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

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-12307906-B2
Application number	US-202217742235-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	May 11, 2022
Priority date	May 11, 2022
Publication date	May 20, 2025
Grant date	May 20, 2025

Abstract

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.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A system for providing data in a pre-determined format with minimal impact from an aircraft to an interested entity, the system comprising:
a data processing system configured to store executable code to:
receive a request for data from the interested entity, 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, 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, or a combination thereof, 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;

wherein:
at least two portions of the data include different formats that are each non-compliant with the pre-determined format; and
the executable code is further configured to:
convert the at least two portions including the different formats that are each non-compliant with the pre-determined format to the pre-determined format, and
merge the at least two portions of the requested data in retrieving the requested data for transmission to the interested entity.

2. The system of claim 1 , wherein:
the executable code is further configured to determine a content of the received data; and
the content of the received data is determined utilizing at least one of predictive analysis, machine learning, and artificial intelligence.

3. The system of claim 1 , wherein:
the request for the data is received from a system of the interested entity; and
the executable code is further configured to:
convert, in real-time, the retrieved data into the pre-determined format, wherein the pre-determined format adheres to a protocol of the interested entity, and
transmit the converted data with the pre-determined format to the system of the interested entity.

4. The system of claim 3 , wherein:
the converted data comprises at least one of aircraft configuration data or aircraft flight data; and
the converted data is transmitted to the system of the interested entity while one of the aircraft is in flight or the aircraft is on a ground.

5. The system of claim 1 , wherein:
the request for the data is received from a ground system associated with the aircraft; and
the executable code is further configured to transmit the retrieved data to the ground system associated with the aircraft.

6. The system of claim 5 , wherein the ground system comprises:
a second data processing system configured to store executable code configured to:
receive the retrieved data from the data processing system,
convert, in real-time, the retrieved data into the pre-determined format, wherein the pre-determined format adheres to a protocol of the interested entity, and
transmit the converted data with the pre-determined format to a second ground system of the interested entity.

7. The system of claim 6 , wherein:
the converted data comprises at least one of aircraft configuration data or aircraft flight data; and
the converted data is transmitted from the ground system associated with the aircraft to the second ground system of the interested entity while one of the aircraft is in flight or the aircraft is on a ground.

8. The system of claim 6 , wherein the second data processing system forms at least a portion of a cloud-based system.

9. The system of claim 1 , wherein:
the aircraft comprises avionics; and
the data processing system is configured to be one of located within the avionics and located external to the avionics.

10. The system of claim 1 , wherein the pre-determined format comprises a Baseline 2 Automatic Dependent Surveillance-Contract (B2 ADS-C) format or other applicable format.

11. The system of claim 1 , wherein the data processing system is further configured to determine that at least two first devices on the aircraft include different portions of the data that are each non-compliant with the pre-determined format, to convert the different portions of the data to the pre-determined format, and to merge the different portions of the data with the pre-determined format for transmission to the interested entity.

12. The system of claim 1 , wherein the data processing system is further configured to determine that at least two second devices on the aircraft generate different portions of the data that are each non-compliant with the pre-determined format, to convert the different portions of the data to the pre-determined format, and to merge the different portions of the data with the pre-determined format for transmission to the interested entity.

13. An apparatus for providing data in a pre-determined format with minimal impact from an aircraft to an interested entity, the apparatus comprising:
a data management module that receives a request for the data from the interested entity and determines, 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, 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, or a combination thereof;
a marshaller module that retrieves 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; and
a data aggregation module that:
converts, in real-time, the retrieved data into the pre-determined format, wherein the pre-determined format adheres to a protocol of the interested entity, and
transmits the converted data with the pre-determined format to a ground system of the interested entity;

wherein the data aggregation module is further configured to at least one of:
determine that at least two first devices on the aircraft include different portions of the data that are each non-compliant with the pre-determined format, convert the different portions of the data to the pre-determined format, and merge the different portions of the data with the pre-determined format for transmission to the interested entity; or
determine that at least two second devices on the aircraft generate different portions of the data that are each non-compliant with the pre-determined format, convert the different portions of the data to the pre-determined format, and merge the different portions of the data with the pre-determined format for transmission to the interested entity.

14. The apparatus of claim 13 , wherein the marshaller module is further configured to determine a content of the data utilizing at least one of predictive analysis, machine learning, and artificial intelligence.

15. The apparatus of claim 13 , wherein the data aggregation module is configured to transmit the converted data with the pre-determined format to a ground system of the interested entity while the aircraft is one of in flight or on a ground.

16. The apparatus of claim 13 , wherein:
at least two portions of the data include different formats that are each non-compliant with the pre-determined format; and
the data aggregation module is further configured to:
convert the at least two portions including the different formats that are each non-compliant with the pre-determined format to the pre-determined format, and
merge the at least two portions of the requested data in retrieving the requested data for transmission to the i

Assignees

• Boeing Co

Inventors

• Saccone Gregory T
• Hale Ryan D
• Matyas Michael
• Bailey Louis J
• Cornell Bradley D

Classifications

• G08G5/727 Primary

  from a ground station · CPC title

• G08G5/30

  Flight plan management · CPC title

• G08G5/26 Primary

  Transmission of traffic-related information between aircraft and ground stations · CPC title