Processing of aircraft alarm and maintenance messages

• US 9,663,242 B2
• Filed: 07/18/2015
• Issued: 05/30/2017
• Est. Priority Date: 07/18/2014
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Thales SA
• Original Assignee: Thales SA
• Inventors: Fournier, Franois, Peyrat, Stphanie, Huynh, Rmi
• Primary Examiner(s): Nguyen, Phung
• Application Number:
  US14/803,044
• Publication Number:
  US 20160016671A1
• Time in Patent Office: 682 Days
• Field of Search: 340963, 3405391, 340 43, 340945, 701 3
• CPC Class Codes: B64D 2045/0075 Adaptations for use of electronic flight bags in aircraft; Supports therefor in the cockpit
• 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: G07C 5/008 communicating information to a remotely located station transmission systems for measured values G08C
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/12 specially adapted for proprietary or special-purpose networking environments, e.g. medical networks, sensor networks, networks in vehicles or remote metering networks

Abstract

A computer implemented method for managing alarm and maintenance messages of an aircraft, comprises collecting information relating to the alarm, aircraft status and maintenance messages; transmitting the information collected to an electronic device of EFB or electronic flight bag type, the electronic device being able to correlate the alarm messages with the maintenance messages and to associate the descriptions of the alarms with links and electronic maintenance documents. Developments describe notably the extracting of data from images or audio streams; listening to the communications on an avionics bus between the centralized maintenance system CMS and the printing service Printer and/or ground equipment of AGARS or VHF type; and the establishing of links with the electronic documentation and the use of an electronic flight bag EFB.

Claims

1. A computer implemented method for managing alarm and maintenance messages of an aircraft, comprising the steps of:

collecting information relating to the alarm, aircraft status and maintenance messages;

the collecting the information comprising listening to communications on an avionics bus between a centralized maintenance system (CMS) and a printing service Printer and/or ground equipment of ACARS or VHF type; and

transmitting the information collected to an electronic device of EFB or electronic flight bag type, the said electronic device being able to correlate the alarm messages with the maintenance messages and to associate descriptions of the alarms with links and electronic maintenance documents.

2. The method according to claim 1, the step of collecting the information comprising an acquisition of one or more images of onboard avionics equipment and a subsequent extraction of this information from the said images.

3. The method according to claim 2, further comprising a step of transmitting the data collected from the avionics bus to the EFB or electronic flight bag.

4. The method according to claim 3, further comprising a step of interpretation by the EFB or electronic flight bag of the data collected from the avionics bus by means of a model of avionics protocols.

5. The method according to claim 4, further comprising a step of association by the EFB or electronic flight bag of the description of the alarm and maintenance messages, as well as their link with electronic documentation.

6. The method according to claim 5, at least one link being a hyperlink to an electronic document.

7. The method according to claim 5, further comprising a step of reception by the EFB or electronic flight bag of a selection of an alarm or maintenance message.

8. The method according to claim 7, the electronic device of EFB type comprising user interface means and the method furthermore comprising a step of making available by the said user interface means one or more appropriate maintenance procedures and/or documents in relation to the alarm or maintenance message selected.

9. A tangible computer program product, comprising code instructions making it possible to perform the steps of the method according to claim 1, when the said program is executed on a computer.

10. A system comprising means for implementing one or more steps of the method according to claim 1.

11. A computer implemented method for managing alarm and maintenance messages of an aircraft, comprising the steps of:

collecting information relating to the alarm, aircraft status and maintenance messages;

transmitting the information collected to an electronic device of EFB or electronic flight bag type, the said electronic device being able to correlate the alarm messages with the maintenance messages and to associate descriptions of the alarms with links and electronic maintenance documents;

the collecting the information comprising an acquisition of one or more images of onboard avionics equipment and a subsequent extraction of this information from the said images;

transmitting the data collected from an avionics bus to the EFB or electronic flight bag;

interpretation by the EFB or electronic flight bag of the data collected from the avionics bus by means of a model of avionics protocols; and

association by the EFB or electronic flight bag of the description of the alarm and maintenance messages, as well as their link with electronic documentation,

wherein at least one link being a hyperlink to an electronic document.

12. A tangible computer program product, comprising code instructions making it possible to perform the steps of the method according to claim 11, when the said program is executed on a computer.

13. A system comprising means for implementing one or more steps of the method according to claim 11.