Aircrew automation system and method

• US 10,359,779 B2
• Filed: 03/21/2017
• Issued: 07/23/2019
• Est. Priority Date: 03/22/2016
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Aurora Flight Sciences Corporation (The Boeing Co.)
• Original Assignee: Aurora Flight Sciences Corporation (The Boeing Co.)
• Inventors: Duda, Jessica E., Tylko, John, Mindell, David, Kunzi, Fabrice, Piedmonte, Michael, Allee, John, Torgerson, Joshua, Ryan, Jason, Paduano, James Donald, Wissler, John Brooke, Musto, Andrew, Feenstra, Wendy
• Primary Examiner(s): Nolan, Peter D
• Application Number:
  US15/464,786
• Publication Number:
  US 20170277185A1
• Time in Patent Office: 854 Days
• CPC Class Codes: B25J 11/00 Manipulators not otherwise provided for
• CPC Class Codes: B64C 13/18 using automatic pilot
• 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 43/00 Arrangements or adaptations of instruments arrangements of cameras B64D47/08; aeronautical measuring instruments per se G01C
• CPC Class Codes: B64D 45/00 Aircraft indicators or protectors not otherwise provided for camouflage F41H3/00
• CPC Class Codes: G05D 1/0088 characterized by the autonomous decision making process, e.g. artificial intelligence, predefined behaviours using knowledge based models G06N5/00
• CPC Class Codes: G05D 1/101 specially adapted for aircraft
• CPC Class Codes: G06N 5/02 Knowledge representation; Symbolic representation
• CPC Class Codes: Y02T 50/40 Weight reduction

Abstract

An aircrew automation system that provides a pilot with high-fidelity knowledge of the aircraft'"'"'s physical state, and notifies that pilot of any deviations in expected state based on predictive models. The aircrew automation may be provided as a non-invasive ride-along aircrew automation system that perceives the state of the aircraft through visual techniques, derives the aircraft state vector and other aircraft information, and communicates any deviations from expected aircraft state to the pilot.

Claims

1. An aircrew automation system for use in an aircraft, the aircrew automation system comprising:

a core platform to operatively connect a plurality of systems or subsystems via one or more interfaces;

a human machine interface operatively coupled with the core platform to provide an interface between a pilot and the aircrew automation system;

a knowledge acquisition system operatively coupled with the core platform to determine information specific to the aircraft;

a perception system operatively coupled with the core platform to monitor one or more cockpit instruments of the aircraft to generate flight situation data; and

a primary actuation system to control at least one primary flight control of the aircraft,

wherein the primary actuation system includes an articulating arm and a gripper to engage the at least one primary flight control.

2. The aircrew automation system of claim 1, wherein the perception system includes a vision system to visually monitor the one or more cockpit instruments of the aircraft.

3. The aircrew automation system of claim 1, wherein the knowledge acquisition system is configured to determine a layout of the one or more cockpit instruments.

4. The aircrew automation system of claim 1, wherein the core platform is configured to communicate one or more commands to a flight control system of the aircraft based at least in part on the flight situation data.

5. The aircrew automation system of claim 1, further comprising a secondary actuation system that is separate from the primary actuation system.

6. The aircrew automation system of claim 5, wherein the secondary actuation system includes an XY-plotter defining a Y-axis and an X-axis, a tool to engage at least one secondary flight control of the aircraft, and a controller to move the tool along the Y-axis and the X-axis.

7. The aircrew automation system of claim 1, wherein the primary actuation system includes a frame, the articulating arm being coupled at its proximal end to the frame, and the gripper being positioned at a distal end of the articulating arm to engage the at least one primary flight control via a multiple-DOF (degree of freedom) connection.

8. An aircrew automation system for use in an aircraft, the aircrew automation system comprising:

a core platform to operatively connect a plurality of systems or subsystems via one or more interfaces;

a human machine interface operatively coupled with the core platform to provide an interface between a pilot and the aircrew automation system;

a knowledge acquisition system operatively coupled with the core platform to determine information specific to the aircraft;

an aircraft state monitoring system coupled with the core platform to collect or generate flight situation data; and

an actuation system operatively coupled with the core platform to actuate one or more flight controls of the aircraft based in response to commands from the core platform,

wherein the actuation system includes a primary actuation system having an articulating arm and a gripper to engage at least one primary flight control of the aircraft.

9. The aircrew automation system of claim 8, wherein the actuation system further comprises a secondary actuation system that is separate from the primary actuation system.

10. The aircrew automation system of claim 9, wherein the secondary actuation system includes an XY-plotter defining a Y-axis and an X-axis, a tool to engage at least one secondary flight control of the aircraft, and a controller to move the tool along the Y-axis and the X-axis.

11. The aircrew automation system of claim 10, wherein the tool is a multi-tool configured with a switch actuator and a knob actuator.

12. The aircrew automation system of claim 8, wherein the primary actuation system includes a frame, the articulating arm being coupled at its proximal end to the frame, and the gripper being positioned at a distal end of the articulating arm to engage the at least one primary flight control.

13. The aircrew automation system of claim 12, wherein the gripper is coupled to the articulating arm via a multiple-DOF (degree of freedom) connection.

14. The aircrew automation system of claim 8, wherein the human machine interface enables a pilot to control and communicate with the aircrew automation system.

15. The aircrew automation system of claim 8, wherein the human machine interface includes a touch screen display.

16. An aircrew automation system for use in an aircraft, the aircrew automation system comprising:

a core platform to operatively connect a plurality of systems or subsystems via one or more interfaces;

a human machine interface operatively coupled with the core platform to provide an interface between a pilot and the aircrew automation system, the human machine interface is configured to display a plurality of tasks via a touch screen display in a form of a task list;

a knowledge acquisition system operatively coupled with the core platform to determine information specific to the aircraft;

an aircraft state monitoring system coupled with the core platform to collect or generate flight situation data; and

a primary actuation system to control at least one primary flight control of the aircraft,

wherein the primary actuation system includes an articulating arm and a gripper to engage the at least one primary flight control.

17. The aircrew automation system of claim 16, wherein the primary actuation system includes a frame, the articulating arm being coupled at its proximal end to the frame, and the gripper being positioned at a distal end of the articulating arm to engage the at least one primary flight control via a multiple-DOF (degree of freedom) connection.

18. The aircrew automation system of claim 16, wherein the core platform is configured to communicate one or more commands to a flight control system of the aircraft based at least in part on the flight situation data.

19. The aircrew automation system of claim 16, further comprising a secondary actuation system that is separate from the primary actuation system.

20. The aircrew automation system of claim 19, wherein the secondary actuation system includes an XY-plotter defining a Y-axis and an X-axis, a tool to engage at least one secondary flight control of the aircraft, and a controller to move the tool along the Y-axis and the X-axis.

21. The aircrew automation system of claim 16, wherein the aircraft state monitoring system is a perception system.

22. The aircrew automation system of claim 21, wherein the perception system includes a vision system to visually monitor one or more cockpit instruments of the aircraft.

23. The aircrew automation system of claim 16, wherein each of the plurality of tasks is marked as either completed or not completed based at least in part on a pilot input via the touch screen display.