Gateway for aircraft sensor data

• US 10,167,089 B2
• Filed: 11/23/2015
• Issued: 01/01/2019
• Est. Priority Date: 11/23/2015
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: AT&T Mobility II LLC (AT&T, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: AT&T Mobility II LLC (AT&T, Inc.)
• Inventors: Raman, Kaveri
• Primary Examiner(s): Alam, Mirza
• Application Number:
  US14/949,287
• Publication Number:
  US 20170144773A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,135 Days
• CPC Class Codes: B64D 11/06 Arrangements of seats, or adaptations or details specially adapted for aircraft seats crew seat constructions for emergency purposes B64D25/04
• CPC Class Codes: B64D 2045/0085 Devices for aircraft health monitoring, e.g. monitoring flutter or vibration
• CPC Class Codes: B64D 45/00 Aircraft indicators or protectors not otherwise provided for camouflage F41H3/00
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/12 specially adapted for proprietary or special-purpose networking environments, e.g. medical networks, sensor networks, networks in vehicles or remote metering networks
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/70 Services for machine-to-machine communication [M2M] or machine type communication [MTC]

Abstract

An example device includes a processor and a computer-readable medium storing instructions which, when executed by the processor, cause the processor to perform operations for processing non-flight performance related sensor data from a sensor of an aircraft. The operations may include receiving non-flight performance related sensor data from a sensor of an aircraft, determining a condition based upon the non-flight performance related sensor data, selecting a recommended action based upon the condition that is determined based upon the non-flight performance related sensor data, and sending the recommended action to a device of a flight crew member of the aircraft.

Claims

1. An aircraft management device comprising:

a processor; and

a non-transitory computer-readable medium storing instructions which, when executed by the processor, cause the processor to perform operations, the operations comprising;

receiving non-flight performance related sensor data from a first sensor of an aircraft;

receiving additional non-flight performance related sensor data from a second sensor of the aircraft;

determining a condition based upon the non-flight performance related sensor data, wherein the non-flight performance related sensor data comprises seat occupancy data pertaining to a seat of the aircraft, wherein the condition is determined to exist when the seat occupancy data indicates that the seat has been unoccupied for greater than a threshold period of time;

determining an additional condition based upon the additional non-flight performance related sensor data;

selecting a single recommended action based upon both the condition that is determined based upon the non-flight performance related sensor data and the additional condition that is determined based upon the additional non-flight performance related sensor data; and

sending the single recommended action to a device of a flight crew member of the aircraft, wherein the single recommended action comprises an instruction to the flight crew member to check on an individual assigned to the seat.

2. The aircraft management device of claim 1, wherein the additional non-flight performance related sensor data comprises a reading of a physical parameter by the second sensor and a time stamp.

3. The aircraft management device of claim 1, wherein the additional condition is determined to exist when the aircraft is engaged in a takeoff procedure or a landing procedure.

4. The aircraft management device of claim 1, wherein the additional non-flight performance related sensor data comprises a locked/unlocked state of a lavatory door of a lavatory of the aircraft, wherein the additional condition is determined to exist when the additional non-flight performance related sensor data indicates that the lavatory door has been locked for greater than a threshold period of time, wherein the single recommended action further comprises an instruction to the flight crew member to check on the lavatory.

5. The aircraft management device of claim 1, wherein the additional non-flight performance related sensor data comprises a locked/unlocked state of a lavatory door of a lavatory of the aircraft and an indicator of whether the aircraft is engaged in a takeoff procedure or a landing procedure, wherein the additional condition is determined to exist when the additional non-flight performance related sensor data indicates that the lavatory door has been locked and the aircraft is engaged in the takeoff procedure or the landing procedure, wherein the single recommended action further comprises an instruction to the flight crew member to check on the lavatory.

6. The aircraft management device of claim 1, wherein the additional non-flight performance related sensor data comprises seat recline angle data pertaining to the seat of the aircraft and an indicator of whether the aircraft is engaged in a takeoff procedure or a landing procedure, wherein the additional condition is determined to exist when the additional non-flight performance related sensor data indicates that a seat recline angle is not in an upright position and the aircraft is engaged in the takeoff procedure or the landing procedure, wherein the single recommended action further comprises an instruction to the flight crew member to check on the seat.

7. The aircraft management device of claim 1, wherein the additional non-flight performance related sensor data comprises an open/closed state of a tray table and an indicator of whether the aircraft is engaged in a takeoff procedure or a landing procedure, wherein the additional condition is determined to exist when the additional non-flight performance related sensor data indicates that the tray table is in an open state and the aircraft is engaged in the takeoff procedure or the landing procedure, wherein the single recommended action further comprises an instruction to the flight crew member to check on the tray table.

8. The aircraft management device of claim 1, wherein the seat occupancy data pertains to a cockpit seat of the aircraft, wherein the condition is determined to exist when the seat occupancy data indicates that the cockpit seat has been unoccupied for greater than a threshold period of time, wherein the single recommended action comprises an instruction to the flight crew member to check on a pilot associated with the cockpit seat.

9. The aircraft management device of claim 1, wherein the seat occupancy data comprises a weight reading on a cockpit seat of the aircraft, wherein the condition is determined to exist when the seat occupancy data indicates that the weight reading does not correspond to a weight of a pilot assigned to the aircraft, wherein the single recommended action further comprises an instruction to the flight crew member to check on the pilot.

10. The aircraft management device of claim 1, wherein the additional non-flight performance related sensor data comprises a locked/unlocked state of a lavatory door of a lavatory of the aircraft, wherein the additional condition is determined to exist when the additional non-flight performance related sensor data indicates that the lavatory door has been locked for greater than the threshold period of time, wherein the single recommended action further comprises an identification of the individual assigned to the seat and an instruction to the flight crew member to check on the lavatory.

11. The aircraft management device of claim 1, wherein the seat occupancy data pertains to a cockpit seat of the aircraft, wherein the additional non-flight performance related sensor data comprises a locked/unlocked state of a cockpit door of the aircraft, wherein the condition is determined to exist when the seat occupancy data indicates that the cockpit seat has been unoccupied for greater than a threshold period of time and the additional condition is determined to exist when the additional non-flight performance related sensor data indicates that the cockpit door has been locked for greater than the threshold period of time, wherein the single recommended action further comprises an instruction to the flight crew member to contact ground-based personnel to confirm an emergency.

12. The aircraft management device of claim 1, wherein the aircraft management device is a ground-based device, wherein the non-flight performance related sensor data is received from the first sensor of the aircraft via a gateway device located on the aircraft in communication with a wireless network.

13. The aircraft management device of claim 12, wherein the gateway device communicates with the wireless network via a long term evolution machine type communication.

14. The aircraft management device of claim 12, wherein the non-flight performance related sensor data is received from the wireless network via a multi-protocol label switching path.

15. The aircraft management device of claim 12, wherein the non-flight performance related sensor data is received from the wireless network via a virtual private network path.

16. The aircraft management device of claim 1, wherein the aircraft management device is deployed in the aircraft.

17. A non-transitory computer-readable medium storing instructions which, when executed by a processor, cause the processor to perform operations, the operations comprising:

receiving non-flight performance related sensor data from a first sensor of an aircraft;

receiving additional non-flight performance related sensor data from a second sensor of the aircraft;

determining a condition based upon the non-flight performance related sensor data, wherein the non-flight performance related sensor data comprises seat occupancy data pertaining to a seat of the aircraft, wherein the condition is determined to exist when the seat occupancy data indicates that the seat has been unoccupied for greater than a threshold period of time;

determining an additional condition based upon the additional non-flight performance related sensor data;

selecting a single recommended action based upon both the condition that is determined based upon the non-flight performance related sensor data and the additional condition that is determined based upon the additional non-flight performance related sensor data; and

sending the single recommended action to a device of a flight crew member of the aircraft, wherein the single recommended action comprises an instruction to the flight crew member to check on an individual assigned to the seat.

18. A method, comprising:

receiving, by a processor, non-flight performance related sensor data from a sensor of an aircraft;

receiving, by the processor, additional non-flight performance related sensor data from a second sensor of the aircraft;

determining, by the processor, a condition based upon the non-flight performance related sensor data, wherein the non-flight performance related sensor data comprises seat occupancy data pertaining to a seat of the aircraft, wherein the condition is determined to exist when the seat occupancy data indicates that the seat has been unoccupied for greater than a threshold period of time;

determining, by the processor, an additional condition based upon the additional non-flight performance related sensor data;

selecting, by the processor, a single recommended action based upon both the condition that is determined based upon the non-flight performance related sensor data and the additional condition that is determined based upon the additional non-flight performance related sensor data; and

sending, by the processor, the single recommended action to a device of a flight crew member of the aircraft, wherein the single recommended action comprises an instruction to the flight crew member to check on an individual assigned to the seat.

19. The method of claim 18, wherein the additional non-flight performance related sensor data comprises a locked/unlocked state of a lavatory door of a lavatory of the aircraft, wherein the additional condition is determined to exist when the additional non-flight performance related sensor data indicates that the lavatory door has been locked for greater than the threshold period of time, wherein the single recommended action further comprises an identification of the individual assigned to the seat and an instruction to the device of the flight crew member to check on the lavatory.

20. The method of claim 18, wherein the additional non-flight performance related sensor data comprises a locked/unlocked state of a lavatory door of a lavatory of the aircraft, wherein the additional condition is determined to exist when the additional non-flight performance related sensor data indicates that the lavatory door has been locked for greater than a threshold period of time, wherein the single recommended action further comprises an instruction to the flight crew member to check on the lavatory.