METHOD AND APPARATUS FOR USING ELECTRONIC FLIGHT BAG (EFB) TO ENABLE FLIGHT OPERATIONS QUALITY ASSURANCE (FOQA)

• US 20130124018A1
• Filed: 11/14/2012
• Published: 05/16/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 11/14/2011
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: ARINC Incorporated (Rtx Corporation)
• Original Assignee: ARINC Incorporated (Rtx Corporation)
• Inventors: LENTZ, Robert Lewis
• Granted Patent: US 8,768,534 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 701/3
• CPC Class Codes: G01C 23/00 Combined instruments indicating more than one navigational value, e.g. for aircraft; Combined measuring devices for measuring two or more variables of movement, e.g. distance, speed or acceleration
• CPC Class Codes: G05D 1/00 Control of position, course, altitude or attitude of land, water, air or space vehicles, e.g. using automatic pilots drive control systems specially adapted for autonomous road vehicles B60W60/00
• CPC Class Codes: G07C 5/008 communicating information to a remotely located station transmission systems for measured values G08C
• CPC Class Codes: G07C 5/085 using electronic data carriers
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 5/0013 with a ground station
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 5/065 Navigation or guidance aids, e.g. for taxiing or rolling
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 7/18506 Communications with or from aircraft, i.e. aeronautical mobile service

Abstract

A method for using an Electronic Flight Bag (EFB) located on an aircraft to communicate Flight Operations Quality Assurance (FOQA) data to a remote aircraft flight data collection unit, is disclosed. The method may include receiving FOQA data from one or more aircraft systems while the aircraft is in-flight, and automatically transmitting the received FOQA data to a remote aircraft flight data collection unit for analysis.

Claims

1. A method for using an Electronic Flight Bag (EFB) located on an aircraft to communicate Flight Operations Quality Assurance (FOQA) data to a remote aircraft flight data collection unit, comprising:

receiving FOQA data from one or more aircraft systems while the aircraft is in-flight; and

automatically transmitting the received FOQA data to a remote aircraft flight data collection unit for analysis.

2. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

receiving information concerning any identified problems related to the FOQA data from the remote aircraft flight data collection unit.

3. The method of claim 2, further comprising:

receiving a solution to the identified problems from the remote aircraft flight data collection unit; and

implementing the received solution.

4. The method of claim 3, wherein implementing the received solution to the identified problems includes outputting the solution to at least one of the aircraft'"'"'s pilot and crewmembers.

5. The method of claim 3, wherein implementing the solution to the identified problems includes automatically implementing the solution to the identified problems using the EFB.

6. An Electronic Flight Bag (EFB) located on an aircraft to communicate Flight Operations Quality Assurance (FOQA) data to a remote aircraft flight data collection unit, comprising:

a communication interface; and

an aircraft flight data interface unit that receives FOQA data from one or more aircraft systems while the aircraft is in-flight, and automatically transmits the received FOQA data to a remote aircraft flight data collection unit for analysis through the communication interface.

7. The EFB of claim 6, wherein the aircraft flight data interface unit receives information concerning any identified problems related to the FOQA data from the remote aircraft flight data collection unit.

8. The EFB of claim 7, wherein the aircraft flight data interface unit receives a solution to the identified problems from the remote aircraft flight data collection unit;

and implements the received solution.

9. The EFB of claim 8, wherein implementing the received solution to the identified problems includes outputting the solution to at least one of the aircraft'"'"'s pilot and crewmembers.

10. The EFB of claim 8, wherein implementing the solution to the identified problems includes automatically implementing the solution to the identified problems using the EFB.

11. A method for using a remote aircraft flight data collection unit to receive and collect an aircraft'"'"'s Flight Operations Quality Assurance (FOQA) data from an Electronic Flight Bag (EFB) located on the aircraft, comprising:

receiving FOQA data from an aircraft while the aircraft is in-flight;

automatically analyzing the FOQA data to identify any problems to the aircraft or aircraft systems; and

transmitting the identified problems to the EFB located on the aircraft.

12. The method of claim 11, further comprising:

transmitting a solution to the identified problems to the EFB located on the aircraft for implementation.

13. The method of claim 12, wherein the implementation of the solution to the identified problems includes outputting the solution to at least one of the aircraft'"'"'s pilot and crewmembers.

14. The method of claim 12, wherein the implementation of the solution to the identified problems includes automatically implementing the solution to the identified problems using the EFB.

15. The method of claim 11, wherein the method is performed by one of a server, a computer, a processing device, and a personal digital assistant.

16. A remote aircraft flight data collection unit that receives and collects an aircraft'"'"'s Flight Operations Quality Assurance (FOQA) data from an Electronic Flight Bag (EFB) located on the aircraft, comprising:

a communication interface;

an aircraft flight data analysis management unit that receives FOQA data from the aircraft while the aircraft is in-flight, automatically analyzes the FOQA data to identify any problems to the aircraft or aircraft systems, and transmits the identified problems to the EFB located on the aircraft.

17. The remote aircraft flight data collection unit of claim 16, wherein the aircraft flight data analysis management unit transmits a solution to the identified problems to the EFB located on the aircraft for implementation.

18. The remote aircraft flight data collection unit of claim 17, wherein the implementation of the solution to the identified problems includes outputting the solution to at least one of the aircraft'"'"'s pilot and crewmembers.

19. The remote aircraft flight data collection unit of claim 17, wherein the implementation of the solution to the identified problems includes automatically implementing the solution to the identified problems using the EFB.

20. The remote aircraft flight data collection unit of claim 16, wherein the remote aircraft flight data collection one of a server, a computer, a processing device, and a personal digital assistant.