Collaborative aviation information collection and distribution system

• US 9,786,185 B2
• Filed: 07/02/2014
• Issued: 10/10/2017
• Est. Priority Date: 02/25/2014
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Honeywell International Inc.
• Original Assignee: Honeywell International Inc.
• Inventors: Esposito, Carl, Law, Kristen J., Goldstein, David B., Jongsma, Kenneth R.
• Primary Examiner(s): ISMAIL, MAHMOUD S
• Application Number:
  US14/322,437
• Publication Number:
  US 20150243173A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,196 Days
• Field of Search: 701 14, 701100, 701467, 345 11, 340901
• CPC Class Codes: G07C 5/008 communicating information to a remotely located station transmission systems for measured values G08C
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 5/0004 Transmission of traffic-related information to or from an aircraft airborne radio transmission systems in general H04B7/185; airborne wireless networks H04W84/06
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 5/0008 with other aircraft
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 5/0013 with a ground station
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 5/0017 Arrangements for implementing traffic-related aircraft activities, e.g. arrangements for generating, displaying, acquiring or managing traffic information head-up displays G02B27/01; ground or aircraft-carrier-deck-installations B64F
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 5/003 Flight plan management
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 5/0039 Modification of a flight plan
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 5/0078 for monitoring traffic from the aircraft radar or analogous systems specially adapted for traffic control G01S13/91
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 5/0091 for monitoring atmospheric conditions radar or analogous systems specially adapted for meteorological use G01S13/95; meteorology G01W
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 5/025 Navigation or guidance aids radar or analogous systems specially adapted for landing purposes G01S13/913

Abstract

A collaborative aviation information collection and distribution system includes a plurality of aircraft data transmitters and an aircraft data processing system. Each aircraft data transmitter is configured to selectively transmit aircraft data associated with a subscribing aircraft. The aircraft data processing system is in operable communication with each of the aircraft data transmitters and includes a data receiver, a data transmitter, and a data processor. The data receiver receives aircraft data transmitted from each of the aircraft transmitters. The data transmitter selectively transmits actionable aircraft data to one or more of the subscribing aircraft or subscribing ground-based users. The data processor determines which of, and when, the one or more subscribing aircraft or subscribing ground-based users should receive actionable aircraft data, generates actionable aircraft data from at least a portion of the received aircraft data, and supplies the generated actionable aircraft data to the data transmitter for transmission.

Claims

1. An aircraft data processing system, comprising:

a data receiver adapted to receive aircraft data transmitted from a plurality of subscribing aircraft;

a data transmitter configured to selectively transmit actionable aircraft data to one or more subscribing aircraft or subscribing ground-based users;

memory having user preference data stored therein, the user preference data including data representative of (i) each of the one or more subscribing aircraft, (ii) when and how often each of the one or more subscribing aircraft or subscribing ground-based users would like to receive actionable aircraft data, and (iii) particular types of actionable aircraft data that each of the one or more subscribing aircraft or subscribing ground-based users is subscribed to receive; and

a data processor in operable communication with the data receiver, the memory, and the data transmitter, the data processor configured to selectively access the memory and to;

determine, based on the user preference data stored in the memory, which of the one or more subscribing aircraft or subscribing ground-based users should receive actionable aircraft data,

determine, based on the user preference data stored in the memory, when and how often the one or more subscribing aircraft or subscribing ground-based users should receive actionable aircraft data,

determine, based on the user preference data stored in the memory, the particular types of actionable aircraft data that each of the one or more subscribing aircraft or subscribing ground-based users is subscribed to receive,

generate each of the particular types of actionable aircraft data that each of the one or more subscribing aircraft or subscribing ground-based users is subscribed to receive from at least a portion of the received aircraft data and based on the determination of which of the one or more subscribing aircraft or subscribing ground-based users should receive actionable aircraft data, and

supply each of the particular types of the generated actionable aircraft data to the data transmitter for transmission to each of the one or more subscribing aircraft or subscribing ground-based users, based on the user preference data stored in the memory.

2. The aircraft data processing system of claim 1, wherein the aircraft data includes one or more of aircraft identifying information, aircraft flight plans, and aircraft locations.

3. The aircraft data processing system of claim 2, wherein the aircraft data further includes one or more of environmental conditions, runway conditions, braking effectiveness, ground taxi times, active runways, and aircraft maintenance and aircraft health.

4. The aircraft data processing system of claim 1, wherein the actionable aircraft data comprise data that may alert a flight crew to take an action.

5. The aircraft data processing system of claim 1, wherein the data receiver is configured to receive the aircraft data via one or more wireless communication channels.

6. A collaborative aviation information collection and distribution system, comprising:

a plurality of aircraft data transmitters, each aircraft data transmitter adapted to be disposed in a subscribing aircraft, each aircraft data transmitter configured to selectively transmit aircraft data associated with its subscribing aircraft; and

an aircraft data processing system in operable communication with each of the aircraft data transmitters, the aircraft data processing system including;

a data receiver adapted to receive aircraft data transmitted from each of the aircraft transmitters;

a data transmitter configured to selectively transmit actionable aircraft data to one or more of the subscribing aircraft or subscribing ground-based users;

memory having user preference data stored therein, the user preference data including data representative of (i) each of the one or more subscribing aircraft, (ii) when and how often each of the one or more subscribing aircraft or subscribing ground-based users would like to receive actionable aircraft data, and (iii) particular types of actionable aircraft data that each of the one or more subscribing aircraft or subscribing ground-based users is subscribed to receive; and

a data processor in operable communication with the data receiver, the memory, and the data transmitter, the data processor configured to selectively access the memory and to;

determine, based on the user preference data stored in the memory, which of the one or more subscribing aircraft or subscribing ground-based users should receive actionable aircraft data,

determine, based on the user preference data stored in the memory, when and how often the one or more subscribing aircraft or subscribing ground-based users should receive actionable aircraft data,

determine, based on the user preference data stored in the memory, the particular types of actionable aircraft data that each of the one or more subscribing aircraft or subscribing ground-based users is subscribed to receive,

generate each of the particular types of actionable aircraft data that each of the one or more subscribing aircraft or subscribing ground-based users is subscribed to receive from at least a portion of the received aircraft data and based on the determination of which of the one or more subscribing aircraft or subscribing ground-based users should receive actionable aircraft data, and

supply each of the particular types of the generated actionable aircraft data to the data transmitter for transmission to each of the one or more subscribing aircraft or subscribing ground-based users, based on the user preference data stored in the memory.

7. The collaborative aviation information collection and distribution system of claim 6, further comprising:

a plurality of actionable aircraft data receivers, each actionable aircraft data receiver adapted to be disposed in one of the subscribing aircraft, each actionable aircraft data receiver configured to receive action aircraft data transmitted thereto.

8. The collaborative aviation information collection and distribution system of claim 7, further comprising:

a plurality of human-machine interfaces, each human-machine interface in operable communication with a different one of the actionable data receivers and configured to generate feedback representative of the received actionable aircraft data.

9. The collaborative aviation information collection and distribution system of claim 6, wherein the aircraft data includes one or more of aircraft identifying information, aircraft flight plans, and aircraft locations.

10. The collaborative aviation information collection and distribution system of claim 9, wherein the aircraft data further includes one or more of environmental conditions, runway conditions, braking effectiveness, ground taxi times, active runways, and aircraft maintenance and aircraft health.

11. The collaborative aviation information collection and distribution system of claim 6, wherein the actionable aircraft data comprise data that may alert a flight crew to take an action.

12. The collaborative aviation information collection and distribution system of claim 6, wherein the data receiver is configured to receive the aircraft data via one or more wireless communication channels.

13. A collaborative aviation information collection and distribution system, comprising:

a plurality of aircraft data transmitters, each aircraft data transmitter adapted to be disposed in a subscribing aircraft, each aircraft data transmitter configured to receive aircraft data from a plurality of sensors disposed in the subscribing aircraft and to selectively transmit the aircraft data; and

an aircraft data processing system in operable communication with each of the aircraft data transmitters via a wireless communication channel, the aircraft data processing system including;

memory having user preference data stored therein, the user preference data including data representative of (i) each of the one or more subscribing aircraft, (ii) when and how often each of the one or more subscribing aircraft or subscribing ground-based users would like to receive actionable aircraft data, and (iii) particular types of actionable aircraft data that each of the one or more subscribing aircraft or subscribing ground-based users is subscribed to receive;

a data receiver adapted to receive aircraft data transmitted from each of the aircraft data transmitters;

a data transmitter configured to selectively transmit actionable aircraft data to one or more of the subscribing aircraft; and

a data processor in operable communication with the data receiver, the memory, and the data transmitter, the data processor configured to selectively access the memory and to;

determine, based on the user preference data stored in the memory, which of the one or more subscribing aircraft or subscribing ground-based users should receive actionable aircraft data,

determine, based on the user preference data stored in the memory, when and how often the one or more subscribing aircraft or subscribing ground-based users should receive actionable aircraft data,

determine, based on the user preference data stored in the memory, the particular types of actionable aircraft data that each of the one or more subscribing aircraft or subscribing ground-based users is subscribed to receive,

generate each of the particular types of actionable aircraft data that each of the one or more subscribing aircraft or subscribing ground-based users is subscribed to receive from at least a portion of the received aircraft data and based on the determination of which of the one or more subscribing aircraft or subscribing ground-based users should receive actionable aircraft data, and

supply each of the particular types of the generated actionable aircraft data to the data transmitter for transmission to each of the one or more subscribing aircraft or subscribing ground-based users, based on the user preference data stored in the memory.

14. The collaborative aviation information collection and distribution system of claim 13, further comprising:

a plurality of actionable aircraft data receivers, each actionable aircraft data receiver adapted to be disposed in a different one of the subscribing aircraft or subscribing ground-based users, each actionable aircraft data receiver configured to receive action aircraft data transmitted thereto.

15. The collaborative aviation information collection and distribution system of claim 14, further comprising:

a plurality of human-machine interfaces, each human-machine interface in operable communication with a different one of the actionable data receivers and configured to generate feedback representative of the received actionable aircraft data.

16. The collaborative aviation information collection and distribution system of claim 13, wherein the aircraft data includes one or more of aircraft identifying information, aircraft flight plans, and aircraft locations.

17. The collaborative aviation information collection and distribution system of claim 16, wherein the aircraft data further includes one or more of environmental conditions, runway conditions, braking effectiveness, ground taxi times, active runways, and aircraft maintenance and aircraft health.

18. The collaborative aviation information collection and distribution system of claim 13, wherein the actionable aircraft data comprise data that may alert a flight crew to take an action.