Ramp recorder and quick reporting tree data transmission method

• US 8,825,498 B2
• Filed: 02/12/2007
• Issued: 09/02/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 02/12/2007
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: The Boeing Co.
• Original Assignee: The Boeing Co.
• Inventors: Kollgaard, Jeffrey R.
• Primary Examiner(s): MCCORMICK, GABRIELLE A
• Application Number:
  US11/673,685
• Publication Number:
  US 20080195403A1
• Time in Patent Office: 2,759 Days
• Field of Search: 705/1
• US Class Current: 705/1.1
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/06 Resources, workflows, human or project management; Enterprise or organisation planning; Enterprise or organisation modelling
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 50/40 Business processes related to the transportation industry shipping G06Q10/083

Abstract

A system and method for determining whether an aircraft is ready to fly or should be repaired in light of damage and/or malfunction information observed at the departure gate includes observing damage or malfunction, alerting decision-makers, and initiating an automated interview session via a camera equipped communications device to a remote server running query driven decision and data analysis software. Data entered via the communications device, equipped with a keypad and camera for obtaining visual information, is transmitted to the remotely based software application. The software generates requests for information based on prior received information, processes and provides the information to decision-makers at remote locations. The communications device transmits decision-making support information concerning repair or dispatch. The communication device may be a wireless cell phone with a digital camera. The method and system produce a report for making repair and dispatch decisions concerning the aircraft. The information is stored in a database for statistical analysis.

Claims

1. A method of determining whether an aircraft is ready to fly or should be repaired in light of damage and/or malfunction to the aircraft, the method comprising:

generating, by a computer, coded fault data comprising a sequence of single-digit integers that encodes types of damage/malfunction and locations of damage/malfunction according to a decision tree, wherein the generating the coded fault data comprises;

presenting, on a cell phone of the user, a series of questions regarding the damage and/or malfunction according to a traversal of the decision tree based on answers to the series of questions,

receiving, at the computer, a sequence of numeric key entries entered on the user'"'"'s cell phone and corresponding to the answers to the series of questions, and

generating each digit of the coded fault data as each numeric key entry is received in response to each of the series of questions presented;

generating, by the computer, an instruction or recommendation based on the coded fault data, wherein the instruction or recommendation is encoded in one or more integers;

appending, by the computer, the one or more integers encoding the instruction/recommendation to the sequence of single-digit integers of the coded fault data to generate amended fault data;

storing and classifying the amended fault data according to its sequence of single-digit integers that encodes types of damage/malfunction and locations of damage/malfunction;

electronically transmitting the amended fault data for review in deciding whether the aircraft is ready to fly or should be repaired; and

translating the amended fault data for entry in an aircraft disposition report form.

2. The method of claim 1, further comprising a flight dispatch supervisor receiving the amended fault data from the computer.

3. The method of claim 2, wherein the flight dispatch supervisor decides whether the aircraft is ready to fly or should be repaired based upon the amended fault data.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein deciding whether the aircraft is ready to fly or should be repaired includes one or more of:

deciding to make minor repairs and dispatch the aircraft;

deciding to remove the aircraft from service for major repair; and

deciding to dispatch the aircraft without repair.

5. The method of claim 1, further comprising receiving one or more of photographs taken by the user'"'"'s cell phone, the photographs including a photograph of the damage and a photograph of an aircraft identifier.

6. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

instructing the user to deploy a simple non-destructive inspection (NDI) equipment on the damage, wherein the simple NDI equipment indicates a result of pass or fail, and wherein the generating the coded fault data is performed upon indication of a simple NDI pass result; and

receiving, at the computer, a report of an advanced NDI analysis upon indication of simple NDI fail result, wherein;

the advanced NDI analysis is performed at a remote location using NDI video and NDI data sent via a video and data link from a ramp-side advanced NDI equipment,

the advanced NDI analysis report comprises a string of integer numbers encoding damage types, damage locations, and an instruction/recommendation, and

the amended fault data comprises the string of integer numbers of the advanced NDA analysis report.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein the series of questions are presented on a screen of the user'"'"'s cell phone.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein the series of questions are presented as voice prompts on the user'"'"'s cell phone.

9. A system for assisting a decision whether an aircraft should be repaired or is ready to fly in view of damage and/or malfunction to the aircraft, the system comprising:

a cell phone configured to wirelessly transmit and receive data; and

a computer server configured to;

wirelessly communicate with the cell phone,

generate coded fault data comprising a sequence of single-digit integers that encodes types of damage/malfunction and locations of damage/malfunction according to a decision tree, wherein the computer server is configured to generating the coded fault data by;

presenting, on the cell phone for a user observing the damage and/or malfunction from a location remote from the computer server, a series of questions regarding the damage and/or malfunction according to a traversal on the decision tree based on answers to the series of questions,

receiving a sequence of numeric key entries entered on the cell phone and corresponding to the answers to the series of questions, and

generating each digit of the coded fault data as each numeric key entry is received in response to each of the series of questions presented,

generate an instruction or recommendation based on the coded fault data, wherein the instruction or recommendation is encoded in one or more integers,

append the one or more integers encoding the instruction/recommendation to the sequence of single-digit integers of the coded fault data to generate amended fault data,

store and classify the amended fault data according to its sequence of single-digit integers that encodes types of damage/malfunction and locations of damage/malfunction,

electronically transmit the amended fault data for review in deciding whether the aircraft is ready to fly or should be repaired, and

translate the amended fault data for entry in an aircraft disposition report form.

10. The system of claim 9, wherein the computer server comprises a database for storing the amended fault data.

11. The system of claim 10, wherein the computer server is further configured to;

retrieve the amended fault data from the database; and

perform a statistical analysis on the amended fault data, wherein the statistical analysis identifies a correlation between a type and a rate of damage occurrence according to one or more relational criteria, the relational criteria including which airline carrier the aircraft belongs to, which airport the aircraft is stationed at, what type the aircraft is, or which component supplier manufactured a damaged component.

12. The system of claim 9, wherein the computer server is further configured to receive one or more of photographs taken by the cell phone, the photographs including a photograph of the damage and a photograph of an aircraft identifier.

13. The system of claim 9, wherein the computer server is further configured to receive a report of an advanced non-destructive inspection (NDI) analysis, wherein:

the advanced NDI analysis is performed at a remote location using NDI video and NDI data sent via a video and data link from a ramp-side advanced NDI equipment;

the advanced NDI analysis report comprises a string of integer numbers encoding damage types, damage locations, and an instruction/recommendation; and

the amended fault data comprises the string of integer numbers of the advanced NDA analysis report,

14. The system of claim 9, wherein the series of questions are presented on a screen of the cell phone.

15. The system of claim 9, wherein the series of questions are presented as voice prompts on the cell phone.