Emergency descent system

• US 7,792,615 B2
• Filed: 07/05/2005
• Issued: 09/07/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 07/05/2005
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: The Boeing Co.
• Original Assignee: The Boeing Co.
• Inventors: Aimar, Jeffrey L.
• Primary Examiner(s): To; Tuan C
• Assistant Examiner(s): MAWARI, REDHWAN K
• Application Number:
  US11/175,060
• Publication Number:
  US 20070043482A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,890 Days
• Field of Search: 701/11, 701/14, 701/16, 701/18, 701/2, 701/3, 701/4, 701/5, 701/6, 244/75.1, 244/13, 244/76.R, 244/180, 244/190
• US Class Current: 701/11
• CPC Class Codes: G01C 23/00 Combined instruments indicating more than one navigational value, e.g. for aircraft; Combined measuring devices for measuring two or more variables of movement, e.g. distance, speed or acceleration
• CPC Class Codes: G05D 1/0061 for transition from automatic pilot to manual pilot and vice versa
• CPC Class Codes: G05D 1/0688 Emergency descent

Abstract

An emergency descent system is provided for automatically performing an emergency descent in a vehicle. The system monitors cabin pressure altitude and if the cabin pressure altitude exceeds a preset value, the emergency descent system, may direct the autopilot to descend the aircraft to the minimum safe altitude (MSA). The emergency descent system may also communicate with ground facilities informing them of the descent.

Claims

1. An emergency descent system for a vehicle comprising:

a processor;

a memory accessible by the processor, the memory including a software program executable by the processor, a terrain database and a flight plan route;

a navigation system which provides the processor with positional information;

a static pressure instrument, representative of a pressure altitude within the vehicle, that provides the processor with static pressure data;

an automatic pilot which controls the vehicle when engaged; and

a health/alertness monitoring system operatively connected to the processor for monitoring a health/alertness of a pilot operating the vehicle;

wherein the emergency descent system checks the flight plan route during pre-flight to determine if a descent to a certain altitude along any flight plan segment of the flight plan route would intersect a minimum safe altitude for that flight plan segment, and if the descent to the certain altitude would intersect the minimum safe altitude, the emergency descent system checks a database for a preplanned escape route for that flight plan segment and stores the preplanned escape route for use if needed on the flight plan segment;

wherein the processor monitors the static pressure instrument, the health/alertness monitoring system and the positional information, and directs the automatic pilot to decrease the vehicle altitude when the static pressure falls below a predetermined pressure.

2. The emergency descent system of claim 1, wherein the processor directs the automatic pilot to decrease the vehicle altitude when the health/alertness monitoring system returns a signal which is at least one of unsatisfactory and indicates a loss of consciousness.

3. The emergency descent system of claim 1, wherein the navigation system receives position inputs from one of a global positioning system (GPS), an inertial navigation system (INS) and a ground based navigational aid.

4. The emergency descent system of claim 1, wherein the software program is adapted to convert the static pressure into a cabin pressure altitude.

5. The emergency descent system of claim 4, wherein the software program is adapted to determine the minimum safe altitude for each flight plan segment of the flight plan route.

6. The emergency descent system of claim 1, including a pilot interface device adapted to disengage the emergency descent system.

7. The emergency descent system of claim 6, wherein the pilot interface device is part of the automatic pilot.

8. The emergency descent system of claim 7, including a flight management system, wherein the flight management system supplies flight plan information to the memory for use by the software program.

9. The emergency descent system of claim 1, including a communication device.

10. The emergency descent system of claim 9, wherein the communication device is a radio.

11. The emergency descent system of claim 9, wherein the communication device is a data link.

12. The emergency descent system of claim 10, wherein the radio is a very high frequency (VHF) radio.

13. The emergency descent system of claim 10, wherein the processor sends a signal to a ground station through the communication device which informs the ground station that the vehicle is descending.

14. The emergency descent system of claim 1, wherein the vehicle is an aircraft.

24. The emergency descent system of claim 1 wherein the processor directs the automatic pilot to decrease the vehicle altitude to between 10,000 and 18,000 feet when the health/alertness monitoring system indicates that the health/alertness of the pilot operating the vehicle is unsatisfactory.

25. The emergency descent system of claim 1 wherein the processor directs the automatic pilot to decrease the vehicle altitude when the altitude of the vehicle is above 18,000 feet.

26. The emergency descent system of claim 25 wherein the processor directs the automatic pilot to decrease the vehicle altitude to between 10,000 feet and 18,000 feet when the vehicle altitude is above 18,000 feet.

32. The emergency descent system of claim 1 wherein the certain altitude is 10,000 feet.

33. The emergency descent system of claim 1 wherein the emergency descent system notifies at least one of the pilot and flight crew if the preplanned escape route exist for the flight plan segment.

34. The emergency descent system of claim 1 wherein the processor directs the automatic pilot to follow the preplanned escape route if the static pressure falls below the predetermined pressure in the flight plan segment having the preplanned escape route.

35. The emergency descent system of claim 1 wherein the emergency descent system communicates with at least one of a ground station, air traffic control, and other aircraft if the static pressure falls below the predetermined pressure and the automatic pilot decreases the vehicle altitude.

36. The emergency descent system of claim 2 wherein the emergency descent system alerts at least one of flight crew and the pilot if the health/alertness monitoring system returns the signal which is at least one of unsatisfactory and indicates a loss of consciousness.

15. A method of reducing the altitude of a vehicle comprising:

checking a flight plan route of the vehicle during pre-flight to determine if a descent to a certain altitude along any flight plan segment of the flight plan route would intersect a minimum safe altitude for that flight plan segment, and if the descent to the certain altitude would intersect the minimum safe altitude, checking a database for a preplanned escape route for that flight plan segment and storing the preplanned escape route for use if needed on the flight plan segment;

updating a vehicle position;

monitoring a pressure indication;

alerting at least one of a pilot of the vehicle and a flight crew if the pressure indication indicates a cabin altitude above a predetermined altitude;

engaging an autopilot and auto-throttles to automatically decrease vehicle altitude if the pressure indication indicates the cabin altitude is above the predetermined altitude; and

, if the pressure indication indicates the cabin altitude is above the predetermined altitude, instructing the autopilot to at least one of follow the preplanned escape route and level the vehicle at the minimum safe altitude.

16. The method of claim 15 including, transmitting a signal via an aircraft antenna to a ground station.

17. The method of claim 16, wherein the signal is a radio signal and is transmitted on an emergency radio frequency.

18. The method of claim 16 wherein the signal is transmitted via a datalink.

19. The method of claim 15, wherein the vehicle position is updated via one of an inertial navigation system (INS), a global positioning system (GPS) and ground based navigational aids (NAVAIDs).

20. The method of claim 15, wherein the minimum safe altitude is determined for each flight plan segment.

21. The method of claim 15, wherein the autopilot includes a pilot interface device.

22. The method of claim 15, wherein a flight management system provides flight plan information.

23. The method of claim 15, wherein the vehicle is an aircraft.

27. The method of claim 15 wherein the autopoilot and the auto-throttles automatically decrease the altitude of the vehicle when a health/alertness monitoring system indicates that the health/alertness of the pilot operating the vehicle is at least one of unsatisfactory and unconscious.

28. The method of claim 15 wherein the automatic pilot automatically decreases the vehicle altitude when static pressure inside the vehicle falls below a predetermined pressure.

29. The method of claim 28 wherein the automatic pilot automatically decreases the vehicle altitude when the altitude of the vehicle is above 18,000 feet.

30. The method of claim 29 wherein the automatic pilot automatically decreases the vehicle altitude to between 10,000 feet and 18,000 feet when the vehicle altitude is above 18,000 feet.

31. The method of claim 27 wherein the autopilot and the auto-throttles automatically decrease the altitude of the vehicle to between 10,000 and 18,000 feet when the health/alertness monitoring system indicates that the health/alertness of the pilot operating the vehicle is at least one of unsatisfactory and unconscious.

37. The method of claim 15 wherein the certain altitude is 10,000 feet.

38. The method of claim 15 further comprising at least one of the pilot and the flight crew being notified if the preplanned escape route exist for the flight segment.

39. The method of claim 15 further comprising the autopilot following the preplanned escape route if the pressure indication indicates the cabin altitude is above the predetermined altitude in the flight plan segment having the preplanned escape route.

40. The method of claim 15 further comprising communicating with at least one of a ground station, air traffic control, and other aircraft if the pressure indication indicates the cabin altitude is above the predetermined altitude and the autopilot decreases the vehicle altitude.

41. The method of claim 27 further comprising alerting at least one of the flight crew and the pilot if the health/alertness monitoring system returns a signal indicating that the health/alertness of the pilot is at least one of unsatisfactory and indicates a loss of consciousness.