Aircraft landing and takeoff logging system

• US 9,542,782 B2
• Filed: 08/25/2014
• Issued: 01/10/2017
• Est. Priority Date: 08/25/2014
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Justin James Sr. Blank
• Original Assignee: Justin James Sr. Blank
• Inventors: Blank, Justin James Sr.
• Primary Examiner(s): CASS, JEAN PAUL
• Application Number:
  US14/467,647
• Publication Number:
  US 20160055687A1
• Time in Patent Office: 869 Days
• Field of Search: 701/4
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 17/08 for measuring distance only indirect measurement G01S17/46; active triangulation systems G01S17/48
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 17/88 Lidar systems specially adapted for specific applications
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 17/933 of aircraft or spacecraft
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 19/01 Satellite radio beacon positioning systems transmitting time-stamped messages, e.g. GPS [Global Positioning System], GLONASS [Global Orbiting Navigation Satellite System] or GALILEO
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 19/45 by combining measurements of signals from the satellite radio beacon positioning system with a supplementary measurement
• CPC Class Codes: G07C 5/0816 Indicating performance data, e.g. occurrence of a malfunction
• CPC Class Codes: G07C 5/085 using electronic data carriers

Abstract

An aircraft logging system is disclosed. The aircraft logging system may be mounted on an aircraft and may be configured to generate a log of aircraft landing, takeoff or both. The aircraft logging system may have an independent power supply and may be electrically decoupled from the aircraft on which it is mounted. The aircraft logging system may include a sensor, such as an altimeter, that enables identifying the occurrence of a landing using emitted signals. The aircraft logging system includes a positioning device configured to provide a position measurement.

Claims

1. A self-contained aircraft logging system comprising:

a housing configured for removable attachment to an aircraft;

a power source configured to supply electric power to the aircraft logging system, the supplied electric power being independent of on-board power supply of the aircraft;

an altimeter configured to provide an altitude measurement of the aircraft logging system;

a positioning device configured to provide a position measurement of the aircraft logging system; and

a controller independent of aircraft electronics and contained within the housing, the controller configured to;

receive the altitude measurement from the altimeter;

determine whether the altitude measurement received corresponds to an aircraft event that is at least one of an aircraft takeoff and an aircraft landing; and

in response to determining an occurrence of the aircraft event, store, in a computer file, an aircraft event log entry identifying the occurrence of the aircraft event, the aircraft event log entry including the position measurement provided by the positioning device at the occurrence of the aircraft event.

2. The aircraft logging system of claim 1, wherein the controller is configured to determine the occurrence of the aircraft event based on the altitude measurement being within a first range of altitude parameters.

3. The aircraft logging system of claim 1, wherein the controller is configured to determine the occurrence of the aircraft event based on the altitude measurement being greater than a specified altitude threshold.

4. The aircraft logging system of claim 1, further comprising a memory device configured to store the aircraft log entry in association with the aircraft event.

5. The aircraft logging system of claim 1, wherein determination of whether the altitude measurement received corresponds to the aircraft event is based on whether the altitude measurement received crosses a specified altitude threshold in comparison with a second altitude measurement previously received from the altimeter.

6. The aircraft logging system of claim 1, wherein the aircraft log entry further includes an indication of a time or date of the occurrence of the aircraft event.

7. The aircraft logging system of claim 1, wherein the log entry further includes an aircraft event identifier specifying whether the occurrence of the aircraft event is an aircraft landing event or an aircraft takeoff event.

8. The aircraft logging system of claim 1, wherein the positioning device is a global positioning system (GPS) device and the position measurement comprises a latitude position measurement and a longitude position measurement.

9. The aircraft logging system of claim 1, wherein the housing includes an aperture, the altimeter is at least partially contained within the housing, and the altimeter projects a measurement signal through the aperture to obtain the altitude measurement.

10. An aircraft logging system for removably mounting on an aircraft, the aircraft logging system comprising:

a housing removably mountable to the aircraft;

a power source configured to supply electric power to the aircraft logging system, the supplied electric power being decoupled from on-board power supply of the aircraft;

an altimeter configured to provide an altitude measurement of the aircraft logging system;

a positioning device configured to provide a position measurement of the aircraft logging system; and

a memory device configured to store a computer file including one or more log entries;

a controller independent of aircraft electronics and contained within the housing of the aircraft logging system, the controller configured to;

detect, based on the altitude measurement, an occurrence of an aircraft landing;

detect, based on the altitude measurement, an occurrence of an aircraft takeoff;

in response to detecting the occurrence of the aircraft landing, generate a landing log entry including the position measurement during the occurrence of the aircraft landing and a time or date of the occurrence of the aircraft landing, and write the generated landing log entry to the computer file; and

in response to detecting the occurrence of the aircraft takeoff, generate a takeoff log entry including the position measurement during the occurrence of the aircraft takeoff and the time or date of the occurrence of the aircraft takeoff, and write the generated takeoff log entry to the computer file.

11. The aircraft logging system of claim 10, wherein the controller is configured to detect the occurrence of the aircraft landing based on the altitude measurement being within a first range of altitude parameters.

12. The aircraft logging system of claim 10, wherein the controller is configured to detect the occurrence of the aircraft takeoff based on the altitude measurement being greater than a specified altitude threshold.

13. The aircraft logging system of claim 10, wherein the computer file is a delimiter-separated values file.

14. The aircraft logging system of claim 10, wherein each generated landing log entry includes a landing event identifier specifying that the landing log entry corresponds to the occurrence of the aircraft landing, and each generated takeoff log entry includes a takeoff event identifier specifying that the takeoff log entry corresponds to the occurrence of the aircraft takeoff.

15. The aircraft logging system of claim 10, wherein the positioning device is a global positioning system (GPS) device and the position measurement comprises a latitude position measurement and a longitude position measurement.

16. The aircraft logging system of claim 10, wherein the power source is a battery pack or a solar-powered panel.

17. The aircraft logging system of claim 10, wherein the landing log entry and the takeoff log entry further include an identity associated with the aircraft logging system.

18. An aircraft logging system comprising:

an independent power source;

an altitude detection device configured to measure a distance between the aircraft logging system and an Earth surface;

a positioning device configured to provide a position measurement of the aircraft logging system;

a memory device configured to store one or more log entries;

a housing removably attachable to an exterior of an aircraft;

a controller independent of aircraft electronics and contained in the housing, the controller configured to;

receive, from the altitude detection device, a first measured distance between the aircraft logging system and the Earth surface at a first time;

receive, from the altitude detection device, a second measured distance between the aircraft logging system and the Earth surface at a second time after the first time;

compare the first measured distance and the second measured distance to a predetermined distance threshold; and

generate, in response to determining that (1) one of the first measured distance and the second measured distance exceeds the predetermined distance threshold, and (2) an other of the first measured distance and the second measured distance is less than the predetermined distance threshold, a log entry indicating an occurrence of one of an aircraft takeoff event and an aircraft landing event, the log entry including the position measurement of the aircraft logging system.

19. The aircraft logging system of claim 18, wherein the altitude detection device is configured to detect an aircraft landing if the Earth surface is detected by the altimeter to be within a specified distance from the aircraft logging system.

20. The aircraft logging system of claim 18, wherein the altitude detection device is a laser altimeter or a radar altimeter.