Fuel consumption data tracking/collection and aircraft/route optimization
First Claim
1. A method for assigning aircraft to routes, the method comprising:
- receiving information related to fuel efficiency for each aircraft of a fleet of aircraft obtained during flights of the fleet of aircraft;
receiving information related to fuel efficiency for each aircraft engine of the fleet of aircraft;
receiving information related to routes serviced by the fleet of aircraft; and
determining an assignment of aircraft and engine combinations to the routes serviced by the fleet of aircraft based on the received information related to fuel efficiency for each aircraft and aircraft engine of the fleet of aircraft.
1 Assignment
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Accused Products
Abstract
An automated system tracks and records factors that affect fuel consumption. Configuration factors such as the actual engine(s) used in the airplane, weight, weight distribution, engine pressure, engine rotation speeds, etc.; environmental factors such as wind speed and direction, temperature, altitude and air pressure, etc.; and flight path factors such as actual route flown, distance flown, take-off/landing requirements for the airports, etc. are tracked and recorded. The resulting data is used to “normalize” the fuel efficiency of each airplane and engine. Normalized data for an airline'"'"'s fleet of airplanes and engines are used to find optimal airplane/engine combinations for the routes serviced by the airline. The collected data itself can be sent from the aircraft during flight or, a notification message can be sent from the aircraft to the airline computer system to have the collected data downloaded from the airplane at the next landing.
57 Citations
26 Claims
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1. A method for assigning aircraft to routes, the method comprising:
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receiving information related to fuel efficiency for each aircraft of a fleet of aircraft obtained during flights of the fleet of aircraft;
receiving information related to fuel efficiency for each aircraft engine of the fleet of aircraft;
receiving information related to routes serviced by the fleet of aircraft; and
determining an assignment of aircraft and engine combinations to the routes serviced by the fleet of aircraft based on the received information related to fuel efficiency for each aircraft and aircraft engine of the fleet of aircraft. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9)
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10. A system for assigning aircraft to routes, the system comprising:
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means for receiving information related to fuel efficiency for each aircraft and aircraft engine of a fleet of aircraft;
means for receiving information related to routes serviced by the fleet of aircraft; and
means for determining an assignment of aircraft and engine combinations to the routes serviced by the fleet of aircraft based on the received information related to fuel efficiency for each aircraft and aircraft engine of the fleet of aircraft. - View Dependent Claims (11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16)
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17. A system for assigning aircraft to routes, the system comprising:
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a fleet of aircraft each including;
a fuel efficiency data manager to obtain information related to fuel efficiency for the aircraft and at least one aircraft engine installed on the aircraft, and at least one wireless communication unit, coupled to the fuel efficiency data manager, to selectively transmit information related to fuel efficiency for the aircraft and the at least one aircraft engine; and
a computer system communicatively coupled to the fleet of aircraft, the computer system including;
a datastore of information related to fuel efficiency of each aircraft and aircraft engine of the fleet of aircraft and information related to routes serviced by the fleet of aircraft, and an optimizer component to determine an assignment of aircraft and engine combinations to the routes serviced by the fleet of aircraft based on the information stored in the datastore. - View Dependent Claims (18, 19, 20, 21, 22, 23)
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24. An aircraft comprising:
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a plurality of sensors to sense environmental and aircraft performance parameters related to fuel efficiency;
a computer system to automatically collect data from the plurality of sensors, flight settings, and flight data during flight of the aircraft, and to automatically store the collected data; and
a communication system to selectively transmit the stored data. - View Dependent Claims (25, 26)
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Specification