RADIO-FREQUENCY COMMUNICATION SYSTEM FOR AIRCRAFT

• US 20090027232A1
• Filed: 10/24/2005
• Published: 01/29/2009
• Est. Priority Date: 11/02/2004
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Airbus Operations SAS (Airbus SE)
• Original Assignee: Airbus France
• Inventors: Lavielle, Isabelle, Le Toullec, Michel
• Granted Patent: US 8,294,596 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 340/971
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 7/18506 Communications with or from aircraft, i.e. aeronautical mobile service

Abstract

The invention relates to a radio-frequency communication system (1), comprising at least one radio-frequency transceiver (2, 3, 4), for transmission and reception according to a VDL mode 3 standard and for reception of status information for a radio-frequency communication of said radio-frequency transceiver (2, 3, 4) and a first man/machine interface (5) which displays at least one set of configuration information for said radio-frequency transceiver device (2, 3, 4). The first man/machine interface (5) also displays some of said status information for the radio-frequency communication for said radio-frequency transceiver device (2, 3, 4).

Claims

1-15. -15. (canceled)

16. A radiofrequency communication system for aircraft, comprising:

at least one radiofrequency transceiver device (2, 3, 4), able to transmit and to receive data according to a VDL mode 3 standard, and to receive status information for a radiofrequency communication of said radiofrequency device (2, 3, 4); and

a first man/machine interface means (5) displaying at least some configuration information of said radiofrequency transceiver device (2, 3, 4),

wherein said first man/machine interface means (5) also displays at least some of said status information for the radiofrequency communication of said radiofrequency transceiver device (2, 3, 4).

17. The system as claimed in claim 16, wherein it comprises:

a plurality of radiofrequency transceiver devices (2, 3, 4), able to transmit and to receive data according to the VDL mode 3 standard, as well as to receive status information for the radiofrequency communications of said radiofrequency transceiver devices (2, 3, 4); and

a second man/machine interface means (6) able to display, at the request of an operator, a synthesis of status information relating to the plurality of said radiofrequency devices (2, 3, 4).

18. The system as claimed in claim 17, wherein said first and second man/machine interface means are integrated in one and the same interface unit.

19. The system as claimed in claim 18, wherein said interface unit is a frequency adjustment device, of the radio management panel type.

20. The system as claimed in claim 17, wherein said second man/machine interface means (6) is a multipurpose control and display unit.

21. The system as claimed in claim 16, wherein:

at least one radiofrequency transceiver device (2, 3, 4) is able to receive information representing a frequency given by air control for the communication of said radiofrequency transceiver device (2, 3, 4);

said first man/machine interface means (5) displays, if necessary, said information representing said frequency given by air control; and

said first man/machine interface means (5) comprises means (9A, 9B) of selecting and activating said frequency on said radiofrequency transceiver device (2, 3, 4).

22. The system as claimed in claim 21, wherein said first man/machine interface means (5) furthermore comprises at least one indicator able to indicate, if necessary, that said frequency has been given by data link.

23. The system as claimed in claim 16, wherein it comprises:

at least one radiofrequency transceiver device (2, 3, 4) which is able to determine status information representing the possibility of using that radiofrequency transceiver device (2, 3, 4) in transmission; and

warning means (10, 11) for warning an operator of the aircraft when he attempts to use said radiofrequency transceiver device (2, 3, 4) in transmission whilst said status information corresponds to an impossibility of using that radiofrequency transceiver device (2, 3, 4) in transmission.

24. The system as claimed in claim 23, wherein it furthermore comprises a third man/machine interface means (12) and said warning means (10, 11) are able to activate a sound signal and to activate the display, on said third man/machine interface means (12), said status information corresponding to an impossibility of using said radiofrequency transceiver device (2, 3, 4) in transmission.

25. The system as claimed in claim 24, wherein said warning means (10, 11) simultaneously activate said sound signal and the display of said status information.

26. The system as claimed in claim 24, wherein said third interface means (12) is an electronic centralized aircraft monitoring device.

27. The system as claimed in claim 16, wherein said first man/machine interface means (5) comprises a means (16) allowing an operator to request the possibility of using a radiofrequency transceiver device (2, 3, 4,) in transmission.

28. The system as claimed in claim 27, wherein said means (16) is a key of said first man/machine interface means (5).

29. The system as claimed in claim 27, wherein it furthermore comprises an indicator which is associated with the display of the active frequency and which is able to indicate that the request by an operator to use a radiofrequency transceiver device (2, 3, 4) in transmission has been received by air control.

30. An aircraft, wherein it comprises a radiofrequency communication system (1) of the type claimed in claim 16.