Aircraft distress tracking and interface to search and rescue system

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10088574-B2
Application number	US-201514832851-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Aug 21, 2015
Priority date	Aug 21, 2015
Publication date	Oct 2, 2018
Grant date	Oct 2, 2018

Abstract

An apparatus and method of delivering an alert from an aircraft to a search and rescue system. An alert from an aircraft is received via a communications satellite. The alert comprises identification information identifying the aircraft and position information identifying the position of the aircraft. In response to receiving the alert, an emulated distress radio beacon signal is generated. The emulated distress radio beacon signal comprises the identification information and the position information in a standard format of a signal generated by a distress radio beacon. The emulated distress radio beacon signal is broadcast from a location other than the aircraft as an emulated distress radio beacon transmission that is configured to be received and processed by the search and rescue system.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A method of delivering an alert from an aircraft to a search and rescue system, comprising:
receiving the alert by a receiver in an aircraft tracking system from a tracking device on the aircraft via a communications satellite, wherein the alert comprises identification information identifying the aircraft and position information identifying a position of the aircraft;
in response to receiving the alert, generating an emulated distress radio beacon signal by a formatter in the aircraft tracking system, wherein the emulated distress radio beacon signal comprises the identification information and the position information in a format of a signal generated by a distress radio beacon;
broadcasting the emulated distress radio beacon signal by a transmitter in the aircraft tracking system from a location other than the aircraft as an emulated distress radio beacon transmission that is configured to be received and processed by the search and rescue system; and
sending registration information by the aircraft tracking system to the search and rescue system before broadcasting the emulated distress radio beacon signal, wherein the registration information indicates that an apparent distress radio beacon transmission that identifies the aircraft is the emulated distress radio beacon transmission.

2. The method of claim 1 , wherein:
generating the emulated distress radio beacon signal comprises generating an emulated emergency locator transmitter signal in a format of a signal generated by an emergency locator transmitter; and
broadcasting the emulated distress radio beacon signal comprises broadcasting the emulated emergency locator transmitter signal from the location other than the aircraft as an emulated emergency locator transmitter transmission that is configured to be received and processed by the search and rescue system.

3. The method of claim 2 , wherein broadcasting the emulated emergency locator transmitter signal comprises broadcasting the emulated emergency locator transmitter signal at approximately 406 MHz to emulate a transmission from an emergency locator transmitter.

4. The method of claim 1 , wherein the registration information comprises transmitter information identifying the location other than the aircraft of the transmitter for broadcasting the emulated distress radio beacon signal.

5. The method of claim 1 further comprising:
evaluating the alert from the aircraft by an evaluator in the aircraft tracking system to determine whether the alert is a distress alert indicating that the aircraft is in distress; and
generating and broadcasting the emulated distress radio beacon signal in response to a determination that the alert is the distress alert.

6. The method of claim 1 , wherein the alert is received from the aircraft via the communications satellite in low Earth orbit.

7. The method of claim 6 , wherein the alert is received from the aircraft via an Iridium communications satellite.

8. The method of claim 1 , wherein the alert is generated by the tracking device on the aircraft comprising:
a satellite navigation system receiver configured to identify the position of the aircraft using navigation signals received from a satellite navigation system;
a satellite communications transceiver;
a number of antennas for the satellite navigation system receiver and the satellite communications transceiver;
a distress identifier configured to identify when the aircraft is in distress;
a processor configured to generate the position information identifying the position of the aircraft as identified by the satellite navigation system receiver, generate the alert, and send the alert via the communications satellite using the satellite communications transceiver in response to a determination by the distress identifier that the aircraft is in distress; and
a housing attached to the aircraft on an outside of the aircraft and containing the satellite navigation system receiver, the satellite communications transceiver, the number of antennas, the distress identifier, and the processor.

9. An apparatus, comprising:
a receiver configured to receive an alert from an aircraft via a communications satellite, wherein the alert comprises identification information identifying the aircraft and position information identifying a position of the aircraft;
a formatter configured to generate an emulated distress radio beacon signal comprising the identification information and the position information in a format of a signal generated by a distress radio beacon; and
a transmitter configured to broadcast the emulated distress radio beacon signal from a location other than the aircraft as an emulated distress radio beacon transmission that is configured to be received and processed by a search and rescue system; and
wherein the apparatus is further configured to send registration information to the search and rescue system before the emulated distress radio beacon signal is broadcast, wherein the registration information indicates that an apparent distress radio beacon transmission that identifies the aircraft is the emulated distress radio beacon transmission.

10. The apparatus of claim 9 , wherein:
the formatter is configured to generate the emulated distress radio beacon signal as an emulated emergency locator transmitter signal in a format of a signal generated by an emergency locator transmitter; and
the transmitter is configured to broadcast the emulated emergency locator transmitter signal from the location other than the aircraft as an emulated emergency locator transmitter transmission that is configured to be received and processed by the search and rescue system.

11. The apparatus of claim 10 , wherein the transmitter is configured to broadcast the emulated emergency locator transmitter signal at approximately 406 MHz to emulate a transmission from an emergency locator transmitter.

12. The apparatus of claim 9 , wherein the alert comprises distress information indicating whether the aircraft is in distress.

13. The apparatus of claim 12 further comprising:
an evaluator configured to evaluate the distress information in the alert from the aircraft to determine whether the alert is a distress alert indicating that the aircraft is in distress; and
wherein the formatter is configured to generate the emulated distress radio beacon signal in response to a determination that the alert is the distress alert.

14. A system, comprising:
a tracking device on an aircraft configured to send an alert from the aircraft via a communications satellite, wherein the alert comprises identification information identifying the aircraft and position information identifying a position of the aircraft;
an aircraft tracking system configured to receive the alert from the aircraft, generate an emulated distress radio beacon signal comprising the identification information and the position information in a format of a signal generated by a distress radio beacon, and broadcast the emulated distress radio beacon signal from a location other than the aircraft as an emulated distress radio beacon transmission; and
a search and rescue system configured to receive the emulated distress radio beacon transmission as an apparent distress radio beacon transmission via a search and rescue system satellite, receive registration information before receiving the emulated distress radio beacon transmission, wherein the registration information indicates that that the apparent distress radio beacon transmission that identifies the aircraft is the emulated distress radio beacon signal, and use the identification information and the pos

Assignees

• Boeing Co

Inventors

• Murphy Timothy Allen

Classifications

• B64D25/20

  Releasing of crash-position indicators · CPC title

• G01S19/17 Primary

  Emergency applications · CPC title

• G01S1/68 Primary

  Marker, boundary, call-sign, or like beacons transmitting signals not carrying directional information · CPC title

• G01S5/0231 Primary

  Emergency, distress or locator beacons · CPC title

• B64D2045/0065

  Black boxes, devices automatically broadcasting distress signals · CPC title