System and method for performing an emergency descent and landing
Inventors
Bosworth, William • Jensen, Devin Richard • Reagan, Margaret
Assignees
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Publication Number
US-10816970-B2
Publication Date
2020-10-27
Expiration Date
Abstract
An aircrew automation system that provides a pilot with high-fidelity knowledge of the aircraft's physical state, and notifies that pilot of any deviations in expected state based on predictive models. The aircrew automation may be provided as a non-invasive ride-along aircrew automation system that perceives the state of the aircraft through visual techniques, derives the aircraft state vector and other aircraft information, and communicates any deviations from expected aircraft state to the pilot. The aircrew automation may also monitor pilot health and, when needed, function as a robotic co-pilot to perform emergency descent and landing operations.
Core Innovation
The invention describes an open-architecture ride-along aircrew automation system, identified as a robotic co-pilot, that provides an interface between an aircrew member and the aircrew automation system. A core platform integrates multiple subsystems and supports an emergency descent and an emergency auto-land in response to pilot incapacitation, while a human-machine interface operatively coupled with the core platform provides mode awareness and task/checklist displays during the emergency sequence.
The system further includes an aircrew health monitoring system operatively coupled with the core platform to monitor one or more health parameters for the aircrew member. The health monitoring system produces an incapacitation auto-land trigger based on physiological and behavioral state derived from vital sensors and wearable sensors, with optional wireless communication, and the aircraft state monitoring system is also coupled with the core platform to determine flight situation data and comprises a perception system to visually monitor one or more cockpit instruments.
An actuation system operatively coupled with the core platform actuates one or more flight controls of the aircraft based on commands from the core platform. The document describes actuation of primary and especially secondary flight controls, including an XY-plotter/gantry concept for controlling secondary flight controls, and in the emergency auto-land sequence perception-based contingency and landing checklist verification and detection signals such as glideslope and wheels-on-ground are used to support continued auto-land behavior.
Claims Coverage
The independent claim defines an aircrew automation system architecture with four core inventive building blocks: a core platform, a human-machine interface, an aircrew health monitoring system, an aircraft state monitoring system with a perception-based visual monitoring capability, and an actuation system to actuate flight controls based on core platform commands. Dependent claims refine the system toward auto-landing upon incapacitation and provide additional specific features for triggering, actuation hardware, and interface/task display details.
Core platform with human-machine interface coupling
An aircrew automation system comprising a core platform and a human machine interface operatively coupled with the core platform to provide an interface between an aircrew member and the aircrew automation system.
Aircrew health monitoring system for health parameters
An aircrew automation system comprising an aircrew health monitoring system operatively coupled with the core platform to monitor one or more health parameters for the aircrew member.
Perception-based aircraft state monitoring
An aircraft state monitoring system coupled with the core platform to determine flight situation data, wherein the aircraft state monitoring system comprises a perception system to visually monitor one or more cockpit instruments of the aircraft to generate the flight situation data.
Actuation system based on core platform commands
An actuation system operatively coupled with the core platform to actuate one or more flight controls of the aircraft based in response to commands from the core platform.
Auto-landing upon determination of incapacitation
The aircrew automation system is configured to automatically land the aircraft when it determines that an aircrew member is incapacitated.
Secondary flight controls actuation using an XY-plotter along both axes
An actuation system with an XY-plotter (with a Y-axis and X-axis) that engages at least one secondary flight control and a control system that moves the tool along both axes.
Wireless communication of health monitoring with vital sensors
The aircrew health monitoring system wirelessly communicates with each of the one or more vital sensors.
Behavioral-state determination from optical sensor data
The aircraft state monitoring system uses an optical sensor to visually monitor an aircrew member and the aircrew health monitoring system determines the aircrew member’s behavioral state from optical sensor data.
Touch-screen task list with completed/not completed marking
A human machine interface shows a touch-screen task list during an auto-landing procedure and marks each task as completed or not completed based on pilot input through the touch screen or system operation.
Overall claim coverage ties together a core platform with an HMI, aircrew health monitoring, perception-based visual cockpit instrument monitoring for flight situation data, and an actuation system that actuates flight controls based on core platform commands. Dependent claim refinements emphasize incapacitation-triggered automatic landing, secondary flight control actuation using an XY-plotter/axis concept, optional wireless communication of vital sensors, optical sensor-based behavioral-state determination, and a touch-screen auto-landing checklist/task completion display.
Stated Advantages
Documented Applications
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