System and method for real-time aircraft performance monitoring

• US 9,567,097 B2
• Filed: 01/29/2013
• Issued: 02/14/2017
• Est. Priority Date: 02/03/2012
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Rosemount Aerospace, Inc. (Raytheon Technologies Corporation d/b/a RTX)
• Original Assignee: Rosemount Aerospace, Inc. (Raytheon Technologies Corporation d/b/a RTX)
• Inventors: Horsager, Thomas, Haukom, Michael, Baumgarten, William, Hansen, Matthew, Freeman, Kenneth
• Primary Examiner(s): Olszewski, John R
• Assistant Examiner(s): CASS, JEAN PAUL
• Application Number:
  US13/753,017
• Publication Number:
  US 20130204469A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,477 Days
• Field of Search: None
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: B64D 45/00 Aircraft indicators or protectors not otherwise provided for camouflage F41H3/00
• CPC Class Codes: G01F 9/008 where the other variable is the flight or running time
• CPC Class Codes: G05D 1/0005 with arrangements to save energy
• CPC Class Codes: G07C 5/085 using electronic data carriers

Abstract

A computer apparatus and method to determine aircraft fuel mileage performance. The computer apparatus including a memory and a processor disposed in communication with the memory and configured to issue a plurality of instructions stored in the memory. The instructions issue signals to receive real-time aircraft data during aircraft flight and process the real-time data to determine real-time aircraft mass data. A calculation is performed to determine the real-time fuel mileage performance for the aircraft based upon determined real-time aircraft mass data.

Claims

1. A system for controlling an aircraft:

a memory;

an electronic flight bag processor disposed in communication with said memory, said memory having instruction stored therein that, when read by said processor, cause the processor to;

receive, at said electronic flight bag processor, real-time aircraft data from aircraft sensors communicative with said electronic flight bag processor during aircraft flight;

process, by said electronic flight bag processor, said real-time data to determine real-time aircraft mass data;

calculate, by said electronic bag processor, a real-time fuel mileage performance for the aircraft based upon determined aircraft mass data,

automatically adjust, by an auto-pilot control of the aircraft communicative with said electronic flight bag processor, at least one of an altitude and a cruise speed of the aircraft based on the calculated real-time fuel mileage performance

determine degradation of fuel mileage performance according a trend in the calculated real-time fuel mileage performance; and

perform maintenance on the aircraft when the degradation of fuel mileage performance falls below a predetermined threshold.

2. The system of claim 1, further comprising aircraft sensors that transmit real-time data to said processor.

3. The system of claim 1, wherein said real-time data is selected from a group consisting of:

drag, lift, speed and altitude.

4. The system of claim 3, wherein said instructions stored in memory further causes said processor to transmit an alert signal that indicates degradation of a fuel mileage performance.

5. The system of claim 3, wherein said instructions stored in memory further causes said processor to transmit said fuel mileage performance to a cockpit of an aircraft.

6. The system of claim 3, wherein said aircraft adjusts both said altitude and said cruise speed based on said fuel mileage.

7. The system of claim 3, wherein said processor calculates said fuel mileage performance based on said aircraft mass data, said system further comprising:

a database having records, and

wherein said memory further causes said processor to store said fuel mileage performance data as one record of said records in said database, and compare at least said one record to at least one previously stored record to yield performance trend data.

8. The system of claim 1, wherein said instructions stored in memory further causes said processor to calculate a fuel mileage performance based on said mass data and at least one parameter from the group of parameters consisting of:

an environmental parameter, and a performance parameter, and wherein the performance parameter includes speed data, altitude data, temperature data, pressure data, and angle of attack data.

9. The system as recited in claim 6, wherein said instructions further cause the processor to derive a cost schedule using the real-time mass determination;

and adjust the aircraft altitude and cruise speed based on the cost schedule.

10. A computer implemented method, comprising:

receiving, at an electronic flight bag processor, real-time data from aircraft sensors during aircraft flight;

processing, by said electronic flight bag processor, said real-time data to determine real-time aircraft mass data;

calculating, by said electronic flight bag processor, real-time fuel mileage performance of the aircraft based on said determined aircraft mass data;

automatically adjusting, by an auto-pilot control of the aircraft, at least one of an altitude and a cruise speed of the aircraft based on the calculated real-time fuel mileage performance;

storing said fuel mileage performance as a record in a database having previously stored records;

calculating a performance trend for said fuel mileage performance based on the record and at least one of the previously stored records;

determining a degradation of fuel mileage performance according to the calculated performance trend; and

performing maintenance on the aircraft when the degradation of fuel mileage performance falls below a predetermined threshold.

11. The method of claim 10, further comprising transmitting an alert signal that indicates degradation of said fuel mileage performance when said fuel mileage performance is below a predetermined threshold.

12. The method of claim 10, further comprising transmitting a signal indicative of said fuel mileage performance to a cockpit of an aircraft.

13. The method of claim 10, further comprising adjusting an altitude and a cruise speed of said aircraft based on said calculated real-time fuel mileage performance.

14. A computer program product comprising a non-transitory computer useable medium having control logic stored therein for causing a computer to determine aircraft fuel mileage performance, said control logic comprising computer readable program code for causing the computer to:

receive, at an electronic flight bag processor, real-time data from aircraft sensors communicative with said electronic flight bag processor during aircraft flight;

process, by said electronic flight bag sensor processor, said real-time data to determine real-time aircraft mass data;

calculate, by said electronic flight bag processor, real-time fuel mileage performance of the aircraft based on said determined aircraft mass data; and

automatically adjusting, by an auto-pilot control of said aircraft communicative with said electronic flight bag processor, at least one of an altitude and a cruise speed of the aircraft based on the calculated real-time fuel mileage performance;

determine a degradation of fuel mileage performance according to the calculated performance trend; and

perform maintenance on the aircraft when the degradation of fuel mileage performance falls below a predetermined threshold.

15. The computer program product as recited in claim 14, wherein said computer readable program code further causes the computer to transmit an alert signal that indicates degradation of said fuel mileage performance when said fuel mileage performance is below a predetermined threshold.

16. The computer program product as recited in claim 14, wherein said computer readable program code further causes the computer to adjust an altitude and a cruise speed of said aircraft based on said calculated real-time fuel mileage performance.

17. The computer program product as recited in claim 14, wherein said computer readable program code further causes the computer to:

store said fuel mileage performance as a record in a database having previously stored records; and

calculate a performance trend for said fuel mileage performance based on the record and at least one of the previously stored records.