Patent application EP18176879A (EP), filed 2018-06-08
Publication number: EP3415416A1
Title: AIRCREW AUTOMATION SYSTEM
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.
IPC codes: B64C  13/    18            A I
G05D   1/    10            A I
Claims: number: 1
text: An aircrew automation system (100) for use in an aircraft, the aircrew automation system (100) comprising:
number: 2
text: The aircrew automation system (100) of claim 1, wherein the human machine interface (126) is configured to display the one or more health parameters for the aircrew member.
number: 3
text: The aircrew automation system (100) of claim 2, wherein the aircrew health monitoring system (160) is configured to monitor one or more health parameters for a plurality of aircrew members, wherein the human machine interface (126) is configured to display the one or more health parameters for each of the plurality of aircrew members.
number: 4
text: The aircrew automation system (100) of claim 2, wherein the one or more health parameters includes both a physiological state and a behavioral state of the aircrew member.
number: 5
text: The aircrew automation system (100) of any of claims 1 to 4 wherein the aircrew automation system (100) is configured to couple with an aircraft having an auto-landing infrastructure to control the primary flight controls of the aircraft.
number: 6
text: The aircrew automation system (100) of claim 5, wherein the aircrew automation system (100) is configured to perform an auto-landing procedure (800) to land the aircraft.
number: 7
text: The aircrew automation system (100) of claim 6, wherein the actuation system (108) is configured to control the secondary flight controls of the aircraft during the auto-landing procedure.
number: 8
text: The aircrew automation system (100) of claim 5 or claim 6, wherein the auto-landing procedure (800) is initiated upon incapacitation of the aircrew member.
number: 9
text: The aircrew automation system (100) of claim 8, wherein incapacitation of the aircrew member is determined based at least in part on the one or more health parameters.
number: 10
text: The aircrew automation system (100) of any preceding claim, wherein the aircrew health monitoring system (160) gathers the one or more health parameters for the aircrew member using one or more vital sensors associated with the aircrew member.
number: 11
text: The aircrew automation system (100) of claim 10, wherein the one or more vital sensors are wearable sensors.
number: 12
text: The aircrew automation system (100) of any preceding claim, wherein the aircraft state monitoring system (112) includes a perception system (106) to visually monitor the aircrew member, wherein the aircrew health monitoring system (160)determines a behavioral state of the aircrew member using the perception system.
number: 13
text: The aircrew automation system (100) of any of claims 5 to 8 wherein the aircrew automation system (100) is configured to perform an auto-landing procedure (800) to land the aircraft upon determining the aircrew member to be incapacitated.
number: 14
text: The aircrew automation system (100) of any preceding claim, wherein the human machine interface (126) is configured to display a plurality of tasks via a touch screen display in a form of a task list during an auto-landing procedure, wherein each of the plurality of tasks is marked as either completed or not completed during the auto-landing procedure (800) based at least in part on a pilot input via the touch screen display or an operation of the aircrew automation system (100).
number: 15
text: The aircrew automation system (100) of any preceding claim, wherein the aircraft state monitoring system (112) is a perception system (106) to visually monitor one or more cockpit instruments of the aircraft to generate the flight situation data.
Office action: search_report, dated 2018-12-19
Rejection reasons: novelty_epc_54
inventive_step_epc_56
Prior art cited: ref_id: US2015323932A1
ref_type: patent
severity: background
ref_id: US8892274B2
ref_type: patent
severity: background
ref_id: WO2017068570A1
ref_type: patent
severity: background
ref_id: US2013231582A1
ref_type: patent
severity: background
ref_id: US2013231582
ref_type: patent
severity: obviousness
ref_id: US8892274
ref_type: patent
severity: novelty_destroying
ref_id: WO2017068570
ref_type: patent
severity: novelty_destroying
Final disposition: pending (2018-12-19)