The Boeing Company

Other

Ryan D Hale

Louis J Bailey

Gregory T Saccone

Bradley D Cornell

Brian Lyle

Michael Matyas

Nicholas P G Impert

Systems, apparatus, and methods for providing data in a pre-determined format with minimal impact from an aircraft to an interested entity are disclosed. One system includes a data processing system configured to store executable code to receive data, wherein the data is otherwise unavailable to the interested entity via pre-existing technology, determine, in real-time, one or more first devices on the aircraft where the data is stored in a format that is non-compliant with the pre-determined format and/or one or more second devices on the aircraft where the data can be generated in the format that is non-compliant with the pre-determined format, and retrieve the data in the format that is non-compliant with the pre-determined format from the at least one of the one or more first devices and the one or more second devices. Apparatus and methods that include and/or perform the operations of the system are also disclosed.

Systems, apparatus, and methods for providing data from an aircraft in a compliant data format

Systems and methods for processing aircraft flight information and flight plan information are described. Specific techniques are described for managing flight data in real time, sharing flight data between a plurality of systems, dynamically managing flight information, generating flight plan information, providing flight plan information to a user, and closing flight plan discontinuities.

Aircraft performance predictions

Systems and methods for processing flight information. Using a flight plan/route message and other flight information (aircraft type and navigation database information), the portion of the message containing the flight plan or route is decoded and translated to construct a ground-based flight route comprising a list of waypoints and associated flight information. The list of waypoints may then used in calculations performed by a flight trajectory predictor to identify spatially associated weather information and/or to create an updated flight plan or route (e.g., by adding or changing waypoints in a flight object) and thereafter transmit that information to users. Prior to transmitting any updated flight plan/route, the associated waypoints and other flight information must be translated and encoded into the required format for inclusion in an outgoing (i.e., uplinked) flight plan/route message.

Systems and methods for processing flight information

The different advantageous embodiments provide a system and method for suggesting significant environmental waypoints along a trajectory to improve the efficiency of a flight plan. Desired information is identified, wherein the desired information is information needed to perform at least one of completing a flight plan and updating a flight plan. It is determined whether to identify environmental information points.

Environmental waypoint insertion

A real-time adaptive speed scheduler that optimizes the control of an aircraft's speed and speed mode through the introduction of an advisory providing an optimized speed schedule for improved fuel efficiency and aircraft predictability. This system can also be deployed to improve flight efficiency and aircraft predictability in situations where time needs to be gained or lost, or air traffic needs to be sequenced. The real-time adaptive speed scheduler disclosed herein provides a datalink solution for loading directly into an aircraft's flight management system, for operation and display on a mobile device, as an advisory to an air traffic controller for instruction to the aircraft as a voice command, any authorized subscriber, and/or as an advisory to a dispatcher at an airline operations center.

Real-time adaptive speed scheduler

Automatic real-time flight plan updates

An adaptive weather interrogation system capable of determining whether currently available weather for a particular trajectory or portion thereof, a particular volume of space or geospatial point meets subscriber operations and requirements. More specifically, the system provides the capability to determine the 'best' weather information by evaluating the weather data and associated weather quality, accuracy or confidence attribute values against subscriber operations and requirements. If the weather data, quality, accuracy, and confidence do not meet the subscriber's requirements, the system is capable of interrogating weather data sources for additional or updated weather data to meet the subscriber's needs.

Adaptive weather interrogation system

Flight object communications system

Automated flight object procedure selection system

Flight path discontinuities

Flight analogous and projection system

A computer-based communications management system for managing multiple requests made by different users, in abstract or generalized formats, for data to be provided by various systems of interest. This computerized system is programmed to perform operations which ensure that requests from different users do not interfere with each other and that all information requested from the systems of interest is retrieved without missing or additional (i.e., not requested) information. Additionally, the system accommodates the functional differences between various systems of interest, and also uses relevant related data from other systems of interest to achieve greater data usefulness.

Multi-user disparate system communications manager

The different advantageous embodiments provide a system comprising an environmental waypoint insertion process and a processor unit. The processor unit is configured to run the environmental waypoint insertion process. The environmental waypoint insertion process is configured to receive information. The environmental waypoint insertion process determines whether and how to suggest additional waypoints for insertion into a flight plan to a subscriber.

Systems and methods for remotely setting a value for a trigger threshold variable used by a processor unit onboard an aircraft to determine if and when a data message should be transmitted from the aircraft. The method comprises the following steps performed by a computer: (a) obtaining data representing a flight plan or flight trajectory of the aircraft and flight information; (b) obtaining data representing business considerations; (c) computing a value of the trigger threshold variable as a function of at least the flight plan or flight trajectory data and the business considerations data; and (d) constructing a trigger threshold data message containing the computed value of the trigger threshold variable.

Growing community of inventors

Kent, WA, United States of America

Ryan D Hale