System and method for calibrating on-board aviation equipment

• US 20060259216A1
• Filed: 09/30/2005
• Published: 11/16/2006
• Est. Priority Date: 09/30/2004
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Honeywell International Inc.
• Original Assignee: Honeywell International Inc.
• Inventors: Roberts, Timothy L., Borger, Edward M., Snodgrass, Ken L.
• Application Number:
  US11/239,985
• Publication Number:
  US 20060259216A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 701/29
• CPC Class Codes: G01C 25/00 Manufacturing, calibrating, cleaning, or repairing instruments or devices referred to in the other groups of this subclass testing, calibrating or compensating compasses G01C17/38
• CPC Class Codes: G01C 5/005 altimeters for aircraft G01C5/02, G01C5/06 take precedence

Abstract

A method is provided for testing the accuracy of on-board aviation equipment. The method includes calculating a first altitude of an in-flight aircraft from a plurality of measurements taken from a plurality of on-board measurement devices located on and permanently integrated into the aircraft. A second altitude of the aircraft is then calculated from a second plurality of measurements taken from a plurality of remote measurement devices located remotely from the aircraft. A difference between the first altitude and the second altitude is then calculated.

Claims

1. A method for testing the accuracy of on-board aviation equipment, comprising:

calculating a first altitude of an in-flight aircraft from a first plurality of measurements taken from a plurality of on-board measurement devices located on and permanently integrated into the aircraft;

calculating a second altitude of the aircraft from a second plurality of measurements taken from a plurality of remote measurement devices located remotely from the aircraft; and

calculating a difference between the first altitude and the second altitude.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the first plurality of measurements and the second plurality of measurements are taken at approximately the same time.

3. The method of claim 2, further comprising storing the first plurality of measurements on an on-board computing system on the aircraft.

4. The method of claim 3, further comprising:

landing the aircraft and transferring the first measurements from the storage device on the aircraft to a remote computing system located remotely from the aircraft, and wherein said calculation of the difference between the first altitude and the second altitude is performed by the remote computing system.

5. The method of claim 3, further comprising transmitting the first plurality of measurements from the on-board computing system to a remote computing system located remotely from the aircraft, and wherein said calculation of the difference between the first altitude and the second altitude is performed by the remote computing system.

6. The method of claim 3, further comprising transmitting the second plurality of measurements to the on-board computing system, and wherein said calculation of the difference between the first altitude and the second altitude is performed by the on-board computing system.

7. The method of claim 6, further comprising alerting a user on the aircraft if the difference between the first altitude and the second altitude is greater than a predetermined amount.

8. The method of claim 7, wherein the computing system on the aircraft is a Flight Management System (FMS).

9. A method for testing the accuracy of on-board aviation equipment, comprising:

recording a first data set associated with an in-flight aircraft from a first plurality of sensors on an on-board computing system, the on-board computing system and the sensors being located on and permanently integrated on the aircraft;

recording a second data set associated with the in-flight aircraft from a second plurality of sensors located remotely from the aircraft, the first and second data sets being taken at approximately the same time;

transferring the first data set and the second data set to a remote computing system located remotely from the aircraft;

calculating first and second altitudes of the aircraft from the respective first and second data sets with the remote computing system; and

calculating a difference between the first and second altitudes.

10. The method of claim 9, wherein the first data set and the second data comprise a plurality of measurements from the respective first and second pluralities of sensors that are taken at approximately the same time.

11. The method of claim 10, wherein the remote computing system is located on the ground, and further comprising landing the aircraft and electrically connecting the on-board computing system with the remote computing system before said transfer of the first data set from the on-board computing system to the remote computing system.

12. The method of claim 11, wherein the first plurality of sensors comprises a barometer and a wind speed sensor.

13. The method of claim 12, wherein at least one of the second plurality of sensors and the remote computing system comprises a Global Positioning Satellite (GPS) system.

14. The method of claim 13, wherein the on-board computing system comprises at least one of a Flight Management System (FMS) and an Air Data Computer (ADC).

15. A method for determining whether an aircraft is RVSM certified, comprising:

generating a first data set from a first plurality of sensors on and permanently integrated into an in-flight aircraft;

calculating a first altitude from the first data set with an on-board computing system, the on-board computing system being permanently on and permanently integrated into the in-flight aircraft;

generating a second data set from a second plurality of sensors located remotely from the in-flight aircraft;

storing the second data set on a remote computing system located remotely from the in-flight aircraft;

calculating a second altitude from the second data set; and

calculating a difference between the first altitude and the second altitude with the on-board computing system.

16. The method of claim 15, further comprising transmitting at least one of the second data set and the second altitude from the remote computing system to the on-board computing system on the aircraft.

17. The method of claim 16, wherein the predetermined amount is 65 feet.

18. The method of claim 17, wherein the first plurality of sensors comprises a barometric pressure sensor and a wind speed sensor.

19. The method of claim 18, wherein the at least one of the second plurality of sensors and the remote computing system comprises a Global Positioning Satellite (GPS) system.

20. The method of claim 19, wherein the on-board computing system comprises at least one of a Flight Management System (FMS) and an Air Data Computer (ADC).