Method of transmitting flight data recorded by a black box of an aircraft by a radioelectric beam whose directivity changes if a critical state of the aircraft is detected

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9998204-B2
Application number	US-201515300224-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Mar 31, 2015
Priority date	Mar 31, 2014
Publication date	Jun 12, 2018
Grant date	Jun 12, 2018

Abstract

There is proposed a method of in-flight transmission of data recorded by a black box of an aircraft ( 1 ), the method comprising the emission ( 600 ) by the aircraft ( 1 ) of a radioelectric beam (F 1 , F 2 ) transporting said data according to a first directivity (D 1 ) if at least one predetermined parameter does not indicate a critical state of the aircraft ( 1 ), and according to a second directivity (D 2 ) different from the first directivity (D 1 ) if the predetermined parameter indicates a critical state of the aircraft ( 1 ).

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. A method for transmitting in flight data recorded by a black box of an aircraft, the method comprising emitting by the aircraft a radioelectric beam conveying said data along a first directivity if at least one predetermined parameter does not indicate a critical condition of the aircraft, and along a second directivity different from the first directivity if the predetermined parameter indicates a critical condition of the aircraft wherein the emitted radioelectric beam (F 1 , F 2 ) is generated by:
activating a set of antennas (A 1 -An) of the aircraft, if the parameter does not indicate a critical condition of the aircraft, and
selectively activating a sub-set (Ai) of the set of antennas, if the parameter indicates a critical condition of the aircraft.

2. The method according to claim 1 , wherein the second directivity is smaller than the first directivity.

3. The method according to claim 1 , wherein emitting the radioelectric beam along the first directivity is applied in response to detecting a position of another aircraft in flight within radioelectric range, the emitted radioelectric beam then being oriented towards the detected position.

4. The method according to claim 1 , wherein emitting the radioelectric beam along the second directivity is repeated.

5. The method according to claim 1 , wherein the radioelectric beam along the second directivity is emitted in an omnidirectional way.

6. The method according to claim 1 , wherein the radio beam is emitted according to a first power if the parameter does not indicate a critical condition, and according to a second power greater than the first power if the parameter indicates a critical condition.

7. The method according to claim 1 , wherein the determined parameter is emitted in the radioelectric beam.

8. The method according to claim 1 , wherein each antenna is an omnidirectional antenna.

9. The method according to claim 1 , comprising activating a plurality of antennas of the aircraft, each antenna generating a radioelectric signal conveying a copy of the data recorded by the black box if the parameter indicates a critical condition of the aircraft.

10. The method according to claim 9 , wherein each radioelectric signal is emitted in a distinct frequency channel.

11. The method according to claim 1 , comprising splitting the data recorded by the black box into several data flows, and activating a plurality of antennas of the aircraft, wherein each antenna generates a radioelectric signal conveying one of the data flows if the parameter indicates a critical condition of the aircraft.

12. A transmission system for an aircraft comprising:
a flight recorder of the black box type,
an emitter of a radioelectric beam conveying data collected by the flight recorder,

the system being characterized in that it further comprises:
a diagnostic module configured for determining at least one parameter either indicating or not a critical condition of the aircraft, and
a control module configured for adjusting the directivity of the emitter according to the determined parameter wherein the emitter (A) comprises a plurality of antennas (A 1 -An),
and wherein the control module (C) is configured for:
activating the plurality of antennas (Ai-An) if the parameter does not indicate a critical condition of the aircraft, and
selectively activating a sub-set (Ai) of the plurality of antennas if the parameter indicates a critical condition of the aircraft.

13. The system according to claim 12 , wherein the antennas are omnidirectional.

14. The system according to claim 12 , wherein the sub-set consists of a single omnidirectional antenna.

Assignees

• Safran Electronics & Defense

Inventors

• Chiodini Alain
• Delville Denis
• Riviere Philippe

Classifications

• B64D2045/0065

  Black boxes, devices automatically broadcasting distress signals · CPC title

• H04B7/18508

  with satellite system used as relay, i.e. aeronautical mobile satellite service · CPC title

• B64D45/00

  Aircraft indicators or protectors not otherwise provided for · CPC title

• H04B7/18506 Primary

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

• B64D2045/0045

  Operations & Transport · mapped topic