Landing signal officer (LSO) information management and trend analysis (IMTA) system

• US 9,489,851 B1
• Filed: 03/27/2015
• Issued: 11/08/2016
• Est. Priority Date: 08/18/2011
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: The Government Of The United States Of America, As Represented By The Secretary Of The Navy, the united states of america as represented by the secretary of the navy
• Original Assignee: the united states of america as represented by the secretary of the navy
• Inventors: Ross, Michael Gregory, McCauley, Michael E., Rowe, Neil Charles, Kolsch, Mathias, Das, Arijit, Norbraten, Terry D.
• Primary Examiner(s): Badii, Behrang
• Assistant Examiner(s): Greene, Daniel L
• Application Number:
  US14/671,143
• Time in Patent Office: 592 Days
• Field of Search: 701/16
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: B64F 1/36 Other airport installations ground installations for de-icing aircraft B64F5/20
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/04847 Interaction techniques to control parameter settings, e.g. interaction with sliders or dials
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0488 using a touch-screen or digitiser, e.g. input of commands through traced gestures
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 5/0026 located on the ground
• 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
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 5/025 Navigation or guidance aids radar or analogous systems specially adapted for landing purposes G01S13/913

Abstract

Embodiments in accordance with the invention provide a Landing Signal Officer (LSO) Information Management and Trend Analysis (IMTA) system for electronically capturing landing performance data related to aircraft approaches and landings in an IMTA application residing on a portable electronic device (PED) and for automatically generating performance data and trend analysis of the data. In one embodiment, data is input by user, such as an LSO, to one or more context sensitive graphical user interfaces displayed on a touch screen PED. Data entered to and generated by the IMTA application can be further communicated to and updated by external computer systems and appended with additional data and/or video available from external computer systems.

Claims

1. An aircraft landing system for generating aircraft landing data for an aircraft comprising:

a touch screen;

a computer memory where the computer memory stores at least 80 shorthand symbols where each of the at least 80 shorthand symbols comprise at least one and less than four characters, and where each of the at least 80 shorthand symbols represents an evaluation comment employed by a landing signal officer to describe landing performance data during an arrested landing, and where at least 10 of the at least 80 shorthand symbols are designated as frequently used LSO shorthand terms;

a central processing unit in data communication with the touch screen and the computer memory, where the central processing unit is configured to;

retrieve the at least 80 shorthand symbols from the memory; and

direct the touch screen to;

display a first page of shorthand symbols where the first page of shorthand symbols comprises the frequently used LSO shorthand terms;

display an additional page tab;

display an additional page of shorthand symbols when the additional page tab is activated on the touch screen, where the additional page of shorthand symbols does not comprise at least 5 of the at least 10 shorthand symbols designated as frequently used LSO shorthand terms.

2. The aircraft landing system of claim 1 where the central processing unit is further configured to:

receive a list of aircraft identification numbers where the list of aircraft identification numbers comprises one or more aircraft identification numbers;

provide a communication to the touch screen where the communication directs the touch screen to display at least one aircraft identification number from the list of aircraft identification numbers;

receive a reply from the touch screen where the reply is a communication from the touch screen generated when one of the at least one aircraft identification numbers is activated on the touch screen;

provide an additional communication to the touch screen where the additional communication directs the touch screen to display a start keypad button;

receive an additional reply from the touch screen where the additional reply is a communication from the touch screen generated when the start keypad button is activated on the touch screen;

receive a further reply from the touch screen where the further reply is a communication from the touch screen generated when a particular button is activated on the touch screen;

receive one or more subsequent replies from the touch screen where the one or more subsequent replies are each generated when one of the at least 80 shorthand symbols are activated on the touch screen;

determine an elapsed time between the additional reply and the further reply; and

associate the one or more subsequent replies and the elapsed time with the one of the at least one aircraft identification number and generate the aircraft landing data, where the aircraft landing data comprises the at least one aircraft identification number, the one or more subsequent replies, and the elapsed time.

3. The aircraft landing system of claim 2 where the central processing unit is further configured to direct the touch screen to display the aircraft landing data.

4. The aircraft landing system of claim 2 where the central processing unit is further configured to communicate the aircraft landing data to one or more computer devices.

5. A method for collecting aircraft landing data using the system of claim 2 comprising:

inputting a collection of aircraft identification numbers to the central processing unit, thereby providing the list of aircraft identification numbers to the central processing unit;

observing the at least one aircraft identification number present on the touch screen as a result of the communication sent from the central processing unit to the touch screen;

activating one of the at least one aircraft identification numbers on the touch screen, thereby generating the reply;

observing the start keypad button present on the touch screen as a result of the additional communication sent from the central processing unit to the touch screen;

observing an aircraft proceeding toward an arresting wire and activating the start keypad button on the touch screen, thereby generating the additional reply from the touch screen to the central processing unit;

observing an aircraft contacting the arresting wire and activating the particular button on the touch screen, thereby generating the further reply from the touch screen to the central processing unit;

allowing the central processing unit to determine the elapsed time between the additional reply and the further reply;

observing the first page of shorthand symbols present on the touch screen and activating one or more of the frequently used LSO shorthand terms on the touch screen, thereby generating the one or more subsequent replies; and

allowing the central processing unit to associate the one or more subsequent replies and the elapsed time with the one of the at least one aircraft identification number and generate the aircraft landing data, thereby collecting the aircraft landing data.

6. An aircraft landing system for generating aircraft landing data for an aircraft during an arrested landing comprising:

a touch screen;

a computer memory where the computer memory stores at least 80 shorthand symbols where each of the at least 80 shorthand symbols comprise at least one and less than four characters, and where each of the at least 80 symbols represents an evaluation comment describing landing performance data; and

a central processing unit in data communication with the touch screen and the computer memory, and where the central processing unit is configured to direct the touch screen to;

display a first page of shorthand symbols where the first page of shorthand symbols comprises at least 20 and less than 40 of the at least 80 shorthand symbols stored by the memory and where the at least 20 of the at least 80 shorthand symbols comprise shorthand symbols consisting of ( ), H, LO, B, F, LU, /, \, S, X, IM, IC, AR, IW or AW;

display at least one additional page tab; and

display an additional page of shorthand symbols when the at least one additional page tab is activated on the touch screen, where the additional page of shorthand symbols does not comprise shorthand symbols consisting of ( ), H, LO, _/, \, X, IM, IC, AR, IW or AW.

7. The aircraft landing system of claim 6 where the central processing unit is further configured to:

receive an aircraft identification number;

receive one or more replies from the touch screen where the one or more replies are each generated when one of the at least 80 shorthand symbols are activated on the touch screen; and

associate the one or more replies with the aircraft identification number and generate the aircraft landing data, where the aircraft landing data comprises the aircraft identification number and the one or more subsequent replies.

8. The aircraft landing system of claim 7 where the central processing unit is further configured to:

provide an first communication to the touch screen where the first communication directs the touch screen to display a start keypad button;

receive an first reply from the touch screen where the first reply is a communication from the touch screen generated when the start keypad button is activated on the touch screen;

receive a second reply from the touch screen where the second reply is a communication from the touch screen generated when a particular button is activated on the touch screen;

determine an elapsed time between the first reply and the second reply; and

associate the elapsed time with the aircraft landing data.

9. An aircraft landing system for generating aircraft landing data for an aircraft during an arrested landing comprising:

a touch screen;

a computer memory, where the computer memory stores at least 80 shorthand symbols and where each of the at least 80 shorthand symbols comprise at least one and less than four characters, where the at least 80 shorthand symbols comprise;

( );

H;

LO;

B;

F;

LU;

_;

/;

/;

S;

ND;

DL;

X;

IM;

IC;

AR;

IW;

AW;

ON;

TMP;

NEP;

CD;

SLO;

DR;

OC;

TMA;

NEA;

CO;

PNU;

CB;

X;

IM;

IC;

AR;

IW;

AW;

CD;

CF;

CN;

CO;

CU;

DD;

DEC;

DL;

DN;

DR;

DU;

EG;

EGTL;

F;

FD;

NO;

P;

PATT;

PD;

PNU;

ROT;

RUD;

RUF;

DRW;

RR;

RTL;

S;

SD;

SHT;

SKD; and

SLO; and

a central processing unit in data communication with the touch screen and the computer memory, and where the central processing unit is configured to;

receive an aircraft identification number;

direct the touch screen to;

display a first page of shorthand symbols where the first page of shorthand symbols comprises at least 20 and less than 40 of the at least 80 shorthand symbols stored by the memory and where the at least 20 and less than 40 of the at least 80 shorthand symbols comprise shorthand symbols consisting of ( ), H, LO, B, F, LU, /, \, or S;

display a page 2 tab;

display a page 3 tab;

display a second page of shorthand symbols when the page 2 tab is activated on the touch screen, where the second page of shorthand symbols comprises some portion of the at least 80 shorthand symbols; and

display a third page of shorthand symbols when the page 3 tab is activated on the touch screen, where the third page of shorthand symbols comprises another portion of the at least 80 shorthand symbols and where the third page of shorthand symbols does not comprise any of the shorthand symbols on the second page of shorthand symbol;

receive one or more replies from the touch screen where the one or more replies are each generated when one of the at least 80 shorthand symbols are activated on the touch screen; and

associate the one or more subsequent replies with the aircraft identification number and generate the aircraft landing data, where the aircraft landing data comprises the aircraft identification number and the one or more subsequent replies.