The Boeing Company

Ralf Rene Cabos

Nils Kneuper

Jennifer Mayer

Marco Gaertner

Andreas Sindlinger

Sabine Rath

Spyridon Sakkas

A computing device to determine engine thrust of an aircraft during taxiing. The computing device includes memory circuitry configured to store computer-readable program code. Processing circuitry is configured to execute the computer-readable program code to cause the computing device to: identify an aircraft on an airport surface; calculate an acceleration of the aircraft during the taxiing of the aircraft; compare the acceleration with predetermined data from similar aircraft; and based on the comparison, determine an engine thrust for the aircraft while the aircraft is taxiing.

System and method to determine engine thrust of a taxiing aircraft

Apparatuses, methods, systems, and program products are disclosed for dynamic selection of an aeronautical data provider. An apparatus includes a processor and a memory that stores code executable by the processor to receive streams of aeronautical data from a plurality of aeronautical data providers streaming aeronautical data from different geographic locations, determine a quality of each of the received streams of aeronautical data by checking the aeronautical data against data provided by at least one secondary data source that has a known quality, select an aeronautical data provider of the plurality of aeronautical data providers that provides a stream of aeronautical data that is closest to the data provided by the at least one secondary data source, and expose aeronautical data from the stream of aeronautical data of the selected aeronautical data provider to an end user according to one or more parameters.

Dynamic selection of an aeronautical data provider

Systems and methods relating to foreign object detection with respect to stowage compartments or other regions of a vehicle are provided. According to one example, sensor data is captured via a sensor subsystem that includes a sensor associated with each of a plurality of stowage compartments. For each of the stowage compartments, a baseline condition is identified in which foreign objects are absent from the stowage compartment. A foreign object is detected within a stowage compartment based on the sensor data received for the stowage compartment and the baseline condition identified for the stowage compartment. An indication that the foreign object is detected within the stowage compartment is output. This indication may identify the stowage compartment containing the foreign object among the plurality of stowage compartments.

Foreign object detection for vehicle operation, production, and maintenance

A method of supporting flight operations of aircraft includes accessing a data stream of geographic positions of aircraft on respective flights. The geographic positions are determined using a satellite navigation system and obtained from automatic dependent surveillance broadcast (ADS-B) position reports, or estimated independent of the ADS-B position reports. The geographic positions are tracked to determine a number of the respective flights for which the geographic positions change from being obtained from the ADS-B position reports, to being estimated independent of the ADS-B position reports. The method includes determining an outage in which the satellite navigation system is unavailable to the aircraft, based on the number of the respective flights for which the geographic positions change from the ADS-B position reports to estimated independent of the ADS-B position reports, and based on a threshold. And an outage notification is generated that is output to alert users of the outage.

Determining outages of a satellite navigation system and signal interference

Systems and methods relating to foreign object detection with respect to passenger-accessible stowage compartments are provided. According to one example, sensor data is captured via a sensor subsystem that includes a sensor associated with each of a plurality of stowage compartments. For each of the stowage compartments, a baseline condition is identified in which foreign objects are absent from the stowage compartment. A foreign object is detected within a stowage compartment based on the sensor data received for the stowage compartment and the baseline condition identified for the stowage compartment. An audit of the stowage compartments is conducted, and based on the audit, an indication that the foreign object is detected within the stowage compartment is output. This indication may identify the stowage compartment containing the foreign object among the plurality of stowage compartments.

Foreign object detection for passenger-accessible stowage compartments

An example methods for aircraft mass determination at pushback includes determining an acceleration of a pushback vehicle while moving an aircraft, determining a pushback force applied by the pushback vehicle while moving the aircraft, and determining a total mass of the aircraft based on the pushback force, the acceleration of the pushback vehicle during pushback, and a coefficient of static friction between tires of the aircraft and a surface on which the aircraft moves. An example system includes a pushback vehicle coupled to an acceleration sensor and a force sensor, and a computing device having one or more processors to determine a total mass of the aircraft based on the pushback force, the acceleration of the pushback vehicle during pushback, and a coefficient of static friction between tires of the aircraft and a surface on which the aircraft moves.

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Hainburg, Germany

Ralf Rene Cabos