Communications installation for aircraft

• US 20040004661A1
• Filed: 07/03/2002
• Published: 01/08/2004
• Est. Priority Date: 07/03/2002
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Lufthansa Technik AG (Deutsche Lufthansa AG)
• Original Assignee: Lufthansa Technik AG (Deutsche Lufthansa AG)
• Inventors: Muirhead, Andrew, Starke, Henry
• Granted Patent: US 7,271,826 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 348/144
• 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
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 7/18506 Communications with or from aircraft, i.e. aeronautical mobile service
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 7/183 for receiving images from a single remote source

Abstract

The invention relates to an arrangement for audio and/or video and/or data communication between a ground station and an aircraft, having at least one communications channel, wherein a monitoring device is additionally provided on board the aircraft and has the following features:

a) at least one audio and/or video and/or flight data recording apparatus,

b) the recording apparatus can be activated either from on board the aircraft or by remote control from the ground station,

c) the recording apparatus can be deactivated exclusively by remote control from the ground station and/or from on board the aircraft when it is on the ground,

d) a memory for the data from the recording apparatus,

e) a transmission apparatus for transmitting data from the recording apparatus and/or data read from the memory to the ground station,

f) the transmission apparatus uses at least one communications channel in the arrangement for audio and/or video and/or data communication between the ground station and the aircraft.

The invention allows remote monitoring of the interior of an aircraft and utilizes communications infrastructures (VHF radio links) provided for data transmission.

Claims

1. An arrangement for audio and/or video and/or data communication between a ground station and an aircraft, having at least one communications channel, wherein a monitoring device is additionally provided on board the aircraft and has the following features:

a) at least one audio and/or video and/or flight data recording apparatus,

b) the recording apparatus can be activated either from on board the aircraft or by remote control from the ground station,

c) the recording apparatus can be deactivated exclusively by remote control from the ground station and/or from on board the aircraft when it is on the ground,

d) a memory for the data from the recording apparatus,

e) a transmission apparatus for transmitting data from the recording apparatus and/or data read from the memory to the ground station,

f) the transmission apparatus uses at least one communications channel in the arrangement for audio and/or video and/or data communication between the ground station and the aircraft.

2. The arrangement as claimed in claim 1, wherein it has an apparatus which can be controlled by the ground station for the purpose of selecting the data to be transmitted using the transmission apparatus from among the data from the recording apparatus or stored data.

3. The arrangement as claimed in claim 1 or 2, wherein the data from the recording apparatus are stored in the memory with an identifier indicating the recording time and/or location.

4. The arrangement as claimed in one of claims 1 to 3, wherein the at least one communications channel is a VHF channel.

5. The arrangement as claimed in one of claims 1 to 4, wherein the memory has the mechanical and thermal resistance capability of a cockpit voice recorder.

6. The arrangement as claimed in one of claims 1 to 5, wherein the memory is designed for fully recording the data from all the recording apparatuses over a period of at least 15 min, preferably at least 30 min, and more preferably at least 1 h.

7. A monitoring device for use on board an aircraft, wherein it has the following features:

a) at least one audio and/or video and/or flight data recording apparatus,

b) the recording apparatus can be activated either from on board the aircraft or by remote control from the ground station,

c) the recording apparatus can be deactivated exclusively by remote control from the ground station and/or from on board the aircraft when it is on the ground,

d) a memory for the data from the recording apparatus,

e) a transmission apparatus for transmitting data from the recording apparatus and/or data read from the memory to the ground station,

f) the transmission apparatus is set up to use at least one communications channel in an on-board arrangement for audio and/or video and/or data communication between the aircraft and a ground station.