Flight assistant with automatic configuration and landing site selection method and apparatus

• US 9,310,222 B1
• Filed: 06/16/2015
• Issued: 04/12/2016
• Est. Priority Date: 06/16/2014
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Richard Andrew Kruse, Sean Patrick Suiter
• Original Assignee: Richard Andrew Kruse, Sean Patrick Suiter
• Inventors: Suiter, Sean Patrick, Kruse, Richard Andrew
• Primary Examiner(s): Tarcza, Thomas
• Assistant Examiner(s): Dunn, Alex C
• Application Number:
  US14/741,283
• Time in Patent Office: 301 Days
• Field of Search: 701/6
• US Class Current: 1/1
• 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: G01C 23/00 Combined instruments indicating more than one navigational value, e.g. for aircraft; Combined measuring devices for measuring two or more variables of movement, e.g. distance, speed or acceleration
• CPC Class Codes: G01C 23/005 Flight directors indicating arrangements specially adapted for rotary gyroscopes G01C19/32
• CPC Class Codes: G07C 5/0808 Diagnosing performance data testing of vehicles G01M17/00; testing of electrical installation on vehicles G01R31/005
• CPC Class Codes: G07C 5/0825 using optical means
• CPC Class Codes: G07C 5/0833 using audio means
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 5/0021 located in the aircraft
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 5/0039 Modification of a flight plan
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 5/0056 in an emergency situation, e.g. hijacking
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 5/0078 for monitoring traffic from the aircraft radar or analogous systems specially adapted for traffic control G01S13/91
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 5/0091 for monitoring atmospheric conditions radar or analogous systems specially adapted for meteorological use G01S13/95; meteorology G01W
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 5/025 Navigation or guidance aids radar or analogous systems specially adapted for landing purposes G01S13/913

Abstract

A system and apparatus assists pilots and flight crews in determining the best course of action at any particular point inflight for any category of emergency. The system monitors a plurality of static and dynamic flight parameters including atmospheric conditions along the flight path, ground conditions and terrain, conditions aboard the aircraft, and pilot/crew data. Based on these parameters, the system may provide continually updated information to the pilot or crew about the best available landing sites or recommend solutions to aircraft configuration errors. In case of emergency, the system may provide the pilot with procedure sets associated with a hierarchy of available emergency landing sites (or execute these procedure sets via the autopilot system) depending on the specific nature of the emergency.

Claims

1. A method for determining aircraft flight configuration during a flight, comprising:

(a) establishing aircraft position, altitude, and flight trajectory based upon aircraft position and altitude over time;

(b) establishing aircraft flight segment based on at least one of time since departure, position, altitude, and flight trajectory;

(c) determining aircraft attitude from sensing at least one of angle and rate for at least one of pitch, bank, and yaw;

(d) sensing aircraft acoustics from at least one of airframe vibration and aircraft sound;

(e) determining an expected aircraft configuration based at least in part on said established aircraft flight segment;

(f) determining aircraft configuration from said sensed aircraft attitude and said aircraft acoustics for aircraft configurations attributable to said sensed attitude and acoustics for said flight segment; and

(g) announcing an aircraft configuration different from said expected aircraft configuration.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein establishing aircraft position, altitude, and flight trajectory is based on at least one of:

GNSS, VOR, VORTAC, ADF, LORAN, ADS-B, inertial navigation, radar, and pilot input.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein establishing aircraft flight segment is based on at least one of:

flight plan, flight profile history, departure and destination profile history, aircraft attitude, aircraft vibration, aircraft acoustics, acoustic history, and consistent acoustic period.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein sensing aircraft attitude is based on at least one of:

accelerometer, magnetometer, flight control position, and angle and rate of at least one of pitch, bank, and yaw.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein sensing aircraft acoustics is based on at least one of:

microphone, seismometer and other vibration sensor, velocity sensor, and engine instrumentation.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein sensing aircraft acoustics is based at least in part on identifying acoustic profiles associated with at least one of:

gear extension, flap extension and retraction, airspeed, percent power, engine out, pressurization loss, aircraft damage, flight control position, and pitch angle.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein determining an expected aircraft configuration is based in part on at least one of:

technical order, aircraft flight manual, pilot operating handbook, pilot input, flight envelope, lift to drag ratio, aircraft position, aircraft altitude, aircraft flight segment, time since departure, estimated time enroute, estimated time to arrival, and flight plan adjusted for environmental conditions determined from at least one of ground wind speed and direction, aloft wind speed and direction, thrust level, aircraft acoustics, angle of attack, drag, weather, traffic, air traffic control instructions, pilot response times, aircraft system condition, company instructions, pilot currency, pilot proficiency, pilot experience, pilot route experience, mission plan, and hostiles.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein determining aircraft configuration is based in part on at least one of aircraft vibration, aircraft acoustics, gear up, gear down, percent power, energy state, engine status, pressurization loss, aircraft damage, flight control position, flap extension and retraction, and aircraft attitude.

9. The method of claim 1, wherein announcing an aircraft configuration different from said expected aircraft configuration is based on a user-selectable hierarchy of likely unexpected configurations.

10. The method of claim 9, wherein an aircraft configuration different from said expected aircraft configuration includes an unexpected change in aircraft acoustics.

11. The method of claim 9, wherein announcing an aircraft configuration different from said expected aircraft configuration is at least one of increasingly insistent and definite as system certainty increases.

12. The method of claim 9, wherein announcing an aircraft configuration different from said expected aircraft configuration becomes more specific as system certainty of a specific difference in configuration increases.

13. The method of claim 9, wherein announcing an aircraft configuration different from said expected configuration is accomplished using at least one of:

voice notification, graphic display, audio tone, and haptic notification.

14. A method for directing a pilot flying an aircraft to a reachable alternative landing site, comprising:

(a) determining at least one of current aircraft trajectory, anticipated future aircraft position and altitude, and anticipated future trajectory;

(b) determining at least one of expected aircraft position, altitude, and trajectory based on at least one of time since departure, position, altitude, groundspeed and heading;

(c) determining a difference between;

(i) said current aircraft trajectory, said future position and altitude, and said future trajectory and

(ii) said expected position, altitude and trajectory;

(d) determining the magnitude of difference between;

(i) at least one of said current aircraft trajectory and said future position, altitude, and trajectory; and

(ii) at least one of said expected position, altitude, and trajectory;

(e) determining the rate of change of said magnitude of difference;

(f) determining whether a difference between said current aircraft trajectory and said future position, altitude, and trajectory and said expected position, altitude, and trajectory is the result of an emergency at least in part from said magnitude of difference and at least one of traffic and weather deviation, flight plan change, air traffic control requirement, and arrival change;

(g) determining a level of emergency, where the emergency has been determined, from a hierarchy of emergencies, selected from at least one of land immediately, land as soon as possible, and land as soon as practicable;

(h) continually selecting from a hierarchy of selectable landing site preferences and said selected level of emergency an alternative landing site at least one of reachable by said current trajectory and reachable by an available configuration change;

(i) preparing a procedure for safely positioning said aircraft in a landable configuration at the approach of said reachable alternative landing site; and

(j) announcing at least one of said prepared procedure and in seriatim the elements of said prepared procedure.

15. The method of claim 14, wherein determining at least one of current aircraft trajectory, anticipated future aircraft position and altitude, and anticipated future trajectory is based on at least one of GNSS, VOR, VORTAC, ADF, LORAN, ADS-B, inertial navigation, radar, and pilot input.

16. The method of claim 14, wherein determining at least one of expected aircraft position, altitude, and trajectory is based on at least one of:

flight plan, flight profile history, departure and destination profile history, aircraft attitude, aircraft vibration, aircraft acoustics, aircraft acoustic history, and consistent acoustic period.

17. The method of claim 14, wherein determining a difference between said current aircraft trajectory, said future position, altitude, and trajectory and said expected position, altitude, and trajectory is based on a user-selectable hierarchy of likely unexpected configurations.

18. The method of claim 14, wherein determining the magnitude of difference between said current trajectory and said future position, altitude, and trajectory and said expected position, altitude, and trajectory is based on a user-selectable hierarchy of likely unexpected configurations.

19. The method of claim 14, wherein determining whether a difference between said current trajectory and said future position, altitude, and trajectory and said expected position, altitude, and trajectory is the result of an emergency is based on user-selectable hierarchy of likely unexpected configurations.

20. The method of claim 14, wherein said level of emergency is received from at least one of:

current position, current altitude, current trajectory, and manual selection by pilot.

21. The method of claim 14, wherein said hierarchy of selectable landing site preferences includes:

(a) a full service airport with on-site emergency services and sufficient accommodations for passenger manifest;

(b) an airport with suitable runway and some on-site services;

(c) an airport with hard surface runway of sufficient width and length;

(d) an airport with an unpaved runway;

(e) a highway and other road;

(f) a field and other open area;

(g) sloping and rough terrain with guidance between rocks, trees, and other ground obstructions;

(h) bodies of water; and

(i) other mixed consistency surfaces.

22. The method of claim 21, wherein the attributes of selectable landing sites are periodically updated to reflect at least one of current season, crop type, road and water traffic, pilot proficiency, current pilot condition, and air traffic control requests, and aircraft condition.

23. The method of claim 14, wherein preparing a procedure for safely positioning said aircraft in a landable configuration includes compliance with at least one of emergency level procedures, standard operating procedure, drift-down procedure, and obstacle avoidance procedure.

24. The method of claim 14, wherein announcing at least one of said prepared procedure further comprises displaying at least one alternative landing site range at least one of reachable by said current trajectory and reachable by an available configuration change, in the form of an ellipse corresponding to the selected emergency level.

25. The method of claim 24, wherein displaying at least one alternative landing site range at least one of reachable by said current trajectory and reachable by an available configuration change further comprises displaying the at least one alternative landing site located within the said range.