Avionic aviation system with a ground station for automatic elimination of resultant failures in aircraft, and corresponding method

• US 20080177428A1
• Filed: 01/24/2008
• Published: 07/24/2008
• Est. Priority Date: 01/24/2007
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Swiss Reinsurance Company
• Original Assignee: Swiss Reinsurance Company
• Inventors: Shirai, Shinji, Fok, Marcel
• Granted Patent: US 7,974,745 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 701/7
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 40/08 Insurance
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 5/0043 Traffic management of multiple aircrafts from the ground G08G5/003 takes precedence; data processing specially designed for resource management, e.g. scheduling or allocating time, human or machine resources G06Q10/06
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 5/0082 for monitoring traffic from a ground station radar or analogous systems specially adapted for traffic control G01S13/91

Abstract

An avionic aviation system (80) and corresponding method with ground station (81) for automatic elimination of resulting failures in aircraft (40/41/42) are proposed. The avionic aviation system (80) is linked to a multiplicity of aircraft (40/41/42) via a wireless interface (402) of the avionics (403). If a failure is detected in an aircraft (40, . . . , 42) by means of a sensor (3/401/601), a dedicated failure deployment device (603) for automatic failure elimination is selected by means of a filter module (2) and a switching device (1) of the ground station (81) for activation of the failure deployment device (603) is specifically enabled.

Claims

1. An avionic aviation system (80) with ground station (81) for automatic elimination of resulting failures in aircraft (40/41/42), the avionic aviation system (80) being linked to a multiplicity of aircraft (40/41/42) via a wireless interface (403) of the avionics (402), and it being possible to activate a dedicated failure deployment device (603) for automatic failure elimination by means of a switching device (1) of the ground station (81) if a failure detected by means of a sensor (3/401/601) occurs, wherein,

the aviation system (80) comprises detection devices (411) integrated in the avionics (402) of the aircraft (40/41/42) for electronic acquisition of implemented takeoff and/or landing units of an aircraft (40/41/42), those log parameters of the implemented takeoff and landing units which are coordinated with the aircraft (40, . . . , 42) being capable of being transmitted from the detection devices (411) via the wireless interface (403) to the ground station (81),

the ground station (81) comprises an incrementable Techlog stack (202) with readable stack height value for each aircraft (40, . . . , 42), the Techlog stack height value being capable of being incremented by means of a counter module (203) based on filtered takeoff and/or landing units of the transmitted log parameters of the respective aircraft (40, . . . , 42),

the counter module (203) comprises means for reading the Techlog stack height value and the ground station (81) comprises a filter module (2), by means of which filter module (2) a memory threshold for enabling the activation of the failure deployment device (603) on the basis of the Techlog stack height values can be determined dynamically for a certain time window,

the ground station (81) comprises an activation stack (102) of a protected memory module (103) for acquiring acquisition parameters of the aircraft (40, . . . , 42), the activation parameters being transmittable to the ground station (81) on the basis of the actual memory threshold and the activation stack (102) being incrementable stepwise according to the transmitted activation parameters, and

an activation stack height value of the activation stack (102) is cumulatively acquired by means of a counter module (103) of the ground station (81) and, if the dynamically determined memory threshold is reached with the activation stack height value, the switching device (1) for dedicated activation of the failure deployment means (603) can be enabled by means of the filter module (2).

2. The avionic aviation system (80) with ground station (81) as claimed in claim 1, wherein, on detection of a failure by means of the sensor (3/401/601), the failure deployment means (603) can be selected by means of the filter module according to the resulting failure and/or the affected aircraft type (40, . . . , 42) and can be activated by means of the switching device (1).

3. The avionic aviation system (80) with ground station (81) as claimed in claim 2, wherein, on detection of a failure by means of the sensor (3/401/601), the failure deployment device (603) can be selected by means of the filter module (2) additionally on the basis of the activation stack height value and can be activated by means of the switching device (1).

4. The avionic aviation system (80) with ground station (81) as claimed in any of claims 1 to 3, wherein the log parameters additionally comprise measured value parameters of the flight management system (FMS) and/or of the inertial navigation system (INS) and/or of the fly-by-wire sensors and/or flight monitoring devices of the aircraft (40, . . . , 42) the memory threshold being generated by means of the filter module (2) dynamically for the respective time window on the basis of the Techlog stack height value and the additional log parameters.

5. The avionic aviation system (8) with ground station (81) as claimed in claim 4, wherein the avionics (402) of the aircraft (40, . . . , 42) comprises an altitude-measuring sensor and/or an air speed indicator and/or a vertical speed indicator and/or an attitude indicator and/or a turn indicator and/or an acceleration indicator and/or a stall warning sensor and/or an exterior temperature sensor and/or a position determination device, the log parameters additionally comprising measured parameters of at least one of the sensors and the memory threshold being generated by means of the filter module (2) dynamically for the respective time window on the basis of the Techlog stack height value and the additional log parameters.

6. The avionic aviation system (80) with ground station (81) as claimed in any of claims 1 to 5, wherein measured ATIS parameters based on the automatic terminal information system (ATIS) of the landing strip (11) which is being approached can be transmitted automatically to the ground station (81) for each landing and takeoff unit by means of the avionics (402) of the aircraft (40, . . . , 42) or the communication means (111) of the landing strip (11), the memory threshold being generated dynamically for the respective time window on the basis of the Techlog stack height value and the transmitted measured ATIS parameters.

7. The avionic aviation system (80) with ground station (81) as claimed in any of claims 1 to 6, wherein first activation parameters dynamically determined by means of the filter module (2) of the ground station (81) can be transmitted to the avionics (402) of the aircraft (40, . . . , 42) and/or to a supplementary on-board system (404) coordinated with the respective aircraft (40, . . . , 42), and protected second activation parameters can be generated by the avionics (402) or the coordinated supplementary on-board system (404) and can be transmitted to the ground station (81) for incrementing the activation stack.

8. The avionic aviation system (80) with ground station (81) as claimed in claim 7, wherein the protected second activation parameters comprise a uniquely assignable identification number.

9. The avionic aviation system (80) with ground station (81) as claimed in any of claims 1 to 8, wherein the coordinated log parameters can be transmitted directly to the ground station (81) via a satellite-based network (70) by means of the wireless interface (403) of the avionics (402) of the aircraft (40, . . . , 42).

10. The avionic aviation system (80) with ground station (81) as claimed in any of claims 1 to 8, wherein the coordinated log parameters can be transmitted to the ground station (81) via a wireless communication network (111) of a landing strip (11) which is being approached by means of the wireless interface (403) of the avionics (402) of the aircraft (40, . . . 42).

11. The avionic aviation system (80) with ground station (81) as claimed in any of claims 1 to 10, wherein the ground station (81) comprises an interface for access to one or more databases comprising landing strip-specific data records, each takeoff and/or landing unit detected by means of the detection device (411) and acquired as log parameters being capable of being coordinated with at least one landing strip-specific data record and the log parameters being capable of being weighted by means of a weighting module on the basis of the coordinated landing strip-specific data record.

12. The avionic aviation system (80) with ground station (81) as claimed in claim 11, wherein the aviation system (80) comprises a means for dynamically updating the one or more databases with landing strip-specific data records, the updating of the landing strip-specific data records being realized periodically and/or on request.

13. The avionic aviation system (80) with ground station (81) as claimed in either of claims 11 and 12, wherein the one or more databases are coordinated in a decentralized manner with a landing strip (11) for aircraft (40, . . . , 42), it being possible for data to be transmitted unidirectionally and/or bidirectionally from the landing strip (11) to the ground station (81) by means of an interface (111).

14. An avionic aviation method (80) with ground station (81) for automatic elimination of resulting failures in aircraft (40/41/42), the avionic aviation system (80) being linked to a multiplicity of aircraft (40/41/42) via a wireless interface (403) of the avionics (402), and a dedicated failure deployment device (603) for automatic failure elimination being activated by means of a switching device (1) of the ground station (81) if a failure detected by means of a sensor (3/401/601) occurs, wherein

implemented takeoff and/or landing units of the aircraft (40/41/42) are electronically acquired by means of integrated detection devices (411) of the avionics (402) of an aircraft (40/41/42), those log parameters of the implemented takeoff and/or landing units which are coordinated with the aircraft (40, . . . , 42) being transmitted from the detection devices (411) via the wireless interface (403) to the ground station (81),

a Techlog stack height value of an incrementable Techlog stack (202) being incremented by means of a counter module (203) of the ground station (81) based on filtered takeoff and/or landing units of the transmitted log parameters of the respective aircraft (40, . . . , 42),

the Techlog stack height value being read by means of the counter module (203), a threshold value for enabling the activation of the failure deployment device (603) on the basis of the Techlog stack height values being determined dynamically for a certain time window by means of a filter module (2),

activation parameters of the aircraft (40, . . . , 42) which have been transmitted to the ground station (81) being acquired by means of an activation stack (102) of a protected memory module (103) of the ground station (81), the activation parameters being transmitted to the ground station (81) on the basis of the actual memory threshold and the activation stack (102) being incremented stepwise according to the transmitted activation parameters, and

an activation stack height value of the activation stack (102) is cumulatively acquired by means of a counter module (103) of the ground station (80) and, if the dynamically determined memory threshold is reached with the activation stack height value, the switching device (1) for dedicated activation of failure deployment means (603) in the case of resulting failures is enabled by means of the filter module (2).

15. The avionic aviation method (80) with ground station (81) as claimed in claim 14, wherein, on detection of a failure by means of the sensor (3/401/601), the failure deployment means (603) are selected by means of the filter module according to the resulting failure and/or the affected aircraft type (40, . . . , 42) and are activated by means of the switching device (41).

16. The avionic aviation method (80) with ground station (81) as claimed in claim 15, wherein, on detection of a failure by means of the sensor (3/401/601), the failure deployment devices (603) are selected by means of the filter module (2) additionally on the basis of the activation stack height value and are activated by means of the switching device (1).

17. The avionic aviation method (80) with ground station (81) as claimed in any of claims 14 to 16, wherein the log parameters additionally comprise measured value parameters of the flight management system (FMS) and/or of the inertial navigation system (INS) and/or of the fly-by-wire sensors and/or flight monitoring devices, the memory threshold being generated by means of the filter module (2) dynamically for the respective time window on the basis of the Techlog stack height value and the additional log parameters.

18. The avionic aviation method (80) with ground station (81) as claimed in claim 17, wherein the avionics (402) of the aircraft (40, . . . , 42) comprises an altitude-measuring sensor and/or an air speed indicator and/or a vertical speed indicator and/or an attitude indicator and/or a turn indicator and/or an acceleration indicator and/or a stall warning sensor and/or an exterior temperature sensor and/or a position determination device, the log parameters additionally comprising measured parameters of at least one of the sensors, and the memory threshold accordingly being generated dynamically by means of the filter module (2) for the respective time window on the basis of the Techlog stack height value and the additional log parameters.

19. The avionic aviation method (80) with ground station (81) as claimed in any of claims 14 to 18, wherein measured ATIS parameters based on the automatic terminal information service (ATIS) of the landing strip (11) which is being approached are transmitted automatically to the ground station (81) for each landing and takeoff unit by means of the avionics (402) of the aircraft (40, . . . , 42) or the communication means (111) of the landing strip (11), the memory threshold being generated by means of the filter module (2) dynamically for the respective time window on the basis of the Techlog stack height value and the transmitted measured ATIS parameters.

20. The avionic aviation method (80) with ground station (81) as claimed in any of claims 14 to 19, wherein the first activation parameters dynamically determined by means of the filter module (2) of the ground station (81) are transmitted to the avionics (402) of the aircraft (40, . . . , 42) and/or to a supplementary on-board system (404) coordinated with the respective aircraft (40, . . . , 42) and, for incrementing the activation stack, protected second activation parameters are generated by the avionics (402) or the coordinated supplementary on-board system (404) and are transmitted to the ground station (81).

21. The avionic aviation method (80) with ground station (81) as claimed in claim 20, wherein the protected second activation parameters comprise a uniquely assignable identification number.

22. The avionic aviation method (80) with ground station (81) as claimed in any of claims 14 to 21, wherein the coordinated log parameters are transmitted directly to the ground station (81) via a satellite-based network (70) by means of the wireless interface (403) of the avionics (402) of the aircraft (40, . . . , 42).

23. The avionic aviation method (80) with ground station (81) as claimed in any of claims 14 to 22, wherein the coordinated log parameters are transmitted to the ground station (81) via a wireless communication network (111) of a landing strip (11) which is being approached by means of the wireless interface (403) of the avionics (402) of the aircraft (40, . . . , 42).

24. The avionic aviation method (80) with ground station (81) as claimed in any of claims 14 to 23, wherein one or more databases with landing strip-specific data records are accessed by means of an interface of the ground station (81), each takeoff and/or landing unit detected by means of the detection device (411) and acquired as log parameters being coordinated with at least one landing strip-specific data record and the log parameters being weighted by means of a weighting module on the basis of the coordinated landing strip-specific data record.

25. The avionic aviation method (80) with ground station (81) as claimed in claim 24, wherein the one or more databases with landing strip-specific data records are dynamically updated by means of the aviation system (80), the landing strip-specific data records being updated periodically and/or on request.

26. The avionic aviation method (80) with ground station (81) as claimed in either of claims 24 and 25, wherein the one or more databases are coordinated in a decentralized manner with a landing strip (11) for aircraft (40, . . . , 42), data being transmitted to the ground station (81) unidirectionally and/or bidirectionally from the landing strip (11) by means of an interface (111) of the landing strip (11).