Aircraft dispatch information

• US 8,706,323 B2
• Filed: 05/15/2009
• Issued: 04/22/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 05/15/2009
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: The Boeing Co.
• Original Assignee: The Boeing Co.
• Inventors: Riley, Victor Andrew, Borst, Robert G., Gonzalez, Armando, Kinney, David Scott
• Primary Examiner(s): Tarcza, Thomas
• Assistant Examiner(s): PIPALA, EDWARD J
• Application Number:
  US12/466,570
• Publication Number:
  US 20100292869A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,803 Days
• Field of Search: 701/1, 701/3, 701/8, 701/9, 701/14, 701/29, 701/30, 701/32, 701/33, 701/35, 701/36, 701/29.1, 701/29.2, 701/29.3, 701/29.4, 701/29.6, 701/29.7, 701/29.9, 701/30.1, 701/30.2, 701/30.3, 701/31.3, 701/31.4, 701/31.5, 701/31.6, 701/32.1, 701/32.7, 701/33.4, 701/33.5, 701/33.6, 701/34.4, 701/400, 244/75.1, 340/945, 340/963, 340/971, 705/7.11, 705/7.12, 705/7.22
• US Class Current: 701/14
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/06 Resources, workflows, human or project management; Enterprise or organisation planning; Enterprise or organisation modelling
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 5/0043 Traffic management of multiple aircrafts from the ground G08G5/003 takes precedence; data processing specially designed for resource management, e.g. scheduling or allocating time, human or machine resources G06Q10/06

Abstract

Systems and methods to manage aircraft dispatch information are provided. A particular method includes receiving fault information at a dispatch information computing system. The fault information is associated with an aircraft. The method also includes accessing operational restriction information associated with the aircraft based on the fault information. The method further includes automatically determining a set of bottom line operational limitations of the aircraft based on the fault information and the operational restriction information. The method also includes generating customized checklists for the various users of the information. The method also includes sending output data from the dispatch information computing system to an output device. The output data identifies the set of bottom line operational limitations of the aircraft and tasks to be completed by the various users.

Claims

1. A method, comprising:

receiving fault information associated with an aircraft at a dispatch information computing system;

automatically determining, via a processor of the dispatch information computing system, a set of operational limitations of the aircraft based on the fault information, based on operational restriction information, and based on a flight plan associated with the aircraft, wherein the operational restriction information includes a plurality of operational limitations of the aircraft; and

sending output data that identifies at least one operational limitation from the set of operational limitations from the dispatch information computing system to an output device.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein each of the plurality of operational limitations is associated with one of a plurality of categories, the method further comprising:

determining whether a first operational limitation of the set of operational limitations is more restrictive than a second operational limitation of the set of operational limitations, wherein the first operational limitation is associated with a first category of the plurality of categories and wherein the second operational limitation is associated with the first category; and

in response to determining that the first operational limitation is more restrictive than the second operational limitation, including the first operational limitation in the output data.

3. The method of claim 2, the method further comprising in response to determining that the second operational limitation is more restrictive than the first operational limitation, including the second operational limitation in the output data.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the operational restriction information includes one or more operations performance standards that restrict operations of the aircraft.

5. The method of claim 1, further comprising determining a list of actions to be performed based on the set of operational limitations included in the output data.

6. The method of claim 5, further comprising:

sorting the list of actions to be performed into a first portion including first tasks associated with a first operational group and a second portion including second tasks associated with a second operational group; and

sending at least the first portion from the dispatch information computing system to the output device.

7. The method of claim 6, wherein the first operational group includes maintenance personnel and the first portion includes a checklist of maintenance tasks associated with the aircraft that are to be performed by the maintenance personnel within a particular time period.

8. The method of claim 6, wherein the first operational group includes flight crew personnel and the first portion includes a set of pre-flight checks associated with the aircraft that are to be performed by the flight crew personnel.

9. The method of claim 6, wherein the first operational group includes flight crew personnel and the first portion includes a checklist of takeoff tasks, in-flight tasks, landing tasks, or any combination thereof, that are to be performed by the flight crew personnel.

10. The method of claim 6, wherein the first operational group includes flight planning personnel and the first portion includes a checklist of flight restrictions to be applied by the flight planning personnel.

11. The method of claim 6, wherein the first operational group includes load planning personnel and the first portion includes a checklist of loading restrictions to be applied by the load planning personnel.

12. The method of claim 6, wherein the first tasks are to be performed during a first time period and the second tasks are to be performed during a second time period.

13. The method of claim 12, wherein the first time period is before a flight of the aircraft.

14. A system, comprising:

a processor;

an input interface coupled to the processor and configured to receive fault information and flight plan information associated with an aircraft;

memory accessible to the processor, the memory including;

operational restriction information associated with the aircraft; and

instructions that are executable by the processor to generate one or more task lists, wherein each of the one or more task lists includes tasks assigned to a particular operational group based on the fault information, the flight plan information, and the operational restriction information; and

an output interface coupled to the processor and configured to send a first task list of the one or more task lists to a first interface associated with a first operational group and to send a second task list of the one or more task lists to a second interface associated with a second operational group.

15. The system of claim 14, wherein the memory further includes filter instructions to analyze the operational restriction information and the flight plan information based on the fault information to automatically determine one or more operational limitations applicable to the aircraft.

16. The system of claim 15, wherein the output interface is further configured to send output data to an output device, wherein the output data identifies the one or more operational limitations applicable to the aircraft.

17. The system of claim 16, wherein the output interface is further configured to send a first portion of the output data to an aircraft based computer system in a first format compatible with the aircraft based computer system and to send a second portion of the output data to a ground based computer system in a second format compatible with the ground based computer system.

18. A non-transitory computer readable storage medium, comprising instructions that, when executed by a processor, cause the processor to:

access operational restriction information associated with an aircraft in response to receiving fault information associated with the aircraft;

determine a set of operational limitations of the aircraft based on the fault information and the operational restriction information; and

send output data to an output device, wherein the output data identifies the set of operational limitations of the aircraft, wherein the output data indicates whether at least a portion of a flight plan associated with the aircraft violates the set of operational limitations.

19. The non-transitory computer readable storage medium of claim 18, further comprising instructions that, when executed by the processor, cause the processor to:

access flight planning data; and

analyze the flight planning data based on the operational restriction information to determine the set of operational limitations.

20. The non-transitory computer readable storage medium of claim 19, wherein the flight planning data includes one or more Notices to Airmen (NOTAMs) related to a planned flight of the aircraft.