Methods and apparatus for monitoring aircraft descent rates

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-2024105069-A1
Application number	US-202217955134-A
Country	US
Kind code	A1
Filing date	Sep 28, 2022
Priority date	Sep 28, 2022
Publication date	Mar 28, 2024
Grant date	—

Abstract

The present disclosure provides a system that includes an ingress module arranged to receive flight data comprising a descent rate value and an altitude value; a data store comprising descent rate threshold values of at least one aircraft model, the descent rate threshold values associated, in the data store, with pressure altitude values; a descent classification module that is operably coupled to the ingress module and the data store and adapted to compare the descent rate value with the descent rate threshold values; an alert module adapted to provide, in response to the descent classification module comparing the descent rate value that exceeds at least one of the descent rate threshold values, an alert signal to a graphic user interface that is operably coupled to the alert module.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1 . A method comprising:
receiving, by an ingress module ( 120 ), automatic dependent surveillance-broadcast (ADS-B) data comprising an aircraft ID, a descent rate value, and a measured pressure altitude value; comparing, by a descent classification module ( 122 ), at least the descent rate value with a descent rate threshold value that is associated, in a data store ( 116 ), with the aircraft ID and a pressure altitude value, the descent rate threshold value based on an aircraft mass value and an aircraft speed value; and providing, by an alert module ( 124 ) and based on the comparing step, an alert signal for a graphic user interface (“GUI”).

2 . The method of claim 1 , wherein the descent rate threshold value includes at least one of a rate-of-climb threshold value and a rate-of-descent threshold value.

3 . The method of claim 1 , wherein the providing step comprises providing, in response to at least the descent rate value exceeding the descent rate threshold value, the alert signal for the GUI.

4 . The method of claim 1 , wherein the providing step comprises providing, in response to the descent rate data equaling or exceeding the descent rate threshold value, the alert signal for the GUI.

5 . The method of claim 1 further comprising selecting, from the data store ( 116 ), the descent rate threshold value based on the aircraft ID and the measured pressure altitude value.

6 . The method of claim 1 , wherein the providing step comprises providing, in response to the comparing step, at least one of a visual alert signal and an auditory alert signal for the GUI.

7 . The method of claim 6 , wherein the providing step comprises providing, in response to the comparing step, at least one of the visual alert signal and the auditory alert signal having a variable parameter with respect to a degree that the descent rate value exceeds the descent rate threshold value.

8 . The method of claim 1 further comprising displaying, by a display unit ( 126 ), a map ( 1102 ) and the providing step comprising providing, by the alert module ( 124 ), a visual alert that is displayed with the map ( 1102 ).

9 . The method of claim 8 with the ADS-B data further comprising location data and the providing step comprising providing, by the alert module ( 124 ), the visual alert that is displayed at a location of the map ( 1102 ) that corresponds to the location data.

10 . The method of claim 1 further comprising displaying, by a display unit ( 126 ), a flight track ( 1110 ) based on the ADS-B data and the providing step comprising providing, by the alert module ( 124 ), a visual alert that is displayed along the flight track ( 1110 ).

11 . The method of claim 1 , wherein the receiving step comprises receiving, by the ingress module ( 120 ), the ADS-B data comprising the aircraft ID, the descent rate value, measured pressure values, and timestamp values, the measured pressure values associated with the timestamp values and the method further comprising:
calculating, by a descent value determination module ( 121 ) and based on the measured pressure values, a corrected descent rate value based on the measured pressure values associated with the timestamp values; and selecting, by the descent value determination module ( 121 ), the descent rate value or the corrected descent rate value based on a difference value between the descent rate value and the corrected descent rate value, wherein the comparing step comprises comparing, in response to the selecting step selecting the corrected descent rate value, the corrected descent rate value with the descent rate threshold value.

12 . The method of claim 1 , wherein the receiving step comprises receiving, by the ingress module ( 120 ), an ADS-B data stream comprising the ADS-B data associated with a plurality of flights, the ADS-B data comprising aircraft IDs that each identify an aircraft model, descent rate values, and measured pressure altitude values,
the comparing step comprises comparing, by the descent classification module ( 122 ), at least the descent rate values with descent rate threshold values that are associated, in the data store, with a respective aircraft ID and pressure altitude values.

13 . The method of claim 12 , wherein the pressure altitude values, associated with the respective aircraft ID, comprise a range that includes at least one of a ceiling altitude value and a depressurized aircraft threshold altitude value.

14 . The method of claim 12 , wherein the descent rate threshold values, associated with the respective aircraft ID, are calculated based at least on a descent rate schedule of the aircraft model for altitudes of ten-thousand feet or higher.

15 . The method of claim 1 , wherein the aircraft mass value is below a pre-defined maximum takeoff weight of an aircraft model and above a pre-defined operating empty weight of the aircraft model.

16 . The method of claim 1 , wherein the comparing step comprises comparing at least the descent rate value with one or more descent rate threshold values that are calculated based at least on the aircraft mass value and aircraft speed values that characterize a descent of an aircraft model that corresponds to the aircraft ID.

17 . The method of claim 1 , wherein the comparing step comprises comparing at least the descent rate value with one or more descent rate threshold values that are calculated based at least on one of
the aircraft speed value that characterizes a maximum operating speed of an aircraft model, and the aircraft mass value that characterizes a weight of the aircraft model after at least a takeoff procedure.

18 . The method of claim 1 , wherein the comparing step comprises comparing at least the descent rate value with one or more descent rate threshold values that are calculated based at least on the aircraft mass value that characterizes a payload weight that is lighter than a maximum payload capacity weight of an aircraft model.

19 . The method of claim 1 , wherein the comparing step comprises comparing at least the descent rate value with one or more descent rate threshold values that are calculated based at least on a descent rate schedule of an aircraft model for altitudes of ten-thousand feet or higher.

20 . The method of claim 1 , wherein the descent rate threshold value comprises at least one of a normal descent rate threshold and an excessive descent rate threshold.

21 . The method of claim 20 further comprising storing, based on the comparing step and in the data store ( 116 ), at least one of normal descent rate occurrence data and excessive descent rate occurrence data.

22 . The method of claim 1 , wherein the comparing step comprises comparing, by the descent classification module ( 122 ), at least the descent rate value with a normal descent rate threshold value and an excessive descent rate threshold value that are each associated, in the data store ( 116 ), with the aircraft ID and the pressure altitude value, the normal descent rate threshold value based on a normal descent rate value and the excessive descent rate threshold value based on an excessive descent rate value.

23 . The method of claim 22 further comprising storing, based on the comparing step and in the data store ( 116 ), at least one of normal descent rate occurrence data, intermediate descent rate occurrence data, and excessive descent rate occurrence data.

24 . A system comprising:
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Assignees

• Boeing Co

Inventors

• Costas Alvarez Pablo
• Lopez Leones Javier
• D’Alto Luis Pedro
• Vega Astorga Ruben

Classifications

• G08G5/22

  located on the ground · CPC title

• G08G5/727 Primary

  from a ground station · CPC title

• G08G5/26 Primary

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

• G08G5/0082 Primary

  Physics · mapped topic

• G08G5/0026

  Physics · mapped topic