FAIL SAFE AIRCRAFT MONITORING AND TRACKING

• US 20160075443A1
• Filed: 09/15/2014
• Published: 03/17/2016
• Est. Priority Date: 09/15/2014
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: L3 Technologies, Inc. (L3Harris Technologies, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: L-3 Communications Corporation (L3Harris Technologies, Inc.)
• Inventors: Schmutz, Thomas R., Carro, Eduardo M., Nemat, Ayaz, Reilly, Sean P.
• Granted Patent: US 10,553,120 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: B64D 2045/0065 Black boxes, devices automatically broadcasting distress signals
• CPC Class Codes: G07C 5/008 communicating information to a remotely located station transmission systems for measured values G08C
• CPC Class Codes: G07C 5/085 using electronic data carriers
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 5/0013 with a ground station
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 5/0021 located in the aircraft
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 5/0056 in an emergency situation, e.g. hijacking

Abstract

Flight data recorder receives from an aircraft a data stream specifying values for flight data parameters while an aircraft is in flight. The flight data recorder stores the values in a crash survivable non-volatile memory unit of the flight data recorder. The flight data recorder determines an occurrence during flight of an exception condition based on an evaluation of at least one exception parameter. Responsive to determining the occurrence of the exception condition, the flight data recorder wirelessly communicates selected aircraft data to a remote location external of the aircraft using a wireless transmitter under the exclusive control of the flight data recorder.

Claims

1. A method for monitoring and tracking an aircraft under exceptional conditions, comprising:

powering a flight data recorder from an essential electrical bus which cannot be shut down under flight conditions without disabling other equipment that is essential for safe flight operations;

receiving at the flight data recorder a data stream from a flight data acquisition unit specifying values for a plurality of flight data parameters while an aircraft is in flight;

storing one or more of the values from the data stream in a memory unit;

determining an occurrence during flight of an exception condition based on an evaluation of at least one exception parameter;

responsive to determining the occurrence of the exception condition, wirelessly communicating selected aircraft data to a remote location external of the aircraft using a wireless transmitter; and

preventing actions intended to disable or prevent said wirelessly communicating by (a) exclusively controlling operations of the wireless transmitter with the flight data recorder and (b) only allowing the wireless transmitter to be powered down when the flight data recorder is powered down.

2. The method according to claim 1, wherein the at least one exception parameter includes one or more of the plurality of flight data parameters contained in the data stream which has been received at the flight data recorder.

3. The method according to claim 1, wherein the exception condition comprises receipt of a wireless trigger signal from a remote control point external of the aircraft.

4. The method according to claim 1, wherein the exception parameter specifies one or more of a position, a heading, and a deviation from a pre-determined flight plan for an aircraft in which the flight data recorder is disposed.

5. The method according to claim 1, wherein at least one of the exception parameters is obtained using a GPS unit under the exclusive control of the flight data recorder.

6. The method according to claim 5, further comprising using power supplied through the flight data recorder as a primary power source for the GPS unit.

7. The method according to claim 5, further comprising including in the selected aircraft data geographic location information of the aircraft in which the flight data recorder is disposed.

8. The method according to claim 1, further comprising using power supplied for the flight data recorder as a primary power source for the wireless transmitter.

9. The method according to claim 1, further comprising preventing interruption of the monitoring and tracking by powering the flight data recorder and the wireless transmitter using an essential electrical bus of the aircraft.

10. The method according to claim 1, further comprising determining an occurrence of the exception condition based on an evaluation of two or more exception parameters.

11. The method according to claim 1, further comprising determining an occurrence of the exception condition based upon a wireless transmission from a portable transmitter inside the aircraft.

12. A flight data recorder system which facilitates aircraft monitoring and tracking under exceptional conditions, comprising:

a system interface which is arranged to receive a data stream from an aircraft specifying a plurality of flight data parameters while the aircraft is in flight;

a crash survivable non-volatile memory unit in which one or more of the plurality of flight data parameters are stored after being received at the system interface;

a wireless transmitter that is under the exclusive control of the flight data recorder system, which can be powered down only when the flight data recorder system is powered down, and configured to communicate with a remote receiving device external of the aircraft during flight; and

a processing system which determines an occurrence of an exception condition based on an evaluation of at least one exception parameter, and in response to determining the occurrence of the exception condition causes the wireless transmitter to wirelessly communicate selected aircraft data to the remote receiving device.

13. The flight data recorder system according to claim 12, wherein the at least one exception parameter includes one or more of the plurality of flight data parameters contained in the data stream which has been received at the flight data recorder.

14. The flight data recorder system according to claim 12, wherein the exception condition comprises receipt of a wireless trigger signal from a remote control point.

15. The flight data recorder system according to claim 12, wherein the exception parameter specifies one or more of a position, a heading, and a deviation from a pre-determined flight plan for an aircraft in which the flight data recorder is disposed.

16. The flight data recorder system according to claim 12, further comprising a GPS unit under the exclusive control of the flight data recorder which provides information concerning a geographic location of the flight data recorder.

17. The flight data recorder system according to claim 16, wherein the flight data recorder includes a power coupling for the GPS unit which serves as a primary source of electrical power to the GPS unit.

18. The flight data recorder system according to claim 16, wherein the selected aircraft data includes a geographic location of the aircraft on which the flight data recorder is disposed.

19. The flight data recorder system according to claim 12, wherein the flight data recorder includes a power coupling for the wireless transmitter that serves as a primary source of electrical power to the wireless transmitter.

20. The flight data recorder system according to claim 12, wherein the processing system determines an occurrence of the exception condition based on an evaluation of two or more of the exception parameters.

21. The flight data recorder system according to claim 12, wherein the processing system includes in the selected aircraft data one or more of the flight data parameters provided to the flight data recorder in the data stream.

22. An aircraft with a fail-safe tracking system, comprising

a flight data acquisition unit;

a flight data recorder; and

an essential electrical bus configured to supply power to the flight data recorder, and which can only be shut down under flight conditions when other equipment that is essential for safe flight operations is also disabled,

wherein the flight data recorder includes

a system interface which is arranged to receive a data stream from the flight data acquisition unit specifying a plurality of flight data parameters while the aircraft is in flight,

a crash survivable non-volatile memory unit in which one or more of the plurality of flight data parameters are stored after being received at the system interface,

a wireless transmitter that is under the exclusive control of the flight data recorder which can be powered down only when the flight data recorder is powered down, and configured to communicate with a remote receiving device external of the aircraft during flight, and

a processing system which determines an occurrence of an exception condition based on an evaluation of at least one exception parameter, and in response to determining the occurrence of the exception condition causes the wireless transmitter to wirelessly communicate selected aircraft data to the remote receiving device.

23. An enhanced monitoring and reporting (EMR) system which facilitates aircraft monitoring and tracking under exceptional conditions, comprising:

a system interface which is arranged to receive a data stream from a flight data acquisition unit of an aircraft specifying a plurality of flight data parameters while the aircraft is in flight;

a memory unit in which one or more of the plurality of flight data parameters are stored after being received at the system interface;

a wireless transmitter that is under the exclusive control of the EMR system, which can be powered down only when a flight data recorder is powered down, and configured to communicate with a remote receiving device external of the aircraft during flight; and

a processing system which determines an occurrence of an exception condition based on an evaluation of at least one exception parameter, and in response to determining the occurrence of the exception condition causes the wireless transmitter to wirelessly communicate selected aircraft data to the remote receiving device.

24. The EMR system according to claim 23, wherein at least one of the processing system, the wireless transmitter and the memory unit are disposed internal of a housing which defines an avionics equipment tray.

25. The EMR system according to claim 24, further comprising a flight data recorder removably disposed on a shelf defined by the avionics equipment tray.

26. The EMR system according to claim 25, further comprising a first electrical connector disposed on the avionics equipment tray which receives the data stream from the flight data acquisition unit, and a second electrical connector disposed on the avionics equipment tray which communicates the data stream from the first electrical connector to the flight data recorder, which is removably disposed on the shelf

27. The EMR system according to claim 25, wherein primary electrical power for the EMR is coupled from the aircraft to the EMR through the first electrical connector, and primary electrical power for the flight data recorder is coupled from the first electrical connector to the second electrical connector.