Event based aircraft image and data recording system

• US 6,721,640 B2
• Filed: 01/23/2001
• Issued: 04/13/2004
• Est. Priority Date: 02/03/2000
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Honeywell International Inc.
• Original Assignee: Honeywell International Inc.
• Inventors: Glenn, Matthew H., Frost, Wendell A., Zelin, Mike
• Primary Examiner(s): Marc-Coleman, Marthe Y.
• Application Number:
  US09/768,659
• Publication Number:
  US 20020004695A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,176 Days
• Field of Search: 701/35, 701/14, 701/29, 701/3, 701/8, 701/9, 701/10, 340/945, 340/963, 348/211.14, 348/65, 348/117, 348/151, 348/159
• US Class Current: 701/35
• CPC Class Codes: B64D 2045/0065 Black boxes, devices automatically broadcasting distress signals
• CPC Class Codes: G07C 5/0858 wherein the data carrier is removable
• CPC Class Codes: G07C 5/0891 Video recorder in combination with video camera

Abstract

An apparatus and method for recording image data of flight parameters and events includes a reconfigurable set of instructions for determining when such data will be retained in flight recorder memory.

Claims

1. A method for recording image data aboard an aircraft comprising the steps of:

providing at least one camera aboard the aircraft for collection of the image data;

placing the image data in a memory buffer;

using a reconfigurable algorithmic network to define a set of predetermined conditions;

determining if at least one of set of predetermined conditions exists during said placing of image data; and

writing the image data in said memory buffer to a storage device located aboard the aircraft when said determined conditions exist.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein said step of writing image data includes the step of writing image data to a flight data recorder.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein said step of writing image data includes the step of writing image data to a cockpit voice recorder.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein said step of providing at least one camera includes the steps of providing at least a first camera with an exterior view of the aircraft and a second camera with an interior view of the aircraft.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein said step of writing image data includes the steps of:

receiving a plurality of aircraft sensor data;

determining if said predetermined condition exists by evaluating said sensor data according to a set of executable instructions stored aboard the aircraft; and

asserting a signal to write the image data to said storage device when said predetermined condition is determined to exist.

6. The method of claim 5, wherein said step of determining further includes the step of storing said executable instructions in a read only memory device.

7. The method of claim 5, wherein said step of determining further includes the steps of:

loading said executable instructions from a device external to the aircraft to a readable/writable memory device located aboard the aircraft, whereby said executable instructions are reconfigurable.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein said step of writing data to a storage device further includes the step of writing said image data when a switch has been manually activated.

9. The method of claim 1, wherein said step of providing at least one camera comprises the step of providing an infrared camera.

10. A system for recording image data aboard an aircraft comprising:

a crash survivable recorder;

a camera for collecting image data;

a plurality of sensors located aboard the aircraft to collect sensor data;

a reconfigurable algorithmic network; and

a device having an input for receiving said sensor data and said image data and said device also having an output, wherein said device causes said image data to be written to said crash survivable recorder when said sensor data indicate the existence of a predetermined condition.

11. The system of claim 10, wherein said camera includes an infrared camera.

12. The system of claim 10, wherein said camera additionally collects audio data.

13. The system of claim 10, wherein said plurality of sensors further include a manually activated switch to indicate the existence of a predetermined condition.

14. The system of claim 10, further comprising a telemetry device for transmitting said image data from the aircraft.