METHOD AND APPARATUS FOR TRACKING AIRCRAFT AND SECURING AGAINST UNAUTHORIZED ACCESS

• US 20070150126A1
• Filed: 12/29/2006
• Published: 06/28/2007
• Est. Priority Date: 10/10/2001
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Kelly Crank
• Original Assignee: Kelly Crank
• Inventors: CRANK, Kelly
• Granted Patent: US 7,436,322 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 701/4
• CPC Class Codes: B64D 45/0015 Devices specially adapted for the protection against criminal attack, e.g. anti-hijacking systems
• CPC Class Codes: B64D 45/0031 means for overriding or restricting access to flight controls
• CPC Class Codes: B64D 45/0056 detecting passenger or crew behavior by sensors, e.g. biometrics
• CPC Class Codes: B64D 45/0059 by communicating emergency situations to ground control or between crew members
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 5/0013 with a ground station
• 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: G08G 5/0086 for monitoring terrain radar or analogous systems specially adapted for terrain avoidance G01S13/935

Abstract

A system for monitoring an aircraft receives navigation signals and deriving a position vector therefrom and also asserts an alert signal in the event that the altitude of the aircraft above ground level is less than a predetermined value. The system samples the position vector at a selected sample rate and outputs a succession of samples of the position vector, the sample rate depending on whether the alert signal has been asserted. Data packets that contain respective samples of the position vector are transmitted to a ground-based receiving station. The ground-based receiving station may calculate secondary data.

Claims

1-33. -33. (canceled)

34. A flight recorder system with remote wireless access, for use aboard an aircraft, comprising:

a microphone means for producing digital audio data,

an indexing means for indexing the digital audio data relative to aircraft position and time,

a data storage means for storing the digital audio data, and

a wireless means for receiving a download command, reading data from the data storage means in LIFO sequence and transmitting the data to a ground-based facility for evaluation.

35. A flight recorder system according to claim 34, comprising a compression means for receiving the data from the data storage means and compressing the data prior to download.

36. A flight recorder system according to claim 34, wherein the data storage means comprises a data buffer means for receiving and temporarily storing the digital audio data and related position and time data.

37. A flight recorder system according to claim 36, wherein the data buffer means is of variable depth.

38. A flight recorder system according to claim 36, wherein the data buffer means is a circular buffer Queue.

39. A flight recorder system according to claim 36, further comprising a non-volatile memory for receiving data from the data buffer means.

40. A flight recorder system according to claim 39, comprising a compression means for receiving the data from the data buffer means and compressing the data prior to storage in the non-volatile memory.

41. A flight recorder system according to claim 34, comprising a camera for acquiring images within the aircraft and storing image data in the data storage means for subsequent download.

42. A flight recorder system according to claim 34, wherein the wireless means reads the data from the data storage means in an indexed access mode for transmission to the ground-based facility.

43-44. -44. (canceled)

45. A flight recorder system with remote wireless access, for use aboard an aircraft, comprising:

a microphone means for producing digital audio data,

an indexing means for indexing the digital audio data relative to aircraft position and time,

a data storage means for storing the digital audio data, and

a wireless means for receiving a download command, reading data from the data storage means in an indexed access mode, and

transmitting the indexed-access data to a ground-based facility for evaluation.

46. A flight recorder system according to claim 45, comprising a compression means for receiving the data from the data storage means and compressing the data prior to download.

47. A flight recorder system according to claim 45, wherein the data storage means comprises a data buffer means for receiving and temporarily storing the digital audio data and related position and time data.

48. A flight recorder system according to claim 45, comprising a camera for acquiring images within the aircraft and storing image data in the data storage means for subsequent download.

49. A flight recorder system according to claim 45, wherein the wireless means reads the data from the data storage means in LIFO mode for transmission to the ground-based facility.

50. A combined airborne and ground-based system for monitoring an aircraft comprising:

an airborne flight recorder that comprises a microphone means for producing digital audio data, an indexing means for indexing the digital audio data relative to aircraft position and time, a data storage means for storing the digital audio data, and a wireless means for receiving a download command responsive to an anomaly detected on the aircraft, reading data from the data storage means and transmitting the data, and

a ground-based facility for receiving, processing and evaluating the data transmitted by the wireless means.

51. A system according to claim 50, wherein the wireless means reads the data from the data storage means in an indexed access mode for transmission to the ground-based facility.

52. A system according to claim 50, wherein the wireless means reads the data from the data storage means in LIFO mode for transmission to the ground-based facility.

53. A system according to claim 50, wherein the wireless means reads the data from the data storage means in FIFO mode for transmission to the ground-based facility.