Wireless supplement and/or substitute for aircraft flight recorders

• US 7,039,509 B2
• Filed: 12/30/2002
• Issued: 05/02/2006
• Est. Priority Date: 12/30/2002
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Lucent Technologies, Inc. (Nokia Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Lucent Technologies, Inc. (Nokia Corporation)
• Inventors: Podowski, Robert Richard
• Primary Examiner(s): Black, Thomas G.
• Assistant Examiner(s): Behncke, Christine M.
• Application Number:
  US10/331,258
• Publication Number:
  US 20040128039A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,219 Days
• Field of Search: 701/35, 701/3, 701/11, 701/14, 701/120, 455/430, 455/431, 244/118.5, 244/75.R, 244/117.R, 340/945, 340/574, 340/573.1, 340/963, 340/960, 370/468, 348/193
• US Class Current: 701/35
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 2205/003 for aircraft positioning relative to the ground
• CPC Class Codes: G07C 5/008 communicating information to a remotely located station transmission systems for measured values G08C
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 5/0013 with a ground station
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 5/0021 located in the aircraft
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 5/0082 for monitoring traffic from a ground station radar or analogous systems specially adapted for traffic control G01S13/91
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 7/18506 Communications with or from aircraft, i.e. aeronautical mobile service

Abstract

A method for preserving information from an airborne aircraft (10) includes receiving an activation signal, and in response thereto, establishing a call from the aircraft (10) to a ground support facility (210) over a wireless telecommunications network (200). Sounds within the aircraft (10) are monitored, and an audio signal reflecting the same is generated. Flight data from the aircraft (10) is obtained and encoded. The audio signal and encoded flight data are multiplexed to generate a combined output signal (300) which is transmitted via the call from the aircraft (10) to the ground support facility (210).

Claims

1. A method for preserving information from an airborne aircraft, said method comprising:

establishing a call from the aircraft to a ground support facility over a wireless telecommunications network;

obtaining information from the aircraft, said information including at least one of voice data and flight data;

transmitting the obtained information via the call from the aircraft to the ground support facility; and

,

determining if the aircraft has landed, and in response thereto automatically terminating the call, wherein the determining includes;

sensing if the aircraft'"'"'s landing gear is supporting the aircraft.

2. A system for preserving information from an airborne aircraft, said system comprising:

control means for controlling the system, said control means activating the system in response to an activation signal;

detecting means for monitoring sounds within the aircraft and generating an audio signal in response thereto;

acquiring means for obtaining flight data from the aircraft;

an encoder for encoding the flight data;

combining means for combining the audio signal and encoded flight data together with one another to generate a combined output signal;

communication means for establishing a connection with a ground support facility over wireless telecommunications network when the system is activated, said combined output signal being transmitted to the ground support facility via the established connection; and

,

automatically, wherein the determining means includes a sensor that senses when the aircraft is resting on its landing gear.

3. The system of claim 2, further comprising:

receiving means for receiving the combined output signal at the ground support facility via the established connection;

splitting means for dividing the received output signal into the audio signal and the encoded flight data;

a decoder for decoding the encoded flight data; and

,

a storage device on which is recorded at least one of the received output signal, the audio signal, the encoded flight data, and the decoded flight data.

4. The system of claim 2, wherein said wireless telecommunications network is a cellular network, the communication means is a mobile station of the cellular network, and said connection is a call over the cellular network.

5. The system of claim 2, wherein the encoder encodes the flight data into dual tone multi-frequency pairs defining binary values representative of the flight data.

6. The system of claim 2, wherein the detecting means is a microphone arranged within a cockpit of the aircraft.

7. The system of claim 2, further comprising activation means for generating the activation signal.

8. The system of claim 7, wherein the activation means is a manually operated control arranged in a cockpit of the aircraft.

9. The system of claim 7, wherein the activation means includes a voice recognition device responsive to verbalized input.