阅读说明：本技术 确定航空器的料消耗域的方法和装置、程序及显示系统 (Method and device for determining the material consumption field of an aircraft, program and display system ) 是由 弗洛朗·曼尼切特 泽维尔·塞旺提 丹尼尔·豪雷特 于 2020-02-14 设计创作，主要内容包括：本发明涉及确定航空器的料消耗域的方法和装置、程序及显示系统。用于确定航空器的至少一个燃料消耗域(14)的方法由电子装置来实施。它包括获取作为高度(ALT)和推进变量(PROP)的函数的飞行包线。对于至少一个飞行阶段,该方法包括以下步骤：根据高度和推进变量计算消耗极限曲线(26),该消耗极限曲线对应于针对所述飞行阶段的预测平均消耗；以及从飞行包线和极限曲线根据高度和推进变量确定消耗域,该消耗域包括低于针对所述飞行阶段的预测消耗的第一消耗子域(28)和高于所述预测消耗的第二消耗子域(29),第一子域和第二子域由极限曲线分开。(The invention relates to a method and a device for determining a material consumption field of an aircraft, a program and a display system. The method for determining at least one fuel consumption field (14) of an aircraft is carried out by an electronic device. It involves acquiring the flight envelope as a function of Altitude (ALT) and propulsion variables (PROP). For at least one flight phase, the method comprises the steps of: calculating a consumption limit curve (26) from the altitude and the propulsion variables, the consumption limit curve corresponding to a predicted average consumption for the flight phase; and determining from the flight envelope and the limit curve a consumption field as a function of altitude and propulsion variables, the consumption field comprising a first consumption sub-field (28) below a predicted consumption for the flight phase and a second consumption sub-field (29) above the predicted consumption, the first and second sub-fields being separated by the limit curve.)

1. A method for determining at least one fuel consumption domain (14) of an aircraft (12), the method being implemented by an electronic determination device (20) and comprising the steps of:

-obtaining (100) a flight envelope (24) of the aircraft (12), the flight envelope (24) being a function of the Altitude (ALT) and of a propulsion variable (PROP) of the aircraft (12),

the method is characterized in that: for at least one respective flight phase, the method further comprises the steps of:

-calculating (110) a fuel consumption limit curve (26) as a function of said Altitude (ALT) and said propulsion variable (PROP), said consumption limit curve (26) corresponding to an average consumption predicted for said flight phase; and

-determining (120), from the flight envelope (24) and the consumption limit curve (26), the fuel consumption domain (14) as a function of the Altitude (ALT) and the propulsion variable (PROP), comprising a first consumption sub-domain (28) below a predicted consumption for the flight phase and a second consumption sub-domain (29) above the predicted consumption, the first and second consumption sub-domains (28, 29) being separated by the consumption limit curve (26).

2. The method according to claim 1, wherein the method further comprises the step (130) of: displaying the fuel consumption field (14) determined for the flight phase on a display screen (18).

3. The method of claim 2, wherein during the determining step (120), a symbol (54) representing the instantaneous consumption of the aircraft (12) is also determined for display on the fuel consumption domain (14).

4. Method according to claim 2, wherein, during said determining step (120), at least one isoconsumption curve (60) is also determined for display on said fuel consumption domain (14), each isoconsumption curve (60) corresponding to an average consumption for a flight phase duration modified with respect to the duration considered for calculating said consumption limit curve (26).

5. Method according to claim 4, wherein the time variation between the modified duration for the respective consumption curve and the duration considered for calculating the consumption limit curve (26) is a multiple of a five minute interval.

6. Method according to claim 2, wherein, during the determination step (120), when the propulsion variable (PROP) is the speed (V) of the aircraft (12), at least one isoenergy curve (65) is also determined for display on the fuel consumption domain (14), each isoenergy curve (65) representing the evolution of the speed (V) as a function of the Altitude (ALT) at constant total energy.

7. The method of claim 2, wherein the determining step (120) further comprises: detecting the presence of a no-fly zone (60) for a range of Altitude (ALT) and/or propulsion variable (PROP) values for display on the fuel consumption domain (14).

8. Method according to claim 1, wherein, during the calculation step (110), the consumption limit curve (26) is calculated via the intersection of a modeled consumption surface (50) of the aircraft (12) with a reference consumption surface (52) of the flight phase.

9. The method of claim 8, wherein the modeled consumption profile (50) is predefined and the estimated consumption is associated with each propulsion variable (PROP) and Altitude (ALT) of a flight envelope (24) of the aircraft (12).

10. The method of claim 8, wherein the reference consumption level (52) is a function of the predicted fuel quantity for the flight phase and the predicted duration of the flight phase.

11. The method of claim 10, wherein the reference consumption level (52) is a level corresponding to constant consumption, equal to the predicted fuel quantity divided by the predicted duration.

12. Method according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the propulsion variable (PROP) is selected from the group consisting of: a speed of the aircraft (12) and an engine power of the aircraft (12).

13. A computer readable medium comprising a computer program comprising software instructions which, when executed by a computer, perform the method according to claim 1 or 2.

14. An electronic device (20) for determining at least one fuel consumption domain (14) of an aircraft (12), the device (20) comprising:

an acquisition module (30) configured to acquire a flight envelope (24) of the aircraft (12), the flight envelope (24) being a function of the Altitude (ALT) and of a propulsion variable (PROP) of the aircraft (12),

the method is characterized in that: the electronic device (20) further comprises:

-a calculation module (32) configured to calculate, for at least one respective flight phase, a fuel consumption limit curve (26) as a function of said Altitude (ALT) and said propulsion variable (PROP), said consumption limit curve (26) corresponding to an average consumption predicted for said flight phase; and

-a determination module (34) configured to determine, for said at least one respective flight phase, a fuel consumption domain (14) from said flight envelope (24) and said consumption limit curve (26) as a function of said Altitude (ALT) and said propulsion variable (PROP), said fuel consumption domain (14) comprising a first consumption sub-domain (28) lower than a predicted consumption for said flight phase and a second consumption sub-domain (29) higher than said predicted consumption, said first and second consumption sub-domains (28, 29) being separated by said consumption limit curve (26).

15. An electronic display system (10) for an aircraft (12), the system (10) comprising:

-a display screen (18);

-electronic means (20) for determining at least one fuel consumption domain (14) of the aircraft (12); and

-at least one module (22) for displaying on said display screen (18) the fuel consumption fields (14) of at least one respective flight phase,

the method is characterized in that: the device (20) is a device according to claim 14.

[ technical field ] A method for producing a semiconductor device

The invention relates to a method for determining at least one fuel consumption field of an aircraft, which is carried out by an electronic determination device.

The invention also relates to a computer-readable medium comprising a computer program comprising software instructions which, when executed by a computer, implement such a determination method.

The invention also relates to an electronic device for determining at least one fuel consumption domain of an aircraft and an electronic display system comprising such a determination device.

[ background of the invention ]

The present invention relates to the field of systems for displaying consumption data of an aircraft, these systems being preferably suitable for embedding in an aircraft, in particular in an aircraft cockpit.

The consumption of the aircraft depends on the altitude. In fact, aerodynamic friction decreases with height, and then consumption decreases. The consumption of an aircraft is also dependent on propulsion variables of the aircraft, such as speed (e.g., airspeed) or engine power of the aircraft.

Thus, when the aircraft is in a flight phase that does not follow a predetermined trajectory (that is to say a flight phase without a predetermined flight plan), it is difficult for the pilot to manage the consumption. In order to manage such a flight phase, the pilot must then estimate the time he can fly at a given altitude from the fuel quantity predicted for that flight phase. The pilot usually mentions the time of flight, which expression refers to what can be done with the amount of fuel dispensed for this flight phase.

However, this estimation requires the pilot to perform complex mental calculations, which are highly demanding in terms of cognitive resources. These calculations are also generally approximate, thus resulting, for example, in the pilot having to suddenly shorten the flight phase when the aircraft has consumed all the fuel allocated to that phase.

[ summary of the invention ]

It is therefore an object of the present invention to propose a method and an electronic device for determining at least one fuel consumption domain of an aircraft, which allow a pilot to more easily anticipate the fuel consumption of the aircraft during at least one flight phase in which the aircraft does not follow a predetermined trajectory (that is to say a flight phase in which there is no predetermined flight plan), and then to improve the safety of the flight.

To this end, the invention relates to a method for determining at least one fuel consumption domain of an aircraft, the method being implemented by an electronic determination device and comprising the following steps:

-obtaining a flight envelope of the aircraft, the flight envelope being a function of the altitude and of the propulsion variables of the aircraft; and

for at least one respective flight phase, the method comprises the following steps:

-calculating a fuel consumption limit curve from the altitude and the propulsion variables, the consumption limit curve corresponding to the average consumption predicted for the flight phase; and

-determining from the flight envelope and the consumption limit curve a fuel consumption field as a function of altitude and propulsion variables, the fuel consumption field comprising a first consumption sub-field lower than a predicted consumption for said flight phase and a second consumption sub-field higher than said predicted consumption, the first and second consumption sub-fields being separated by a consumption limit curve.

Thus, determining from the flight envelope and the consumption limit curve the fuel consumption field with a first consumption sub-field at which the consumption is predicted and a second consumption sub-field above said predicted consumption allows the pilot to more easily determine whether the instantaneous consumption of the aircraft is below or indeed above the predicted consumption for the flight phase in which the aircraft does not follow the predetermined trajectory.

In particular, the pilot can easily determine whether the symbol representing the instantaneous consumption of the aircraft is in the first subdomain, which then means that the instantaneous consumption of the aircraft coincides with the predicted consumption or in an inferred manner with the predicted fuel quantity within said flight phase depending on the instantaneous altitude and the propulsion variables of the aircraft, or the pilot can easily determine whether said symbol is instead in the second subdomain, which then means that the pilot must act on the altitude and/or the propulsion variables of the aircraft in order to reduce the consumption of the aircraft in order to respect the predicted consumption of said flight phase.

According to other advantageous aspects of the invention, the determination method comprises one or more of the following features, considered alone or according to all technically possible combinations:

-the method further comprises the steps of: displaying the fuel consumption domain determined for the flight phase on a display screen;

-during the determination step, also determining a symbol representative of the instantaneous consumption of the aircraft, to be displayed on the fuel consumption domain;

during the determination step, at least one isoconsumption curve is also determined, for display on the fuel consumption domain, each isoconsumption curve corresponding to the average consumption of a flight phase duration modified with respect to the duration considered for calculating the consumption limit curve,

the time variation between the modified duration of the respective isoconsumption curve and the duration considered for calculating the consumption limit curve is preferably a multiple of five minute intervals;

-during the determination step, when the propulsion variable is the speed of the aircraft, also determining at least one isoenergy curve, for display on the fuel consumption domain, each isoenergy curve representing the evolution of the speed as a function of the altitude at constant total energy;

-the determining step further comprises: detecting the presence of a no-fly zone of a range of altitude and/or propulsion variable values for display on the fuel consumption domain;

-calculating, during the calculating step, a consumption limit curve via the intersection of the modeled consumption surface of the aircraft with the reference consumption surface of the flight phase,

the modeled consumption profile is preferably predefined and associates the estimated consumption with each propulsion variable and altitude of the flight envelope of the aircraft,

the reference consumption surface is preferably a function of the predicted fuel quantity for the flight phase and the predicted duration of the flight phase,

the reference consumption level is also preferably a level corresponding to a constant consumption equal to the predicted quantity of fuel divided by the predicted duration;

-the propulsion variable is selected from the group consisting of: the speed of the aircraft (such as the airspeed) and the engine power of the aircraft; and

the pilot may configure the predicted fuel quantity and/or the predicted duration of the flight phase.

The invention also relates to a computer-readable medium comprising a computer program comprising software instructions which, when executed by a computer, implement the determination method as defined above.

The invention also relates to an electronic device for determining at least one fuel consumption domain of an aircraft, the device comprising:

-an acquisition module configured to acquire a flight envelope of the aircraft, the flight envelope being a function of the altitude and of the propulsion variables of the aircraft;

-a calculation module configured to calculate, for at least one respective flight phase, a fuel consumption limit curve as a function of altitude and of the propulsion variables, the consumption limit curve corresponding to the average consumption predicted for said flight phase; and

-a determination module configured to determine, for said at least one respective flight phase, a fuel consumption field from the flight envelope and the consumption limit curve as a function of altitude and propulsion variables, the fuel consumption field comprising a first consumption sub-field lower than the predicted consumption for said flight phase and a second consumption sub-field higher than said predicted consumption, the first and second consumption sub-fields being separated by a consumption limit curve.

The invention also relates to an electronic display system for an aircraft, the system comprising:

-a display screen;

-means for determining at least one fuel consumption domain of the aircraft, the determining means being as defined above; and

-at least one module for displaying on a display screen the fuel consumption field of at least one respective flight phase.

[ description of the drawings ]

These characteristics and advantages of the invention will appear more clearly on reading the following description, which is provided purely by way of non-limiting example and made with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which:

fig. 1 is a schematic view of an electronic display system according to the invention, comprising a display screen, means for determining at least one fuel consumption field of an aircraft and a module for displaying the fuel consumption field on the screen;

FIG. 2 is a schematic diagram of the fuel consumption domain determined by the determination means of FIG. 1;

FIG. 3 is a schematic illustration of a model consumption surface and a reference consumption surface of a flight phase of an aircraft for calculating a consumption limit curve separating a first sub-domain and a second sub-domain of the consumption domain of FIG. 2;

FIG. 4 is a view similar to the view of FIG. 2, illustrating a shift of the depletion limit curve due to an under-depletion situation, which shift then leads to an increase of the surface of the first sub-region relative to the surface of the second sub-region;

FIG. 5 is a schematic diagram illustrating a prohibited flight envelope taking into account ranges of altitude and/or propulsion variable values, the prohibited flight domain being displayed on the fuel consumption domain;

FIG. 6 is a schematic illustration of two phases of flight displayed by the display system of FIG. 1 and their successive fuel consumption fields during flight of the aircraft, the flight being depicted by a timeline; and

fig. 7 is a flow chart of a method according to the invention for determining at least one fuel consumption domain of an aircraft, which method is carried out by the determination device of fig. 1.

[ detailed description ] embodiments

In fig. 1, an electronic display system 10 is configured to display flight information of an aircraft 12, specifically at least one fuel consumption domain 14.

The electronic display system 10 includes a display screen 18, electronics 20 for determining at least one fuel consumption domain 14 of the aircraft 12, and an electronic display module 22. An electronic display module 22 is coupled on the one hand to the display screen 18 and on the other hand to the electronic determination means 20.

The aircraft 12 is, for example, an airplane, as shown in fig. 6, wherein the aircraft symbol 23 depicting the aircraft 12 is in the shape of an airplane. In a variant, the aircraft 12 is a helicopter. Also in a variant, the aircraft 12 is a drone remotely piloted by the pilot.

Each fuel consumption domain 14 is determined for a respective flight phase of the flight of the aircraft 12 (preferably a flight phase for which the aircraft 12 does not follow a predetermined trajectory, that is to say a flight phase for which there is no predetermined flight plan).

Each fuel consumption domain 14 is a function of the altitude ALT and the propulsion variable PROP of the aircraft 12 and is determined from the flight domain 24 and the consumption limit curve 26.

Each fuel consumption domain 14 comprises a first consumption C subfield 28 below the predicted consumption for the corresponding flight phase and a second consumption C subfield 29 above the predicted consumption for said flight phase, the first and second consumption subfields 28, 29 being separated by a consumption limit curve 26.

The altitude ALT of the aircraft 12 is typically expressed in feet, also denoted as ft.

The propulsion variable PROP is selected from the group consisting of: a speed V of the aircraft 12 (such as an airspeed) and an engine power of the aircraft 12. In the example of fig. 3, the propulsion variable PROP is the speed V of the aircraft 12, for example the airspeed of the aircraft, and is generally expressed in knots, also denoted kt.

The consumption C of the aircraft 12 (whether it relates to estimated consumption or instantaneous consumption) is typically expressed in liters/hour, also denoted L/h.

The electronic determination device 20 is configured to determine at least one fuel consumption domain 14 of the aircraft 12 and comprises an acquisition module 30, a calculation module 32 and a determination module 34.

In the example of fig. 1, the electronic determination device 20 comprises an information processing unit 40, which is constituted, for example, by a memory 42 and a processor 44 associated with the memory 42.

In the example of fig. 1, the acquisition module 30, the calculation module 32, and the determination module 34 are each made in the form of software executable by the processor 44 or additional software. The memory 42 of the electronic determination device 20 can then store the acquisition software, the calculation software and the determination software. Processor 44 can then execute each of the software applications from the acquisition software, the calculation software, and the determination software.

In a variant not shown, the acquisition module 30, the calculation module 32 and the determination module 34 are each made in the form of a programmable logic component, such as an FPGA (field programmable gate array), or in the form of an application-specific integrated circuit, such as an ASIC (application-specific integrated circuit).

When the electronic determination means 20 is made in the form of one or several software programs, i.e. in the form of a computer program, it can also be stored on a computer-readable medium, not shown. The computer readable medium is, for example, a medium suitable for storing electronic instructions and capable of being coupled to a bus of a computer system. By way of example, the readable media is an optical disk, magneto-optical disk, ROM, RAM, any type of non-volatile memory (e.g., EPROM, EEPROM, FLASH, NVRAM), magnetic or optical card. A computer program comprising software instructions is then stored on the readable medium.

The electronic display module 22 is configured to display each fuel consumption field 14 determined by the electronic determination means 20 on the display screen 18. The electronic display module 22 is known per se.

The acquisition module 30 is configured to acquire a flight envelope 24 of the aircraft, the flight envelope 24 being a function of the altitude ALT and the propulsion variable PROP of the aircraft 12. The flight envelope 24 is typically predefined by the manufacturer of the aircraft 12 for each respective aircraft 12. The flight envelope 24 is typically stored in a database, not shown.

The calculation module 32 is configured to calculate, for at least one respective flight phase, a fuel consumption limit curve 26 as a function of the altitude ALT and the propulsion variable PROP, which consumption limit curve 26 corresponds to the average consumption predicted for said flight phase.

The calculation module 32 is configured, for example, to calculate the consumption limit curve 26 via the intersection of a modeled consumption surface 50 of the aircraft 12 and a reference consumption surface 52 of the flight phase, as shown in fig. 3.

The determination module 34 is configured to determine, for the at least one respective flight phase, from the flight envelope 24 and the consumption limit curve 26, a fuel consumption domain 14 as a function of the altitude ALT and the propulsion variable PROP, which fuel consumption domain 14, as previously described, comprises a first consumption C subfield 28 below the predicted consumption for the flight phase and a second consumption C subfield 29 above the predicted consumption, the first consumption subfield 28 and the second consumption subfield 29 being separated by the consumption limit curve 26.

As an optional addition, the determination module 34 is also configured to determine a symbol 54 representative of the instantaneous consumption C of the aircraft 12, which symbol 54 is suitable for display on the fuel consumption domain 14, as shown in fig. 2 to 6.

As a further optional addition, the determination module 34 is also configured to determine a first pointer 56 representing the instantaneous altitude ALT of the aircraft 12 and a second pointer 58 representing the instantaneous propulsion variable PROP of the aircraft 12, as shown in fig. 2 and 4 to 6. The skilled artisan will then appreciate that the first and second pointers 56, 58 are associated with the representative symbol 54 in that they indicate the instantaneous elevation ALT and instantaneous advance variable PROP values that result in the instantaneous consumption C represented by the representative symbol 54 in the fuel consumption domain 14.

As a further optional addition, the determination module 34 is further configured to determine at least one isoconsumption curve 60, each isoconsumption curve 60 being adapted to be displayed on a corresponding fuel consumption curve 14. Each isoconsumption curve 60 corresponds to the average consumption of the flight phase duration modified with respect to the flight phase duration considered for calculating the consumption limit curves 26.

As shown in fig. 2 and 5, in which the isoconsumption curves 60 are shown in dashed lines, the time change between the modified duration for the respective isoconsumption curve 60 and the duration considered for calculating the consumption limit curve 26 is preferably a multiple of a five minute interval. In the example of fig. 2 and 5, three separate isoconsumption curves 60 are shown, namely a first isoconsumption curve 60 associated with the indication "T + 5" and corresponding to an average consumption of the duration of the flight phases increased by 5 minutes with respect to the duration of the flight phases considered for calculating the consumption limit curve 26; a second equiprobable curve 60, associated with the indication "T-5" and corresponding to an average consumption of the duration of the flight phases, reduced by 5 minutes with respect to the duration of the flight phases considered for calculating the consumption limit curve 26; and a third isoconsumption curve 60, associated with the indication "T-10" and corresponding to the average consumption of the duration of the flight phases, reduced by 10 minutes with respect to the duration of the flight phases considered for calculating the consumption limit curve 26.

As a further optional addition, when the propulsion variable PROP is the speed V of the aircraft 12, the determination module 34 is also configured to determine at least one isoenergy curve 65, each isoenergy curve 65 being suitable for being displayed on a corresponding fuel consumption domain 14 and representing the evolution of the speed V as a function of the altitude ALT with constant total energy.

Constant total energy means that the total energy, that is to say the sum of kinetic energy (related to the velocity V) and potential energy (related to the height ALT) does not change, but allows a change in kinetic energy and potential energy.

In other words, in order to have such a constant total energy, the increase in kinetic energy caused by the increase in velocity V will be offset by a decrease in potential energy, which implies a decrease in height ALT. This illustrates the general appearance of the iso-energy curves 65, shown in dashed lines in the example of fig. 2, 5 and 6, wherein along each iso-energy curve 65 the height ALT decreases as the propulsion variable PROP increases, which takes into account that the propulsion variable PROP is in this case the speed V.

Conversely, in order to have such a constant total energy, the decrease in kinetic energy caused by the decrease in velocity V will be offset by an increase in potential energy, which implies an increase in height ALT.

These isoenergy curves 65 then make it possible to determine the altitude to which the aircraft can climb without increasing the total energy of the aircraft.

As a further optional addition, the determination module 34 is also configured to dynamically update the fuel consumption field 14, in particular the first and second consumption sub-fields 28, 29 and the consumption limit curve 26, as an optional addition, as well as the position of the representative symbol 54. In other words, the determination module 34 is also configured to regularly determine the fuel consumption domain 14 during the respective flight phase, in particular from a previous value of the consumption C of the aircraft 12 during this flight phase.

The skilled person will then understand that if the symbol 54 representing the instantaneous consumption is in the first subdomain 28 at a distance from the fuel consumption limit curve 26, that is to say if the aircraft 12 is under-configured for the respective flight phase, this tends to increase the expansion of the first subdomain 28 relative to the expansion of the second subdomain 29, that is to say, in the examples of fig. 2 and 4 to 6, to bring the fuel consumption limit curve 26 closer to the lower right corner. In fig. 2 and 4 to 6, the lowest elevation ALT and advance variable PROP values correspond to the bottom of the elevation scale ALT and the left side of the advance variable scale PROP, respectively. Conversely, if the representative symbol 54 is in the second subdomain 29 at a distance from the fuel consumption limit curve 26, that is to say if the aircraft 12 is in an overconsumption configuration in the respective flight phase, this tends to increase the expansion of the second subdomain 29 relative to the expansion of the first subdomain 28, that is to say in the example of fig. 2 and 4 to 6, the fuel consumption limit curve 26 is brought closer to the upper left corner. Finally, if the representative symbol 54 is on the fuel consumption limit curve 26, that is to say if the consumption C of the aircraft 12 corresponds to the predicted consumption for the flight phase, the first and second subregions 28, 29 and the consumption limit curve 26 are not changed.

Also optionally, in addition, the determination module 34 is also configured to detect whether there is at least one no-fly zone 70 for a range of values of the altitude ALT and/or the propulsion variable PROP, each no-fly zone 70 being adapted to be further displayed on the fuel consumption domain 14, as shown in fig. 5.

In the example of fig. 5, two separate no-fly zones 70 are shown, each in the form of a cross-hatched area. In the example of fig. 5, the first no-fly zone 70 corresponds to a range of low altitude values ALT and any propulsion variable values PROP of the aircraft 12; and the second no-fly zone 70 corresponds to a range of higher elevation values ALT and any propulsion variable value PROP.

As a further optional addition, the determination module 34 is further configured to determine from the acquired flight envelope 24 an area outside the flight envelope 75. In the examples of fig. 2 and 4 to 6, the region outside the flight zone 75 is a dark region outside the fuel consumption zone 14.

As another optional addition, the determination module 34 is further configured to determine a history of the continuous fuel consumption limit curve 26, then in addition to displaying the current fuel consumption limit curve 26_CIn addition, it is also suitable for displaying the previous fuel consumption limit curve 26 on the fuel consumption field 14_PAs shown in fig. 4. In the example of FIG. 4, the previous fuel consumption limit curve 26_PShown as a broken line (or hybrid line), and the current fuel consumption limit curve 26_CShown in solid lines.

The skilled person will note that this example of fig. 4 is for the current fuel consumption limit curve 26_CCorresponding to the curve 26 relating to the previous fuel consumption limit_PAn under-consumption configuration of the associated previous condition. In fact, corresponding to the previous fuel consumption limit curve 26_PHas a first sub-zone 28 which thereafter corresponds to the current fuel consumption limit curve 26_CSuch that a change in the fuel consumption limit curve 26 causes an increase in the extent of the first sub-zone 28, which increase reflects a lower consumption.

The modeled consumption surface 50 is preferably predefined, and associates the estimated consumption C with each of the propulsion variables PROP and altitude ALT of the flight envelope 24 of the aircraft 12,

the modeled consumption surface 50 is formed experimentally, for example by consumption measurements for different pairs of propulsion variables PROP and altitude ALT values, or from equations provided by the manufacturer of the aircraft 12.

Reference consumption level 52 is preferably a function of the predicted fuel quantity for said flight phase and the predicted duration of said flight phase,

in the example of fig. 3, the reference consumption level 52 is a level corresponding to a constant consumption C and is equal to the predicted amount of fuel divided by the predicted duration.

As an optional addition, the pilot of the aircraft 12 may configure the predicted fuel quantity and/or the predicted duration of the flight phase. The skilled person will then understand that a change in the predicted fuel quantity and/or a change in the predicted duration modifies the fuel consumption limit curve 26 and thus the extent, i.e. the surface, of each of the first and second consumption sub-regions 28, 29.

In particular, an increase in the predicted duration or a decrease in the predicted fuel quantity leads to a decrease in the expansion of the first subfield 28 and, as a corollary, to an increase in the expansion of the second subfield 29. Conversely, a reduction in the prediction duration or an increase in the predicted fuel quantity leads to an increase in the expansion of the first subfield 28 and, as a corollary, to a reduction in the expansion of the second subfield 29.

According to a further aspect, the electronic determination device 20 according to the invention is configured to determine several successive fuel consumption domains 14 during the flight of the aircraft 12, each fuel consumption domain 14 being associated with a respective flight phase, as shown in fig. 6.

According to this further aspect, the electronic determination device 20 is then configured to calculate, for each respective flight phase, a respective fuel consumption limit curve 26 via its calculation module 32, and then to determine, via its determination module 34 and from the flight domain 24 and the calculated consumption limit curve 26, the respective fuel consumption domain 14.

In the example of FIG. 6, timeline 80 shows a flight with a first flight phase having a first predicted duration T_AAnd the second flight phase has a second predicted duration T_B. Also shown in FIG. 6 is a fuel gauge having a first predicted fuel quantity Q for a first flight phase_ASecond predicted fuel quantity Q for a second flight phase_BAnd a safety reserve R of fuel which makes it possible to ensure a safe landing of the aircraft 12. The electronic determination device 20 is then configured to calculate a first fuel consumption limit curve 26_AThen a first fuel consumption domain 14 is determined_AThen determining the subdomains 28_A、29_AAnd any associated isovolumetric curve 60 for the first flight phase_ASum isoenergy curve 65_AE.g. in particular according to the first predicted duration T_AAnd a first predicted fuel quantity Q_ATo be determined. The electronic determination means 20 are (subsequently or in parallel) configured to calculate a second fuel consumption limit curve 26_BThen determining the first fuel consumptionDomain 14_BThen determining the subdomains 28_B、29_BAnd any associated isovolumetric profile of the second flight phase, e.g. in particular according to the second predicted duration T_BAnd a second predicted fuel quantity Q_BTo be determined. The display module 22 is then configured to display the different aforementioned elements for the first flight phase and the second flight phase on the display screen 18.

The operation of the electronic determination means 20 will now be explained using fig. 7, fig. 7 showing a flow chart of a method according to the invention for determining at least one fuel consumption domain 14 of an aircraft 12, which method is implemented by the determination means 20.

During an initial step 100, the determination device 20 acquires, via its acquisition module 30, the flight envelope 24 of the aircraft 12.

Then, for at least one respective flight phase and for each respective flight phase (if applicable), the determination means 20, via its calculation module 32 and in a subsequent step 110, calculate a respective fuel consumption limit curve 26 as a function of the altitude ALT and of the propulsion variable PROP; then, during step 120 and via its determination module 34, the respective fuel consumption domain 14 is determined according to the flight envelope acquired during step 100 and the respective consumption limit curve 26 calculated during step 110.

Finally, the display module 22 displays the fuel consumption field 14 or each fuel consumption field 14 determined by the determination means 20 during steps 100 to 120 on the display screen 18 for at least one respective flight phase and for each respective flight phase (if applicable).

Thus, with the electronic determination device 20 and the associated determination method according to the invention, the pilot can easily determine whether the instantaneous consumption of the aircraft 12 corresponds to the first sub-field 28, which means that the instantaneous consumption of the aircraft corresponds to the predicted consumption or in an inferred manner to the predicted fuel quantity within the flight phase depending on the instantaneous altitude ALT and the propulsion variable PROP of the aircraft 12, or conversely, the pilot can easily determine whether the instantaneous consumption of the aircraft 12 corresponds to the second sub-field 29, which then means that the pilot must act on the altitude ALT and/or the propulsion variable PROP of the aircraft 12 in order to reduce the consumption of the aircraft 12 in order to comply with the predicted consumption of the flight phase.

In other words, the fuel consumption domain 14 determined by the determination device 20 according to the invention makes it possible to easily distinguish between the two consumption sub-domains 28, 29 separated by the limit curve 26: one subfield that is favorable (i.e. the first subfield 28) and the other subfield 29 that is unfavorable (i.e. the second subfield). The advantageous first sub-domain 28 shows a set of altitude ALT and propulsion variable PROP configurations in which the aircraft 12 can evolve while maintaining its consumption goals. In contrast, the disadvantageous second subdomain 29 shows a set of configurations of the altitude ALT and of the propulsion variable PROP, which are simultaneously the configuration of the flight envelope 24, in which the aircraft 12 does not comply with the consumption targets of its flight phase under consideration.

Advantageously, the symbol 54 shows the altitude ALT and the propulsion variable PROP configuration of the aircraft 12 in real time, that is to say the instantaneous altitude ALT and the propulsion variable PROP configuration of the aircraft 12. The consumption limit curve 26 also evolves dynamically according to the consumption history of the aircraft 12: if the symbol 54 stays on the consumption limit curve 26, the subfields 28, 29 are unchanged; if the aircraft 12 is in an under-depleted state within the flight phase under consideration, the first vantage sub-domain 28 is expanded; and if the aircraft 12 is in an overconsumption state during the flight phase under consideration, the second adverse sub-area 29 expands and the pilot must then react accordingly.

Also advantageously, the pilot can dynamically configure the duration and amount of fuel allocated to the flight phase or mission in question. The amount of fuel may be the amount allocated to the task in progress, the total amount of fuel or the total amount minus the amount of fuel allocated to the next task. The pilot can also configure the next flight phase in the same way, which will modify his flight in progress.

Also advantageously, the isochronic profile 60 allows the pilot to easily configure different altitude ALT and propulsion variable PROP configurations, which will allow time to be saved or wasted relative to the initial predicted duration. The values of these gains and, correspondingly, these losses are also signaled via a time indication, such as "T + 5" or "T + 10" and, correspondingly, "T-5" or "T-10".

Advantageously, moreover, the isoenergy curves 65 make it possible to easily pass from the overconsumption zone (i.e. the second sub-zone 29) to the reduced consumption zone (i.e. the first sub-zone 28) simply by increasing and decreasing the speed following these isoenergy curves 65. In other words, this allows the pilot to determine how to reach this first subdomain 28 by minimizing the consumption during the transition period towards the first favourably reduced consumption subdomain 28, in the present case by reducing the kinetic energy (favourably increasing the potential energy) at a constant total energy.

It is also advantageous to determine the area to be avoided, i.e. the forbidden area 60, for example, with the indicated altitude limit (no-fly zone) and minimum speed limit.

It can be seen that the determination method and the electronic determination means 20 according to the invention make it easier for the pilot to anticipate the fuel consumption of the aircraft 12 (in particular during each flight phase in which the aircraft 12 does not follow a predetermined trajectory), and then to improve the safety of the flight.