System and method for monitoring and reporting aircraft quick access recorder data

• US 7,149,612 B2
• Filed: 01/05/2004
• Issued: 12/12/2006
• Est. Priority Date: 01/05/2004
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: ARINC Incorporated (Raytheon Technologies Corporation d/b/a RTX)
• Original Assignee: ARINC Incorporated (Raytheon Technologies Corporation d/b/a RTX)
• Inventors: Scherbina, Alexander, Stefani, Rolf
• Primary Examiner(s): NGUYEN, CUONG H
• Application Number:
  US10/750,868
• Publication Number:
  US 20050149238A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,072 Days
• Field of Search: 701/29, 701/33, 701/35, 701/14, 701/36, 701/213, 701/3, 701/10, 701 7- 8, 340/425.5, 340/438, 706/47, 706/59, 706/61, 702/184, 714798-799
• US Class Current: 701/35
• CPC Class Codes: B64D 2045/0075 Adaptations for use of electronic flight bags in aircraft; Supports therefor in the cockpit
• CPC Class Codes: B64F 5/60 Testing or inspecting aircraft components or systems
• CPC Class Codes: G01D 9/005 Solid-state data loggers
• CPC Class Codes: G07C 5/008 communicating information to a remotely located station transmission systems for measured values G08C
• CPC Class Codes: G07C 5/08 Registering or indicating performance data other than driving, working, idle, or waiting time, with or without registering driving, working, idle or waiting time
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 5/0013 with a ground station
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 5/0021 located in the aircraft

Abstract

Systems and methods for monitoring and reporting a quick access recorder (QAR) data in real time. The system includes a QAR for recording fault information, a removable portable hardware component that stores, analyzes and displays the fault information, an onboard data communication network that enables the QAR and the portable hardware component to exchange information, and an air-ground data transmitting device for transmitting the fault information from the vehicle. The removable portable hardware component may be an Electronic Flight Bag (EFB) that hosts a QAR Manager application and communication technologies to manage and report all applications on the EFB.

Claims

1. A system for monitoring, reporting and diagnosing fault information of a vehicle on a real-time basis both within the vehicle and outside the vehicle, comprising:

a quick access recorder that records fault information;

a portable hardware component that is removable from the vehicle and that uses information fusion and onboard reasoning processing within the portable hardware component to provide at least one of diagnosis, prognosis, isolation or vehicle component identification associated with the recorded fault information;

an onboard data communication network that communicates the fault information between the quick access recorder and the portable hardware component; and

a data transmitting device that transmits information regarding the at least one of the diagnosis, prognosis, isolation or vehicle component identification, in real time, between the portable hardware component and at least one remote receiver location.

2. The system according to claim 1, wherein the quick access recorder records the fault information from line replaceable units and the portable hardware component determines indications of legitimate faults.

3. The system according to claim 2, wherein the line replaceable units are removable from the vehicle for further fault diagnoses.

4. The system according to claim 1, wherein the portable hardware component is an Electronic Flight Bag that hosts a suite of applications for monitoring, reporting and diagnosing the fault information.

5. The system according to claim 4, wherein the suite of applications performs real-time monitoring and analysis of the fault information received from the quick access recorder.

6. The system according to claim 5, wherein the suite of applications enables display of notification messages pertaining to the monitoring and analysis of the fault information on the Electronic Flight Bag.

7. The system according to claim 5, wherein the suite of applications enables transmission from the Electronic Flight Bag, via the data transmitting device, of notification messages to at least one of maintenance personnel or a remote host computer system as the at least one receiver in another location.

8. The system according to claim 1, wherein the onboard data communication network is a data bus that enables exchange of information other than fault information.

9. The system according to claim 1, wherein the data transmitting device is an air-ground transmitting device further comprising an air-ground antenna.

10. The system according to claim 1, wherein the vehicle is an aircraft.

11. A method for monitoring, reporting and diagnosing fault information of a vehicle on a real-time basis both within the vehicle and outside the vehicle, comprising:

recording fault information on a quick access recorder;

communicating the fault information recorded on the quick access recorder to a portable hardware component, which is removable from the vehicle, through an onboard data communication network;

storing the fault information on the portable hardware component;

diagnosing the fault information with the portable hardware component using information fusion and onboard reasoning processing within the portable hardware component to provide at least one of diagnosis, prognosis, isolation or vehicle component identification associated with the recorded fault information; and

transmitting information associated with the at least one of the diagnosis, prognosis, isolation or vehicle component identification, in real time, between the portable hardware component and at least one remote receiver location.

12. The method according to claim 11, further comprising displaying information associated with the at least one of the diagnosis, prognosis, isolation or vehicle component identification on a display unit of the portable hardware component.

13. The method according to claim 11, wherein transmitting further comprises employing an air-ground data transmitting device to transmit information to a maintenance personnel as the at least one receiver in another location.

14. The method according to claim 11, further comprising initiating an immediate corrective action based on the information associated with the at least one of the diagnosis, prognosis, isolation or vehicle component identification.

15. The method according to claim 13, further comprising notifying the maintenance personnel of a need for later initiating a corrective action based on the information associated with the at least one of the diagnosis, prognosis, isolation or vehicle component identification.

16. The method according to claim 11, wherein the portable hardware component is an Electronic Flight Bag, the Electronic Flight Bag hosts a suite of applications for monitoring, reporting and diagnosing the fault information.

17. The method according to claim 16, wherein the suite of applications performs real-time monitoring and analysis of the fault information received from the quick access recorder.

18. The method according to claim 13, further comprising connecting air-ground data transmitting device to at least one of an air-ground antenna or a ground communication antenna.

19. The method according to claim 11, wherein the vehicle is an aircraft.