System and method for generating an optimized search and rescue profile for an in-flight aircraft

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10482772-B2
Application number	US-201715786725-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Oct 18, 2017
Priority date	Oct 18, 2017
Publication date	Nov 19, 2019
Grant date	Nov 19, 2019

Abstract

Methods and systems are provided for generating a flight profile for search and rescue (SAR) operations. The method comprises monitoring flight parameters of an in-flight aircraft engaged in star operations through the aircraft's flight management system (FMS). The flight parameters are transmitted to a ground-based FMS that accesses a terrain database and a real-time weather database. With this information, the ground-based FMS generates a star flight profile for the aircraft. The flight profile is then transmitted to the in-flight aircraft's FMS.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A method for generating a flight profile for search and rescue (SAR) operations, comprising:
monitoring flight parameters with an onboard flight management system (FMS) for an in-flight aircraft engaged in SAR operations;
transmitting the flight parameters of the in-flight aircraft from the onboard FMS to a ground-based FMS, where the flight parameters are transmitted upon command by an aircrew member of the in-flight aircraft in order to request generation of a SAR flight profile for the onboard FMS which lacks a capability to generate a SAR flight profile;
accessing a terrain database and a real-time weather database with the ground-based FMS;
generating an SAR flight profile for the in-flight aircraft with the ground-based FMS, where the SAR flight profile is based on the flight parameters of the in-flight aircraft, the terrain, and the real-time weather;
transmitting the SAR flight profile from the ground-based FMS to the onboard FMS for the in-flight aircraft; and
loading the SAR flight profile generated by the ground-based FMS into the onboard FMS of the in-flight aircraft.

2. The method of claim 1 , further comprising:
loading the SAR flight profile into the onboard navigation system of the in-flight aircraft.

3. The method of claim 1 , further comprising:
loading the SAR flight profile into an electronic flight bag (EFB) on board the in-flight aircraft.

4. The method of claim 1 , further comprising:
loading the SAR flight profile into an electronic tablet on board the in-flight aircraft.

5. The method of claim 1 , where the flight parameters are monitored with an Aircraft Tracking System (ATS).

6. The method of claim 1 , where the flight parameters are monitored with a Flight Data Monitoring System (FDMS).

7. The method of claim 1 , where transmission between the onboard FMS and the ground-based FMS is by satellite communication (SATCOM).

8. The method of claim 1 , where transmission between the onboard FMS and the ground-based FMS is by high-frequency (HF) radio.

9. The method of claim 1 , where transmission between the onboard FMS and the ground-based FMS is by very high frequency (VHF) radio.

10. The method of claim 1 , where the flight parameters comprise latitude, longitude, altitude, flight angle, track and airspeed.

11. The method of claim 1 , where the flight parameters of the in-flight aircraft are transmitted to the ground-based FMS on a predetermined periodic basis.

12. The method of claim 1 , where the flight parameters of the in-flight aircraft are transmitted on demand by the ground-based FMS.

13. The method of claim 1 , where the ground-based FMS generates multiple SAR flight profiles for additional aircraft engaged in SAR operations.

14. The method of claim 13 , where the multiple SAR flight profiles are generated in coordination with each other in order to optimize the SAR operations.

15. A system for generating a flight profile for search and rescue (SAR) operations, comprising:
an in-flight aircraft engaged in SAR operations with an onboard flight management system (FMS) that monitors the flight parameters of the in-flight aircraft;
a satellite communications (SATCOM) transceiver located on board the in-flight aircraft that transmits the flight parameters to a ground-based FMS;
a terrain database that provides real-time terrain data to the ground-based FMS;
a real-time weather database that provides real-time weather data to the ground-based FMS; and
where the ground-based FMS receives the flight parameters which are transmitted upon command by an aircrew member of the in-flight aircraft in order to request generation of a SAR flight profile for the onboard FMS which lacks a capability to generate a SAR flight profile, generates a SAR flight profile for the in-flight aircraft based on the flight parameters, the terrain data and the real-time weather data and transmits the SAR flight profile to the SATCOM transceiver on board the in-flight aircraft to be loaded FMS into the onboard FMS.

16. The system of claim 15 , where the SAR flight profile is loaded into the onboard FMS of the in-flight aircraft.

17. The system of claim 15 , where the ground-based FMS generates the SAR flight profile for the in-flight aircraft in coordination with other SAR flight profiles for additional aircraft engaged in SAR operations.

18. The system of claim 17 , where the other SAR profiles for additional aircraft are generated by the ground-based FMS in order to optimize SAR operations.

Assignees

• Honeywell Int Inc

Inventors

• Kumari Sanju
• Ambooken Minni
• Pal Subhadeep
• Ambika Nithin

Classifications

• B64D43/00

  Arrangements or adaptations of instruments · CPC title

• G01C23/005

  Flight directors (indicating arrangements specially adapted for rotary gyroscopes G01C19/32) · CPC title

• G08G5/0013 Primary

  Physics · mapped topic

• G08G5/0091

  Physics · mapped topic

• G08G5/0021

  Physics · mapped topic