Systems, methods, and apparatuses for performance-based communication surveillance (PBCS) monitoring

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-12418459-B2
Application number	US-202318464923-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Sep 11, 2023
Priority date	Jul 11, 2023
Publication date	Sep 16, 2025
Grant date	Sep 16, 2025

Abstract

Methods, systems, computing devices, and/or the like are provided. According to various embodiments, method for monitoring communications between an in-air communication system and a ground-based communication system may include storing one or more messages received from the in-air communication system or the ground-based communication system; monitoring a transaction between the ground-based communication system and the in-air communication system; tracking a plurality of metadata related to the one or more messages, storing the plurality of metadata; determining, based at least in part on the plurality of metadata, one or more performance indicators, wherein the one or more performance indicators comprise percentages of the one or more messages sent from the in-air communication system to the ground-based communication system that fail to meet a plurality of performance benchmarks; and outputting at least the one or more percentages.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. A method for monitoring communications between an in-air communication system and a ground-based communication system, the method comprising:
storing one or more messages received from the in-air communication system or the ground-based communication system;
tracking a plurality of metadata related to the one or more messages;
storing the plurality of metadata;
determining, based at least in part on the plurality of metadata, one or more percentages of the one or more messages sent from the in-air communication system to the ground-based communication system that fail to meet one or more performance benchmarks, wherein determining the one or more percentages of the one or more messages sent from the in-air communication system to the ground-based communication system that fail to meet the one or more performance benchmarks comprises:
determining a required surveillance performance criteria by determining an amount of time taken for an automatic dependent surveillance-contract (ADS-C) downlink report to reach the ground-based communication system and adjusting the amount of time according to any identified network delays; and

responsive to determining the one or more percentages fail to meet the one or more performance benchmarks, triggering a real-time alarm to the in-air communication system indicating failed compliance with the one or more performance benchmarks.

2. The method of claim 1 , further comprising updating a transaction between the ground-based communication system and the in-air communication system.

3. The method of claim 1 , wherein the one or more messages comprise one or more of geographic location coordinates.

4. The method of claim 3 , wherein the one or more messages comprise one or more communications.

5. The method of claim 4 , wherein the one or more performance benchmarks comprise a benchmark for required communication performance criteria and a benchmark for the required surveillance performance criteria.

6. The method of claim 5 , wherein the required communication performance criteria is determined using Controller Pilot Datalink Communication (CPDLC) Message Transactions.

7. The method of claim 6 , wherein the one or more percentages comprise a first percentage and a second percentage, and wherein the method further comprises determining the first percentage of the one or more messages sent from the in-air communication system to the ground-based communication system that fail to meet the benchmark for the required communication performance criteria and the second percentage of the one or more messages that comprise the geographic location coordinates that fail to meet the benchmark for the required surveillance performance criteria.

8. The method of claim 7 , further comprising triggering an alarm if one or more of the first percentage or the second percentage fail to exceed the required communication performance criteria or the required surveillance performance criteria.

9. The method of claim 1 , wherein the plurality of metadata comprises:
a plurality of timestamps indicating, for each of the one or more messages, when the in-air communication system or the ground-based communication system received or sent the one or more messages;
a first value indicating the one or more messages sent from the in-air communication system to the ground-based communication system; and
a second value indicating the one or more messages sent from the ground-based communication system to the in-air communication system;
a third value indicating the one or more messages that comprise geographic location coordinates; and
a fourth value indicating the one or more messages that comprise a communication.

10. The method of claim 9 , wherein the one or more percentages comprise:
a first percentage comprising a percentage of the first value that fail to meet a benchmark for a required communication performance criteria; and
a second percentage comprising a percentage of the second value that fail to meet a benchmark for the required communication performance criteria; and

wherein the method further comprises:
rendering one or more user interface elements displaying one or more of:
the plurality of timestamps;
the first value;
the second value;
the third value;
the fourth value;
the first percentage; and
the second percentage.

11. The method of claim 1 , further comprising determining a pilot operational response time (PORT) based on the one or more performance benchmarks.

12. The method of claim 11 , wherein determining the pilot operational response time (PORT) comprises determining one or more network delays associated with a network used by the in-air communication system or the ground-based communication system to transmit the one or more messages.

13. The method of claim 1 , wherein tracking the plurality of metadata comprises decoding the one or more messages using a decoder.

14. A performance-based communication and surveillance (PBCS) system for monitoring communications between an in-air communication system and a ground-based communication system, the PBCS system comprising:
a database;
a data center; and
a processor,
wherein the database is configured to store one or more messages received from the in-air communication system or the ground-based communication system and to store a plurality of metadata related to the one or more messages, and wherein the processor is configured to:
track the plurality of metadata related to the one or more messages; determine one or more percentages of the one or more messages sent from the in-air communication system to the ground-based communication system that fail to meet one or more performance benchmarks by determining a required surveillance performance criteria by determining an amount of time taken for an automatic dependent surveillance-contract (ADS-C) downlink report to reach the ground-based communication system and adjusting the amount of time according to any identified network delays;
responsive to determining the one or more percentages fail to meet the one or more performance benchmarks, trigger a real-time alarm to the in-air communication system indicating failed compliance with the one or more performance benchmarks.

15. The PBCS system of claim 14 , wherein the one or more messages comprise one or more of geographic location coordinates or a communication.

16. The PBCS system of claim 15 , wherein the one or more performance benchmarks comprise a benchmark for required communication performance criteria and a benchmark for the required surveillance performance criteria.

17. The PBCS system of claim 16 , wherein the processor is further configured to determine a required communication performance using Controller Pilot Datalink Communication (CPDLC) Message Transactions.

18. The PBCS system of claim 17 , wherein the one or more percentages comprise a first percentage and a second percentage, and wherein the processor is further configured to determine the first percentage of the one or more messages sent from the in-air communication system to the ground-based communication system that fail to meet the benchmark for the required communication performance criteria and the second percentage of the one or more messages that comprise the geographic location coordinates that fail to meet the benchmark for the required surveillance performance criteria.

19. The PBCS system of claim 14 , wherein the plurality of metadata comprises:
a plurality of timestamps indicating, for each of the one or more messages

Assignees

• Honeywell Int Inc

Inventors

• Thammana Pratheep Kumar
• Buckner James
• Kallaypally Karthik
• Thammana Pushkar
• Vaddapally Santosh
• Miller Carey Eugene

Classifications

• G08G5/26

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

• H04L41/50 Primary

  Network service management, e.g. ensuring proper service fulfilment according to agreements · CPC title