Event-driven burst-mode status reporting

• US 9,586,693 B1
• Filed: 05/12/2014
• Issued: 03/07/2017
• Est. Priority Date: 05/09/2014
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Rockwell Collins, Inc. (Raytheon Technologies Corporation d/b/a RTX)
• Original Assignee: Rockwell Collins, Inc. (Raytheon Technologies Corporation d/b/a RTX)
• Inventors: Heinrich, Richard E.
• Primary Examiner(s): Lu, Shirley
• Application Number:
  US14/275,316
• Time in Patent Office: 1,030 Days
• 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: G06F 1/00 Details not covered by groups G06F3/00 - G06F13/00 and G06F21/00 architectures of general purpose stored program computers G06F15/76
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 11/0739 in a data processing system embedded in automotive or aircraft systems

Abstract

The present disclosure is directed to an event-driven reporting system that enables off-board entities, such as on-ground control centers or other aircrafts, to receive information regarding on-board conditions when the aircraft enters into a non-nominal or hostile state. Various embodiments of the disclosure are directed to an event-driven reporting system and method that provide a burst-mode transmission of recorded on-board data to an off-board entity when certain triggering events that indicate non-nominal or hostile aircraft conditions are detected.

Claims

1. An event-driven reporting system, comprising:

an internal power supply;

a transmitter;

an information retrieval system coupled with the transmitter, the information retrieval system being configured to collect data from one or more on-board recording devices;

an event monitor configured to detect a change in an operating state of at least one aircraft communication, tracking, or flight control system; and

a controller in communication with the event monitor, the controller being configured to initiate transmission of a burst-mode data dump containing the data collected from the one or more on-board recording devices, via the transmitter, when the event monitor detects the change in the operating state of the at least one aircraft communication, tracking, or flight control system.

2. The event-driven reporting system of claim 1, wherein the event monitor includes a power monitor configured to detect a loss of power to the at least one aircraft communication, tracking, or flight control system.

3. The event-driven reporting system of claim 1, wherein the event monitor includes an access monitor configured to detect unauthorized access to the at least one aircraft communication, tracking, or flight control system.

4. The event-driven reporting system of claim 1, wherein the event monitor includes an in-flight statistics monitor configured to detect a failed or defective operating state of the at least one aircraft communication, tracking, or flight control system.

5. The event-driven reporting system of claim 1, further comprising a connection to an external power supply.

6. The event-driven reporting system of claim 5, wherein the event monitor is further configured to detect a loss of power from the external power supply, and the controller is further configured to initiate transmission of the at least a portion of the data collected from the one or more on-board recording devices, via the transmitter, when the event monitor detects a loss of power from the external power supply.

7. The event-driven reporting system of claim 1, wherein the one or more on-board recording devices include at least one of a cockpit voice recorder or a flight data recorder.

8. The event-driven reporting system of claim 1, wherein the information retrieval system includes a data storage device configured to store the data collected from the one or more on-board recording devices over a selected period of time, and the controller is configured to initiate a one-time burst-mode data dump of at least a portion of the data collected from the one or more on-board recording devices over the selected period of time in a compressed format, via the transmitter, when the event monitor detects the change in the operating state of the at least one aircraft communication, tracking, or flight control system.

9. A method of event-driven reporting, comprising:

collecting data from one or more on-board recording devices;

detecting a change in an operating state of at least one aircraft communication, tracking, or flight control system; and

triggering a burst-mode data dump that contains the data collected from the one or more on-board recording devices in response to detecting the change in the operating state of the at least one aircraft communication, tracking, or flight control system.

10. The method of claim 9, wherein detecting a change in an operating state of at least one aircraft communication, tracking, or flight control system includes:

detecting a loss of power to the at least one aircraft communication, tracking, or flight control system.

11. The method of claim 9, wherein detecting a change in an operating state of at least one aircraft communication, tracking, or flight control system includes:

detecting unauthorized access to the at least one aircraft communication, tracking, or flight control system.

12. The method of claim 9, wherein detecting a change in an operating state of at least one aircraft communication, tracking, or flight control system includes:

detecting a failed or defective operating state of the at least one aircraft communication, tracking, or flight control system.

13. The method of claim 9, wherein detecting a change in an operating state of at least one aircraft communication, tracking, or flight control system includes:

detecting a loss of power from an external power supply.

14. The method of claim 9, wherein the one or more on-board recording devices include at least one of a cockpit voice recorder or a flight data recorder.

15. The method of claim 9, further comprising:

storing the data collected from the one or more on-board recording devices over a selected period of time in a data storage device external to the one or more on-board recording devices; and

triggering a one-time burst-mode data dump of at least a portion of the data collected from the one or more on-board recording devices over the selected period of time in a compressed format, via the transmitter, when the event monitor detects the change in the operating state of the at least one aircraft communication, tracking, or flight control system.

16. A non-transitory signal bearing medium with program instructions stored thereon, the program instructions comprising one or more instruction sets configured to cause a processor to:

request data from one or more on-board recording devices;

store the data requested from the one or more on-board recording devices on a data storage device;

receive a triggering signal in response to a change in an operating state of at least one aircraft communication, tracking, or flight control system; and

transmit a burst-mode data dump that contains the data requested from the one or more on-board recording devices, via a transmitter, upon receiving the triggering signal.

17. The non-transitory signal bearing medium of claim 16, wherein the detected change in an operating state of at least one aircraft communication, tracking, or flight control system includes a loss of power to the at least one aircraft communication, tracking, or flight control system.

18. The non-transitory signal bearing medium of claim 16, wherein the detected change in an operating state of at least one aircraft communication, tracking, or flight control system includes unauthorized access to the at least one aircraft communication, tracking, or flight control system.

19. The non-transitory signal bearing medium of claim 16, wherein the detected change in an operating state of at least one aircraft communication, tracking, or flight control system includes a failed or defective operating state of the at least one aircraft communication, tracking, or flight control system.

20. The non-transitory signal bearing medium of claim 16, wherein the detected change in an operating state of at least one aircraft communication, tracking, or flight control system includes a lost connection between the processor and the one or more on-board recording devices.