HEALTH MANAGEMENT UNIT AND METHOD FOR MONITORING HEALTH INFORMATION AND METHOD OF REPORTING CRITICAL FAILURE INFORMATION

• US 20160052640A1
• Filed: 08/20/2014
• Published: 02/25/2016
• Est. Priority Date: 08/20/2014
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: GE Aviation Systems LLC (GE Aerospace)
• Original Assignee: GE Aviation Systems LLC (GE Aerospace)
• Inventors: Buehler, Eric Daniel, Stanek, Dawn Marie
• Application Number:
  US14/464,262
• Publication Number:
  US 20160052640A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: B64D 2045/0085 Devices for aircraft health monitoring, e.g. monitoring flutter or vibration
• CPC Class Codes: B64D 45/00 Aircraft indicators or protectors not otherwise provided for camouflage F41H3/00
• CPC Class Codes: G07C 5/008 communicating information to a remotely located station transmission systems for measured values G08C
• CPC Class Codes: G07C 5/0808 Diagnosing performance data testing of vehicles G01M17/00; testing of electrical installation on vehicles G01R31/005

Abstract

A health management unit for an aircraft and method of reporting critical failure information, in an aircraft having a health management unit that includes determining by the health management unit a potential catastrophic event during the flight of the aircraft based on data received by the health management unit and assembling by the health management unit data indicative of a report of the aircraft state of operation upon the determining of a potential catastrophic event.

Claims

1. (canceled)

3. (canceled)

9. (canceled)

12. (canceled)

13. (canceled)

14. (canceled)

15. (canceled)

16. A method of reporting critical failure information, in an aircraft having a health management unit, the method comprising:

aggregating data, by the health management unit, from multiple systems of the aircraft;

determining, by the health management unit, a potential catastrophic event during flight of the aircraft based on the aggregated data;

assembling, by the health management unit, at least a portion of the aggregated data indicative of a report of the aircraft state of operation upon the determining of a potential catastrophic event;

preparing a predefined summary report including the at least a portion of the aggregated data; and

transmitting the predefined summary report from the aircraft during the flight of the aircraft.

2. The method of claim 16 wherein the determining the potential catastrophic event comprises receiving data from at least one system in the aircraft.

4. The method of claim 16 wherein the transmitting the predefined summary report comprises repeatedly transmitting the predefined summary report.

5. The method of claim 16 wherein the assembling of data further comprises aggregating, updated data and assembling the aggregated updated data.

6. The method of claim 5 wherein the transmitting the assembling of data further comprises transmitting the aggregated updated data.

7. The method of claim 16 wherein transmitting the predefined summary report off of the aircraft comprises selecting off-board interfaces to transmit the predefined summary report.

8. The method of claim 16 wherein the assembling of data comprises establishing connections to off-board interfaces.

10. The method of claim 16 wherein the assembling of data comprises collecting data related to a critical state of the aircraft, operational data, or location data.

11. The method of claim 16 wherein the assembling of data comprises collecting data that aids in locating the aircraft or determining potential issues with the aircraft.

17. A method of reporting critical failure information, in an aircraft having a health management unit, the method comprising:

determining, by the health management unit, a potential catastrophic event during flight of the aircraft based on data received by the health management unit;

assembling, by the health management unit, data indicative of a report of the aircraft state of operation upon the determining of a potential catastrophic event;

preparing a predefined summary report including the assembled data;

determining, by the health management unit, at least one communication link for transmitting the predefined summary report based on at least one of availability or reliability of the communication link; and

transmitting the predefined summary report over the at least one communication link from the aircraft during the flight of the aircraft.