Aircraft Distress Tracking and Interface to Search and Rescue System

• US 20170052259A1
• Filed: 08/21/2015
• Published: 02/23/2017
• Est. Priority Date: 08/21/2015
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: The Boeing Co.
• Original Assignee: The Boeing Co.
• Inventors: Murphy, Timothy Allen
• Granted Patent: US 10,088,574 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: B64D 2045/0065 Black boxes, devices automatically broadcasting distress signals
• CPC Class Codes: B64D 25/20 Releasing of crash position indicators
• CPC Class Codes: B64D 45/00 Aircraft indicators or protectors not otherwise provided for camouflage F41H3/00
• CPC Class Codes: B64D 45/0059 by communicating emergency situations to ground control or between crew members
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 1/68 Marker, boundary, call-sign, or like beacons transmitting signals not carrying directional information
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 19/17 Emergency applications
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 5/0231 Emergency, distress or locator beacons

Abstract

An apparatus and method of delivering an alert from an aircraft to a search and rescue system. An alert from an aircraft is received via a communications satellite. The alert comprises identification information identifying the aircraft and position information identifying the position of the aircraft. In response to receiving the alert, an emulated distress radio beacon signal is generated. The emulated distress radio beacon signal comprises the identification information and the position information in a standard format of a signal generated by a distress radio beacon. The emulated distress radio beacon signal is broadcast from a location other than the aircraft as an emulated distress radio beacon transmission that is configured to be received and processed by the search and rescue system.

Claims

1. A method of delivering an alert from an aircraft to a search and rescue system, comprising:

receiving the alert from the aircraft via a communications satellite, wherein the alert comprises identification information identifying the aircraft and position information identifying a position of the aircraft;

in response to receiving the alert, generating an emulated distress radio beacon signal comprising the identification information and the position information in a standard format of a signal generated by a distress radio beacon; and

broadcasting the emulated distress radio beacon signal from a location other than the aircraft as an emulated distress radio beacon transmission that is configured to be received and processed by the search and rescue system.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein:

generating the emulated distress radio beacon signal comprises generating an emulated emergency locator transmitter signal in a standard format of a signal generated by an emergency locator transmitter; and

broadcasting the emulated distress radio beacon signal comprises broadcasting the emulated emergency locator transmitter signal from the location other than the aircraft as an emulated emergency locator transmitter transmission that is configured to be received and processed by the search and rescue system.

3. The method of claim 2, wherein broadcasting the emulated emergency locator transmitter signal comprises broadcasting the emulated emergency locator transmitter signal at approximately 406 MHz to emulate a transmission from an emergency locator transmitter.

4. The method of claim 1 further comprising:

sending registration information to the search and rescue system before broadcasting the emulated distress radio beacon signal, wherein the registration information indicates that an apparent distress radio beacon transmission that identifies the aircraft is the emulated distress radio beacon transmission.

5. The method of claim 4, wherein the registration information comprises transmitter information identifying the location other than the aircraft of a transmitter for broadcasting the emulated distress radio beacon signal.

6. The method of claim 1 further comprising:

evaluating the alert from the aircraft to determine whether the alert is a distress alert indicating that the aircraft is in distress; and

generating and broadcasting the emulated distress radio beacon signal in response to a determination that the alert is the distress alert.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein the alert is received from the aircraft via the communications satellite in low Earth orbit.

8. The method of claim 7, wherein the alert is received from the aircraft via an Iridium communications satellite.

9. The method of claim 1, wherein the alert is generated by a tracking device on the aircraft comprising:

a satellite navigation system receiver configured to identify the position of the aircraft using navigation signals received from a satellite navigation system;

a satellite communications transceiver;

a number of antennas for the satellite navigation system receiver and the satellite communications transceiver;

a distress identifier configured to identify when the aircraft is in distress;

a processor configured to generate the position information identifying the position of the aircraft as identified by the satellite navigation system receiver, generate the alert, and send the alert via the communications satellite using the satellite communications transceiver in response to a determination by the distress identifier that the aircraft is in distress; and

a housing attached to the aircraft on an outside of the aircraft and containing the satellite navigation system receiver, the satellite communications transceiver, the number of antennas, the distress identifier, and the processor.

10. An apparatus, comprising:

a receiver configured to receive an alert from an aircraft via a communications satellite, wherein the alert comprises identification information identifying the aircraft and position information identifying a position of the aircraft;

a formatter configured to generate an emulated distress radio beacon signal comprising the identification information and the position information in a standard format of a signal generated by a distress radio beacon; and

a transmitter configured to broadcast the emulated distress radio beacon signal from a location other than the aircraft as an emulated distress radio beacon transmission that is configured to be received and processed by a search and rescue system.

11. The apparatus of claim 10, wherein:

the formatter is configured to generate the emulated distress radio beacon signal as an emulated emergency locator transmitter signal in a standard format of a signal generated by an emergency locator transmitter; and

the transmitter is configured to broadcast the emulated emergency locator transmitter signal from the location other than the aircraft as an emulated emergency locator transmitter transmission that is configured to be received and processed by the search and rescue system.

12. The apparatus of claim 11, wherein the transmitter is configured to broadcast the emulated emergency locator transmitter signal at approximately 406 MHz to emulate a transmission from an emergency locator transmitter.

13. The apparatus of claim 10, wherein the alert comprises distress information indicating whether the aircraft is in distress.

14. The apparatus of claim 13 further comprising:

an evaluator configured to evaluate the distress information in the alert from the aircraft to determine whether the alert is a distress alert indicating that the aircraft is in distress; and

wherein the formatter is configured to generate the emulated distress radio beacon signal in response to a determination that the alert is the distress alert.

15. A system, comprising:

a tracking device on an aircraft configured to send an alert from the aircraft via a communications satellite, wherein the alert comprises identification information identifying the aircraft and position information identifying a position of the aircraft;

an aircraft tracking system configured to receive the alert from the aircraft, generate an emulated distress radio beacon signal comprising the identification information and the position information in a standard format of a signal generated by a distress radio beacon, and broadcast the emulated distress radio beacon signal from a location other than the aircraft as an emulated distress radio beacon transmission; and

a search and rescue system configured to receive the emulated distress radio beacon transmission as a standard distress radio beacon transmission via a search and rescue system satellite and use the identification information and the position information to conduct a search and rescue operation.

16. The system of claim 15, wherein the tracking device on the aircraft comprises:

a satellite navigation system receiver configured to identify the position of the aircraft using navigation signals received from a satellite navigation system;

a satellite communications transceiver;

a number of antennas for the satellite navigation system receiver and the satellite communications transceiver;

a distress identifier configured to identify when the aircraft is in distress;

a processor configured to generate the position information identifying the position of the aircraft as identified by the satellite navigation system receiver, generate the alert, and send the alert via the communications satellite using the satellite communications transceiver in response to a determination by the distress identifier that the aircraft is in distress; and

a housing attached to the aircraft on an outside of the aircraft and containing the satellite navigation system receiver, the satellite communications transceiver, the number of antennas, the distress identifier, and the processor.

17. The system of claim 15, wherein the aircraft tracking system comprises:

a receiver configured to receive the alert from the aircraft via the communications satellite, wherein the communications satellite is in a low Earth orbit;

a formatter configured to generate the emulated distress radio beacon signal as an emulated emergency locator transmitter signal in a standard format of a signal generated by an emergency locator transmitter; and

a transmitter configured to broadcast the emulated distress radio beacon signal as an emulated emergency locator transmitter transmission.

18. The system of claim 15, wherein the search and rescue system comprises the COSPAS-SARSAT search and rescue system.

19. A method of using an alert from an aircraft to perform a search and rescue operation, comprising:

receiving an apparent distress radio beacon transmission comprising identification information identifying the aircraft and position information identifying a position of the aircraft;

using the identification information to identify registration information for the aircraft indicating whether the apparent distress radio beacon transmission is an emulated distress radio beacon transmission transmitted from a transmitter that is not a distress radio beacon located on the aircraft; and

using the position information to perform the search and rescue operation in response to a determination that the apparent distress radio beacon transmission is the emulated distress radio beacon transmission transmitted from the transmitter that is not the distress radio beacon located on the aircraft.

20. The method of claim 19, wherein:

receiving the apparent distress radio beacon transmission comprises receiving the apparent distress radio beacon transmission via a search and rescue system satellite; and

the registration information comprises transmitter information identifying a location of the transmitter; and

further comprising;

determining a calculated position of the transmitter using orbit information for the search and rescue system satellite and signal Doppler measurements for the apparent distress radio beacon transmission; and

comparing the location of the transmitter as identified in the registration information to the calculated position to determine whether the apparent distress radio beacon transmission is valid.