Method and device for positioning an element transportable by an aircraft

Abstract

The present invention describes a method for locating an element that can be transported by an aircraft. The method includes, for a first position of the aircraft: a) sending a first message for the transportable element from an antenna located in the aircraft; b) receiving a second message sent by the transportable element after receiving the first message at the antenna; c) obtaining the travel time of the first message and the second message; d) determining a distance based on the travel time; e) if the distance is less than a value, determining that the element is inside the aircraft, and if the distance is greater than the value, the element is outside the aircraft.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The invention relates to a method and a device for positioning an element transportable by an aircraft. Background Art

[0002] An aircraft such as an airplane or helicopter can transport a large amount of equipment. The equipment may be, for example, a unit load device (ULD), such as a container or a pallet, which is used for air transportation of cargo. A freight company responsible for transporting the cargo may want to ensure that the cargo is actually in the aircraft before it departs.

[0003] Furthermore, safety standards define which equipment must be on board the aircraft without fail, and how many items of each type there are. If some equipment is missing, the aircraft may not be allowed to take off. Therefore, it is necessary to check whether the equipment is actually on board the aircraft before takeoff.

[0004] To this end, a technician or flight crew can check that the device is actually on board the aircraft. Such interventions are time-consuming, expensive and tedious. They are also a source of errors.

[0005] There are solutions that avoid human intervention. Solutions based on the Global Positioning System (GPS) are known. However, this solution consumes a lot of power.

[0006] Taking advantage of its low-speed network, it makes it possible to geolocate connected objects without using GPS by analyzing the power of radio signals sent by the object and received by three different antennas. This solution requires heavy infrastructure, especially for the use of servers. In addition, it is imprecise.

[0007] LoRaWAN is a long-range wide-area network. It consists of low-power wireless devices that communicate with application servers through a gateway. Such a network can be used to geolocate devices that can be transported by aircraft. Such a solution requires the presence of at least three antennas, or even more for more precise positioning of objects.

[0008] Therefore, there is a need to overcome these shortcomings of the prior art. Summary of the invention

[0009] A method for locating an element that can be transported by an aircraft is described. The method comprises the following steps, for a first position where the aircraft is located: a) sending a first message from an antenna located in the aircraft to the element that can be transported;

[0010] b) receiving at the antenna a second message sent by the transportable element after receiving the first message;

[0011] c) obtaining the flight time of the first message and the second message;

[0012] d) determining a distance based on the flight time;

[0013] e) determining that the element is inside the aircraft if the distance is less than a value, and determining that the element is outside the aircraft if the distance is greater than the value

[0014] According to one embodiment, the step of determining that the element is inside the aircraft if the distance is less than the value comprises determining whether a circle having the antenna as its center and the determined distance as its radius intersects the fuselage of the aircraft.

[0015] According to one embodiment, in the case where the element is determined to be outside the aircraft, the method further comprises: repeating steps a) to d) for at least two other positions where the aircraft is located, the at least two other positions being different from the first position and from each other; and determining the position of the element based on the determined three distances.

[0016] According to one embodiment, determining the position of the element based on the three determined distances comprises determining that the position of the element is located at the intersection of at least three circles, each circle having the position of the antenna as its center and one of the determined distances as its radius.

[0017] According to one embodiment, the method comprises repeating steps a) to c) for a new position of the aircraft different from a previous position, as long as the position of the transportable element is determined with an error greater than a given value.

[0018] According to one embodiment, the method further comprises: receiving a message from the transportable element indicating that it can be located.

[0019] Also described is a positioning device for positioning an element that can be transported by an aircraft, the positioning device comprising:

[0020] means for sending a first message from an antenna located in said aircraft to a transportable element;

[0021] means for receiving at said antenna a second message sent by said transportable element after receiving said first message;

[0022] means for obtaining a time of flight of said message;

[0023] means for determining a distance based on the flight time;

[0024] A unit for determining that the element is inside the aircraft if the distance is less than a value, and determining that the element is outside the aircraft if the distance is greater than the value.

[0025] According to one embodiment, a system for locating an element that can be transported by an aircraft is described. The system comprises the above-described positioning device for locating an element that can be transported by an aircraft and a sensor attached to the transportable element.

[0026] According to one embodiment, the sensor is configured to send a message to the positioning device indicating that the transportable element can be positioned.

[0027] A computer program is also described, which can be stored on a medium and / or downloaded from a communication network to be read by a device. The computer program comprises instructions for implementing the above method according to one of its variants when the program is executed by a computing unit of the device. The invention also relates to a storage device comprising such a computer program. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0028] The above and other features of the present invention will become more apparent upon reading the following description of exemplary embodiments, which is given with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which:

[0029] Figure 1 Schematically illustrates the hardware architecture of a device for positioning an element transportable by the aircraft located in an aircraft;

[0030] Figure 2 A method for positioning an element transportable by an aircraft is schematically illustrated;

[0031] Figure 3 Schematically illustrates a communication method implemented in a transportable element to be positioned;

[0032] Figure 4 is a diagram showing an aircraft with a transportable element on board;

[0033] Figure 5 An aircraft and a transportable element located outside the aircraft are illustrated;

[0034] Figure 6 Schematically illustrated is a method for determining a position of an element transportable by an aircraft when the transportable element is outside the aircraft; and

[0035] Figure 7 A moving aircraft and a transportable element located outside the aircraft are illustrated. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0036] Figure 1 The hardware architecture of a device for locating an element transportable by an aircraft is schematically illustrated. The aircraft is, for example, an airplane, a helicopter or an unmanned aerial vehicle. The locating device is located in the aircraft. It is configured to perform Figure 2 All or some of the steps of the illustrated method A10.

[0037] Therefore, the positioning device 200 includes one or more processors 201, such as a CPU (central processing unit), a GPU (graphics processing unit) and / or a DSP (digital signal processor). The positioning device 200 also includes a memory MEM 202 of the RAM (random access memory), ROM (read-only memory) and / or EPROM (erasable programmable read-only memory) type. The positioning device 200 may optionally include one or more input / output interfaces 203, such as a keyboard, a mouse, a touchpad, a webcam, etc., which are all configured to display information and / or allow the user to enter commands or data. The positioning device 200 may also include a power supply 204, which may also be external to the positioning device. The positioning device 200 also includes one or more communication interfaces 205. The communication interface generally allows communication between the positioning device 200 and the element to be positioned. To this end, the communication interface may, for example, include a radio antenna for establishing a communication channel with the device to be positioned. According to a specific embodiment, the antenna is configured so that its lobe covers the entire fuselage of the aircraft and the exterior of the aircraft as small as possible. This solution makes it possible to optimize the gain of the antenna on all elements located in the fuselage. However, other antenna patterns may be selected.

[0038] The positioning device 200 may also include a storage module STCK 204, which may be a magnetic medium, a flash memory, an optical disk, a HDD (hard disk drive) or an SSD (solid state drive) type, or an external storage medium reader type, such as an SD (secure digital) card reader. These different elements are connected to each other via a communication bus 210.

[0039] The processor CPU 201 may store data or information in the memory MEM 202 or the storage module STCK 204. The processor CPU 201 may read data stored in the memory MEM 202 or the storage module STCK 204. These data may correspond to configuration parameters.

[0040] The processor CPU 201 can execute instructions loaded into the memory MEM 202 from the storage module STCK 204, for example. When the positioning device 200 is powered on, the processor CPU 201 can read instructions from the memory MEM 202 and execute them. These instructions form a computer program that enables the processor CPU 201 to implement all or some of the positioning methods and steps described below, in particular Figure 2Therefore, all or some of the methods and steps described below can be implemented in software form by executing instruction sets with the help of a programmable machine such as a DSP (digital signal processor) or a microcontroller. All or some of the methods and steps described below can also be implemented in hardware form by a machine or dedicated components, such as an FPGA (field programmable gate array) or an ASIC (application-specific integrated circuit).

[0041] According to a variant, the computer program is stored on a non-transitory digital data medium external to the locating apparatus 200, for example an external medium such as a HDD, CD-ROM, DVD or USB type storage device. The locating apparatus 200 may thus be configured to read the computer program.

[0042] The positioning device 200 can also be connected to Figure 1 The aeronautical radio communication device is, for example, configured to communicate with a ground station via the communication means of the aircraft, such as Satcom, ACARS (Aircraft Communication Addressing and Reporting System), etc. For example, the aeronautical radio communication device makes it possible to inform a ground station of the presence or absence of an object to be located in the aircraft and, where applicable, of its precise position. The positioning device 200 is connected to the aeronautical radio communication device via the local area network of the aircraft 1, such as a wired local area network of the Ethernet type or a wireless local area network of the Wi-Fi type.

[0043] In a specific embodiment, the positioning device 200 is an access gateway.

[0044] Figure 2 A method A10 for locating an element transportable by an aircraft is schematically illustrated. The positioning method A10 is implemented in an aircraft by a positioning device 200. The position of the aircraft is known, for example by means of a GPS system equipped by the aircraft. The positioning device 200 communicates wirelessly with the transportable element E. For this purpose, the transportable element is equipped with a sensor, such as a radio transceiver equipped with an antenna, which consumes very little power and is able to communicate with the positioning device 200. The transportable element is also equipped with at least one battery and a processor. The elements constituting the transportable element are optimized in terms of power consumption to have sufficient battery life. The sensors of the transportable element E exchange data with the positioning device 200 (e.g., an access gateway). It is able to send and receive information.

[0045] In a specific embodiment, the positioning device 200 and the transportable element E communicate with each other according to a protocol of the LoRaWAN type, which allows the connected objects to exchange small-sized data at low speeds. LoRa networks are low-power, low-speed, long-range wireless networks optimized for devices with limited resources. These networks are particularly suitable for applications that do not require high speeds. However, the embodiments described below are not limited to the use of the LoRaWAN protocol. Other protocols that allow wireless communication between a connected object equipped with a sensor and an antenna can be used.

[0046] Figure 3 A communication method E10 implemented in a transportable element E is schematically illustrated. Figure 2 and Figure 3 Optional steps are shown with dashed lines.

[0047] During optional step E100, the transportable element detects whether a condition is met. If the condition is met, the transportable element declares itself ready to be located. To this end, it can send a message indicating that it can be located in the form of a radio signal via its sensor. For example, the condition is a comparison of the pressure (or temperature) of the transportable element with a predetermined pressure (or temperature) value (for example, ground pressure). If the pressure is equal to or greater than the predetermined pressure value, the transportable element is ready to be located. According to a variant, the transportable element can detect whether it is fastened, for example by means of a strap, and if it is tied, it declares itself to be locatable. According to another variant, the transportable element is associated with a vibration detector. The vibration detector makes it possible to detect the vibrations experienced by the transportable element. In the absence of vibrations after consecutive vibration cycles, the transportable element can declare itself ready to be located. In fact, in order to save batteries, the sensors of the transportable element E are not permanently turned on.

[0048] In a variant, step E100 is not implemented, for example because the wireless network knows the date on which the transportable element can be located.

[0049] During step A90, the positioning device 200 sends a message M1 to the transportable element in the form of a radio signal. This message, for example, provides one or more types of information to the sensor indication, such as pressure measurement results, temperature measurement results, vibration level, attachment state, information about received vibrations, information about the empty or loaded state of the transportable element, or information about the open or closed state of the transportable element. Upon receiving (E112) this message M1, during step E114, the transportable element will immediately send a message M2 to the positioning device 200. The message M2 includes one or more pieces of information requested by the positioning device 200. The message M2 can optionally give context information, such as indicating that the transportable element has been subjected to vibrations, thereby indicating that it has moved. The context information can also be sent by the transportable element at any other time. The context information can, for example, be used to reinitialize the positioning process. If the transportable element has been moved and is stationary again, the positioning device 200 can reinitialize the positioning process.

[0050] During a step A100 , the positioning device 200 receives a message M2 from the transportable element in the form of a radio signal.

[0051] During step A110, the positioning device 200 obtains the time of flight ToF. The ToF corresponds to the time of flight of the message M1 sent by the positioning device 200 during step A90 to the sensor (located in or on the transportable element), plus the time of flight of the message M2 sent by the sensor during step E112 to the positioning device 200. In other words, the ToF is equal to the difference between the date on which the positioning device 200 sent the message M1 and the date on which the message M2 was received.

[0052] During step A112, the positioning device 200 determines the distance d based on the flight time. This distance d corresponds to the distance between the positioning device 200 and the transportable element E. The distance d is obtained by multiplying the flight time by the propagation speed of the radio signal. The positioning device 200 knows this speed. In the case of a radio signal, the speed is equal to 300,000 km / s, for example.

[0053] During a step A114, the distance d determined in step A112 is compared with a value D. If the distance d is greater than D, the element E is considered to be outside the aircraft (A118). If the distance d is less than D, the element E is considered to be inside the aircraft (A116). The distance D is, for example, equal to half the length of the aircraft. In a variant, the distance D is equal to the radius of a minimum circle whose center is the positioning device 200, more specifically its antenna, and which encompasses the entire aircraft.

[0054] According to a particular embodiment, the element E is considered to be inside the aircraft ( A116 ) when a circle having as its centre the positioning device 200 (more specifically its antenna) and as its radius the distance measured in step A112 intersects the fuselage of the aircraft. This is the case in Figure 4 In Figure 4 When the circle with the antenna of the positioning device 200 as its center and the distance measured in step A112 as its radius does not intersect the fuselage of the aircraft, the element E is considered to be outside the aircraft (A118), such as Figure 5 As shown. Figure 5 In FIG. 1 , circle C1 does not intersect the fuselage of the aircraft.

[0055] Before taking off, the pilot needs to check the surroundings of the aircraft. In the specific case where a transportable element is under the aircraft, the pilot will have detected its presence.

[0056] During steps A116 and A118, information about the location of the transportable element can be transmitted to the ground station via the aeronautical radio communication equipment. This information can also be sent to the pilot of the aircraft, for example on a screen. The pilot can then decide not to take off, having received information indicating to him / her that the equipment that must be on board the aircraft is not present.

[0057] Figure 6 Schematically illustrated is a method A11 for determining the position of an element transportable by an aircraft in the case where the method A10 has determined that the transportable element E is outside the aircraft. The method A11 is implemented by the positioning device 200 after A116.

[0058] exist Figure 6 In, with Figure 2 If the transportable element is outside the aircraft (A116), steps A90, A100, A110 and A112 are repeated for each position of the aircraft until the stop criterion is met (A120). Figure 7 , where steps A90 , A100 , A110 and A112 are repeated for three different positions where the aircraft is located.

[0059] The stopping criterion is, for example, the number of repetitions of steps A90, A100, A110 and A112. In particular, in order to obtain a precise position of the transportable element E, these steps must be applied at least three times.

[0060] Each repetition of steps A90, A100, A110 and A112 makes it possible to determine that the transportable element E is on a circle (C1, C2 or C3) having as its center the positioning device 200 or more specifically its communication antenna and having as its radius the distance (d1, d2 or d3) determined in step A112. The transportable element is therefore located Figure 7 At the intersection I of at least three circles C1, C2 and C3.

[0061] According to a particular embodiment, if the position of the transportable element E is not determined with sufficient accuracy for the three positions in which the aircraft is located, steps A90, A100, A110 and A112, A90, A100, A110 and A112 can be repeated for a new position in which the aircraft is located that is different from the previous position. If the position of the transportable element E is determined with an error greater than a given value, the position is not accurate. If the distance E between two consecutive measurements of the position of the transportable element is less than a defined value, the position is accurately determined. According to a variant, the position is accurately determined if the signal-to-noise ratio of the radio signal received by the positioning device 200 is greater than a given value.

[0062] In this embodiment, the positioning device 200 may require that the transportable element remain positionable for a given time. According to a variant, the positioning device 200 may require that the transportable element remain positionable again after a certain time.

[0063] Information about the position of the transportable object can be sent by the aeronautical radio communication equipment to the ground station. This information can also be sent to the pilot of the aircraft, for example on a screen.

[0064] Positioning methods A10 and A11 do not use a GPS other than the one with which the aircraft is equipped to position the transportable element. This reduces power consumption. The method advantageously allows the use of a simple infrastructure with a single positioning device in the aircraft. The position of the transportable element is also precise due to the movement of the aircraft.

Claims

1. A method for positioning an element that can be transported by an aircraft, the method comprising the following steps, for a first position in which the aircraft is located: a) sending a first message from an antenna located in the aircraft to a transportable element; b) receiving at the antenna a second message sent by the transportable element after receiving the first message; c) obtaining the flight time of the first message and the second message; d) determining a distance based on the flight time; e) determining that the element is inside the aircraft if the distance is less than a value, and determining that the element is outside the aircraft if the distance is greater than the value; and, in the event that the element is determined to be external to the aircraft: repeating steps a) to d) for at least two other locations where the aircraft is located, the at least two other locations being different from the first location and from each other; and The position of the element is determined based on the determined three distances.

2. The method according to claim 1, wherein: The step of determining that the element is within the aircraft if the distance is less than the value comprises determining whether a circle having the antenna as its center and the determined distance as its radius intersects with the fuselage of the aircraft.

3. The method according to claim 1 or 2, wherein: Determining the position of the element based on the determined three distances includes: The position of the element is determined to be located at the intersection of at least three circles, each circle having the position of the antenna as its center and one of the determined distances as its radius.

4. Method according to claim 3, comprising repeating steps a) to c) for a new position of the aircraft different from a previous position, as long as the position of the transportable element is determined with an error greater than a given value.

5. The method according to claim 1, further comprising: A message is received from the transportable element indicating that it can be located.

6. A positioning device for positioning an element that can be transported by an aircraft, the positioning device comprising at least one processor, the at least one processor being configured to, for a first position where the aircraft is located: a) sending a first message from an antenna located in the aircraft to a transportable element; b) receiving at the antenna a second message sent by the transportable element after receiving the first message; c) obtaining the flight time of the first message and the second message; d) determining a distance based on the flight time; e) determining that the element is inside the aircraft if the distance is less than a value, and determining that the element is outside the aircraft if the distance is greater than the value; and, in the event that the element is determined to be external to the aircraft: repeating steps a) to d) for at least two other locations where the aircraft is located, the at least two other locations being different from the first location and from each other; and The position of the element is determined based on the determined three distances.

7. A system for locating a component that can be transported by an aircraft, the system comprising the positioning device for locating a component that can be transported by an aircraft according to claim 6 and a sensor attached to the transportable component.

8. The system according to claim 7, wherein: The sensor is configured to send a message to the positioning device indicating that the transportable element can be positioned.

9. A computer program product, comprising a computer program, the computer program comprising instructions for implementing the method according to one of claims 1 to 5 by means of an apparatus when the program is executed by a computing unit of the apparatus.

10. A storage medium, characterized in that: The storage medium stores a computer program comprising instructions for implementing the method according to one of claims 1 to 5 by means of the device when the program is executed by a computing unit of the device.

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