Apparatus, system and method for aircraft security and anti-hijacking intervention
First Claim
1. A method of operating an aircraft in which automated or remote control can be assumed in the event of a possibly hostile situation, the method comprising the steps of:
- inputting flight plan information into a monitoring system;
calculating acceptable deviation tolerances relating to the flight plan;
operating the aircraft according to the flight plan;
deviating from the flight plan if a modification to the flight plan is desired;
after deviating from the flight plan, assessing whether a possibly hostile situation exists; and
if a potentially hostile situation cannot be ruled out within a reasonable time, assuming control of the aircraft by (i) remotely controlling the aircraft from the ground or other location remote from the aircraft, or (ii) engaging an automated control unit on the aircraft to execute a pre-programmed flight path or contingency protocol that contradicts the modification.
3 Assignments
0 Petitions
Accused Products
Abstract
A security mechanism identifies users, so as to restrict access and operation to authorized users, such as to persons authorized to access and fly a particular aircraft. The security mechanism comprises one or more security devices to identify the user attempting to gain access or operate the controller; and one or more monitoring devices to determine whether or not the user identified is authorized to have access or operate the controller. Methods of safely operating aircraft are also described. The methods include protocols for limiting access to the aircraft and assuming remote control of the aircraft if a possibly hostile situation is detected.
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Citations
60 Claims
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1. A method of operating an aircraft in which automated or remote control can be assumed in the event of a possibly hostile situation, the method comprising the steps of:
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inputting flight plan information into a monitoring system;
calculating acceptable deviation tolerances relating to the flight plan;
operating the aircraft according to the flight plan;
deviating from the flight plan if a modification to the flight plan is desired;
after deviating from the flight plan, assessing whether a possibly hostile situation exists; and
if a potentially hostile situation cannot be ruled out within a reasonable time, assuming control of the aircraft by (i) remotely controlling the aircraft from the ground or other location remote from the aircraft, or (ii) engaging an automated control unit on the aircraft to execute a pre-programmed flight path or contingency protocol that contradicts the modification. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17)
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18. A method of limiting access to an aircraft comprising:
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maintaining a database having identity and associated biometric information relating to crew members;
downloading a subset of information from the database to the aircraft, the subset consisting essentially of information relating to crew members that are assigned to the aircraft for a particular flight;
reading biometric information of an individual requesting access to the aircraft;
comparing the biometric information read from the individual requesting access to the information downloaded to the aircraft to determine if there is a match;
if a match is determined, granting the individual access to the aircraft. - View Dependent Claims (19, 20, 21, 22, 23, 24, 25, 26, 27, 28, 29, 30, 31, 32, 33, 34, 35, 36, 37, 38, 39, 40, 41, 42, 43, 44, 45, 46, 47, 48, 49, 50, 51, 52, 53, 54, 55, 56, 57, 58)
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59. An apparatus for operating an aircraft in which automated or remote control can be assumed in the event of a possibly hostile situation, the apparatus comprising:
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a monitoring system containing flight plan information and acceptable deviation tolerances relating to the flight plan; and
means for assuming control of the aircraft if a potentially hostile situation cannot be ruled out within a time period following a deviation from the flight plan, wherein the means for assuming control comprises;
(i) means for remotely controlling the aircraft from the ground or other location remote from the aircraft, or (ii) means for engaging an automated control unit on the aircraft to execute a pre-programmed flight path or contingency protocol that contradicts the deviation.
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60. A system for limiting access to an aircraft comprising:
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a database having identity and associated biometric information relating to crew members;
a storage device into which is downloaded a subset of information from the database, the subset consisting essentially of information relating to crew members that are assigned to the aircraft for a particular flight;
a biometric device for reading biometric information of an individual requesting access to the aircraft; and
means for comparing the biometric information read from the individual requesting access against the information downloaded to the storage device to determine if there is a match, and if a match is determined, granting the individual access to the aircraft.
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Specification