Wireless supplement and/or substitute for aircraft flight recorders

• US 20040128039A1
• Filed: 12/30/2002
• Published: 07/01/2004
• Est. Priority Date: 12/30/2002
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Lucent Technologies, Inc. (Nokia Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Lucent Technologies, Inc. (Nokia Corporation)
• Inventors: Podowski, Robert Richard
• Granted Patent: US 7,039,509 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 701/35
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 2205/003 for aircraft positioning relative to the ground
• CPC Class Codes: G07C 5/008 communicating information to a remotely located station transmission systems for measured values G08C
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 5/0013 with a ground station
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 5/0021 located in the aircraft
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 5/0082 for monitoring traffic from a ground station radar or analogous systems specially adapted for traffic control G01S13/91
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 7/18506 Communications with or from aircraft, i.e. aeronautical mobile service

Abstract

A method for preserving information from an airborne aircraft (10) includes receiving an activation signal, and in response thereto, establishing a call from the aircraft (10) to a ground support facility (210) over a wireless telecommunications network (200). Sounds within the aircraft (10) are monitored, and an audio signal reflecting the same is generated. Flight data from the aircraft (10) is obtained and encoded. The audio signal and encoded flight data are multiplexed to generate a combined output signal (300) which is transmitted via the call from the aircraft (10) to the ground support facility (210).

Claims

1. A method for preserving information from an airborne aircraft, said method comprising:

receiving an activation signal;

establishing a call from the aircraft to a ground support facility over a wireless telecommunications network in response to the activation signal;

monitoring sounds within the aircraft;

generating an audio signal in response to the monitored sounds;

obtaining flight data from the aircraft;

encoding the flight data;

multiplexing the audio signal and encoded flight data to generate a combined output signal; and

,

transmitting the output signal via the call from the aircraft to the ground support facility.

2. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

receiving the output signal via the call at the ground support facility;

demultiplexing the received output signal so as to divide it into the audio signal and the encoded flight data;

decoding the encoded flight data; and

,

recording at least one of the received output signal, the audio signal, the encoded flight data, and the decoded flight data.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the flight data is encoded into dual tone multi-frequency pairs defining binary values representative of the flight data.

4. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

authenticating the established call to verify it is from the aircraft.

5. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

determining if the aircraft has landed, and in response thereto terminating the call.

6. The method of claim 5, wherein the determining includes:

sensing if the aircraft'"'"'s landing gear is supporting the aircraft.

7. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

receiving a steady tone from the ground support facility via the call; and

,

attempting to reestablish the call if the steady tone is lost.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein the activation signal is generated in response to operation of a manual control.

9. The method of claim 8, wherein once the activation signal has been received, further operation of the manual control does not stop the transmitting.

10. The method of claim 1, wherein the activation signal is automatically generated in response to detecting a determined state of the flight data.

11. A system for preserving information from an airborne aircraft, said system comprising:

control means for controlling the system, said control means activating the system in response to an activation signal;

detecting means for monitoring sounds within the aircraft and generating an audio signal in response thereto;

acquiring means for obtaining flight data from the aircraft;

an encoder for encoding the flight data;

combining means for combining the audio signal and encoded flight data to generate a combined output signal; and

,

communication means for establishing a connection with a ground support facility over a wireless telecommunications network when the system is activated, said combined output signal being transmitted to the ground support facility via the established connection.

12. The system of claim 11, further comprising:

receiving means for receiving the combined output signal at the ground support facility via the established connection;

splitting means for dividing the received output signal into the audio signal and the encoded flight data;

a decoder for decoding the encoded flight data; and

,

a storage device on which is recorded at least one of the received output signal, the audio signal, the encoded flight data, and the decoded flight data.

13. The system of claim 11, wherein said wireless telecommunications network is a cellular network, the communication means is a mobile station of the cellular network, and said connection is a call over the cellular network.

14. The system of claim 11, wherein the encoder encodes the flight data into dual tone multi-frequency pairs defining binary values representative of the flight data.

15. The system of claim 11, wherein the detecting means is a microphone arranged within a cockpit of the aircraft.

16. The system of claim 11, further comprising activation means for generating the activation signal.

17. The system of claim 16, wherein the activation means is a manually operated control arranged in a cockpit of the aircraft.

18. The system of claim 16, wherein the activation means includes a voice recognition device responsive to verbalized input.

19. The system of claim 11, further comprising:

means for determining if the aircraft has landed, said determining means providing a signal to the control means which in response thereto deactivates the system such that the connection established by the communications means is terminated.

20. The system of claim 19, wherein the determining means includes a sensor that senses when the aircraft is resting on its landing gear.

21. A method of transmitting information from an aircraft to a desired destination, said method comprising:

obtaining information from aboard the aircraft, said information including at least one of an audio signal and flight data;

establishing at least one call between the aircraft and the desired destination over a cellular telecommunications network; and

,

transmitting the obtained information to the desired destination via the at least one call.