Aircraft part and subassembly damage reporting method, system and mobile computer software application

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9446860-B2
Application number	US-201314046282-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Oct 4, 2013
Priority date	Oct 4, 2013
Publication date	Sep 20, 2016
Grant date	Sep 20, 2016

Abstract

A preferred method of the invention is executed by code stored on a non-transient medium to control a portable computing device with a touchscreen. The code generates graphical interfaces includes an application that allows a user to capture necessary data for reporting data to permit quick and efficient diagnoses of repairs by a repair service to a part or sub-assembly of an aircraft. The data acquisition is controlled and guided with reference to actual aircraft specifications that are updated by an aircraft part supplier, such as an aircraft manufacturer.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A method executed by computer code stored on a non-transient medium on a portable computing device including a graphical touch screen interface and a camera, the code causing the portable computer device to:
display graphical interactive aircraft selection views that guide a user to select an aircraft family, then an aircraft, then a basic aircraft assembly section, and further refinement selections to reach an individual part of the aircraft to obtain data necessary for ordering the individual part with selections made via the touchscreen, wherein the views include engineering detail level drawings of assemblies and parts;
guide user to select a type of damage, and enter information about the type of damage with reference to an engineering detail view of a clean version of a damaged assembly or part;
matching user selections and entered information to actual specifications of the aircraft and the individual part from detailed aircraft specifications maintained by a supplier of the individual part identified from the engineering views,
transmit data specifying damage and the actual specifications of the individual part to the supplier.

2. The method of claim 1 , wherein the engineering detail level drawings are stored on read-only memory of the portable computing device.

3. The method of claim 2 , wherein the engineering detail level drawings are restricted from uploading and copying.

4. The method of claim 1 , wherein the code further causes the portable computer device to prompt a user to photograph a damaged part that has been identified and associates the photograph of a damaged part with a corresponding clean part engineering detail level drawing.

5. The method of claim 4 , wherein the code further causes the portable computer device to associate entered type and severity of damage data with the photograph and the corresponding clean part engineering detail level drawing.

6. The method of claim 5 , wherein the portable computer device comprises a tablet computer.

7. The method of claim 1 , wherein the code generates engineering detail level drawings from an up-to-date database maintained by the supplier.

8. The method of claim 1 , wherein the portable computer device communicates with a secure storage device on aircraft that stores the engineering level detail drawings.

9. The method of claim 8 , wherein the secure storage device is located in a portion of the aircraft having physical access restrictions.

10. The method of claim 9 , wherein the secure storage device stores data including design specifications, manufacturing events and damage reports.

11. The method of claim 1 , wherein the code further causes the portable computer to automatically add aircraft identification values to a report that includes the data specifying damage.

12. The method of claim 1 , wherein the code further causes the portable device to initially verify a user and permit access to the interactive aircraft selection views.

13. The method of claim 1 , wherein the code limits the number of users and user access rights via a supplier validation.

14. The method of claim 13 , wherein the code limits the number of users with an authentication step that includes reading a user badge with an imaging device of the portable computer.

Assignees

• Airbus Operations Sas

Inventors

• Alexandre Mudler
• Laurent Barizza

Classifications

• G06Q30/0633 Primary

  Managing shopping lists, e.g. compiling or processing purchase lists (shipping orders G06Q10/083; order filling G06Q10/087) · CPC title

• B64F5/0045 Primary

  Operations & Transport · mapped topic

• B64F5/0081

  Operations & Transport · mapped topic

• B64F5/60

  Testing or inspecting aircraft components or systems · CPC title

• B64F5/40

  Maintaining or repairing aircraft · CPC title