Method and device of calculating aircraft braking friction and other relating landing performance parameters based on the data received from aircraft's on board flight data management system

• US 7,797,095 B2
• Filed: 02/13/2006
• Issued: 09/14/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 02/23/2005
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Aviation Safety Technologies LLC
• Original Assignee: Aviation Safety Technologies LLC
• Inventors: Rado, Zoltan Ivan
• Primary Examiner(s): Lee; Benjamin P
• Application Number:
  US11/352,984
• Publication Number:
  US 20060243857A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,674 Days
• Field of Search: 244/1.R, 244/100.R, 244/110.R, 244/110.A, 244/111, 303/126, 303/177, 303/150, 303/191, 701/70, 701/78, 701/83, 701/80
• US Class Current: 701/80
• CPC Class Codes: B60T 8/1703 for aircrafts
• CPC Class Codes: B60T 8/171 Detecting parameters used in the regulation; Measuring values used in the regulation
• CPC Class Codes: B64C 19/00 Aircraft control not otherwise provided for
• CPC Class Codes: B64C 25/42 Arrangement or adaptation of brakes
• CPC Class Codes: B64C 25/426 Braking devices providing an automatic sequence of braking
• CPC Class Codes: B64D 45/04 Landing aids; Safety measures to prevent collision with earth's surface
• CPC Class Codes: G16Z 99/00 Subject matter not provided for in other main groups of this subclass

Abstract

This invention relates to method and apparatus of the calculation of aircraft braking friction and other relating landing parameters including but not limited to aircraft braking action, aircraft takeoff distance, aircraft landing distance, runway surface conditions and runway surface friction based on the data collected by and available in the aircraft Flight Data Recorder (FDR) or other flight data management system for example the Quick Access Recorder (QAR) to provide every involved personnel in the ground operations of an airport and airline operations including but not limited to aircraft pilots, airline operation officers and airline managers as well as airport operators, managers and maintenance crews, the most accurate and most recent information on the true aircraft landing performance parameters to help better and more accurate safety and economical decision making.

Claims

1. A method of calculating a true aircraft braking friction coefficient of an aircraft landing surface using a landing aircraft comprising the steps of:

(A) Obtaining one or more sets of data points recorded on a flight data management system mounted on the landing aircraft that is landing or has landed on the aircraft landing surface, wherein the one or more sets of data points that were obtained from the landing aircraft'"'"'s flight data management system include one or more sets of data points recorded on the landing aircraft'"'"'s flight data management system between substantially a point in time that the landing aircraft touched down on the aircraft landing surface until a predetermined point in time thereafter;

(B) Transmitting the one or more sets of data points obtained from the landing aircraft'"'"'s flight data management system to a computer;

(C) Using the computer to calculate the true aircraft braking friction coefficient of the landing surface using at least one of the one or more of the sets of the data points transmitted from the landing aircraft'"'"'s flight data management system to the computer;

(D) Wherein the one or more sets of the data points obtained from the landing aircraft'"'"'s flight data management system and transmitted to the computer include one or more sets of data points relating to one or more of the landing aircraft'"'"'s following properties;

aircraft ground speed, aircraft brake pressure, aircraft longitudinal acceleration, aircraft engine thrust setting, aircraft reverse thrust setting, aircraft engine revolutions per minute, aircraft air speed, aircraft vertical acceleration, aircraft spoiler setting, aircraft airbrake setting, aircraft aileron setting, aircraft flap configuration, aircraft pitch, and aircraft autobrake setting;

(E) Obtaining one or more sets of data points relating to one or more environmental parameters measured substantially in the vicinity where the landing aircraft is landing or has landed on the aircraft landing surface, wherein the one or more sets of the data points relating to the one or more environmental parameters were measured between substantially the point in time that the landing aircraft has touched down on the landing surface until the predetermined point in time thereafter, and wherein the one or more sets of the data points relating to environmental parameters relate to one or more environmental parameters chosen from the following group;

air temperature, air pressure, relative humidity, wind speed, wind direction, pressure altitude, and aircraft landing surface elevation;

(F) Obtaining one or more sets of data points relating to one or more aircraft parameters pertaining to the landing aircraft that is landing or has landed on the aircraft landing surface, wherein the one or more sets of the data points relating to aircraft parameters relate to one or more aircraft parameters chosen from the following group;

aircraft landing mass, aircraft engine type, number of aircraft engines, aircraft tire type, and aircraft type;

(G) Transmitting to the computer the one or more sets of the data points relating to the environmental parameters that were obtained, and transmitting to the computer the one or more sets of the data points relating to aircraft parameters pertaining to the landing aircraft that were obtained;

(H) Using the computer to calculate the true aircraft braking friction coefficient of the landing surface using at least one of the one or more of the sets of data points relating to environmental parameters transmitted to the computer, and using at least one of the one or more sets of the datapoints relating to aircraft parameters pertaining to the landing aircraft transmitted to the computer;

(I) Using the computer to calculate a true aircraft cornering friction coefficient;

(i) using at least one of the one or more of the sets of data points transmitted from the landing aircraft'"'"'s flight data management system to the computer, (ii) using at least one of the one or more of the sets of data points relating to one or more environmental parameters transmitted to the computer, and (iii) using at least one of the one or more of the sets of data points relating to one or more of the aircraft parameters transmitted to the computer; and

(J) Using the computer to calculate the true aircraft braking friction coefficient of the aircraft landing surface using the true aircraft cornering friction coefficient calculated by the computer.

2. A method of calculating a true aircraft braking friction coefficient of an aircraft landing surface using a landing aircraft comprising the steps of:

(A) Obtaining one or more sets of data points recorded on a flight data management system mounted on the landing aircraft that is landing or has landed on the aircraft landing surface, wherein the one or more sets of the data points obtained from the landing aircraft'"'"'s flight data management system include one or more sets of data points recorded on the landing aircraft'"'"'s flight data management system between substantially a point in time that the landing aircraft touched down on the aircraft landing surface until a predetermined point in time thereafter, and wherein the one or more sets of the data points obtained from the landing aircraft'"'"'s flight data management system comprise data relating to the landing aircraft'"'"' following properties;

aircraft ground speed, aircraft longitudinal acceleration, aircraft engine thrust setting, aircraft reverse thrust setting, aircraft engine revolutions per minute, aircraft air speed, aircraft vertical acceleration, aircraft spoiler setting, aircraft airbrake setting, aircraft aileron setting, aircraft flap configuration, and aircraft pitch;

(B) Obtaining one or more sets of data points relating to environmental parameters measured substantially in the vicinity where the landing aircraft is landing or has landed on the aircraft landing surface, wherein the one or more sets of the data points relating to the one or more environmental parameters were measured between substantially the point in time that the landing aircraft touched down on the aircraft landing surface until the predetermined point in time thereafter, and wherein the one or more sets of data points relating to environmental parameters that were obtained comprise data relating to;

air temperature, air pressure, relative humidity, and aircraft landing surface elevation;

(C) Obtaining one or more sets of data points relating to aircraft parameters pertaining to the landing aircraft that is landing or has landed on the aircraft landing surface, wherein the one or more sets of data points relating to aircraft parameters that were obtained comprise data relating to the landing aircraft'"'"'s;

aircraft landing mass, aircraft engine type, number of aircraft engines, aircraft tire type, and aircraft type;

(D) Transmitting to a computer;

(i) the one or more sets of the data points obtained from the landing aircraft'"'"'s flight data management system, (ii) the one or more sets of the data points relating to the environmental parameters that were obtained, and (iii) the one or more sets of the data points relating to aircraft parameters pertaining to the landing aircraft that were obtained;

(E) Using the computer to calculate the deceleration of the landing aircraft due to the landing aircraft'"'"'s aerodynamic drag using at least the sets of data points transmitted to the computer relating to;

aircraft ground speed, aircraft spoiler setting, aircraft airbrake setting, aircraft aileron setting, aircraft flap configuration, air temperature, air pressure, relative humidity, and aircraft landing mass;

(F) Using the computer to calculate the deceleration of the landing aircraft due to the landing aircraft'"'"'s reverse thrust using at least the sets of data points transmitted to the computer relating to;

aircraft reverse thrust setting, aircraft engine revolutions per minute, air temperature, air pressure, relative humidity, aircraft landing mass, aircraft engine type, number of aircraft engines, aircraft tire type, and aircraft type;

(G) Using the computer to calculate the deceleration of the landing aircraft due to the landing aircraft'"'"'s rolling resistance using at least the sets of data points transmitted to the computer relating to;

aircraft tire type, aircraft ground speed, and aircraft landing mass;

(H) Using the computer to calculate the deceleration of the landing aircraft due to the pitch of the aircraft landing surface using at least the sets of data points transmitted to the computer relating to aircraft landing surface elevation;

(I) Using the computer to calculate the landing aircraft'"'"'s aircraft brake effective deceleration over time;

(i) by using at least the sets of data points transmitted to the computer relating to the aircraft longitudinal deceleration, and (ii) by subtracting from the aircraft longitudinal deceleration the following amounts calculated by the computer;

the deceleration of the landing aircraft due to the landing aircraft'"'"'s aerodynamic drag, the deceleration of the landing aircraft due to the landing aircraft'"'"'s reverse thrust, the deceleration of the landing aircraft due to the aircraft'"'"'s rolling resistance, and the deceleration of the aircraft due to the pitch of the aircraft landing surface;

(J) Using the computer to calculate the landing aircraft'"'"'s aircraft lift using at least the sets of data points transmitted to the computer relating to;

aircraft air speed, aircraft spoiler setting, aircraft airbrake setting, aircraft aileron setting, aircraft flap configuration, air temperature, air pressure, relative humidity, aircraft landing mass, and aircraft type;

(K) Using the computer to calculate the landing aircraft'"'"'s aircraft load transfer from a main landing gear of the landing aircraft to a nose gear of the landing aircraft using the landing aircraft'"'"'s aircraft brake effective deceleration over time calculated by the computer, and using at least the sets of data points transmitted to the computer relating to;

aircraft landing mass, and aircraft type;

(L) Using the computer to calculate the landing aircraft'"'"'s aircraft momentum lift using at least the sets of data points transmitted to the computer relating to;

aircraft engine thrust setting, aircraft reverse thrust setting, and aircraft flap configuration;

(M) Using the computer to calculate the landing aircraft'"'"'s aircraft dynamic vertical force acting on the landing aircraft'"'"'s landing gear using at least the sets of data points transmitted to the computer relating to;

aircraft vertical acceleration, and aircraft landing mass;

(N) Using the computer;

(i) to access at least the sets of data points transmitted to the computer relating to;

aircraft pitch, and aircraft landing mass, and (ii) to calculate the landing aircraft'"'"'s aircraft effective dynamic wheel load by;

multiplying the aircraft landing mass times the cosine of the aircraft pitch times the gravity constant, subtracting the landing aircraft'"'"'s aircraft lift calculated by the computer, subtracting the landing aircraft'"'"'s aircraft load transfer calculated by the computer, subtracting the landing aircraft'"'"'s aircraft momentum lift calculated by the computer, and adding the landing aircraft'"'"'s aircraft dynamic vertical force acting on the aircraft landing gear calculated by the computer;

(O) Using the computer;

(i) to access at least the set of data points transmitted to the computer relating to;

aircraft landing mass, and (ii) to calculate the landing aircraft'"'"'s aircraft true deceleration force caused by the aircraft effective braking by;

multiplying the aircraft landing mass times the landing aircraft'"'"'s aircraft brake effective deceleration over time calculated by the computer; and

(P) Using the computer to calculate true aircraft braking friction coefficient of the aircraft landing surface by;

dividing the landing aircraft'"'"'s aircraft true deceleration force calculated by the computer by the landing aircraft'"'"'s aircraft effective dynamic wheel load calculated by the computer.

3. The method of calculating the true aircraft braking friction coefficient of the aircraft landing surface of claim 2 wherein the predetermined point in time is after the landing aircraft substantially reaches taxi speed.

4. The method of calculating the true aircraft braking friction coefficient of the aircraft landing surface of claim 2 wherein the predetermined point in time is after the landing aircraft stops.

5. The method of calculating the true aircraft braking friction coefficient of the aircraft landing surface of claim 2 wherein the one or more sets of the data points relating to environmental parameters are measured by instrumentation on the landing aircraft and are recorded on and obtained from the landing aircraft'"'"'s flight data management system.

6. The method of calculating the true aircraft braking friction coefficient of the aircraft landing surface of claim 2 wherein the one or more sets of the data points relating to aircraft parameters pertaining to the landing aircraft are recorded on and obtained from a computer database.

7. The method of calculating the true aircraft braking friction coefficient of the aircraft landing surface of claim 2 comprising the further steps of:

(A) Using the computer to calculate a true aircraft cornering friction coefficient;

(i) using at least one of the one or more of the sets of data points transmitted from the landing aircraft'"'"'s flight data management system to the computer, (ii) using at least one of the one or more of the sets of data points relating to one or more environmental parameters transmitted to the computer, and (iii) using at least one of the one or more of the sets of data points relating to one or more of the aircraft parameters transmitted to the computer; and

(B) Using the computer to calculate the true aircraft braking friction coefficient of the aircraft landing surface using the true aircraft cornering friction coefficient calculated by the computer.