SYSTEM AND METHOD FOR CROWD SOURCING AIRCRAFT DATA COMMUNICATIONS

• US 20170178420A1
• Filed: 04/16/2016
• Published: 06/22/2017
• Est. Priority Date: 12/22/2015
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Alula Aerospace, LLC
• Original Assignee: Alula Aerospace, LLC
• Inventors: Byrd, JR., Thomas R.
• Granted Patent: US 9,934,620 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• 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
• CPC Class Codes: G07C 5/0841 Registering performance data recording measured values G01D; information storage G11B
• CPC Class Codes: G07C 5/085 using electronic data carriers

Abstract

To facilitate wireless, near real time, in-flight data collection this system and method presents a solution to universal aircraft data transmission and retrieval. The subject apparatus and corresponding system will be capable of universally integrating into thousands of aircraft globally regardless of type, model or series: an affordable alternative method of streaming critical flight data parameters in near real-time. This service will benefit maintenance providers, airports, aircraft lessors, airlines, airline operations centers, and government agencies such as the FAA, NTSB, and NWS, etc. The subject system, method and apparatus will not replace current aircraft flight data recorder systems, but rather integrate into them and enhance their capabilities while reducing the costs industry-wide.

Claims

1. A system for crowd sourcing aircraft data communications, comprising:

an on-board communication hub communicatively interconnected to a digital flight data acquisition unit of an aircraft, said on-board communication hub comprising a computer processor, memory and a data storage device,

said on-board communication hub comprising a data sorting module structured to receive flight data from the digital flight data acquisition unit, said data sorting module further structured to select a critical portion of the flight data for near real-time transmission,

said on-board communication hub being communicatively interconnected to at least one data transmission device for transmitting said selected critical portion of said flight data during in-flight operations of the aircraft for receipt by a plurality of crowd-sourced data receivers,

at least one operations center structured to receive said selected critical portion of said flight data from the plurality of crowd-sourced data receivers, said operations center comprising a computer processor, memory and a data storage device.

2. The system as recited in claim 1 wherein said on-board communication hub is communicatively interconnected to a plurality of data transmission devices for transmission of the flight data to said operations center.

3. The system as recited in claim 2 wherein said on-board communication hub is structured to transmit the flight data via a different one of said plurality of data transmission devices based upon a location of the aircraft.

4. The system as recited in claim 3 wherein said plurality of data transmission devices comprise an ultra-high frequency (UHF) data communication device and a satellite communication (SATCOM) device.

5. The system as recited in claim 4 wherein said plurality of data transmission devices further comprise a WiFi communication device.

6. The system as recited in claim 1 wherein the on-board communication hub and the plurality of crowd-sourced data receivers disposed along a flight route of the aircraft are synchronized to a common ultra-high frequency (UHF) communication channel.

7. The system as recited in claim 6 wherein said data transmission device is structured to communicate the flight data via a plurality of UHF communication channels.

8. The system as recited in claim 7 wherein said operations center comprises a transmission channel management module structured to communicate with said on-board communication hub in order to define the UHF communication channel which the data transmission device will transmit the flight data via in-flight operations.

9. The system as recited in claim 8 wherein said transmission channel management module is further structured to synchronize the plurality of crowd-sourced data receivers disposed long the flight route to receive the flight data via the defined UHF communication channel which the data transmission device will transmit the flight data via in-flight operations.

10. The system as recited in claim 1 further comprising an on-board Internet traffic module for receiving Internet traffic communications from a user and transmitting the Internet traffic communications to said operations center via the plurality of crowd-sourced data receivers during in-flight operations of the aircraft.

11. The system as recited in claim 10 wherein said operations center comprises an Internet traffic routing module for receiving the Internet traffic communications from the plurality of crowd-sourced data receivers and for routing the Internet traffic communications to the appropriate service via the Internet.

12. A method for the collection and transmission of aircraft data using a plurality of crowd-sourced data receivers, the method comprising:

receiving the aircraft data via an on-board communication hub, the on-board communication hub comprising a computer processor, memory and a data storage device,

transmitting at least a portion of the aircraft data to the plurality of crowd-sourced data receivers disposed along a flight path during in-flight operation of an aircraft via an ultra-high frequency data communication device,

receiving said transmitted aircraft data at an operations center, said operations center comprising a computer processor, memory and a data storage device,

communicating the received aircraft data at the operations center to at least one end user.

13. The method as recited in claim 12 wherein the ultra-high frequency data communication device is structured to operate data transmissions via a plurality of transmission frequencies, and wherein the plurality of crowd-sourced data receivers are structured to receive transmitted data via a plurality of transmission frequencies.

14. The method as recited in claim 13 further comprising synchronizing the ultra-high frequency data communication device and a plurality of crowd-sourced data communication devices disposed in-range along a projected flight patch of the aircraft to operate on a common transmission frequency.

15. The method as recited in claim 14 further comprising determining a projected flight path of the aircraft prior to in-flight operations of the aircraft, determining a projected flight path of at least one other aircraft, and, based thereupon, if a bandwidth congestion is determined, operating the ultra-high frequency data communication device on the aircraft at a first transmission frequency during in-flight operations, and operating the ultra-high frequency data transmission device on the other aircraft at a second, different transmission frequency during in-flight operations.

16. The method as recited in claim 12 comprising receiving Internet traffic communications from a user via an on-board Internet traffic module.

17. The method as recited in claim 16 further comprising transmitting the Internet traffic communications to the operations center via the plurality of crowd-sourced data receivers during in-flight operations of the aircraft via the ultra-high frequency data communication device.

18. The method as recited in claim 17 further comprising receiving the Internet traffic communications at the operations center and routing the Internet traffic communications to an appropriate source via the Internet.