Abstract:
A method and system for processing real-time data for an in transit aircraft is provided. The method includes, determining if the real-time data is current; extracting elements from the real-time data based on an entity that owns the aircraft; assigning a display code to display aircraft status; and providing a link to a display image allowing access to aircraft status using a computer network. An image code determines the type of image used to display aircraft status and a display code determines an image attribute for displaying the aircraft status. The system includes a processing module for determining if the real-time data is current; extracting elements from the real-time data based on an entity that owns the aircraft; assigning a display code to display aircraft status; and providing a link to a display image allowing access to aircraft status using a computer network.

Description:
CROSS REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATION  
       [0001]     This application claims priority under 35 U.S.C.§ 119(e)(1) to the following provisional patent applications: Ser. No. 60/563,345, filing date Apr. 19, 2004, the disclosure of which is incorporated herein by reference in its entirety. 
     
    
     BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION  
       [0002]     1. Field of the Invention  
         [0003]     The present invention relates to aircraft monitoring systems, and more particularly to a method and system for processing and displaying real-time aircraft navigation data.  
         [0004]     2. Background  
         [0005]     Air traffic today is complex and hectic. Modern business and personal travel air travel is rapidly increasing to meet the global nature of today&#39;s society. With such rapid increase in air travel and traffic, it has become key for airlines and organizations that manage air travel to be able to accurately predict, analyze and display an aircraft&#39;s status in real-time.  
         [0006]     Conventional systems collect aircraft location/position data (may also be referred to as navigation data), for example, longitude and latitude of an airborne aircraft via satellites. An airplane communicates with one or more satellite and the data is sent to a satellite gateway. The gateway in turn provides the navigation data to one or more ground stations.  
         [0007]     Conventional systems fail to efficiently process, analyze and/or display the raw ground station data at a central location or different locations that are functionally coupled to the central location. Therefore, there is a need for a method and system for processing navigation data.  
       SUMMARY OF THE PRESENT INVENTION  
       [0008]     In one aspect of the present invention, a method for processing real-time data for an in transit aircraft is provided. The method includes, determining if the real-time data is current; extracting elements from the real-time data based on an entity that owns the aircraft; assigning a display code to display aircraft status; and providing a link to a display image allowing access to aircraft status using a computer network. An image code determines the type of image used to display aircraft status and a display code determines an image attribute for displaying the aircraft status.  
         [0009]     In yet another aspect, a system for processing real-time data for an in transit aircraft is provided. The system includes a processing module for determining if the real-time data is current; extracting elements from the real-time data based on an entity that owns the aircraft; assigning a display code to display aircraft status; and providing a link to a display image allowing access to aircraft status using a computer network.  
         [0010]     In yet another aspect, the present invention, provides easily accessible user friendly aircraft status display that can be used at a central monitoring station or a remote station.  
         [0011]     This brief summary has been provided so that the nature of the invention may be understood quickly. A more complete understanding of the invention can be obtained by reference to the following detailed description of the preferred embodiments thereof in connection with the attached drawings. 
     
    
     BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS  
       [0012]     The foregoing features and other features of the present invention will now be described with reference to the drawings of a preferred embodiment. In the drawings, the same components have the same reference numerals. The illustrated embodiment is intended to illustrate, but not to limit the invention. The drawings include the following figures:  
         [0013]      FIG. 1A  is a block diagram of a system for collecting navigation data for an aircraft;  
         [0014]      FIG. 1B  shows a block diagram of a computing system used according to one aspect of the present invention;  
         [0015]      FIG. 1C  shows the internal architecture of the computing system of the present invention;  
         [0016]      FIG. 1D  shows a block diagram with plural ground stations that are functionally coupled to a data center, according to one aspect of the present invention;  
         [0017]      FIG. 1E  shows a block diagram of a data processing module, according to one aspect of the present invention;  
         [0018]      FIG. 2  is a process flow diagram for processing and displaying navigation data, according to one aspect of the present invention. 
     
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS  
       [0019]     To facilitate an understanding of the preferred embodiment, the general architecture and operation of a system for collecting an aircraft&#39;s navigation data will be described. The specific architecture and operation of the preferred embodiments will then be described with reference to the general architecture.  
         [0020]     Data Collection System:  
         [0021]      FIG. 1A  shows a top-level block diagram for collecting real-time navigation data from an aircraft. An aircraft data center  102  located on aircraft  102 A communicates with a satellite  103 . Satellite  103  collects aircraft  102 A&#39;s flight data and navigation data, which is then passed to satellite gateway  104 , that is functionally, coupled to Internet  101  (described below) and/or a data center  105 A.  
         [0022]     Data center  105 A includes a network operation center (“NOC”)  105  and an enterprise operation center (“EOC”)  106 . Both NOC  105  and EOC  106  include at least a computing system for executing the computer-executable code, according to one aspect of the present invention. A description of a computing system used by NOC  105  and/or EOC  106  is provided below.  
         [0023]      FIG. 1D  shows another block diagram of the data collection system described above with respect to  FIG. 1A .  FIG. 1D  shows plural ground stations  104 A- 104 D that collect data from an aircraft while it is in transit. Ground stations  104 A- 104 D are similar to satellite gateway  104 . Ground station position data  107  includes the locations of plural ground stations  104 A- 104 D and sent to data center  105 A.  
         [0024]     Data collected from the ground stations is processed by data center  105 A, according to the adaptive aspects of the present invention.  FIG. 1E  shows a block diagram of a system used by EOC  106  in data center  106 . EOC  106  includes a receiving module  106 A that receives input navigation data from gateway  104 . Processing module  106 B processes the input data, based on the executable process steps of the present invention. Display module  106 C displays the status of an aircraft based on the processing module  106 B operations.  
         [0025]     It is noteworthy that the invention is not limited to the structure of EOC  106  shown in  FIG. 1E . A similar structure may be used in NOC  105 . Furthermore, NOC  105  and EOC  106  may be an integral part of data center  105 A to execute the process steps of the present invention. The modular components shown in various figures and described herein are intended to illustrate the adaptive aspects of the present invention and not to limit the present invention to any particular modular configuration.  
         [0026]     Computing System:  
         [0027]      FIG. 1B  is a block diagram of a computing system for executing computer executable process steps according to one aspect of the present invention.  FIG. 1B  includes a host computer  10  and a monitor  11 . Monitor  11  may be a CRT type, a LCD type, or any other type of color or monochrome display (or any other display device including a high definition television station).  
         [0028]     Also provided with computer  10  are a keyboard  13  for entering data and user commands, and a pointing device  14  for processing objects displayed on monitor  11 .  
         [0029]     Computer  10  includes a computer-readable memory storage device  15  for storing readable data. Besides other programs, storage device  15  can store application programs including web browsers by which computer  10  connect to the Internet  101 , and the computer-executable code according to the present invention.  
         [0030]     According to one aspect of the present invention, computer  10  can also access computer-readable floppy disks storing data files, application program files, and computer executable process steps embodying the present invention or the like via a floppy disk drive  16 . A CD-ROM, or CD R/W (read/write) interface (not shown) may also be provided with computer  10  to access application program files, and data files stored on a CD-ROM.  
         [0031]     A modem, an integrated services digital network (ISDN) connection, or the like also provide computer  10  with an Internet connection  12  to the World Wide Web (WWW). The Internet connection  12  allows computer  10  to download data files, application program files and computer-executable process steps embodying the present invention from Internet  101 .  
         [0032]     It is noteworthy that the present invention is not limited to the  FIG. 1B  architecture. For example, notebook or laptop computers, handheld devices, set-top boxes or any other system capable of running computer-executable process steps, as described below, may be used to implement the various aspects of the present invention.  
         [0033]      FIG. 1C  is a block diagram showing the internal functional architecture of computer  10 . As shown in  FIG. 1C , computer  10  includes a central processing unit (“CPU”)  20  for executing computer-executable process steps and interfaces with a computer bus  21 . Also shown in  FIG. 1C  are a video interface  22 , a WWW interface  23 , a display device interface  24 , a keyboard interface  25 , a pointing device interface  26 , and storage device  15 .  
         [0034]     As described above, storage device  15  stores operating system program files, application program files, web browsers, and other files. Some of these files are stored using an installation program. For example, CPU  20  executes computer-executable process steps of an installation program so that CPU  20  can properly execute the application program.  
         [0035]     Random access memory (“RAM”)  27  also interfaces to computer bus  21  to provide CPU  20  with access to memory storage. When executing stored computer-executable process steps from storage device  15  (or other storage media such as floppy disk  16  or WWW connection  12 ), CPU  20  stores and executes the process steps out of RAM  27 .  
         [0036]     Read only memory (“ROM”)  28  is provided to store invariant instruction sequences such as start-up instruction sequences or basic input/output operating system (BIOS) sequences for operation of keyboard  13 .  
         [0037]     Computer-executable process steps, according to one aspect of the present invention may be performed using the Internet  101 . The following provides a brief description of the Internet.  
         [0038]     Internet  101 :  
         [0039]     The Internet connects plural computers world wide through well-known protocols, for example, Transmission Control Protocol (TCP)/Internet Protocol (IP), into a vast network. Information on the Internet is stored world wide as computer files, mostly written in the Hypertext Mark Up Language (“HTML”). Other mark up languages, e.g., Extensible Markup Language (XML) as published by W3C Consortium, Version 1, Second Edition, October 2000, ©W3C may also be used. The collection of all such publicly available computer files is known as the World Wide Web (WWW). The WWW is a multimedia-enabled hypertext system used for navigating the Internet and is made up of hundreds of thousands of web pages with images and text and video files, which can be displayed on a computer monitor. Each web page can have connections to other pages, which may be located on any computer connected to the Internet.  
         [0040]     A typical Internet user uses a client program called a “Web Browser” to connect to the Internet. A user can connect to the Internet via a proprietary network, such as America Online or CompuServe, or via an Internet Service Provider, e.g., Earthlink. The web browser may run on any computer connected to the Internet. Currently, various browsers are available of which two prominent browsers are Netscape Navigator and Microsoft Internet Explorer.  
         [0041]     The Web Browser receives and sends requests to a web server and acquires information from the WWW. A web server is a program that, upon receipt of a request, sends the requested data to the requesting user.  
         [0042]     A standard naming convention known as Uniform Resource Locator (“URL”) has been adopted to represent hypermedia links and links to network services. Most files or services can be represented with a URL. URLs also enable two programs on two separate computers to communicate with each other through simple object access protocol (“SOAP”), extensible markup language (“XML”), and other protocols published by the W3C consortium, incorporated herein by reference in its entirety.  
         [0043]     URLs enable Web Browsers to go directly to any file held on any WWW server. Information from the WWW is accessed using well-known protocols, including the Hypertext Transport Protocol (“HTTP”), the Wide Area Information Service (“WAIS”) and the File Transport Protocol (“FTP”), over TCP/IP protocol. The transfer format for standard WWW pages is Hypertext Transfer Protocol (HTTP). It is noteworthy that the invention is not limited to standard WWW or W3C protocols for server access and information exchange.  
         [0044]     Process Flow:  
         [0045]      FIG. 2  shows a flow diagram of computer executable process steps for processing real-time navigation data received from at least one ground station, according to one aspect of the present invention. Raw data is received from plural ground stations, useful location and status information is extracted, a display code is assigned that controls how data is displayed, and a web address may be input for each displayed image, according to one aspect of the present invention.  
         [0046]     Turning now in detail to  FIG. 2 , in step S 200 , input navigation data for aircraft  102 A is received from one or more ground stations ( 104 A- 104 D) by data center  105 A. Table I below provides a description of the collected data.  
                   TABLE I                       Input Data   Description                   AIRCRAFT_ID   Aircraft Identifier that identifies           aircraft 102A whose           status is being monitored       ANTENNA_TYPE_ID   Identifies the type of antenna on           aircraft 102A that communicates           with satellite 103       MODEL_TYPE_ID   Aircraft 102A Model Type       MODEL_DESC   Aircraft 102A Model Description       NAME   Aircraft 102A Name       FAA_TAIL_NUMBER   Aircraft 102A&#39;s unique tail number,           assigned by the Federal Aviation           Authority       ICAO   A field that identifies the airlines,           if applicable       CUSTOMER_TYPE   Identifies the type of customer, i.e.           commercial or government       ROUTER_IP   IP address for the router on Aircraft           102A       E_SERVER_IP   Physical server address on Aircraft           102A       OWNER   Aircraft 102A owner       ALTITUDE_POS_ERR   Altitude position error       FL_XPDR_ID   Forward link transponder on the           aircraft       FL_XPDR_NAME   Forward link transponder name       RLD_BLOCK_HW_ID   Return link to Aircraft 102A       SATELLITE_ID   Identity of Satellite 103       SATELLITE_NAME   Name of Satellite 103       RLD_CHANNEL_NUM   Return link channel number       RESTRICT_ZONE_ENABLE   Geographical zone for restricted data           transmission       TRANMIT_ZONE_ENABLE   Geographical zone where data           transmission is enabled       LAST_REV_DTTM   Time stamp for the last revision       ALTITUDE LATITUDE   Real-time latitude of aircraft 102A       LONGITUDE   Real-time longitude of aircraft 102A       GROUND SPEED   Ground speed of aircraft 102A at the           time data is collected       VERTICAL SPEED   Vertical speed of aircraft 102A       LOAD_DTM   Last time data was updated       SOURCE_LOCATION   Location of the data source       SOURCE_SW_VERSION   Software version of the data                  
 
         [0047]     In step S 201 , the process evaluates whether the aircraft  102 A status is available in an existing status table. The status table (described below with respect to Table  11 ) is stored in data center  105 A or at location remote to data center  105 A. If aircraft  102 A status is not available, then in step S 202 , the position data is added to an aircraft status table and the process moves to step S 206 .  
         [0048]     If aircraft  102 A status table is available, then in step S 203 , the process determines if the revised timestamp for the received data is greater than the timestamp in the existing status table. If not, then the data is not processed in step S 204 . If the timestamp is greater than the previous value, then in step S 205 , the process updates the record and the process moves to step S 206 .  
         [0049]     In step S 206 , the process determines if aircraft  102 A is owned and/or operated by a government entity. If yes, then in step S 208 , the status data of aircraft  102 A is extracted and processed. Also, any other field that is specified by the government agency is extracted and processed.  
         [0050]     An image code is added that specifies the type of image used for displaying the status of aircraft  102 A. A display code is also assigned to the data that defines the attributes of the image. The value of the code determines how the image will be displayed. For example, a “flashing” airplane image of any color may be used on a display screen  11  to show the status of aircraft  102 A. A URL may also be added to the displayed image, which allows remote access to the status information using Internet  101 .  
         [0051]     If the aircraft is not owned and/or operated by a government entity, then in step S 207 , position and status information is extracted and processed from the input data. Again, an image and display code is assigned for the extracted data as described above. A URL address may be added for the displayed image, allowing access to status information via Internet  101 . The tail number of aircraft  102 A is also verified from a source that is independent from the input data source. A description for aircraft  102 A is added with the flight number, if applicable, and a time stamp is added that denotes when data was updated.  
         [0052]     Furthermore, the bandwidth of the transponder (not shown) on aircraft  102 A is set. This optimizes data collection from aircraft  102 A. The process also specifies the first time communication was established between the ground station and aircraft  102 A. The status table also provides, airport departure code, airport arrival code, aircraft  102 A departure time and arrival time, as shown below with respect to Table II.  
         [0053]     In step S 209 , a display application displays the status of aircraft  102 A based on the assigned display code and image code. In one aspect, a pointing device (a mouse)  14  is used to click on an icon or an object to display the status of the aircraft  102 A. Various fields may be displayed, as described below in Table II. The display application may be a three-dimensional program that is updated every time position information is received and updated. Thereafter, the process ends in step S 210 .  
         [0054]     Table II below describes plural fields used by the process flow diagram described above to display the status of aircraft  102 A.  
                             TABLE II                       PROCESSED DATA   DESCRIPTION                                OBJECT_CD   Object code identifier for displaying the           status of aircraft 102A       DESCRIPTION   Aircraft 102A description       TIME_STAMP   The time a record is loaded into data           center 105A       OBJ_TYPE_CD   This field signifies the type of flight       TAIL_NUMBER   Aircraft 102A tail number verified from a           source independent of the input data           source       CARRIER_CD   This field identifies the owner of           aircraft 102A       FLIGH_NBR   This field specifies the flight number,           if any       AIRCRAFT_TYPE   This field specifies the type of aircraft       DEP_AIRPORT   This field identifies the airport from           where aircraft 102A departed       ARR_AIRPORT   This field identifies the arrival airport           for aircraft 102A       DEPARTURE_DATE   This field specifies the departure date           for aircraft 102A       DEPART_TIME   This field specifies the departure time           for aircraft 102A       ARRIVAL_TIME   This field specifies arrival time for           aircraft 102A       ALTITUDE/LATITUDE   This field specifies the latitude for           aircraft 102A       LONGITUDE   This field specifies the longitude for           aircraft 102A       SATELLITE_ID   This field identifies satellite 103       BANDWIDTH   This field identifies the bandwidth of           the transponder on aircraft 102A       LINK_ESTABLISH   This field denotes the first time           communication was established between a           ground station and aircraft 102A       SYMBOL_IMAGE   This field specifies the image used for           providing status for aircraft 102A       SYMBOL_STATUS   This field provides the status on the           symbol       HYP_LINK   This provides a URL link to the image           that is used to display the status of           aircraft 102A       DISPLAY_CODE   This code specifies how the image is           displayed to show the status of aircraft           102A       TRACK_COLOR   This field is used to specify the color           of the flight tracking image       TRACK_THICKNESS   This field is used to specify the           thickness of the image tracking a flight       TRACK_TYPE   This field is used to specify the type of           line (for example, solid, dotted, or           dashed) for flight tracking       NUM_USER   This field specifies the number of users           that are using Internet services on           aircraft 102A at a given time       LAST_REVD_DTTM   This provides a time stamp for status           update       LOCATION   This field specifies the physical           location of data source       SW_VERSION   This field specifies the software version           of the program for the processed output           data                  
 
         [0055]     In one aspect of the present invention, a central monitoring station can use the processed data and status information to track the progress of a flight. This status may also be viewed and used by an airline or any other entity that needs to observe and monitor real-time data. The status is available via Internet  101  and hence provides the flexibility to deal with any emergencies involving aircraft  102 A. The real-time data may also be made available to passengers on aircraft  102 A via the web link. Furthermore, the various fields in Table II may be customized for different customers and entities. For example, specific display codes may be assigned for individual airlines.  
         [0056]     While the present invention is described above with respect to what is currently considered its preferred embodiments, it is to be understood that the invention is not limited to that described above. To the contrary, the invention is intended to cover various modifications and equivalent arrangements within the spirit and scope of the appended claims.