System and method for alerting a cockpit crew of terrorist activity

• US 6,676,078 B2
• Filed: 12/14/2001
• Issued: 01/13/2004
• Est. Priority Date: 09/29/2001
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: I-Cube Design Systems, Inc.
• Original Assignee: I-Cube Design Systems, Inc.
• Inventors: Cordina, Joseph L., Couzelis, Anthony B.
• Primary Examiner(s): Eldred, J. Woodrow
• Application Number:
  US10/017,547
• Publication Number:
  US 20030062447A1
• Time in Patent Office: 760 Days
• Field of Search: 244/118.5, 244/1.R, 244/129.1, 340/945, 340/541
• US Class Current: 244/118.5
• CPC Class Codes: B64D 45/0059 by communicating emergency situations to ground control or between crew members

Abstract

A method and system for alerting a cockpit crew of terrorist activity in a cabin of an aircraft. The system includes a plurality of fobs worn by flight attendants. The system also includes an antenna sending unit (ASU) located within the cabin and a cockpit display unit (CDU) located in the cockpit of the aircraft. When a terrorist situation is detected by a flight attendant, the flight attendant sends an alerting signal to the cockpit by sending a coded signal via the ASU to the CDU. The CDU provides an indicator to the cockpit crew. The CDU may also optionally send a transponder code and an ACARS message to ground-based units.

Claims

1. A system for alerting a cockpit crew of a dangerous situation created by a passenger within a cabin area of an aircraft, the system comprising:

a plurality of fobs, each fob being carried by an authorized person located on the aircraft, the fob capable of transmitting a plurality of selectable signals, each selectable signal providing specific information on the dangerous situation within the cabin area; and

a cockpit display unit (CDU) for receiving signals sent from the transmitting fob, said CDU located within a cockpit of the aircraft, wherein said CDU includes means for detecting an attempt to jam a frequency used by the transmitting fob to send the signal to the CDU;

whereby one of the authorized persons carrying the fob detects a dangerous situation created by a passenger within the cabin area, selects a selectable signal from the plurality of selectable signals and sends the selected signal from the fob to said CDU, said CDU providing an indicator to the cockpit crew of the dangerous situation.

2. The system for alerting a cockpit crew of claim 1 further comprising an antenna sending unit (ASU) located within a cabin of the aircraft, said ASU capable of communicating with each fob, said ASU forwarding any transmitted signals to the CDU.

3. The system for alerting a cockpit crew of claim 2 wherein said ASU is connected to said CDU through a wire connection.

4. The system for alerting a cockpit crew of claim 2 wherein said ASU communicates with said CDU via a radio communications link.

5. The system for alerting a cockpit crew of claim 1 wherein each fob is capable of transmitting a plurality of specific codes, each code correlating to a specific type of dangerous situation occurring on the aircraft.

6. The system for alerting a cockpit crew of claim 5 wherein the specific codes transmitted by each fob include a numeric code to identify the specific type of dangerous situation.

7. The system for alerting a cockpit crew of claim 1 further comprising means for relaying the signal sent from the transmitting fob to ground-based personnel.

8. The system for alerting a cockpit crew of claim 7 wherein said means for relaying the signal includes emitting a transponder code from a transponder installed on the aircraft.

9. The system for alerting a cockpit crew of claim 7 wherein said means for relaying the signal includes sending an ACARS message from an ACARS unit installed on the aircraft to ground-based personnel.

10. The system for alerting a cockpit crew of claim 1 wherein said CDU includes:

means for storing a plurality of signals sent from different fobs; and

means for the cockpit crew to select an indicator for a specific stored signal.

11. A system for alerting a cockpit crew of a dangerous situation created by a passenger within a cabin area of an aircraft, the system comprising:

a plurality of fobs, each fob being carried by an authorized person located on the aircraft, the fob capable of transmitting a plurality of selectable signals, each selectable signal providing specific information on the dangerous situation within the cabin area, wherein each fob includes a staging means providing multiple retransmission of the signal in a randomly timed spacing pattern; and

a cockpit display unit (CDU) for receiving signals sent from the transmitting fob, said CDU located within a cockpit of the aircraft;

whereby one of the authorized persons carrying the fob detects a dangerous situation created by a passenger within the cabin area, selects a selectable signal from the plurality of selectable signals and sends the selected signal from the fob to said CDU, said CDU providing an indicator to the cockpit crew of the dangerous situation.

12. The system for alerting a cockpit crew of claim 11 further comprising means for initializing each fob used on the aircraft, said initializing means allowing said CDU to recognize only initialized fob signals.

13. A method of alerting a cockpit crew located in an aircraft of a dangerous activity created by a passenger within a cabin area on the aircraft, said method comprising the steps of:

initializing a plurality of fobs to allow a cockpit display unit (CDU) located within a cockpit of the aircraft to recognize any signals transmitted by each initialized fob;

carrying at least one fob by a flight crew member during flight of the aircraft, said fob capable of transmitting a plurality of selectable signals, each selectable signal providing specific information on the dangerous situation within the cabin area;

selecting a selectable signal from the plurality of selectable signals by the flight crew member;

transmitting a signal from the fob to the CDU, said signal being sent by the flight crew member when detecting a dangerous activity created by a passenger occurring within the cabin area of the aircraft, said signal providing specific information on the dangerous situation within the cabin area;

determining if the sent signal originated from an initialized fob;

providing an indication to the cockpit crew on the CDU that the signal originated from an uninitiated fob if the signal is determined to originate from an uninitiated fob; and

displaying an indication on the CDU to the cockpit crew that a signal was sent from the fob.

14. The method of alerting a cockpit crew of claim 13 wherein the step of transmitting a signal to the CDU includes transmitting a coded signal associated with a specific condition occurring during the detected dangerous activity.

15. The method of alerting a cockpit crew of claim 13 wherein the step of transmitting a signal to the CDU includes the steps of:

transmitting a signal from the fob to an antenna sending unit (ASU) located on the aircraft; and

relaying, by the ASU, the signal to the CDU.

16. The method of alerting a cockpit crew of claim 13 further comprising the step of sending through a transponder located on the aircraft a transponder code indicating that a terrorist activity has been detected on the aircraft.

17. The method of alerting a cockpit crew of claim 13 further comprising the step of sending through an ACARS unit installed on the aircraft to ground-based personnel an ACARS message indicating that terrorist activity has been detected aboard the aircraft.