Permanent wireless communications system for an aircraft equipped with a wheel drive system

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9715831-B2
Application number	US-201414341768-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Jul 26, 2014
Priority date	Feb 4, 2014
Publication date	Jul 25, 2017
Grant date	Jul 25, 2017

Abstract

A permanent wireless onboard to ground operations communications system is provided for an aircraft equipped with a pilot-controllable drive wheel drive system for autonomous ground movement without reliance on the aircraft's engines or external tow vehicles, including an onboard wireless communications link installed to remain permanently with the aircraft designed to interface wirelessly with ground personnel at any airport, aerodrome, or airfield where the aircraft lands immediately upon landing. The permanent wireless onboard to ground operations communications system provides a substantially instantaneous connection between a pilot and ground personnel to facilitate guidance of pilot-controlled autonomous ground movement during taxi, parking in nose-in and parallel orientations, and pushback without reliance on visual signals. The present communications system establishes and maintains cockpit to ground communications during pilot-controlled autonomous aircraft ground movement to enhance the safety of ramp operations and improve the speed at which ramp operations can be safely conducted.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. An aircraft communications system for aircraft equipped with landing gear wheel-mounted wheel drive systems for driving the aircraft during ground travel without reliance on aircraft engines and tow vehicles that is universally interfaceable with ground operations communications systems at all airports, aerodromes, and airfields where the aircraft lands, comprising:
a. an aircraft equipped with a pilot-controllable drive wheel drive system mounted completely within one or more landing gear wheels of said aircraft to drive the aircraft during ground travel between landing and takeoff, wherein said drive wheel drive system comprises a drive system functionally disposed between a drive motor and a clutch assembly enclosed completely within a space created by an arrangement of wall sections within said one or more landing gear wheels;
b. a permanent wireless onboard aircraft communications system module comprising a dedicated aircraft component permanently installed in a location accessible by the pilot or a flight crew of the aircraft configured to be universally interfaceable and to instantaneously provide a wireless voice link with ground operations communications systems at all airports, aerodromes, and airfields where the aircraft lands; and
c. a wireless ground operations communication system at each of said airports, aerodromes, or airfields where the aircraft lands in universal interfacing communication with said permanent wireless onboard aircraft communications system module, comprising a plurality of ground personnel communication devices in two way wireless communication with said universally interfaceable permanent wireless onboard aircraft communications system module.

2. The system of claim 1 , wherein said drive motor comprises an electric motor capable of high torque operation across a desired speed range mounted completely within at least one of said aircraft's nose landing gear wheels or at least one of said aircraft's main landing gear wheels.

3. The system of claim 1 , wherein said plurality of ground personnel communication devices comprises a plurality of individual communications units in selective two way communication with only selected ones of said plurality of individual communications units and with said permanent onboard wireless aircraft communications system module.

4. The system of claim 3 , wherein said permanent onboard wireless aircraft communications system module is selectively activatable to establish and maintain wireless two way communication between said permanent onboard wireless aircraft communications system module and said selected ones of said plurality of individual communications units.

5. The system of claim 1 , wherein said plurality of ground personnel communication devices comprise wireless headsets or wireless hand held communications devices.

6. A method for improving efficiency and safety of ramp operations and reducing aircraft total ground time when aircraft equipped with equipped with landing gear wheel-mounted wheel drive systems for driving the aircraft during ground travel without reliance on aircraft engines and tow vehicles can communicate with ground operations immediately after landing at any airport, aerodrome, or airfield, comprising:
a. equipping an aircraft with a pilot-controllable drive wheel drive system mounted completely within one or more landing gear wheels of said aircraft to drive the aircraft during ground travel between landing and takeoff comprising at least a drive system functionally disposed between a drive motor and a clutch assembly enclosed completely within a space created by an arrangement of wall sections within said one or more landing gear wheels;
b. providing a wireless onboard to ground aircraft communications system comprising an aircraft communications system module universally interfaceable with ground operations communications systems at all airports, aerodromes, and airfields where the aircraft lands, and permanently mounting the universally interfaceable aircraft communications system module in an onboard location accessible by a pilot or flight crew in the aircraft;
c. providing in the ground operations communications systems a plurality of individual ground personnel communication units in interfacing wireless communication with the universally interfaceable aircraft communications system module;
d. after the aircraft lands at an airport, aerodrome, or airfield, shutting down the aircraft's engines, instantaneously establishing wireless two way communication between the permanent universally interfaceable aircraft communications system module and the airport, aerodrome, or airfield ground operations communications system, controlling the drive wheel drive system by the pilot, and driving the aircraft with the drive wheel drive system to a ramp area;
e. maintaining the wireless two way communication between the pilot and selected ground personnel with the plurality of individual communication units and using the wireless two way communication to guide the pilot driving the aircraft with the drive wheel drive system into a ramp parking area and parking the aircraft in a selected parking orientation at an airport terminal; and
d. continuing to maintain the wireless two way communication between the pilot and the selected ground personnel and guiding the pilot driving the aircraft with the drive wheel drive system out of the ramp parking area.

7. The method of claim 6 , further comprising selectively activating the two way wireless communication between the pilot and the selected ground personnel by the pilot to limit two way communications between the pilot and one or more of the selected ground personnel as required to guide the aircraft into or out of the selected parking orientation and during push back.

8. The method of claim 6 , further comprising maintaining the wireless two way communication between the pilot and the selected ground personnel with the plurality of individual communication units and, using the wireless two way communication, guiding the pilot to drive the aircraft with the drive wheel drive system in a forward direction into the ramp parking area and park the aircraft in a parking orientation with a longest axis parallel to the airport terminal, and then guiding pilot-controlled turning and movement of the aircraft to drive the aircraft with the drive wheel drive system in a forward direction out of the ramp area to a takeoff location.

9. The method of claim 6 , further comprising maintaining the wireless two way communication between the pilot and the selected ground personnel with the plurality of individual communication units and, using the wireless two way communication, guiding the pilot to drive the aircraft with the drive wheel drive system in a forward direction into the ramp parking area and park the aircraft in a parking orientation with a longest axis perpendicular to the airport terminal, and then guiding pilot-controlled movement of the aircraft to drive the aircraft with the drive wheel drive system in a reverse direction out of the ramp area and then in a forward direction to a takeoff location.

Assignees

• Cox Isaiah W
• Cox Joseph J
• Goldman Joseph
• Vana Jan
• Borealis Tech Ltd

Inventors

• Cox Isaiah W
• Cox Joseph J
• Goldman Joseph
• Vana Jan

Classifications

• H04B7/18506

  Communications with or from aircraft, i.e. aeronautical mobile service · CPC title

• G08G5/0021

  Physics · mapped topic

• G08G5/0013 Primary

  Physics · mapped topic

• B64C25/405

  Powered wheels, e.g. for taxing · CPC title

• G08G5/065

  Physics · mapped topic