Controller for an aircraft tracker

• US 10,030,995 B2
• Filed: 09/18/2015
• Issued: 07/24/2018
• Est. Priority Date: 08/21/2015
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: The Boeing Co.
• Original Assignee: The Boeing Co.
• Inventors: Adler, Charles Otis, Eigle, Ted, Richards, William Raymond, Murphy, Timothy Allen, Roberson, John Harvey, Thalakottur, Thomas Jose, Fricks, Ricardo Messias, Khalil, Fadl Ibrahim, Walstrom, Steven Mark, Holton, Daniel Bruce, Turner, Jessie, Jackson, Timothy Edward
• Primary Examiner(s): Antonucci, Anne M
• Assistant Examiner(s): Malhotra, Sanjeev
• Application Number:
  US14/858,235
• Publication Number:
  US 20170082455A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,040 Days
• Field of Search: 244 1 R, 2441181, 244 2, 342 29, 342 52, 342107, 342162, 34235731, 34081545, 340945, 382103, 345467, 345632
• CPC Class Codes: B64D 2045/0065 Black boxes, devices automatically broadcasting distress signals
• CPC Class Codes: B64D 45/00 Aircraft indicators or protectors not otherwise provided for camouflage F41H3/00
• CPC Class Codes: B64D 45/0059 by communicating emergency situations to ground control or between crew members
• CPC Class Codes: G01C 23/00 Combined instruments indicating more than one navigational value, e.g. for aircraft; Combined measuring devices for measuring two or more variables of movement, e.g. distance, speed or acceleration
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 13/91 for traffic control G01S13/93 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 19/17 Emergency applications
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 2205/002 for traffic control, mobile tracking, guidance, surveillance or anti-collision
• CPC Class Codes: G07C 5/008 communicating information to a remotely located station transmission systems for measured values G08C
• CPC Class Codes: G07C 5/085 using electronic data carriers
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 5/0013 with a ground station
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 5/0021 located in the aircraft
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 5/0056 in an emergency situation, e.g. hijacking

Abstract

A method, apparatus, and aircraft tracker system for reporting state information for an aircraft. A state of the aircraft is identified using sensor data received from an aircraft sensor system in the aircraft. The state information is transmitted at a reporting rate set using the state of the aircraft identified from the sensor data, at least one of a crew command or a ground command when at least one of the crew command is received from a crew interface or the ground command is received from a ground source, and a policy defining priorities for reporting that are based on at least one of the crew command, the ground command, or the state of the aircraft identified from the sensor data.

Claims

1. An apparatus that comprises an aircraft tracker that comprises:

a behavior analyzer configured to generate a state of an aircraft based upon sensor data and a rule in policies configured to;

define a priority between;

a crew command from a crew interface, a ground command from a ground source, and an autonomous mode of the aircraft tracker;

specify parameters considered from the sensor data, received from a sensor system, that determine the state of an aircraft;

control a latch, in the behavior analyzer in the aircraft tracker, configured to hold the state of the aircraft, output from the behavior analyzer and received by an aircraft state information reporter, to a worst state, identified by an aircraft state identifier, until a reset; and

specify a priority that allows the reset in flight; and

a rate identifier configured to set a reporting rate for the aircraft state information reporter based upon the state of the aircraft, and responsive to the priority based upon a reception of at least one of;

the crew command from the crew interface; and

the ground command from the ground source, such that an identification, by the aircraft tracker, of a distress state for the aircraft, precludes a compliance, by the rate identifier, with a command, received from at least one of the crew interface and the ground source, to change the reporting rate; and

the aircraft state information reporter configured to transmit, state information that comprises the state of the aircraft, at the reporting rate.

2. The apparatus of claim 1, further comprising:

the state of the aircraft comprising one of;

normal, abnormal, and distress;

the parameters being specified from a group that comprises;

an attitude, a bank angle, a roll rate, a persistence time, and a geofencing dependence, of the aircraft; and

the aircraft tracker comprising;

the behavior analyzer configured to identify, based upon a policy, in the policies, applied to the sensor data, the state of the aircraft; and

the aircraft state information reporter being configured to, responsive to reception of at least one of;

the crew command, or the ground command, and based upon the state of the aircraft identified from the sensor data and the at least one of the crew command or the ground command, transmit the state of the aircraft at the reporting rate.

3. The apparatus of claim 2 further comprising:

a transmit state identifier configured to indicate whether the state of the aircraft should be transmitted; and

the aircraft state information reporter comprising;

the rate identifier configured to identify, responsive to reception of at least one of;

the crew command, or the ground command, and based upon the state of the aircraft identified from the sensor data and the at least one of;

the crew command, or the ground command, the reporting rate; and

the aircraft state information reporter configured to;

identify the state of the aircraft for transmission; and

transmit, responsive to an indication in the transmit state identifier that the state of the aircraft should be transmitted, the state of the aircraft at the reporting rate.

4. The apparatus of claim 2, further comprising the behavior analyzer configured to identify the state of the aircraft based upon sensor data received from the sensor system and a policy that defines states of the aircraft based on the sensor data.

5. The apparatus of claim 1 further comprising:

the aircraft state information reporter comprising the rate identifier; and

the crew interface configured to generate the crew command and send the crew command to the aircraft tracker.

6. The apparatus of claim 1, further comprising the aircraft tracker configured to select a policy in the policies based on a selection received in the ground command that limits an ability to disable, via the crew interface, reporting by the aircraft tracker.

7. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the sensor system comprises at least one of:

a satellite navigation system;

an inertial measurement unit; and

an accelerometer system.

8. The apparatus of claim 1, further comprising the aircraft tracker configured to transmit the state of the aircraft at the reporting rate based upon a location of the aircraft.

9. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the sensor data comprises:

a location of the aircraft, altitude, attitude, power information, a number of parameters for a maneuver performed by the aircraft, airspeed, roll angle, roll rate, pitch angle, pitch rate, pressure, temperature, and a fuel use.

10. The apparatus of claim 1 further comprising:

a housing that comprises the aircraft tracker and the sensor system located inside the housing, and the housing being tamper-resistant.

11. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the state of the aircraft comprises information that comprises at least one of:

the state of the aircraft identified, the sensor data, and information derived from the sensor data.

12. An apparatus that comprises an aircraft tracker that comprises:

a behavior analyzer configured to generate a state of an aircraft based upon sensor data and a rule in policies configured to;

define a priority between;

a crew command from a crew interface, a ground command from a ground source, and an autonomous mode of the aircraft tracker, the aircraft tracker configured to select a policy in the policies based on a selection received in the ground command;

specify parameters considered from the sensor data, received from a sensor system, that determine a state of an aircraft, the parameters being specified from a group that comprises;

an attitude, a bank angle, a roll rate, a persistence time, and a geofencing dependence, of the aircraft;

control a latch, in the behavior analyzer in the aircraft tracker, configured to hold a state of the aircraft, output from the behavior analyzer and received by an aircraft state information reporter, to a worst state, identified by an aircraft state identifier, until a reset, such that a hierarchy of the worst state descends from distress to abnormal to normal; and

specify a priority that allows the reset in flight; and

an aircraft state information reporter that comprises a rate identifier configured to determine a reporting rate based upon the state of the aircraft, and responsive to the priority based upon a reception of at least one of;

the crew command from the crew interface; and

the ground command from the ground source, such that an identification, by the aircraft tracker, of a distress state for the aircraft, precludes a compliance, by the rate identifier, with a command, received from at least one of the crew interface and the ground source, to change the reporting rate; and

the aircraft state information reporter configured to transmit, in a tamper resistant manner, aircraft state information at the reporting rate.

13. The apparatus of claim 12, further comprising the aircraft state identifier comprising:

an on ground estimator, a behavior trigger, an altitude handler, and a power state handler.

14. The apparatus of claim 13, further comprising the on ground estimator configured to receive data from sensors that comprise a sensor of:

an altitude, a ground speed, a vertical speed, a configuration of landing gear, an airspeed, and a cabin pressurization, respectively.

15. The apparatus of claim 12, further comprising the aircraft tracker configured to receive:

the sensor data, the crew command, and the ground command.

16. The apparatus of claim 12, further comprising the aircraft tracker comprising a transmit state identifier configured to receive geofence data.

17. The apparatus of claim 12, further comprising the aircraft state identifier configured comprising:

an on ground estimator, a behavior trigger, an altitude handler, and a power state handler, each responsive to the policies.

18. The apparatus of claim 12, further comprising the aircraft state identifier configured to identify the state of the aircraft based upon:

an attitude, a current position, and an altitude, of the aircraft for a designated persistence time.

19. An apparatus configured to secure a reporter in an aircraft against tampering, such that the apparatus comprises:

an aircraft tracker that comprises;

a transmit state identifier, policies, a behavior analyzer, and an aircraft state information reporter, such that;

the transmit state identifier comprises;

a crew command handler, a ground command handler, and a position handler;

the policies being configured to;

define a priority between;

a crew command from a crew interface, a ground command from a ground source, and an autonomous mode of the aircraft tracker, the aircraft tracker configured to select a policy in the policies based on a selection received in the ground command;

specify parameters considered from sensor data, received from a sensor system, that determine a state of an aircraft, the parameters being specified from a group that comprises;

an attitude, a bank angle, a roll rate, a persistence time, and a geofencing dependence, of the aircraft;

control a latch, in a behavior analyzer in the aircraft tracker; and

specify a priority that allows a reset of the latch in flight;

the behavior analyzer comprises;

an aircraft state identifier, and the latch, the aircraft state identifier configured to generate the state of the aircraft based upon;

a rule in the policies, and the sensor data; and

the aircraft state information reporter comprises a rate identifier configured to set a reporting rate, and a reporter configured to transmit state information at the reporting rate.

20. The apparatus of claim 19, further comprising the latch configured to hold a state of the aircraft, output from the behavior analyzer and received by an aircraft state information reporter, to a worst state, identified by an aircraft state identifier, until a reset, such that a hierarchy of the worst state descends from distress to abnormal to normal.