Augmented reality system for assessing an affected area of an aircraft

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9776738-B2
Application number	US-201715479642-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Apr 5, 2017
Priority date	Oct 22, 2014
Publication date	Oct 3, 2017
Grant date	Oct 3, 2017

Abstract

A portable electronic device for assessing an affected area of an aircraft is disclosed. A reference marker having a known size is located on the aircraft. The portable electronic device includes a processor in communication with a structural database, where the structural database includes a template that defines a maximum allowable size of damage to the aircraft. The processor executes instructions for determining an actual size of the affected area based on the known size of the reference marker. The processor also executes instructions for comparing the actual size of the affected area with the maximum allowable size of damage to the aircraft. The processor further executes instructions for determining that the actual size of the affected area exceeds the maximum allowable size of damage to the aircraft.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A portable electronic device for assessing an affected area of an aircraft, wherein a reference marker having a known size is located on the aircraft, the portable electronic device comprising:
a processor in communication with a structural database, wherein the structural database includes a template that defines a maximum allowable size of damage to the aircraft, the processor executing instructions for:
determining an actual size of the affected area based on the known size of the reference marker;
comparing the actual size of the affected area with the maximum allowable size of damage to the aircraft;
determining that the actual size of the affected area exceeds the maximum allowable size of damage to the aircraft; and
in response to determining the actual size of the affected area exceeds the maximum allowable size of damage to the aircraft, determining a further action.

2. The portable electronic device as recited in claim 1 , wherein the structural database includes positional information of features of the aircraft.

3. The portable electronic device as recited in claim 2 , wherein the processor executes an instruction for determining that the affected area of the aircraft is located within a reduced vertical separation minimum (RVSM) critical area of the aircraft based on the positional information stored in the structural database.

4. The portable electronic device as recited in claim 1 , wherein the processor executes an instruction for generating a first image of the aircraft upon a display of the portable electronic device, and wherein the first image includes the affected area of the aircraft and the reference marker.

5. The portable electronic device as recited in claim 4 , wherein the processor executes an instruction for generating a second image of the aircraft upon the display, and wherein the second image includes a higher resolution than the first image, the second image being an enlarged view of the first image and including the affected area of the aircraft and the reference marker included in the first image.

6. The portable electronic device as recited in claim 5 , wherein the further action is sending the second image of the aircraft and the actual size of the affected area to a computing device of a maintenance engineer.

7. The portable electronic device as recited in claim 1 , wherein the reference marker is located on an exterior of the aircraft.

8. The portable electronic device as recited in claim 1 , wherein the processor executes an instruction for determining that the actual size of the affected area is less than the maximum allowable size of damage to the aircraft.

9. The portable electronic device as recited in claim 8 , wherein the aircraft flies as normally scheduled in response to the processor determining that the actual size of the affected area is less than the maximum allowable size of damage to the aircraft.

10. The portable electronic device as recited in claim 1 , wherein the processor executes an instruction for calculating the position of the reference marker placed upon the aircraft.

11. The portable electronic device as recited in claim 1 , wherein the portable electronic device is in communication with a flight maintenance and dispatch database of an airline.

12. A method of assessing an aircraft using a portable electronic device, the method comprising:
identifying a reference marker located adjacent to an affected area of the aircraft;
determining, by a processor, an actual size of the affected area based on a known size of the reference marker;
comparing, by the processor, the actual size of the affected area with a maximum allowable size of damage to the aircraft, wherein a structural database in communication with the processor includes a template that defines the maximum allowable size of damage to the aircraft;
determining, by the processor, that the actual size of the affected area exceeds the maximum allowable size of damage; and
in response to determining that the actual size of the affected area exceeds the maximum allowable size of damage, determining further action by the processor.

13. The method of claim 12 , comprising generating a first image of the aircraft upon a display of the portable electronic device, wherein the first image includes the affected area of the aircraft and the reference marker.

14. The method of claim 13 , comprising generating a second image of the aircraft upon the display, wherein the second image includes a higher resolution than the first image, the second image being an enlarged view of the first image and including the affected area of the aircraft and the reference marker included in the first image.

15. The method of claim 12 , determining that the actual size of the affected area is less than the maximum allowable size of damage to the aircraft.

16. The method of claim 15 , comprising in response to determining that the actual size of the affected area is less than the maximum allowable size of damage to the aircraft, allowing the aircraft to fly as normally scheduled.

Assignees

• Boeing Co

Inventors

• Schwartz Samantha A
• Lutz Andre
• Douglas Rex Byron
• Boecher Nicolas

Classifications

• G07C2205/02

  using a vehicle scan tool · CPC title

• G07C5/008 Primary

  communicating information to a remotely located station (transmission systems for measured values G08C) · CPC title

• B64F5/60 Primary

  Testing or inspecting aircraft components or systems · CPC title

• G07C5/0825

  using optical means · CPC title

• G07C5/0808

  Diagnosing performance data (testing of vehicles G01M17/00; testing of electrical installation on vehicles G01R31/005) · CPC title