Methods and systems for requesting and retrieving aircraft data during flight of an aircraft

• US 8,798,817 B2
• Filed: 01/31/2012
• Issued: 08/05/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 01/31/2012
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Gulfstream Aerospace Corporation (General Dynamics Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Gulfstream Aerospace Corporation (General Dynamics Corporation)
• Inventors: O'Dell, Robert, Gallagher, Jim, Conzachi, Keith, Britt, Nolle, Kerekesh, William, Geary, Robert J.
• Primary Examiner(s): Mawari, Redhwan k
• Application Number:
  US13/362,931
• Publication Number:
  US 20130197725A1
• Time in Patent Office: 917 Days
• Field of Search: 701/29, 701/31.5, 701/408
• US Class Current: 701/14
• CPC Class Codes: B64D 2045/0085 Devices for aircraft health monitoring, e.g. monitoring flutter or vibration
• CPC Class Codes: B64D 45/00 Aircraft indicators or protectors not otherwise provided for camouflage F41H3/00
• CPC Class Codes: B64F 5/60 Testing or inspecting aircraft components or systems
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 5/0013 with a ground station
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 7/18508 with satellite system used as relay, i.e. aeronautical mobile satellite service
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/125 involving control of end-device applications over a network

Abstract

The disclosed embodiments relate to methods and systems for requesting and retrieving aircraft data during flight of an aircraft. This aircraft data can be used to perform additional monitoring of aircraft sub-systems to detect an abnormal condition, and/or to identify one or more sources that are causing the abnormal condition. In one embodiment, aircraft data for one or more relevant parameters can be requested from the ground, measured on-board the aircraft, and stored in a data file that is then communicated back to personnel on the ground. The real-time aircraft data for one or more relevant parameters can then be analyzed to identify the one or more sources that are causing the abnormal condition.

Claims

1. A system, comprising:

a gateway;

an aircraft comprising a transceiver;

a plurality of sub-systems, and an on-board computer being configured to generate a crew alerting system (CAS) message file comprising unprocessed data, wherein the CAS message file automatically indicates that measured parametric data from a sub-system of the aircraft is outside one or more threshold limits and that an abnormal condition has been detected;

a satellite that is communicatively coupled to the aircraft and the gateway via satellite communication links;

a ground support network comprising a ground-based computer configured to process the unprocessed data in the CAS message file to generate processed data; and

a computer, coupled to the ground-based computer, that is configured to;

determine, based on the processed data, relevant parameters that are to be measured and recorded at the aircraft to provide additional parametric data and a duration value for each relevant parameter, wherein each of the relevant parameters correspond to additional parametric data that is needed from the aircraft to identify one or more sources that are causing the abnormal condition and that caused the CAS message file to be generated, wherein each duration value specifies how long parametric data for that particular relevant parameter are to be measured and recorded; and

generate a parameter request message that includes a parameter file that specifies the relevant parameters that are to be measured and recorded at the aircraft; and

communicate the parameter request message to the gateway for transmission to the aircraft over satellite communication links;

wherein the on-board computer is further configured to;

after receiving the parameter request message, extract the parameter file from the parameter request message;

determine the relevant parameters and the corresponding duration values for each of the relevant parameters from the parameter file;

measure parametric data for each relevant parameter of the parameter file for a corresponding duration value, wherein the measured parametric data for each of the of relevant parameters comprises;

a data stream for that particular relevant parameter that is measured for a particular corresponding duration value; and

record the measured parametric data in a data file; and

wherein the transceiver is further configured to transmit the data file to the satellite for delivery to the other computer.

2. A system according to claim 1, wherein the on-board computer is configured to open a communication path that includes a first satellite communication link between the aircraft and the satellite and a second satellite communication link between the satellite and a ground-based gateway, and to communicate the CAS message file from the aircraft over the first satellite communication link to the satellite while the aircraft is in flight.

3. A system according to claim 2,

wherein the satellite is configured to communicate the CAS message file over the second satellite communication link to the gateway, and

wherein the gateway is configured to communicate the CAS message file to a ground support network that includes the ground-based computer.

4. A system according to claim 3, wherein the ground-based computer of the ground support network is configured to communicate the processed data to a server that serves as a portal to the ground support network and communicates the processed data to the other computer.

5. A system according to claim 4, wherein the relevant parameters are determined based on analysis of the processed data, and wherein each relevant parameter influences or affects data that is to be measured by the aircraft.

6. A system according to claim 2, wherein the parameter request message is communicated to the aircraft over satellite communication links by communicating the parameter request message to a server, communicating the parameter request message from the server to the ground support network, communicating the parameter request message from the ground support network to the gateway, communicating the parameter request message from the gateway via the second satellite communication link to the satellite;

and communicating the parameter request message to the aircraft via the first satellite communication link.

7. A system according to claim 2, wherein the transceiver is further configured to communicate the data file over the first satellite communication link to the satellite, wherein the satellite is configured to communicate the data file over the second satellite communication link to the gateway, wherein the gateway is configured to communicate the data file to the ground support network, wherein the ground support network is configured to communicate the data file to a server, and wherein the server is configured to communicate the data file to the other computer for display on a computer interface.