Methods and systems for air vehicle telemetry

• US 20030098773A1
• Filed: 11/26/2001
• Published: 05/29/2003
• Est. Priority Date: 11/26/2001
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: The Boeing Co.
• Original Assignee: The Boeing Co.
• Inventors: Hamley, James P., Romanosky, Joseph M., Chakravarty, Abhijit J.M.
• Granted Patent: US 6,747,577 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 340/3.1
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 5/0013 with a ground station
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 5/0052 for cruising combined instruments indicating more than one navigational value G01C23/00
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 7/18506 Communications with or from aircraft, i.e. aeronautical mobile service
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 7/18508 with satellite system used as relay, i.e. aeronautical mobile satellite service

Abstract

Methods and systems are provided in which the most important communications that occur onboard the air vehicle and between the air vehicle and other locations continually have sufficient communication bandwidth and are not impeded by less important communications to ensure that the flight crew and flight control personnel on the ground have the most complete and accurate information. Other aspects of the method and system further assist in maintaining a safe flight by permitting the air vehicle to be both flown and landed while in an auto-pilot mode engaged in the air vehicle or from the ground and disengaged from the ground or by entering a code in the air vehicle, displaying target settings of respective parameters provided by the ground control center, providing detailed flight data to the air vehicle from the ground control center, and examining data in the ground control center captured onboard the air vehicle to identify individuals that may pose a security risk.

Claims

1. A method of selectively allocating communication bandwidth supported by an air vehicle, the method comprising:

providing a priority hierarchy for different types of communication signals based on a relative importance of the different types of communication signals;

monitoring the types of communication signals to be transmitted to and from the air vehicle; and

dedicating portions of the communication bandwidth to predefined types of the communication signals based on the priority hierarchy.

2. The method of claim 1, further comprising permanently dedicating a portion of the communication bandwidth for communications between the air vehicle and a ground control center.

3. The method of claim 1, further comprising reading a header associated with a respective communication signal to determine the type of communication signal and determining the portion of communication bandwidth to dedicate to the communication signal based upon the relative importance of the type of communication signal as defined by the priority hierarchy.

4. The method of claim 1, further comprising storing the priority hierarchy in a data management system of the air vehicle.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein dedicating portions of the communication bandwidth comprises limiting the portion of the communication bandwidth available to types of communication signals having a low priority if communication signals having a higher priority are to be transmitted

6. The method of claim 1, wherein dedicating portions of the communication bandwidth comprises reallocating the communication bandwidth as different types of communication signals are to be transmitted.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein providing the priority hierarchy comprises assigning higher priority to communications between a ground control center and the air vehicle and assigning a lower priority to passenger communication.

8. A system for selectively allocating the communication bandwidth supported by an air vehicle, the system comprising:

a communication system onboard the air vehicle and capable of transmitting and receiving different types of communication signals; and

a processing element responsive to a priority hierarchy established for the different types of communication signals based on the relative importance of the different types of communication signals, said processing element capable of monitoring the types of communication signals to be transmitted via the communication system, and said processing element also capable of dedicating portions of the communication bandwidth to predefined types of the communication signals based on the priority hierarchy.

9. The system of claim 8, further comprising a memory device for storing the priority hierarchy.

10. The system of claim 8, wherein said processing element is further capable of permanently dedicating a portion of the communication bandwidth for communications between the air vehicle and a ground control center.

11. The system of claim 8, wherein said processing element is further capable of reading a header associated with a respective communication signal to determine the type of communication signal and determining the portion of the communication bandwidth to dedicate to the communication signal based upon the relative importance of the type of communication signal as defined by the priority hierarchy.

12. The system of claim 8, wherein said processing element is further capable of excluding types of communication signals having a low priority if communication signals having a higher priority are to be transmitted.

13. The system of claim 8, wherein said processing element is further capable of reallocating the communication bandwidth as different types of signals are to be transmitted.

14. A method of engaging auto-pilot mode from a ground control center, the method comprising:

establishing communication between an air vehicle and the ground control center;

transmitting auto-pilot instructions to the air vehicle from the ground control center; and

engaging the auto-pilot mode in response to the instructions from the ground control center.

15. The method of claim 14, further comprising flying the air vehicle following engagement of the auto-pilot mode based on pre-stored flight instructions.

16. The method of claim 14, further comprising controlling flight of the air vehicle following engagement of the auto-pilot mode based on further instructions from the ground control center.

17. The method of claim 14, wherein engaging the auto-pilot mode comprises irrevocably engaging the auto-pilot mode for the duration of the flight.

18. The method of claim 14, further comprising both flying and landing the air vehicle in the auto-pilot mode.

19. The method of claim 18, wherein flying and landing comprise extending flaps and slats of the air vehicle and extending landing gear of the air vehicle.

20. The method of claim 14, further comprising displaying a status of the auto-pilot mode on a display located onboard the air vehicle.

21. The method of claim 20, wherein displaying comprises imposing the status of the auto-pilot mode upon a display otherwise dedicated to depicting other flight information.

22. A method of engaging auto-pilot mode in an air vehicle, the method comprising:

issuing an instruction from onboard the air vehicle to engage the auto-pilot mode; and

continuing to fly and thereafter land the air vehicle in the auto-pilot mode without requiring further input from any person onboard the air vehicle.

23. The method of claim 22, wherein continuing to fly and thereafter land comprises extending flaps and slats of the air vehicle and extending landing gear of the air vehicle.

24. The method of claim 22, wherein issuing the instruction comprises irrevocably engaging the auto-pilot mode for the duration of the flight.

25. The method of claim 22, further comprising disengaging the auto-pilot mode by providing a code to permit manual control of the air vehicle to resume.

26. The method of claim 22, further comprising displaying a status of the auto-pilot mode on a display located onboard the air vehicle.

27. The method of claim 26, wherein displaying comprises imposing the status of the auto-pilot mode upon a display otherwise dedicated to depicting other flight information.

28. A method of displaying at least one target setting upon a corresponding instrument display of an air vehicle, the method comprising:

displaying a current setting of a respective parameter upon the corresponding instrument display;

receiving at least one target setting for the respective parameter from a ground control center; and

displaying the at least one target setting on the corresponding instrument display along with the current setting.

29. The method of claim 28, further comprising:

monitoring flight of the air vehicle by the ground control center;

evaluating performance of the air vehicle by the ground control center;

generating at least one target setting for a respective parameter based at least in part upon the performance and flight of the air vehicle; and

transmitting the at least one target setting to the air vehicle from the ground control center.

30. The method of claim 29, wherein monitoring flight of the air vehicle comprises monitoring external parameters, instrument settings and the performance of the air vehicle.

31. The method of claim 29, wherein transmitting the at least one target setting comprises transmitting the at least one target setting to the air vehicle from the ground control center by satellite communication.

32. A system for displaying at least one target setting of a respective parameter onboard an air vehicle, the system comprising:

a ground control center capable of transmitting at least one target setting for the respective parameter to the air vehicle;

a display controller onboard the air vehicle and capable of receiving at least one target setting for the respective parameter from said ground control center; and

an instrument display onboard the air vehicle and responsive to said display controller, said instrument display capable of displaying a current and target setting of the respective parameter.

33. The system of claim 32, wherein said ground control center is also capable of monitoring flight of the air vehicle, evaluating performance of the air vehicle, and generating the at least one target setting for the respective parameter.

34. A method of providing detailed flight data to an air vehicle, the method comprising:

providing the air vehicle with a data management controller in communication with at least one display onboard the air vehicle for driving the display based upon data stored onboard the air vehicle;

monitoring the flight of the air vehicle from a ground control center;

transmitting additional flight data from the ground control center to the air vehicle in at least the same level of detail as the corresponding data stored onboard the air vehicle to at least supplement the data stored onboard the air vehicle; and

altering the display based upon the additional flight data provided from the ground control center.

35. The method of claim 34, further comprising:

storing terrain data at a first resolution onboard the air vehicle; and

storing terrain data at a second resolution greater than the first resolution at the ground control center; and

wherein transmitting additional flight data comprises transmitting terrain data at the second resolution from the ground control center to the air vehicle based on the flight of the air vehicle.

36. The method of claim 35, wherein altering the display comprises displaying terrain at least partially based on the terrain data from the ground control center.

37. The method of claim 34, wherein transmitting additional flight data comprises transmitting a modified flight path, and wherein altering the display comprises displaying the modified flight path.

38. The method of claim 37, further comprising simulating current flight conditions of the air vehicle to develop the modified flight path.

39. The method of claim 34, wherein transmitting additional flight data comprises transmitting updated weather data.

40. The method of claim 34, wherein transmitting additional flight data comprises transmitting additional flight data from the ground control center to the air vehicle by satellite communication.

41. The method of claim 34, wherein altering the display comprises imposing the additional flight data provided from the ground control center upon a display otherwise dedicated to depicting other flight information.

42. A system for providing detailed flight data to an air vehicle, the system comprising:

an air vehicle having a data management controller and at least one display responsive to the data management controller, the data management controller capable of driving the display based upon data stored onboard the air vehicle; and

a ground control center capable of communicating with the data management controller of the air vehicle, said ground control center comprising a processing element capable of monitoring a flight of the air vehicle and a transmitter capable of transmitting additional flight data from the ground control center to the air vehicle in at least the same level of detail as the corresponding data stored onboard the air vehicle to at least supplement the data stored onboard the air vehicle,

wherein the data management controller drives the display based upon the additional flight data provided from the ground control center.

43. The system of claim 42, wherein said ground control center further comprises a memory device for storing detailed flight data.

44. The system of claim 43, wherein said air vehicle further comprises a memory device for storing terrain data at a first resolution, wherein said memory device of the ground control center also stores terrain data at a second resolution, wherein the transmitter is further capable of transmitting the terrain data at the second resolution to the air vehicle based on the flight of the air vehicle.

45. The system of claim 44, wherein the data management controller is further capable of driving the display to depict terrain at least partially based on the terrain data from the ground control center.

46. The system of claim 42, wherein the transmitter is further capable of transmitting a modified flight path, and wherein the data management controller is additionally capable of driving the display to depict the modified flight path.

47. The system of claim 46, wherein said ground control center is also capable of simulating current flight conditions of the air vehicle to develop the modified flight path.

48. A method of monitoring an air vehicle, the method comprising:

recording at least one of audio data and video data from within the air vehicle;

transmitting at least one of the audio data and the video data from the air vehicle to a ground control center; and

examining at least one of the audio data and the video data in the ground control center, said examining comprising comparing the data to a security database to identify individuals of interest while the air vehicle is in flight.

49. The method of claim 48, further comprising linking the ground control center to the security database.

50. The method of claim 48, further comprising implementing security procedures if the ground control center detects an individual of interest.

51. The method of claim 48, further comprising displaying the security procedures within the air vehicle.

52. The method of claim 51, wherein displaying comprises imposing the security procedures upon a display otherwise dedicated to depicting other flight information.

53. A system for monitoring an air vehicle, the system comprising:

at least one sensor capable of recording at least one of audio data and video data from within the air vehicle;

a transmitter for transmitting at least one of the audio data and the video data from the air vehicle;

a ground control center comprising a receiver for receiving at least one of the audio data and the video data from the air vehicle and a processing element capable of examining at least one of the audio data and the video data by comparing the data to a security database to identify individuals of interest.

54. The system of claim 53, wherein the processing element is further capable of linking said ground control center to the security database.

55. The system of claim 53, wherein said ground control center further comprises a transmitter for transmitting security procedures to the air vehicle if an individual of interest is identified.

56. The system of claim 53, wherein the air vehicle comprises a display for depicting the security procedures onboard the air vehicle.

57. The system of claim 56, wherein the display comprises a display otherwise dedicated to depicting other flight information upon which the security procedures are imposed.