comprising a flight scheduling subsystem (120) in communication with the taxiing cost determination control unit (102), wherein the flight scheduling subsystem (120) stores flight scheduling data (122) for the airport, and wherein the taxiing cost determination control unit (102) analyzes the flight scheduling data (122) in determining a total cost of the one or more available taxiing scenarios (400a,400 b).

6. The aircraft (200) taxiing cost determination system according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the taxiing cost determination control unit (102) takes into account engine warm-up time (204,206,208) of the aircraft (200) when determining the total cost of the one or more available taxiing scenarios (400a,400 b).

7. The aircraft (200) taxiing cost determination system according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the taxiing cost determination control unit (102) takes into account a range of required times (204,206,208) for which takeoff of the aircraft (200) is required when determining the total cost of the one or more available taxiing scenarios (400a,400 b).

8. The aircraft (200) taxiing cost determination system according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the taxiing cost determination control unit (102) takes into account the number of shut-down lines (138,140) on the taxiway (130) when determining the total cost of the one or more available taxiing scenarios (400a,400 b).

9. The aircraft (200) taxiing cost determination system according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the taxiing cost determination control unit (102) establishes a possible taxiing scenario based on one or more of environmental data (110), taxiing data (119), aircraft data (118), airport data (114), or flight schedule data (122).

10. The aircraft (200) taxiing cost determination system according to claim 9, wherein the taxiing cost determination control unit (102) discards one or more possible taxiing scenarios outside of the range of required times (204,206,208) as one or more unavailable taxiing scenarios (400a,400 b).

11. The aircraft (200) taxiing cost determination system according to claim 10, wherein the taxiing cost determination control unit (102) identifies one or more possible taxiing scenarios within the required time (204,206,208) as the one or more available taxiing scenarios (400a,400 b).

12. The aircraft (200) taxiing cost determination system according to claim 11, wherein the taxiing cost determination control unit (102) identifies a lowest cost available taxiing scenario (400a,400b) of the one or more available taxiing scenarios (400a,400 b).

13. A method of determining taxiing costs of an aircraft (200), comprising:

determining, by a taxi cost determination control unit (102), a total cost of one or more available taxi scenarios (400a,400b) of the aircraft (200) in the airport, based on fuel costs, engine costs, crew costs and maintenance costs of the one or more available taxi scenarios (400a,400 b).

14. The aircraft (200) taxiing cost determination method according to claim 13, further comprising analyzing environmental data (110) by the taxiing cost determination control unit (102) during the determination.

15. The aircraft (200) taxiing cost determination method according to claim 13 or 14, further comprising analyzing airport data (114) by the taxiing cost determination control unit (102) during the determination.

16. The aircraft (200) taxiing cost determination method according to claim 13 or 14, further comprising analyzing aircraft data (118) by the taxiing cost determination control unit (102) during the determination.

17. The aircraft (200) taxiing cost determination method according to claim 13 or 14, further comprising analyzing flight schedule data (122) by the taxiing cost determination control unit (102) during the determination.

18. The aircraft (200) taxiing cost determination method according to claim 13 or 14, further comprising: considering one or more of an engine warm-up time (204, 206) of the aircraft (200), a required time (204,206,208) range for which takeoff of the aircraft (200) is required, or a number of shut-down lines (138,140) on a taxiway (130) by the taxiway determination control unit (102) during the determining.

19. The aircraft (200) taxiing cost determination method according to claim 13 or 14, wherein the determining includes:

establishing a possible taxi scenario based on one or more of environmental data (110), taxiing data (119), aircraft data (118), airport data (114), or flight schedule data (122);

discarding one or more possible taxi scenarios outside the range of required times (204,206,208) as one or more unavailable taxi scenarios (400a,400 b);

identifying one or more possible taxi scenarios within the required time (204,206,208) as the one or more available taxi scenarios (400a,400 b); and

identifying a lowest cost available taxi scenario (400a,400b) of the one or more available taxi scenarios (400a,400 b).

20. An aircraft (200) taxi cost determination system, comprising:

a taxi cost determination control unit (102) that determines a total cost of one or more available taxi scenarios (400a,400b) of an aircraft (200) in an airport based on fuel costs, engine costs, crew costs, and maintenance costs of the one or more available taxi scenarios (400a,400b), wherein in determining the total cost of the one or more available taxi scenarios (400a,400b), the taxi cost determination control unit (102) takes into account an engine warm-up time (204,206,208) of the aircraft (200), a range of required times (204,206,208) for requiring takeoff of the aircraft (200), and a number of shut-down lines (138,140) on a taxiway (130);

an environmental subsystem in communication with the taxi cost determination control unit (102), wherein the environmental subsystem stores environmental data (110), wherein the taxi cost determination control unit (102) analyzes the environmental data (110) in determining the total cost of the one or more available taxi scenarios (400a,400 b);

an airport database (112) in communication with the taxi cost determination control unit (102), wherein the airport database (112) stores airport data (114), wherein the taxi cost determination control unit (102) analyzes the airport data (114) in determining the total cost of the one or more available taxi scenarios (400a,400 b);

an aircraft database (116) in communication with the taxiing cost determination control unit (102), wherein the aircraft database (116) stores aircraft data (118) about the aircraft (200), wherein the taxiing cost determination control unit (102) analyzes the aircraft data (118) when determining the total cost of the one or more available taxiing scenarios (400a,400 b);

a flight scheduling subsystem in communication with the taxi cost determination control unit (102), wherein the flight scheduling subsystem stores flight scheduling data (122) for the airport, wherein the taxi cost determination control unit (102) analyzes the flight scheduling data (122) in determining the total cost of the one or more available taxi scenarios (400a,400 b).

21. The aircraft (200) taxiing cost determination system according to claim 20, wherein the taxiing cost determination control unit (102):

establishing a likely taxi scenario based on one or more of the environmental data (110), the aircraft data (118), the airport data (114), or the flight schedule data (122),

discarding one or more possible taxi scenarios outside the range of required times (204,206,208) as one or more unavailable taxi scenarios (400a,400b),

identifying one or more possible taxi scenarios within the range of required times (204,206,208) as the one or more available taxi scenarios (400a,400b), and

identifying a lowest cost available taxi scenario (400a,400b) of the one or more available taxi scenarios (400a,400 b).

Technical Field

Embodiments of the present disclosure relate generally to aircraft taxi cost determination systems and methods, and more particularly to systems and methods configured to determine a cost of taxi options for an aircraft in an airport.

Background

Various types of aircraft are used to transport passengers and cargo between various locations. Each aircraft typically flies between different locations according to a defined flight plan or path.

Airports typically include numerous gates at which aircraft are positioned to allow passengers to board the aircraft. The aircraft at the gate is located on an apron that is connected to the runway by one or more taxiways. After the aircraft is pushed backward from the gate, the aircraft taxis to the runway through the taxiway.

Generally, the taxi process is performed only based on some limiting conditions (e.g., maximum taxi speed and traffic flow of airport surfaces). On taxiways, flight crewmembers maneuver the aircraft by pushing the thrust sticks to any position, without knowing whether the associated thrust levels are cost effective. For example, an increased amount of thrust may cause the aircraft to move at an increased speed and reach the end of the taxiway in a short period of time, but the engine may burn a greater amount of fuel due to the directed amount of thrust, thus increasing fuel costs.

Disclosure of Invention

There is a need for a system and method for determining various taxi options for an aircraft. Further, there is a need for a system and method for providing the cost of one or more taxi options.

In view of these needs, certain embodiments of the present disclosure provide an aircraft taxiing cost determination system that includes a taxiing cost determination control unit that determines a total cost of one or more available taxiing scenarios for an aircraft in an airport based on fuel costs, engine costs, crew costs, and maintenance costs of the available taxiing scenarios.

The aircraft taxi cost determination system may also include an environmental subsystem in communication with the taxi cost determination control unit. The environment subsystem stores environment data. The taxi cost determination control unit analyzes the environmental data in determining a total cost of the available taxi scenarios.

The aircraft taxi cost determination system may also include an airport database in communication with the taxi cost determination control unit. The airport database stores airport data. The taxi cost determination control unit analyzes the airport data in determining the total cost of the available taxi scenarios.

The aircraft taxi cost determination system may also include an aircraft database in communication with the taxi cost determination control unit. The aircraft database stores aircraft data about the aircraft. The taxi cost determination control unit analyzes the aircraft data in determining a total cost of the available taxi scenarios.

The aircraft taxi cost determination system may also include a flight scheduling subsystem in communication with the taxi cost determination control unit. The flight scheduling subsystem stores flight scheduling data for the airport. The taxi cost determination control unit analyzes the flight schedule data in determining a total cost of the available taxi scenarios.

In at least one embodiment, the taxi cost determination control unit takes into account the engine warm-up time of the aircraft when determining the total cost of the available taxi scenarios. In at least one embodiment, the taxiing cost determination control unit takes into account a required time frame (time frame) for the aircraft to take off when determining the total cost of the available taxiing scenarios. In at least one embodiment, the taxi cost determination control unit takes into account the number of dead lines on the taxiway in determining the total cost of the available taxi scenarios.

In at least one embodiment, the taxi cost determination control unit establishes a possible taxi scenario based on one or more of environmental data, taxiing data, aircraft data, airport data, or flight scheduling data. The coasting cost determination control unit discards the one or more possible coasting scenarios outside the required time range as the one or more unavailable coasting scenarios. The coasting cost determination control unit identifies one or more possible coasting scenarios within the required time frame as one or more available coasting scenarios. The taxi cost determination control unit identifies a lowest cost available taxi scenario among the available taxi scenarios.

Certain embodiments of the present disclosure provide an aircraft taxiing cost determination method that includes determining, by a taxiing cost determination control unit, a total cost of one or more available taxiing scenarios for an aircraft in an airport based on fuel costs, engine costs, crew costs, and maintenance costs of the one or more available taxiing scenarios.

The aircraft taxiing cost determination method may further include: the method may include analyzing the environmental data during the determining (by the taxi cost determination control unit), analyzing the airport data during the determining (by the taxi cost determination control unit), analyzing the aircraft data during the determining (by the taxi cost determination control unit), and/or analyzing the flight schedule data during the determining (by the taxi cost determination control unit).

The aircraft taxi cost determination method may further include considering one or more of an engine warm-up time of the aircraft, a required time range for aircraft takeoff required, or a number of shut down lines on a taxiway during the determining (by the taxi cost determination control unit).

In at least one embodiment, the determining includes establishing possible taxi scenarios based on one or more of the environmental data, the taxi data, the aircraft data, the airport data, or the flight schedule data, discarding the one or more possible taxi scenarios outside of the desired time horizon as one or more unavailable taxi scenarios, identifying the one or more possible taxi scenarios within the desired time horizon as one or more available taxi scenarios, and identifying a lowest cost available taxi scenario of the one or more available taxi scenarios.

Drawings

FIG. 1 shows a schematic block diagram of an aircraft taxiing cost determination system according to an embodiment of the present disclosure.

Figure 2 shows a simplified schematic of a taxiway at an airport.

FIG. 3 shows a graph of cost of coasting over time.

FIG. 4 illustrates an equation for determining total cost to coast according to an embodiment of the disclosure.

Figure 5 shows a simplified top view of an aircraft on a taxiway.

FIG. 6 shows a graph of the speed of an aircraft on a taxiway as a function of time.

FIG. 7 shows a graph of distance between an aircraft and a target location on a taxiway as a function of time.

FIG. 8 shows a graph of thrust of an aircraft on a taxiway as a function of time.

FIG. 9 shows a graph of cumulative cost to coast as a function of time.

FIG. 10 illustrates a flow chart of an aircraft taxi determination method according to an embodiment of the disclosure.

FIG. 11 is an illustration of a front view of a display showing available taxi scenes, in accordance with an embodiment of the disclosure.

Fig. 12 is an illustration of a front perspective view of an aircraft according to an exemplary embodiment of the disclosure.

Detailed Description

The foregoing summary, as well as the following detailed description of certain embodiments, will be better understood when read in conjunction with the appended drawings. As used herein, an element or step recited in the singular and proceeded with the word "a" or "an" should be understood as not necessarily excluding plural elements or steps. Furthermore, references to "one embodiment" are not intended to be interpreted as excluding the existence of additional embodiments that also incorporate the recited features. Furthermore, unless explicitly stated to the contrary, embodiments "comprising" or "having" an element or a plurality of elements having a particular condition may include additional elements not having that condition.

Certain embodiments of the present disclosure provide aircraft taxi cost determination systems and methods that take into account the cost of taxiing in airports. A taxi determination system and method are configured to determine an effective taxi strategy for an aircraft. Notably, if the aircraft is taxiing quickly, the increased costs over time may be reduced, but the fuel and engine wear costs may be increased. Conversely, if the aircraft is taxiing slowly, fuel costs may be reduced, but the total time to taxi may increase, which may increase time-related costs. Certain embodiments of the present disclosure are configured to define a total taxi cost function in which various factors are considered in searching for an effective cost-effective taxi strategy.

Certain embodiments of the present disclosure identify a cost-effective coasting strategy to reduce overall and specific operating costs, including fuel, engine rental, maintenance, and crew. The aircraft taxiing cost determination system and method takes into account costs associated with fuel, maintenance, crew, and engine costs.

Certain embodiments of the present disclosure provide an aircraft taxiing cost determination system that includes a taxiing cost determination control unit configured to collect data related to aircraft and environmental features and calculate a plurality of taxiing scenarios. The coasting cost determination control unit is further configured to select the coasting scenario representing the lowest overall cost. Certain embodiments of the present disclosure provide a method of determining taxiing of an aircraft, the method comprising: collecting a plurality of data types relating to a plurality of aspects of an aircraft taxiing process; calculating a plurality of taxi scenarios based on the collected data; and predicting a taxi scenario representing the lowest overall cost.

FIG. 1 shows a schematic block diagram of an aircraft taxiing cost determination system 100 in accordance with an embodiment of the present disclosure. The aircraft taxiing cost determination system 100 includes a taxiing cost determination control unit 102. A display 104 (e.g., monitor, screen, etc.) that may be onboard the aircraft may communicate with taxi cost determination control unit 102, for example, via one or more wired or wireless connections. An input device 106 (e.g., a keyboard, mouse, touch screen, etc.) that may be onboard the aircraft may also communicate with taxi cost determination control unit 102, for example, via one or more wired or wireless connections. In at least one embodiment, taxi cost determination control unit 102, display 104, and input device 106 may be located in a common housing, such as a flight computer onboard an aircraft. In at least one other embodiment, the cost to coast determination control unit 102 may be located remotely from one or both of the display 104 and/or the input device 106. For example, taxi cost determination control unit 102 may be at a central monitoring location within an airport, while display 104 and input device 106 may be part of a flight computer onboard the aircraft.

Taxi cost determination control unit 102 may communicate with environmental subsystem 108, for example, via one or more wired or wireless connections. Taxi cost determination control unit 102 and environmental subsystem 108 may be in the same location or in different locations. The environmental subsystem 108 stores environmental data 110 about the location (e.g., airport) where the aircraft is located. The environmental data 110 may include wind direction and speed, temperature, air pressure, humidity, and the like. In at least one embodiment, environmental subsystem 108 may be or include a weather service.

The taxi cost determination control unit 102 may also communicate with the airport database 112, for example, via one or more wired or wireless connections. The taxi cost determination control unit 102 and the airport database 112 may be at the same location or at different locations. The airport database 112 stores airport data 114 for the airport where the aircraft is currently located. For example, the airport data 114 may include information about taxiways, runways, etc. at the airport.

Taxi cost determination control unit 102 may also communicate with aircraft database 116, for example, via one or more wired or wireless connections. Taxi cost determination control unit 102 and the aircraft database may be at the same location or at different locations. Aircraft database 116 stores aircraft data 118 for aircraft. For example, the aircraft data 118 may include information regarding the actual mass of the aircraft, static friction components, and the like.

The taxi cost determination control unit 102 may also communicate with the flight scheduling subsystem 120, for example, via one or more wired or wireless connections. The taxi cost determination control unit 102 and the flight scheduling subsystem 120 may be at the same location or at different locations. The flight scheduling subsystem 120 stores flight scheduling data 122 for the airport. Flight schedule data 122 includes the planned departure time and arrival time of the aircraft at the airport.

In operation, taxi cost determination control unit 102 analyzes one or more of environmental data 110, airport data 114, aircraft data 118, and flight schedule data 122 to determine a cost-effective taxi strategy for the aircraft. In at least one embodiment, the taxi cost determination control unit 102 determines a cost of at least one available taxi scenario for the aircraft at the airport based on a total cost of taxiing, which takes into account environmental data, airport data, aircraft data, and flight schedule data, among other factors. The taxi cost determination control unit 102 may display one or more taxi options, such as the most cost-effective taxi strategy, on the display 104.

Figure 2 shows a simplified schematic diagram of a taxiway 130 at an airport. The taxiway 130 has a distance 132 from a starting point 134 to an ending point 136. One or more shutdown lines 138 and 140 may be positioned between the start point 134 and the end point 136. The shutdown line 138 is an area on the taxiway 130 that requires the aircraft to stop for at least a predetermined period of time. Thus, during taxiing, the aircraft may move on the taxiway 130 during a first phase 142 between the starting point 134 and the trip line 138 at which the aircraft stops. The second stage 144 extends between the shutdown line 138 and the shutdown line 140. The aircraft moves on taxiway 130 during a second phase between the trip line 138 and the trip line 140 (at which point the aircraft stops again). The third stage 146 extends between the shutdown line 140 and the terminal 136. The aircraft moves on the taxiway 130 during a third phase 146 between the shutdown line 140 and the terminal 136, and the terminal is open to the runway.

Referring again to fig. 1, the taxi cost determination control unit 102 determines the total taxi cost of the aircraft based on the following information:

total cost of coasting is fuel cost + engine cost + maintenance cost + crew cost

As indicated above, the total cost of coasting is equal to the cost of fuel, the cost of the engine, the cost of maintenance, and the cost of the crew. That is, the total cost of coasting is the sum of all of the noted cost factors. The coasting cost determination control unit 102 determines the total coasting cost based on a number of cost factors. In at least one embodiment, the taxi cost determination control unit 102 is configured to determine the cost of one or more taxi scenarios (i.e., options for taxiing the aircraft) based on fuel costs, engine costs, maintenance costs, and crew costs. The coasting cost determination control unit 102 determines not only the fuel cost or the coasting time, but also a total cost for coasting considering various costs associated with coasting.

The fuel cost is a function of thrust over time. For example, as an aircraft engine provides thrust over time, fuel is combusted. The increased amount of fuel combustion increases fuel costs. In at least one embodiment, the fuel cost is part of the aircraft data 118.

Engine cost is also dependent on thrust. For example, engine cost is based on the following factors:

cost of engine_Engine(t) + specific cost (thrust)

As shown, the engine cost is equal to the cost of the engine over time (e.g., time to lease contract) plus an additional specific cost as a function of thrust. The engine rental cost may be set to a constant hourly rate. The particular cost may be an engine rental cost covered by an extra charge of exceptional thrust (e.g., maximum takeoff thrust) required by the engine manufacturer. For example, the particular cost may be an additional cost imposed when the engine is operating at or above a predetermined threshold (e.g., a percentage of total possible thrust, a particular usage rate or usage time, etc.). In at least one embodiment, the engine cost is a portion of the aircraft data 118.

The maintenance cost depends on time. For example, maintenance costs are based on the following factors:

cost of maintenance_Mx(t)

As shown, the total maintenance cost is the cost of maintenance (i.e., "cost")_Mx") which includes labor costs, part costs, etc., as is known to airlines over time. In at least one embodiment, the maintenance cost is a portion of the aircraft data 118.

Crew costs are also time dependent. For example, crew costs are based on the following factors:

crew cost versus cost_Cabin(t) + cost_{Driving cabin}(t)

As shown, the total crew cost is the cost of the cabin crew (e.g., flight crew) over time plus the cost of the cockpit (e.g., driver and co-driver) over time. In at least one embodiment, the crew cost is part of the aircraft data 118.

FIG. 3 shows a graph of cost of coasting over time. Fuel costs, engine costs (e.g., engine rental costs), maintenance costs, and crew costs can impact the overall cost of taxiing. The fuel cost depends on the thrust level and time. Similarly, engine cost depends on thrust level and time. Maintenance costs and crew costs are time dependent. Referring to fig. 1 and 3, the coasting cost determination control unit 102 determines the total coasting cost based on the fuel cost, the engine cost, the maintenance cost, and the crew cost.

In at least one embodiment, the cost to coast determination control unit 102 may also analyze one or more boundary conditions. For example, the taxiing cost determination control unit 102 may consider the engine warm-up time of the aircraft. The engine warm-up time is the minimum amount of time required to warm up the engines of the aircraft before takeoff is permitted, and may be a function of the aircraft type. The engine warm-up time may be part of the aircraft data 118.

Another boundary condition may be a time constraint. For example, the taxiing cost determination control unit 102 may consider the range of time required for the aircraft to take off. For example, the flight schedule data 122 includes the latest time that the aircraft can leave the airport.

Another boundary condition may be the number of shutdown lines. For example, the taxi cost determination control unit 102 may consider the required number of machine shut-down lines along the taxiway. Information about taxiways and aircraft lines is stored in the airport data 114.

FIG. 4 illustrates an equation for determining total cost to coast according to an embodiment of the disclosure. As shown in FIG. 4, taxi cost determination control unit 102 may determine acceleration and speed values for a taxi strategy, where m is the mass of the aircraft and F_ThurstIs the thrust exerted, ρ is the resistance to the wheels of the aircraft produced by the surface of the taxiway, C_DIs the drag coefficient of the aircraft, A is the area of the aircraft (e.g., the outer surface of the aircraft) affected by the drag, g is the gravitational acceleration, and μ₀The coefficient of static friction of.

Figure 5 shows a simplified top view of aircraft 200 on taxiway 130. The aircraft 200 is at a current position 202 and is to be moved to a target location 203, such as the entrance of a runway.

Figure 6 shows a graph of the speed of aircraft 200 on taxiway 130 as a function of time. Figure 7 shows a graph of the distance between aircraft 200 and target location 203 on taxiway 130 as a function of time. Figure 8 shows a graph of thrust of aircraft 200 on taxiway 130 as a function of time. FIG. 9 shows a graph of cumulative cost to coast in relation to time. Referring to fig. 5-9, the aerial vehicle 200 initially gains velocity through acceleration (e.g., through increased thrust) during time 204 to begin moving toward the target location 203. After the desired speed is reached, the aircraft maintains the desired speed for a period of time 206. After time 206, the aircraft is idling for time 208, which allows the aircraft to creep to target location 203. As shown in fig. 9, the taxi cost rate is highest at time 204 and lowest at time 208. However, the total accumulated cost of taxiing includes the cost of time 204,206, and 208 from the start point (i.e., position 202 shown in FIG. 5) to the end point (i.e., target position 203). Notably, the total cost depends on the thrust.

FIG. 10 illustrates a flow chart of an aircraft taxi determination method according to an embodiment of the disclosure. Referring again to fig. 1 and 10, at 300, the taxiing cost determination control unit 102 receives environmental data 110, aircraft data 118 (which may include skid data 119), airport data 114, and flight schedule data 122. As explained herein, the taxi cost determination control unit 102 analyzes the environmental data 110, airport data 114, aircraft data 118, and/or flight schedule data 122 in determining the cost of the taxi scenario.

The environmental data 110 may include wind direction and velocity, temperature, barometric pressure, humidity, and gravitational acceleration. The airport data 114 and/or flight schedule data 122 may include taxi data 119, which taxi data 119 may be input into the taxi cost determination control unit 102, for example, via the input device 106. For example, the airport data 114 may include a distance to be traveled to a target location (e.g., the target location 203 shown in fig. 5), an earliest point in time to reach the target location (which may be entered or retrieved from the flight schedule data 122), a latest point in time to reach the target location (which may be entered or retrieved from the flight schedule data 122), a maximum taxi speed, and a minimum taxi speed. Aircraft data 118 may include the actual mass of aircraft 200 (as shown in FIG. 5), static friction components (such as static friction components of the aircraft and/or taxiways), and the like.

At 302, taxi cost determination control unit 102 establishes a possible taxi scenario based on environmental data 110, taxiing data 119, aircraft data 118, airport data 114, and/or flight schedule data 122. In response to receiving the environmental data 110, the airport data 114, the aircraft data 118, and/or the flight schedule data 122, the taxi cost determination control unit 102 establishes a possible taxi scenario. In at least one embodiment, the coasting cost determination control unit 102 establishes all possible coasting scenarios, including all possible quantitative acceleration and velocity values. For example, the coasting cost determination control unit 102 may establish an array of numerically different acceleration instances (e.g., 1 m/s)²、1.5m/s²、2m/s²，…n m/s²). The coasting cost determination control unit 102 may also establish an array of numerically different speed instances (e.g., 1m/s, 1.5m/s, 2m/s, … n m/s). The coasting cost determination control unit 102 may then provide a combination of each acceleration instance and each speed instance (e.g., 1 m/s)²And 1m/s, 1m/s²And 1.5m/s, 1m/s²And 2m/s, … n m/s²And n m/s).

At 304, the coasting cost determination control unit 102 determines whether each possible coasting scenario is within the required time frame (time frame). If the possible taxi scenario is not within the required time range at 304, the taxi cost determination control unit 102 discards the possible taxi scenario that is not within the required time range as an unavailable taxi scenario at 306. If the possible taxi scenarios are within the desired time range at 304 (and/or taxi scenarios that are not discarded at 306), the method proceeds to 308, where the taxi cost determination control unit 102 identifies such taxi scenarios as available taxi scenarios at 308. For example, certain taxi scenarios may fail to reach the target location 203 within the time frame indicated by the flight schedule data 122 (as shown in fig. 5). For example, taxi cost determination control unit 102 may ignore a taxi scenario in which the aircraft travels 500 feet in 2 hours and discard it as unavailable. Thus, the coasting cost determination control unit 102 identifies available coasting scenarios by removing time constraints from the possible coasting scenarios.

Next, after determining the available taxi scenarios at 308, the taxi cost determination control unit 102 determines a total taxi cost for each available taxi scenario at 310. For example, the coasting cost determination control unit 102 may determine the total coasting cost for each available coasting scenario based on the following factors:

total cost of coasting is fuel cost + engine cost + maintenance cost + crew cost

Then at 312, taxi cost determination control unit 102 determines the lowest cost available taxi scenario. For example, in all available taxi scenarios, each scenario has a determined total taxi cost. The coasting cost determination control unit 102 determines the determined lowest total coasting cost as the lowest coasting cost scenario. Then, at 314, the taxi cost determination control unit 102 may output a lowest cost available taxi scenario, which may be shown on the display 104.

In at least one embodiment, the taxi cost determination control unit 102 may determine a distance and time to roll for the aircraft engine to return to idle to stop the aircraft from moving for each combination of acceleration and speed instances. Thus, the coasting cost determination control unit 102 may generate a plurality of combinations of acceleration instances, speed instances, and times. For each such triplet, the coasting cost determination control unit 102 may shorten the duration of the constant coasting speed so that the run meets the required maximum coasting time.

As described, the taxi cost determination control unit 102 is configured to determine the lowest (or minimum) cost available taxi scenario. As described herein, the taxi cost determination control unit 102 may define a cost function, such as a total taxi cost. The cost to coast determination control unit 102 may identify the dependent variable for each cost factor (e.g., thrust and time for fuel costs and engine costs, and time for maintenance costs and crew costs).

The coasting cost determination control unit 102 may also take into account boundary conditions. For example, the coasting cost determination control unit may evaluate various boundary conditions (e.g., engine warm-up, time constraints (minimum time to coast and maximum time to coast), and shutdown lines) that involve discarding certain coasting scenarios as unusable scenarios. For example, if the coasting scenario does not allow for sufficient engine warm-up, the coasting cost determination control unit 102 may discard the coasting scenario as an unavailable scenario. As another example, if a taxi scenario takes too long (e.g., exceeds a scheduled departure time), the taxi cost determination control unit 102 may discard the taxi scenario as an unavailable scenario. As another example, if the taxi scene does not account for the required stop time at the shutdown line, the taxi cost determination control unit 102 may discard the taxi scene as an unavailable scene.

As noted above, if the aircraft is taxiing quickly, the cost of growth over time may be reduced, but the fuel and engine wear costs may be increased. The coasting cost determination control unit 102 analyzes a large amount of data to determine available coasting scenarios that allow the operator to determine whether any savings resulting from fast coasting can overcome fuel costs and engine costs. In contrast, while slow coasting may save fuel costs and engine costs, the total coasting time is increased. The coasting cost determination control unit 102 determines available coasting scenarios to allow the operator to determine whether fuel costs and engine costs are overcome or made meaningless by a coasting time that is too long. In short, the coasting cost determination control unit defines a total coasting cost to account for each of the fuel cost, the engine cost, the maintenance cost, and the crew cost, thereby accounting for various costs (in at least one embodiment, the total costs) to allow for the determination of a comprehensive cost-effective coasting strategy.

Fig. 11 is a schematic diagram of a front view of the display 104 showing available taxi scenes 400a and 400b, according to an embodiment of the disclosure. In at least one embodiment, the taxiing cost determination control unit 102 may output a plurality of available taxiing scenarios (e.g., 400a and 400b) to provide the pilot with different taxiing strategy options. As shown, the available taxi scenario 400a indicates a start time of 12:00, a wait of 2 minutes at the shutdown line, and a total taxi cost. In contrast, the available taxi scenario 400b indicates a start time of 12:02, no wait at the shutdown line, and a reduction in the total cost of taxiing. Since the aircraft is idling at the gate for an additional two minutes (rather than taxiing, stopping, and re-accelerating to taxi speed), the total taxi cost for the available taxi scenario 400b is lower than the total taxi cost for the available taxi scenario 400 a. Thus, the pilot may select an available taxi scenario 400b that is superior to the available taxi scenario 400 a.

As used herein, the terms "control unit," "central processing unit," "CPU," "computer," and the like may include any processor-based or microprocessor-based system, including systems using microcontrollers, Reduced Instruction Set Computers (RISC), Application Specific Integrated Circuits (ASICs), logic circuits, and any other circuit or processor (including hardware, software, or combinations thereof) capable of executing the functions described herein. This is exemplary only, and thus is not intended to limit the definition and/or meaning of such terms in any way. For example, as described herein, taxi cost determination control unit 102 may be or include one or more processors configured to control the operations thereof.

The taxi cost determination control unit 102 is configured to execute a set of instructions stored in one or more data storage units or elements (e.g., one or more memories) in order to process the data. For example, taxi cost determination control unit 102 may include or be coupled to one or more memories. The data storage unit may also store data or other information as desired or needed. The data storage elements may be in the form of information sources or physical memory elements within the processor.

The set of instructions may include various commands that instruct the taxi cost determination control unit 102 as a processor to perform specific operations such as the methods and processes of the various embodiments of the subject matter described herein. The set of instructions may be in the form of a software program. The software may take various forms, such as system software or application software. Further, the software may be in the form of a collection of separate programs, a subset of programs within a larger program, or a portion of a program. The software may also include modular programming in the form of object-oriented programming. The processing of input data by a processing machine may be in response to a user command, or in response to the results of a previous processing, or in response to a request made by another processing machine.

The diagrams of the embodiments herein may show one or more control or processing units, such as taxi cost determination control unit 102. It should be understood that the processing or control unit may represent circuitry, or portions thereof, which may be implemented as hardware with associated instructions (e.g., software stored on a tangible, non-transitory computer readable storage medium such as a computer hard drive, ROM, RAM, etc.) that perform the operations described herein. The hardware may include state machine circuitry that is hardwired to perform the functions described herein. Alternatively, the hardware may comprise electronic circuitry that includes and/or is coupled to one or more logic-based devices, such as microprocessors, processors, controllers, and the like. Alternatively, taxi cost determination control unit 102 may represent processing circuitry such as one or more of a Field Programmable Gate Array (FPGA), an Application Specific Integrated Circuit (ASIC), a microprocessor, or the like. The circuitry in various embodiments may be configured to execute one or more algorithms to perform the functions described herein. Whether or not explicitly identified in a flowchart or a method, one or more algorithms may comprise aspects of the embodiments disclosed herein.

As used herein, the terms "software" and "firmware" are interchangeable, and include any computer program stored in a data storage unit (e.g., one or more memories) for execution by a computer, including RAM memory, ROM memory, EPROM memory, EEPROM memory, and non-volatile RAM (nvram) memory. The above data storage unit types are exemplary only, and thus, there is no limitation on the types of memory usable for storage of a computer program.

Fig. 12 is an illustration of a front perspective view of an aircraft 200 according to an exemplary embodiment of the disclosure. Aircraft 200 includes a propulsion system 512, and propulsion system 512 may include, for example, two turbofan engines 514. Alternatively, propulsion system 512 may include more engines 514 than shown. Engines 514 are carried by wings 516 of aircraft 200. In other embodiments, the engine 514 may be carried by the fuselage 518 and/or empennage 520. Empennage 520 may also support horizontal stabilizer 522 and vertical stabilizer 524. The fuselage 518 of the aircraft 200 defines an interior cabin, which may include a cockpit 530.

The size, shape, and configuration of aircraft 200 may vary from that shown in fig. 12. For example, the aircraft 200 may be a non-fixed wing aircraft, such as a helicopter. As another example, the aircraft 200 may be an Unmanned Aerial Vehicle (UAV).

Referring to fig. 1-12, embodiments of the present disclosure provide systems and methods that allow a computing device to quickly and efficiently analyze large amounts of data. For example, many aircraft 200 may be scheduled to fly between different airports on any given day. For each aircraft in an airport, there may be a large number of possible taxi scenarios. Thus, a large amount of data is tracked and analyzed. As described herein, taxi cost determination control unit 102 effectively organizes and/or analyzes large amounts of data. The coasting cost determination control unit 102 analyzes data in a relatively short time in order to output and/or display an effective route quickly and efficiently. Humans will not be able to effectively analyze such large amounts of data in such a short amount of time. Thus, embodiments of the present disclosure provide increased effective functionality over existing computing systems and have vastly superior performance over those who analyze large amounts of data. In short, embodiments of the present disclosure provide systems and methods for analyzing thousands (if not millions) of operations and calculations that cannot be efficiently, effectively, and accurately managed by humans.

As described herein, embodiments of the present disclosure provide systems and methods for determining various taxi options for an aircraft. Further, embodiments of the present disclosure provide systems and methods for providing costs for various taxi scenarios.

Although various spatial and directional terms (e.g., top, bottom, lower, middle, side, horizontal, vertical, front, etc.) may be used to describe embodiments of the present disclosure, it is understood that these terms are used only with respect to the orientations shown in the figures. These orientations may be reversed, rotated, or otherwise changed such that the upper portion is the lower portion and vice versa, horizontal becomes vertical, and so forth.

As used herein, a structure, limitation, or element that is "configured to" perform a task or operation is structurally formed, configured, or adapted, particularly in a manner that corresponds to the task or operation. For the sake of clarity and avoidance of doubt, an object that can only be modified to perform a task or operation is not "configured to" perform the task or operation as used herein.

It is to be understood that the above description is intended to be illustrative, and not restrictive. For example, the above-described embodiments (and/or aspects thereof) may be used in combination with each other. In addition, many modifications may be made to adapt a particular situation or material to the teachings of the various embodiments of the disclosure without departing from the scope thereof. While the dimensions and types of materials described herein are intended to define the parameters of the various embodiments of the disclosure, these embodiments are by no means limiting and are exemplary embodiments. Many other embodiments will be apparent to those of skill in the art upon reviewing the above description. The scope of various embodiments of the disclosure should, therefore, be determined with reference to the appended claims, along with the full scope of equivalents to which such claims are entitled. In the appended claims, the terms "including" and "in … are used as shorthand Chinese equivalents of the respective terms" comprising "and" wherein ". Furthermore, the terms "first," "second," and "third," etc. are used merely as labels, and are not intended to impose numerical requirements on their objects. Furthermore, the limitations of the appended claims are not written in a device-plus-function format, nor are they to be construed based on 35u.s.c. § 112(f), unless and until such claim limitations explicitly use the term "means for … …," followed by a functional description without further structure.

Further, the present disclosure includes embodiments according to the following clauses:

clause 1. an aircraft (200) taxi cost determination system, comprising:

a taxi cost determination control unit (102) that determines a total cost of one or more available taxi scenarios (400a,400b) of the aircraft (200) in the airport based on fuel costs, engine costs, crew costs, and maintenance costs of the one or more available taxi scenarios (400a,400 b).

Clause 2. the aircraft (200) taxiing cost determination system of clause 1, further comprising an environmental subsystem in communication with the taxiing cost determination control unit (102), wherein the environmental subsystem stores environmental data (110), and wherein the taxiing cost determination control unit (102) analyzes the environmental data (110) in determining a total cost of one or more available taxiing scenarios (400a,400 b).

Clause 3. the aircraft (200) taxi cost determination system of clause 1 or 2, further comprising a library of airport data (114) in communication with the taxi cost determination control unit (102), wherein the library of airport data (114) stores airport data (114), and wherein the taxi cost determination control unit (102) analyzes the airport data (114) in determining a total cost of one or more available taxi scenarios (400a,400 b).

Clause 4. the aircraft (200) taxi cost determination system of any of clauses 1-3, further comprising an aircraft (200) database in communication with the taxi cost determination control unit (102), wherein the aircraft (200) database stores aircraft (200) data about the aircraft (200), and wherein the taxi cost determination control unit (102) analyzes the aircraft (200) data in determining a total cost of one or more available taxi scenarios (400a,400 b).

Clause 5. the aircraft (200) taxiing cost determination system according to any of clauses 1-4, further comprising a flight scheduling subsystem in communication with the taxiing cost determination control unit (102), wherein the flight scheduling subsystem stores flight scheduling data (122) for an airport, and wherein the taxiing cost determination control unit (102) analyzes the flight scheduling data (122) in determining a total cost for one or more available taxiing scenarios (400a,400 b).

Clause 6. the aircraft (200) taxiing cost determination system according to any of clauses 1-5, wherein the taxiing cost determination control unit (102) considers the engine warm-up time (204,206,208) of the aircraft (200) in determining the total cost of the one or more available taxiing scenarios (400a,400 b).

Clause 7. the aircraft (200) taxiing cost determination system according to any one of clauses 1-6, wherein the taxiing cost determination control unit (102) considers a range of required times (204,206,208) for the aircraft (200) to take off when determining the total cost of the one or more available taxiing scenarios (400a,400 b).

Clause 8. the aircraft (200) taxi cost determination system of any of clauses 1-7, wherein the taxi cost determination control unit (102) considers the number of shut-down lines (138,140) on the taxiway (130) in determining the total cost of the one or more available taxi scenarios (400a,400 b).

Clause 9. the aircraft (200) taxi cost determination system of any of clauses 1-8, wherein the taxi cost determination control unit (102) establishes a possible taxi scenario based on one or more of the environmental data (110), taxiing data (119), aircraft (200) data, airport data (114), or flight schedule data (122).

Clause 10. the aircraft (200) taxiing cost determination system according to clause 9, wherein the taxiing cost determination control unit (102) discards one or more possible taxiing scenarios outside of the range of required times (204,206,208) as one or more unavailable taxiing scenarios (400a,400 b).

Clause 11. the aircraft (200) taxiing cost determination system according to clause 9 or 10, wherein the taxiing cost determination control unit (102) identifies one or more possible taxiing scenarios within the required time (204,206,208) as one or more available taxiing scenarios (400a,400 b).

Clause 12. the aircraft (200) taxiing cost determination system according to any of clauses 9-11, wherein the taxiing cost determination control unit (102) identifies a lowest cost available taxiing scenario (400a,400b) of the one or more available taxiing scenarios (400a,400 b).

Clause 13, a method for determining taxiing costs of an aircraft (200), comprising:

the total cost of one or more available taxi scenarios (400a,400b) of the aircraft (200) in the airport is determined by a taxi cost determination control unit (102) based on fuel costs, engine costs, crew costs and maintenance costs of the one or more available taxi scenarios (400a,400 b).

Clause 14. the aircraft (200) taxiing cost determination method of clause 13, further comprising analyzing the environmental data (110) by the taxiing cost determination control unit (102) during the determining.

Clause 15. the aircraft (200) taxi cost determination method of clause 13 or 14, further comprising analyzing the airport data (114) by the taxi cost determination control unit (102) during the determination.

Clause 16. the aircraft (200) taxi cost determination method of any of clauses 13-15, further comprising analyzing aircraft (200) data by the taxi cost determination control unit (102) during the determination.

Clause 17. the aircraft (200) taxiing cost determination method according to any one of clauses 13-16, further comprising analyzing, by the taxiing cost determination control unit (102), the flight schedule data (122) during the determination.

Clause 18. the aircraft (200) taxiing cost determination method according to any one of clauses 13-17, further comprising: one or more of an engine warm-up time (204, 206) of the aircraft (200), a required time (204,206,208) range for which takeoff of the aircraft (200) is required, or a number of shut-down lines (138,140) on the taxiway (130) are considered by the taxi cost determination control unit (102) during the determination.

Clause 19. the aircraft (200) taxiing cost determination method according to any one of clauses 13-18, wherein the determining includes:

establishing a possible taxi scenario based on one or more of environmental data (110), taxiing data (119), aircraft (200) data, airport data (114), or flight schedule data (122);

discarding one or more possible taxi scenarios outside the range of required times (204,206,208) as one or more unavailable taxi scenarios (400a,400 b);

identifying one or more possible taxi scenarios within the required time (204,206,208) as one or more available taxi scenarios (400a,400 b); and

a lowest cost available taxi scenario (400a,400b) of the one or more available taxi scenarios (400a,400b) is determined.

Clause 20. an aircraft (200) taxi cost determination system, comprising:

a taxi cost determination control unit (102) that determines a total cost of the one or more available taxi scenarios (400a,400b) of the aircraft (200) in the airport based on the fuel costs, the engine costs, the crew costs, and the maintenance costs of the one or more available taxi scenarios (400a,400b), wherein in determining the total cost of the one or more available taxi scenarios (400a,400b), the taxi cost determination control unit (102) takes into account an engine warm-up time (204,206,208) of the aircraft (200), a range of required times (204,206,208) for the aircraft (200) to take off, and a number of aircraft stops (138,140) on the taxiway (130);

an environmental subsystem in communication with the taxi cost determination control unit (102), wherein the environmental subsystem stores environmental data (110), wherein the taxi cost determination control unit (102) analyzes the environmental data (110) in determining a total cost of one or more available taxi scenarios (400a,400 b);

a repository of airport data (114) in communication with the taxi cost determination control unit (102), wherein the repository of airport data (114) stores airport data (114), wherein the taxi cost determination control unit (102) analyzes the airport data (114) in determining a total cost of one or more available taxi scenarios (400a,400 b);

an aircraft (200) database in communication with the taxiing cost determination control unit (102), wherein the aircraft (200) database stores aircraft (200) data about the aircraft (200), wherein the taxiing cost determination control unit (102) analyzes the aircraft (200) data in determining a total cost of one or more available taxiing scenarios (400a,400 b);

a flight scheduling subsystem in communication with the taxi cost determination control unit (102), wherein the flight scheduling subsystem stores flight scheduling data (122) for the airport, wherein the taxi cost determination control unit (102) analyzes the flight scheduling data (122) in determining a total cost of the one or more available taxi scenarios (400a,400 b).

Clause 21. the aircraft (200) taxiing cost determination system according to clause 20, wherein the taxiing cost determination control unit (102):

establishing a possible taxi scenario from one or more of environmental data (110), aircraft (200) data, airport data (114), or flight schedule data (122),

discarding one or more possible taxi scenarios outside the range of required times (204,206,208) as one or more unavailable taxi scenarios (400a,400b),

identifying one or more possible taxi scenarios within the range of the required time (204,206,208) as one or more available taxi scenarios (400a,400b), and

a lowest cost available taxi scenario (400a,400b) of the one or more available taxi scenarios (400a,400b) is identified.

This written description uses examples to disclose various embodiments of the disclosure, including the best mode, and also to enable any person skilled in the art to practice various embodiments of the disclosure, including making and using any devices or systems and performing any incorporated methods. The patentable scope of the various embodiments of the disclosure is defined by the claims, and may include other examples that occur to those skilled in the art. Such other examples are intended to be within the scope of the claims if they have structural elements that do not differ from the literal language of the claims, or if they include equivalent structural elements with insubstantial differences from the literal languages of the claims.