Maintaining the airworthiness configuration of aircraft

• US 8,989,951 B1
• Filed: 10/30/2012
• Issued: 03/24/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 10/30/2012
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: The Boeing Co.
• Original Assignee: The Boeing Co.
• Inventors: Coop, William P., Elias, Jose R., Hill, Lois, Bautz, Charles K. Jr., Knoll, Shella A., Tilzer, David Robert
• Primary Examiner(s): EL CHANTI, HUSSEIN A
• Application Number:
  US13/664,121
• Time in Patent Office: 875 Days
• Field of Search: 701/29.1, 701/29.4, 701/31.4
• US Class Current: 701/31.4
• CPC Class Codes: B64D 25/00 Emergency apparatus or devices, not otherwise provided for parachutes B64D17/00, B64D19/00; jettisoning of fuel tanks or fuel per se B64D37/00; specially adapted for protection against criminal attack, e.g. anti-hijacking systems B64D45/0015 ; safety belts or body harnesses in general A62B35/00; safety belts or body harnesses for land vehicles B60R22/00; jettisonable parts of fuselage facilitating emergency escape B64C
• CPC Class Codes: B64F 5/60 Testing or inspecting aircraft components or systems
• CPC Class Codes: G01C 23/005 Flight directors indicating arrangements specially adapted for rotary gyroscopes G01C19/32

Abstract

A method and apparatus for maintaining the airworthiness configuration of an aircraft. Airworthiness configuration information for an aircraft is identified by a data processing system. The airworthiness configuration information identifies an airworthiness configuration of the aircraft comprising a number of components of the aircraft. A number of automated identification technology devices are attached to the aircraft. The number of automated identification technology devices include component information for the number of components. The component information is read from the number of automated identification technology devices by a reader. The component information read from the number of automated identification technology devices is compared, by a processor unit, to the airworthiness configuration information to determine whether the aircraft complies with the airworthiness configuration.

Claims

1. A method of maintaining an airworthiness configuration of an aircraft, comprising:

identifying, by a data processing system, airworthiness configuration information for the aircraft, such that the airworthiness configuration information identifies the airworthiness configuration of the aircraft comprising a number of components of the aircraft;

attaching a number of automated identification technology devices to the aircraft, such that the number of automated identification technology devices comprise component information for the number of components, and attaching an automated technology device in the number of automated identification technology devices to a component, identified as requiring a tamper free state for aircraft airworthiness, in the number of components via an attachment structure comprising a tamper indicating feature such that disturbing the automated technology device resulting in the automated technology device not providing information from the automated technology device about the component;

reading, by a reader, the component information from the number of automated identification technology devices;

recognizing an automated technology device not providing component information as indicating a potential tampering with the component; and

comparing, by a processor unit, the component information read from the number of automated identification technology devices to the airworthiness configuration information to determine whether the aircraft complies with the airworthiness configuration.

2. The method of claim 1, further comprising selecting the automated identification technology device from:

radio frequency identification devices, and contact memory devices, comprising tear-off provisions such that tampering with the automated technology device separates an antenna from a microchip in the automated technology device.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the component information comprises information identifying the number of components.

4. The method of claim 3, wherein the component information further comprises maintenance history information for the number of components.

5. The method of claim 1 further comprising sending the component information read from the automated identification technology devices from the reader to the data processing system and storing the component information read from the automated identification technology devices by the data processing system.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein the airworthiness configuration information further comprises:

manufacturer instructions for continued airworthiness, manufacturer specified procedures for inspection, maintenance, repair, and replacement of the number of components, manufacturer specified definitions of the airworthiness configuration of the aircraft, operator rules provided by aircraft operators for the inspection and maintenance of the aircraft, and regulations specifying record-keeping for keeping a record of airworthiness compliance.

7. An apparatus, comprising:

a data processing system that identifies airworthiness configuration information for an aircraft such that the airworthiness configuration information identifies an airworthiness configuration of the aircraft comprising a number of components of the aircraft;

a number of automated identification technology devices attached to the aircraft such that the number of automated identification technology devices include component information for the number of components such that an automated technology device in the number of automated identification technology devices in the number of components, for a component identified as requiring a tamper free state for aircraft airworthiness, attaches via an attachment structure comprising a tamper indicating feature such that disturbing the automated technology device results in the automated technology device not providing information from the automated technology device about the component; and

a reader that reads the component information from the number of automated identification technology devices and compares the component information read from the number of automated identification technology devices to the airworthiness configuration information to determine whether the aircraft complies with the airworthiness configuration, such that the reader recognizes an automated technology device not providing component information as indicating a potential tampering with the component.

8. The apparatus of claim 7, further comprising the automated identification technology device selected from:

radio frequency identification devices, and contact memory devices, comprising tear-off provisions such that tampering with the automated technology device separates an antenna from a microchip in the automated technology device.

9. The apparatus of claim 7, wherein the component information comprises information identifying the number of components.

10. The apparatus of claim 9, wherein the component information further comprises maintenance history information for the number of components.

11. The apparatus of claim 7, wherein:

the reader is configured to send the component information read from the automated identification technology devices to the data processing system; and

the data processing system is configured to store the component information read from the automated identification technology devices.

12. The apparatus of claim 7, wherein the airworthiness configuration information further comprises:

manufacturer instructions for continued airworthiness, manufacturer specified procedures for inspection, maintenance, repair, and replacement of the number of components, manufacturer specified definitions of the airworthiness configuration of the aircraft, operator rules provided by aircraft operators for the inspection and maintenance of the aircraft, and regulations specifying record-keeping for keeping a record of airworthiness compliance.

13. A method for maintaining an airworthiness configuration of an aircraft, comprising:

attaching an automated technology device in to a component, identified as requiring a tamper free state for aircraft airworthiness, via an attachment structure comprising a tamper indicating feature such that disturbing the automated technology device resulting in the automated technology device not providing information from the automated technology device about the component, the automated technology device comprising tear-off provisions such that tampering with the automated technology device separates an antenna from a microchip in the automated technology device;

reading, by a processor, component information from automated identification technology devices attached to a number of components on the aircraft, such that the component information comprises identification information identifying the number of components;

comparing, by the processor, the component information to airworthiness configuration information identifying the airworthiness configuration of the aircraft to determine whether the number of components complies with the airworthiness configuration of the aircraft;

recognizing an automated technology device not providing component information as indicating a potential tampering with the component; and

displaying, by the processor, indicators identifying whether the number of components comply with the airworthiness configuration of the aircraft.

14. The method of claim 13, further comprising:

associating the number of components with seats in a cabin on the aircraft; and

arranging the indicators in a manner corresponding to an arrangement of the seats in the cabin.

15. The method of claim 13 further comprising displaying an indication of progress of determining whether the number of components complies with the airworthiness configuration of the aircraft.

16. The method of claim 13, wherein the component information further comprises maintenance history information for the number of components.

17. The method of claim 13 further comprising sending the component information from a reader reading the component information from the automated identification technology devices to a data processing system separate from the reader.

18. The method of claim 13, wherein the airworthiness configuration information further comprises:

manufacturer instructions for continued airworthiness, manufacturer specified procedures for inspection, maintenance, repair, and replacement of the number of components, manufacturer specified definitions of the airworthiness configuration of the aircraft, operator rules provided by aircraft operators for the inspection and maintenance of the aircraft, and regulations specifying record-keeping for keeping a record of airworthiness compliance.