SYSTEM FOR MONITORING THE OPERATIONAL STATUS OF AN AIRCRAFT BETWEEN SUCCESSIVE MISSIONS OF THE AIRCRAFT, AND ASSOCIATED METHOD

Abstract

System for monitoring the operational status of an aircraft between successive missions of the aircraft, and associated method This system (10) comprises a computer (22) capable of determining at least one operational impact measurement on at least one future mission of the aircraft associated with the aircraft and / or with equipment and / or with a consumable of the aircraft and / or with the crew of the aircraft, the operational impact measurement being determined as a function of the flight log and / or technical booklet data of at least one mission already carried out by the aircraft and / or of a context of the future mission. It comprises a display (24) and a display manager (26) on the display (24), capable of displaying on the display (24) at least one operational impact indicator associated with the aircraft and / or with the equipment and / or with the consumable and / or with the crew, as a function of the operational impact measurement determined by the computer (22). Figure for abstract: Figure 1

Description

Title of the invention: System for monitoring the operational status of an aircraft between successive missions of the aircraft, and associated method

[0001] The present invention relates to a system for monitoring the operational status of an aircraft between successive missions of the aircraft, comprising:

[0002] - an interface for entering and / or loading flight log data sets and aircraft technical logbook, each set of data corresponding to a successive flight of the aircraft during at least one mission;

[0003] - an interface for entering and / or loading a mission context containing mission context data of at least one upcoming mission of the aircraft.

[0004] Such a system is intended to be implemented preferably in a cockpit of the aircraft, during the preparation of a future mission of the aircraft, in particular to determine whether equipment having a validity date and / or consumables such as fuel, oil or water, are likely to impact one or more future missions to be carried out. Alternatively, the system is implemented outside the cockpit with mobile equipment (tablet, telephone, etc.).

[0005] To enable the efficient monitoring of the operating status of an aircraft, and the passing of information between successive crews of the aircraft, the regulations require the crew, at the beginning and end of each flight, to complete a flight log to note flight log data including in particular the fuel present at the beginning of the flight and at the end of the flight, the date of the flight, the flight carried out, the pilots having carried out the take-off and landing maneuvers, etc.

[0006] This data is generally completed in the form of a paper document which is then exchanged between the various operational staff (pilot crew carrying out the next flight, operational administrators) to determine the operational state of the aircraft, the consumable requirements and for them to analyze whether this state is compatible with the mission to be carried out.

[0007] Furthermore, the aircraft also has a technical booklet, in which the equipment and databases installed in the aircraft are mentioned. The maintenance operators, the crew and / or the operational administrator responsible for the configuration of the operational functions provide information, in particular for safety equipment, on the date on which they were installed in the aircraft or, for databases, the configuration that is installed in the aircraft. By "crew", here is meant in the broad sense the pilots and cabin crew.

[0008] Each crew, upon arriving on the aircraft, must therefore determine whether the safety equipment present in the aircraft is still valid, whether the validity dates of the databases that are loaded into the aircraft are compliant, if there is no maintenance visit planned for the aircraft during the next mission, in particular if it includes several flights, and if the regulatory obligations of the pilots in terms of the number of takeoffs and landings to be carried out are fulfilled for the aircraft in question.

[0009] Furthermore, the crew is often responsible for managing the consumables present in the aircraft, in particular the fuel, and generally ensures that the quantity of fuel loaded is correct, and that the aircraft gauging is monitored with independent values.

[0010] Furthermore, the crew must ensure that the various consumables are consistent with the planned mission, particularly with regard to oil, water and waste levels, as well as tire pressure.

[0011] All these operations must therefore be carried out on the basis of data collected by other crews using paper forms, which is tedious and can lead in certain cases to delays in the departure of the aircraft.

[0012] To simplify the management of the aircraft, it is known to record flight log and technical booklet data in electronic form, for example using a human-machine interface present in the aircraft or using a portable electronic device.

[0013] However, even if it is easier to access data from previous missions, the pilot must still analyze the data, and attempt to predict whether events relating to equipment or consumables are likely to affect the operations of the aircraft during a future mission. It is also very difficult for the pilot to anticipate in the context of missions with successive flights whether equipment or consumables will have to be processed between two flights.

[0014] An aim of the invention is therefore to provide technical assistance to the pilot of an aircraft in preparation for a mission or in restitution from a mission, to determine whether the or each mission that he must carry out is possible, taking into account the equipment and consumables available to him in the aircraft.

[0015] To this end, the invention relates to a system of the aforementioned type, characterized by a computer capable of determining at least one operational impact measurement on at least one future mission of the aircraft associated with the aircraft and / or with equipment and / or with a consumable of the aircraft and / or with the crew of the aircraft, the operational impact measurement being determined as a function of the flight log and / or technical logbook data of at least one mission already carried out by the aircraft and / or of a context of the future mission,

[0016] the system comprising a display and a display manager on the display, capable of displaying on the display at least one operational impact indicator associated with the aircraft and / or the equipment and / or the consumable and / or the crew of the aircraft, depending on the operational impact measurement determined by the calculator.

[0017] The system according to the invention may comprise one or more of the following characteristics, taken in isolation or in any technically possible combination:

[0018] - the operational impact measure is chosen between a first operational impact value rational on the mission to be carried out and a second value of absence of operational impact on the mission to be carried out;

[0019] - the interface for entering and / or loading flight log data sets and aircraft technical booklet, is suitable for acquiring a consumable level at the end of each aircraft mission and / or at the start of each aircraft mission;

[0020] - the consumable levels are chosen from a fuel level, a level water level, an oil level, a waste level, and / or an air pressure level in a tire of the aircraft;

[0021] - the calculator is capable of calculating an operational impact date affecting the aircraft and / or equipment and / or a database based on flight log and / or technical booklet data or using database update deadline data, then comparing the operational impact date with the date of the upcoming mission obtained from the interface for entering and / or loading a mission context to determine the operational impact measurement;

[0022] - the calculator is capable of calculating the operational impact date from data technical logbook data obtained from the aircraft flight logbook and technical logbook data set entry and / or loading interface, the technical logbook data including at least one scheduled maintenance visit date or data of at least one failure and / or defect discovered on a previous mission;

[0023] - the calculator is capable of calculating an operational impact date relating to the validity of physical equipment, based on an equipment installation date retrieved from technical booklet data and a predefined equipment lifespan;

[0024] - the calculator is capable of determining an operational impact measure to which a pilot no longer meets the regulatory requirements based on the number of takeoffs and landings carried out by the pilot on the aircraft in question based on the flight log data obtained from the interface for entering and / or loading flight log and technical log data sets for the aircraft;

[0025] - the calculator is capable of determining an estimated level of consumable present in the aircraft based on flight log data obtained from the flight log and technical booklet data set entry and / or loading interface of the aircraft, and to compare with a measured or recorded consumable level, to obtain the operational impact measurement;

[0026] - the calculator is capable of determining a level of consumable present at the end of a future mission based on an estimate of a level of consumable consumed during the mission obtained from flight log data via the interface for entering and / or loading flight log and aircraft technical log data sets and mission context data via the interface for entering and / or loading a mission context;

[0027] - it includes a module for entering a new mission context for a new mission capable of allowing the loading and / or entry of data from at least one future mission;

[0028] - the interface for entering and / or loading a mission context is specific to allow the entry and / or loading of mission context data from a plurality of successive future missions of the aircraft, the computer being capable of determining, for each future mission of the aircraft, an operational impact measurement associated with the aircraft and / or equipment and / or consumable and / or the crew of the aircraft for each future mission of the aircraft.

[0029] The invention also relates to a method for monitoring the operational status of aircraft equipment and / or consumables comprising the following steps:

[0030] - provision of a system as defined above;

[0031] - retrieval of flight log and technical booklet data via the interface of entry and / or loading of flight log and aircraft technical logbook data sets;

[0032] - recovery of mission context data by the input interface and / or loading a mission context for at least one subsequent mission to be performed by the aircraft;

[0033] - determination by the calculator of at least one operational impact measure associated with the aircraft and / or equipment and / or consumable of the aircraft and / or the crew on at least the upcoming mission of the aircraft based on the data in the flight log and / or technical log of the aircraft of missions already carried out by the aircraft and / or a context of the upcoming mission;

[0034] - display on the display by the display manager of at least one indicator operational impact corresponding to the operational impact measure determined by the calculator.

[0035] The method according to the invention may comprise the following characteristics:

[0036] - the determination of operational impact measurement is carried out after the end of a aircraft mission, and before a new aircraft mission.

[0037] The invention will be better understood upon reading the following description, given solely by way of example, and made with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which:

[0038] - [fig.l] Figure 1 is a block diagram illustrating the components of a system tracking according to the invention;

[0039] - [fig.2] Figure 2 illustrates the collection of aircraft data sets in a aircraft flight log and technical logbook storage system, before a flight and after a flight;

[0040] - [fig.3] Figure 3 is a view of a planning display window of next flights, generated by the tracking system according to the invention, the window presenting a global operational status indicator;

[0041] - [fig.4] Figure 4 illustrates a security equipment status monitoring window of the aircraft, in which operational impact indicators are displayed;

[0042] - [fig.5] Figure 5 is a view illustrating the principle of gauging control fuel; and

[0043] - [fig.6] Figure 6 is a view of a consumable status tracking window illustrating the status of fuel, water and waste in the aircraft, each status having an operational impact indicator.

[0044] In the figures attached to the application, the representations illustrate actual aircraft viewing windows, and present indications in English, in accordance with the practice in the aeronautical field. If necessary, a translation into French of the indications in English is given in the description.

[0045] A first system 10 for monitoring the status of equipment and / or consumables of an aircraft is illustrated in FIG. 1.

[0046] This system 10 is for example an on-board system intended to be integrated into the cockpit 12 of the aircraft shown schematically in FIG. 2. As a variant, the system 10 is integrated into a portable electronic device 14 not on-board, such as an electronic flight bag or “Electronic Flight Bag”.

[0047] The tracking system 10 according to the invention comprises an interface 16 for entering and / or loading data sets from the flight log and technical book of the aircraft, each data set corresponding to a successive flight of the aircraft during at least one mission having been carried out by the aircraft. The tracking system 10 further comprises an interface 18 for entering and / or loading mission context data, to allow the entry and / or loading of a mission context corresponding to at least one future flight of the aircraft.

[0048] The tracking system 10 comprises at least one memory 20 for storing the flight log and technical booklet data sets, retrieved by the interface 16, and for storing the mission context data of at least one upcoming mission of the aircraft, retrieved by the interface 18.

[0049] The storage memory 20 is also capable of containing data on database update deadlines, for all the databases on board the aircraft.

[0050] This concerns, for example, navigation databases, ground proximity measurement databases, head-up display databases loaded into the aircraft avionics.

[0051] The update dates are for example loaded into the storage memory 20 via a data transmission network, for example annually or monthly.

[0052] The system 10 comprises at least one computer 22, capable of calculating at least one operational impact measurement on at least one future mission of the aircraft, the operational impact measurement being associated with the aircraft, and / or with equipment having a validity date and / or with a consumable of the aircraft and / or with the crew of the aircraft.

[0053] The operational impact measurement is determined based on the flight log and technical logbook data of at least one mission already carried out, and advantageously, on the context of a future mission.

[0054] The system 10 further comprises a display 24 and a display manager 26 on the display, capable of displaying on the display 24 at least one operational impact indicator associated with the aircraft, and / or the equipment and / or the consumable and / or the crew, obtained from the operational impact measurement determined by the computer 22.

[0055] The system 10 further advantageously comprises a human / machine interface 28, consisting of a keyboard, a mouse and / or a touch screen.

[0056] The interface 16 for entering and / or loading data sets from the aircraft's flight log and technical log is capable of connecting to an electronic system 30 for recording data sets from the aircraft's flight log and technical log.

[0057] As illustrated by FIG. 1, the electronic recording system 30 comprises at least one database 32 of flight log data sets, at least one database 34 of technical booklet data sets, an interface 36 for automatic or manual entry and acquisition of flight or maintenance data, and an electronic signature interface 38.

[0058] The electronic recording system 30 comprises, for example, a computer comprising a processor and a memory containing software modules capable of being executed by the processor. It is, for example, integrated into the cockpit 12 or into a portable electronic device 14.

[0059] The automatic and / or manual data entry interface 36 is capable of interrogating the aircraft systems of the aircraft at the start and end of each flight to record flight log data and technical logbook data.

[0060] As illustrated by FIG. 2, the interface 36 is capable of being activated at the start of flight 40 or at the end of flight 42 to allow the entry by a user or automatically of the data sets of the flight log and technical book of the aircraft.

[0061] The flight log data includes, for example, for each flight, the identity of the aircraft, the type of aircraft, the nature of the flight, the date of the flight. They also include operational data, in particular the start and end times of deicing, the type of product used for deicing, data on the quantity of fuel remaining, calculated fuel addition data, actual fuel data measured at the departure point, estimated fuel consumed data during the flight for the prepared flight, and fuel actually consumed data.

[0062] The flight log data further includes a fuel density associated with each actual fuel data recorded.

[0063] The flight log data further includes data on oil present in the aircraft, water and waste levels present in the aircraft and tire pressure data measured in the aircraft.

[0064] The flight log data also includes the type of approach carried out, a possible indication of flight in ETOPS condition (for “Extended-range Twin-engine Operation Performance Standards”), the identification of the pilot and co-pilot carrying out the flight, the identification of the number of passengers carrying out the flight, the departure time from the block, the takeoff time, the departure airport, the arrival airport, the landing time, the time on the block, the flight time and the time to reach the block.

[0065] The flight log data further includes the crew signatures of the personnel validating the data entered in the flight log.

[0066] The main data present in a flight log are set out above, each operator has the possibility of adding more.

[0067] The technical logbook data includes a report of all defects and / or failures noted on the aircraft in the previous flight and the maintenance actions carried out to remedy the defects and / or failures, and / or preventive maintenance carried out.

[0068] They also include the list of safety equipment present on the aircraft, the date of installation of this equipment, and the expiry date of this equipment.

[0069] The technical logbook data also includes dates of scheduled maintenance visits for the aircraft.

[0070] As visible in FIG. 2, the databases 32 and 34 are suitable for being supplied by a user, such as a pilot, a maintenance agent or an operational administrator before the flight 41 in the flight preparation phase 40, or after the flight 41 during the recovery phase 42 of the aircraft.

[0071] In particular, the pilot and the maintenance agent are able to enter the faults and / or breakdowns present on the status page 44 and on the window 46 of crew warning messages (“crew alerting System” or “CAS”).

[0072] Alternatively or additionally, the data from the status page 44 and the crew warning message window 46 are automatically retrieved from the aircraft and stored in the storage memory 20.

[0073] The interface 36 is also capable of automatically connecting to maintenance databases 48, 50, in particular at the end of the flight 42 to collect maintenance data carried out on the aircraft.

[0074] The signature interface 38 is capable of being activated to allow the pilot to validate the entry of a flight log data set and / or a technical log data set of the aircraft at the start of each flight and at the end of each flight.

[0075] With reference to FIG. 1, the mission context input and / or loading interface 18 is capable of being connected to a mission preparation system 60 to collect mission context data from successive future missions of the aircraft.

[0076] The mission preparation system 60 is for example integrated into the cockpit 12, or is present in a portable electronic device 14 of the aircraft. It comprises at least one computer comprising a processor and a memory comprising software modules capable of being executed by the processor.

[0077] The system 60 generally comprises a mission context database 62, and an interface 64 for entering new mission context data to define the context of a new mission to be carried out for the aircraft.

[0078] The mission context includes in particular a departure area, an arrival area, a mission date, and a mission time. It also includes a number of passengers present in the mission, and possibly an aircraft configuration for the mission, as well as advantageously, a meteorological context for carrying out the mission.

[0079] The mission context advantageously includes planning the identity of the pilot in charge of takeoff and landing for each flight of the upcoming mission.

[0080] The mission context is defined for each flight of an upcoming mission.

[0081] With reference to FIG. 1, the operational impact measurement calculator 22 comprises a processor 70 and a memory 72 comprising a plurality of software modules capable of being executed by the processor 70.

[0082] For monitoring operational data likely to have an impact on the mission, the computer 22 comprises in particular a module 74 for calculating the date of operational impact affecting the aircraft and / or physical or software equipment of the aircraft, on the basis of flight log or technical booklet data, or even database update deadline data stored in memory 20 and a module 76 for comparing the calculated operational impact date with an upcoming mission date to determine an operational impact measure on the mission to be carried out.

[0083] For monitoring the operational impact of operational requirements of the crew, the computer 22 comprises a module 76A for calculating a number of takeoffs and landings performed by each pilot after each flight of a future mission over a given period of time and a module 76B for comparing with a minimum number of takeoffs and / or landings to be performed by each pilot over the given period of time.

[0084] The number of takeoffs and landings is for example evaluated per period of 90 days. Alternatively or in addition, the number of day / night landings is evaluated over a given period.

[0085] For monitoring the operational impact of a consumable level measurement, the computer 22 comprises a module 78 for determining an estimated consumable level present in the aircraft, on the basis of flight log data and / or real-time data readings indicating the quantities of consumables coming from the aircraft systems, and a module 80 for comparison with a measured or recorded consumable level to determine a measurement of operational impact on this consumable level measurement.

[0086] To monitor the operational impact of a consumable level on a future mission, the computer 22 comprises a module 82 for determining a consumable level likely to be consumed during a future mission of the aircraft, as a function of the mission context data and a module 84 for comparing the consumable level likely to be consumed with a measured or recorded consumable level to determine a measurement of the operational impact of the quantity of consumable present in the aircraft.

[0087] The operational impact date calculation module 74 is for example capable of retrieving technical booklet data from the memory 20 to obtain an operational impact date corresponding to the date of the next scheduled maintenance to be carried out.

[0088] Advantageously, the operational impact date calculation module 74 is capable of recovering from the memory 20 data on defects and / or breakdowns present in the aircraft and of calculating an operational impact date corresponding to the deadline for at least one corrective maintenance to be carried out on the basis of the defects and / or breakdowns present in the aircraft.

[0089] The comparison module 76 is then able to retrieve mission context data from the memory 20 to determine the date of the mission on which each successive mission of the aircraft must be carried out, and to define an operational impact measure for example in the form of a Boolean indicator.

[0090] This operational impact measurement makes it possible to verify that the scheduled or corrective maintenance dates are compatible with the flight dates defined in the mission context obtained from the mission preparation system 60.

[0091] If the operational impact date corresponding to the next scheduled or corrective maintenance of the aircraft is prior to the mission date, the comparison module 76 is capable of defining a scheduled or corrective maintenance operational impact measurement having a first value corresponding to an impact on the mission.

[0092] On the contrary, if the operational impact date corresponding to the next scheduled or corrective maintenance of the aircraft is later than the mission date, the comparison module 76 is capable of defining a measurement of operational impact of scheduled or corrective maintenance having a second value corresponding to an absence of impact on the mission.

[0093] Alternatively or additionally, the operational impact date calculation module 74 is capable of retrieving technical booklet data from the memory 20 to obtain a date of installation of physical equipment in the aircraft, as well as the validity period of the physical equipment concerned, to calculate an operational impact date corresponding to the end date of validity of the equipment.

[0094] The equipment is for example safety equipment present in the aircraft, for example safety glasses, fire extinguishers, first aid kits.

[0095] The comparison module 76 is also capable of retrieving mission context data from the memory 20 to determine the date of the mission on which each successive mission of the aircraft must be carried out, and of defining an operational impact measurement, for example in the form of a Boolean indicator.

[0096] If the operational impact date corresponding to the validity date of the equipment is prior to the mission date, the comparison module 76 is capable of defining an operational impact measurement of equipment validity having a first value corresponding to an impact on the mission.

[0097] On the contrary, if the operational impact date corresponding to the validity date of the equipment is later than the mission date, the comparison module 76 is capable of defining an operational impact measurement of equipment validity having a second value corresponding to an absence of impact on the mission.

[0098] Alternatively or in addition, the operational impact date calculation module 74 is capable of recovering from the memory 20 data on database update deadlines to determine the operational impact date constituted by the next deadline for updating the database(s) depending on the current configuration.

[0099] The comparison module 76 is then capable of retrieving mission context data from the memory 20 to determine the date of the mission on which each successive mission of the aircraft must be carried out, and of defining an operational impact measurement, for example in the form of a Boolean indicator.

[0100] This operational impact measurement makes it possible to verify that the deadlines for updating each database are compatible with the flight dates defined in the mission context obtained from the mission preparation system 60. This thus avoids having to carry out an update of a heavy database and / or on a terrain with a low data transfer capacity.

[0101] If the operational impact date corresponding to the database update deadline is prior to the mission date, the comparison module 76 is capable of defining a database update operational impact measurement having a first value corresponding to an impact on the mission.

[0102] On the contrary, if the operational impact date corresponding to the deadline for updating the database is later than the mission date, the comparison module 76 is able to define an updated operational impact measurement of the database having a second value corresponding to an absence of impact on the mission.

[0103] Similarly, the calculation module 76A of a number of takeoffs and landings carried out by each pilot after each flight of a future mission is capable of determining the number of landings and / or takeoffs over a given period carried out by a given pilot as a function of the flight log data and the planning of the identity of the pilot in charge of the takeoff and landing of each flight of the future mission.

[0104] The comparison module 76B is then capable of comparing this calculated number of takeoffs and / or landings carried out by each given pilot with a minimum number of takeoffs and / or landings to be carried out by each pilot over a given period of time resulting from the regulatory requirements and of defining an operational impact measurement for example in the form of a Boolean indicator.

[0105] If the calculated number of takeoffs and / or landings performed by at least one given pilot during the given period is less than the minimum number of takeoffs and / or landings to be performed during the given period, the comparison module 76 is capable of defining a measurement of operational impact of regulatory crew obligations having a first value corresponding to an impact on the mission.

[0106] On the contrary, if the calculated number of takeoffs and landings carried out by at least one given pilot during the given period is greater than the minimum number of takeoffs and / or landings to be carried out during the given period, the comparison module 76 is capable of defining a measure of operational impact of regulatory crew obligations having a second value corresponding to an absence of impact on the mission.

[0107] Such a comparison is applicable for a pilot who makes all his flights on the aircraft in question.

[0108] With reference to figure 5, the module 78 for determining an estimated consumable level present in the aircraft is suitable for example for determining from the flight log data, the quantity of fuel FQ(N) present in the aircraft, at the end of the previous flight and for dividing it by the density of the fuel determined at the time of the reading to obtain a quantity of fuel independent of the density FQ'(N).

[0109] The module 80 for comparison with a measured or recorded consumable level is capable of calculating the difference between the quantity of fuel FQ'(N) present in the aircraft independent of the density, at the end of the previous flight and the quantity of fuel FQ(N+1) present in the aircraft at the start of the following flight divided by the density at the start of the flight, representing a quantity of fuel FQ'(N+1) present in the aircraft at the start of the following flight independent of the density. This difference makes it possible to determine a measure of operational impact of consumable leakage, for example in the form of a Boolean indicator.

[0110] If the difference between the density-independent fuel quantities FQ'(N), FQ'(N+1) is greater than a predefined threshold value, the comparison module 80 is capable of defining a measure of operational impact of consumable leakage having a first value corresponding to an impact on the mission.

[0111] On the contrary, if the difference between the quantities of fuel FQ'(N), FQ'(N+1) independent of the density is less than a predefined threshold value, the comparison module 80 is able to define a measure of operational impact of consumable leakage having a second value corresponding to an absence of impact on the mission.

[0112] In the case of an addition of fuel, the module 78 for determining an estimated level of consumable present in the aircraft is capable of determining a first value of fuel level present in the aircraft after the addition of fuel FQ'(N) + AJ'(N+1) independent of the density, on the basis of flight log data comprising the quantity of fuel FQ(N) present in the aircraft, at the end of the previous flight, divided by the density at the end of the previous flight, designated by FQ'(N+1) and the quantity of fuel added at the start of the following flight AJ(N+1), divided by the density at the start of the following flight, designated by AJ'(N+1).

[0113] The comparison module 80 with a measured or recorded consumable level is suitable for calculating the difference between the first fuel level value present in the aircraft after the addition of fuel FQ'(N) + AJ'(N+1) independent of the density and the quantity of fuel FQ(N+AJ) present in the aircraft at the start of the next flight, divided by the density at the start of the next flight, designated by FQ'(N+AJ). This makes it possible to determine a measure of operational impact of the consumable level gauge, for example in the form of a Boolean indicator.

[0114] If the difference between the density-independent fuel quantities FQ'(N) + AJ'(N+1), FQ'(N+AJ) is greater than a predefined threshold value, the comparison module 80 is capable of defining an operational impact measurement of the consumable level gauge having a first value corresponding to an impact on the mission.

[0115] On the contrary, if the difference between the quantities of fuel FQ'(N) + AJ'(N+1), FQ'(N+J) independent of the density is less than a predefined threshold value, the comparison module 80 is able to define a measurement of operational impact of the consumable level gauge having a second value corresponding to an absence of impact on the mission.

[0116] Based on the mission context data, the module 82 for determining a level of consumable likely to be consumed during a future mission of the aircraft is capable of determining an oil level and / or a water level likely to be consumed during the mission and a waste level likely to be produced during the mission.

[0117] It includes a calculation engine capable of calculating mission parameters, such as fuel consumption or consumption of another consumable, in particular water, oil, or the generation of waste based on the mission context data defined above, obtained via the interface 18.

[0118] The comparison module 84 is capable of determining the difference between the oil level, the water level, and the estimated waste level at the end of the mission, obtained from the flight log data via the interface 16 and the oil level, the water level and the waste level present at the start of the mission advantageously obtained from the aircraft systems. This makes it possible to define a measure of operational impact of the consumable level, in the form of a Boolean indicator.

[0119] If the difference between the water level or the oil level present at the start of the mission, as obtained from the flight log data and the water level or the oil level likely to be consumed during the upcoming mission of the aircraft is less than a threshold value, or if the sum of the waste level likely to be produced during the mission and the waste level present in the aircraft at the start of the mission is greater than a threshold value, the comparison module 80 is capable of defining a measurement of operational impact of the consumable level having a first value corresponding to an impact on the mission.

[0120] On the contrary, if the difference between the water level or the oil level present at the start of the mission, as obtained from the flight log data and the water level or the oil level likely to be consumed during the upcoming mission of the aircraft is less than a threshold value, or if the sum of the waste level likely to be produced during the mission and the waste level present in the aircraft at the start of the mission is less than a threshold value, the comparison module 80 is capable of defining an operational impact measurement of the consumable level having a second value corresponding to an absence of impact on the mission.

[0121] Advantageously, the module 78 for determining an estimated level of consumable present in the aircraft is capable of calculating the difference between the pressures of two tires of the aircraft, measured at the end of each mission.

[0122] The two tires of the aircraft are preferably a pair of tires from the same landing gear of the aircraft, for example the two tires of the left landing gear or the two tires of the right landing gear.

[0123] The module 80 for comparison with a measured or recorded consumable level is capable of calculating the variation in the difference in tire pressures, between the difference calculated at the end of the previous flight and the difference calculated at the start of the following flight, to determine a measurement of the operational impact of inflation gas leakage, for example in the form of a Boolean indicator.

[0124] If the variation between the differences in tire pressures is greater than a predefined threshold value, the comparison module 80 is capable of defining an operational impact measurement of inflation gas leakage having a first value corresponding to an impact on the mission.

[0125] On the contrary, if the variation between the differences in tire pressures is less than a predefined threshold value, the comparison module 80 is capable of defining a measurement of operational impact of inflation gas leakage having a second value corresponding to an absence of impact on the mission.

[0126] The display manager 26 comprises, for example, a processor 91A and a memory 91B comprising software modules capable of being executed by the processor.

[0127] The display manager 26 is capable of recovering the operational impact measurements determined by the computer 22 to create operational impact monitoring windows intended for the user of the aircraft, which are selectively displayed on the display 24 for the attention of the user of the aircraft.

[0128] With reference to FIG. 3, the display manager 26 is capable of displaying at least a first global operational impact monitoring window 90.

[0129] The tracking window 90 includes icons 92A, 92B, 92C, 92D representative of successive missions of the aircraft.

[0130] Each icon 92A, 92B, 92C, 92D here indicates the date of the mission, the departure airport, and the arrival airport.

[0131] Furthermore, as soon as an operational impact measurement on the aircraft and / or on equipment and / or on a consumable of the aircraft and / or on the crew of the aircraft presents a first impact value on the progress of the mission for the given mission, the display manager 26 is able to display on the display 24 an operational impact indicator 94, here materialized by a colored dot to warn the crew that the mission will be impacted.

[0132] The crew is able to select the mission concerned by clicking on the icon 92D of the mission using the human-machine interface 28 to display at least one operational impact window 95 associated with at least one piece of equipment and / or consumable of the aircraft, an example of which has been illustrated in FIG. 4.

[0133] Window 95 shown relates to the cockpit and cabin safety equipment. This equipment is listed on successive lines 96A to 96C.

[0134] At least one column 98 represents operational impact indicators associated with each piece of equipment using pictograms 100. The indicator has a first appearance, for example a cross, when the operational impact measurement associated with the equipment, determined by the computer 22 has a first operational impact value on the mission and a second appearance, for example a “check” sign, when the operational impact measurement associated with the equipment, determined by the computer 22, has a second value of no impact on the mission.

[0135] Thus, the pilot can easily distinguish which equipment will have an operational impact on the mission and take the necessary measures for the smooth running of the subsequent mission, for example by replacing equipment that has reached its end of validity date.

[0136] The display manager 26 is furthermore capable of displaying a consumables management window 110.

[0137] This window presents a first gauge 112 indicating the fuel level at the end of the previous mission on a scale representing the overall aircraft tank, a fuel level present in the aircraft 114 at the start of the present mission and an indicator 116 of operational impact on the gauging, which takes on a first appearance when the operational impact measurement of the measurement gauge determined by the computer 22 presents a first operational impact value and a second appearance when the operational impact measurement of the measurement gauge determined by the computer 22 presents a second value of absence of operational impact on the next mission.

[0138] Similarly, the window 110 includes, for water and for waste, gauges 118 of water and waste level, and indicators 120 of operational impact on the upcoming mission which take a first appearance when the measurement of operational impact of water or waste level determined by the calculator 22 has a first operational impact value and a second appearance when the measurement of operational impact of water or waste level determined by the calculator 22 has a second value of absence of operational impact on the next mission.

[0139] The window 110 or another window advantageously presents another operational impact indicator which takes on a first appearance when the measurement of operational impact of inflation gas leak determined by the computer 22 presents a first operational impact value and a second appearance when the measurement of operational impact of inflation gas leak determined by the computer 22 presents a second value of absence of operational impact on the next mission.

[0140] The operation of the tracking system 10 according to the invention will now be described.

[0141] With reference to FIG. 2, during successive flights of the aircraft, the electronic recording system 30 is entered by the pilot and by maintenance agents, to form successive sets of flight log and technical log data for the aircraft.

[0142] As described previously, during flight preparation, the pilot, or a maintenance agent uses the input interface 36 to enter flight log and technical booklet data as described above.

[0143] These data are saved in the flight logbook database 32, and in the aircraft technical booklet database 34.

[0144] Then, after flight 41, at the end of flight 42, the pilot, and / or a maintenance agent again uses the input interface 36 to enter flight log data, as described above, and aircraft technical log data, as described above.

[0145] Similarly, the input interface 36 queries the maintenance databases 48, 50 to load other aircraft technical logbook data into the technical logbook database 34.

[0146] This data constitutes a technical record of the aircraft flight log, which is signed using the signature interface 38 by the pilot, and which enriches the flight log 32 and technical logbook databases of the aircraft 34.

[0147] Similarly, in mission preparation, the pilot or a mission preparer uses the mission preparation system 60 to provide information on at least one upcoming mission of the aircraft comprising at least one flight.

[0148] The pilot thus provides the mission context associated with this mission, as defined higher. The mission context database 62 then contains the upcoming missions of the aircraft, and the calculation engine 66 is used to estimate at least the consumption of consumables likely to occur in the upcoming missions of the aircraft.

[0149] When the user wishes to use the system 10 for monitoring the status of aircraft equipment and consumables, the interfaces 16, 18 are activated to receive in the storage memory 20 successive data sets of the aircraft's flight log and technical booklet obtained from the databases 32, 34 of the electronic recording system 30 and successive mission contexts obtained from the mission context database 32.

[0150] Alternatively or in addition, flight log, technical log and / or mission context data are automatically retrieved from the aircraft and are stored in the storage memory 20.

[0151] This being done, the computer 22 is activated to determine at least one operational impact measurement on at least one future mission of the aircraft, associated with the aircraft and / or with equipment and / or with a consumable of the aircraft and / or with the crew of the aircraft.

[0152] Advantageously, the computer 22 calculates an operational impact date affecting the aircraft and / or physical equipment and / or a database of the aircraft on the basis of the flight log and / or technical booklet data or even the database update deadline data stored in the memory 20.

[0153] For this purpose, the calculation module 74 determines, for example, the scheduled or corrective maintenance dates of the aircraft, the validity dates of the aircraft's safety equipment, and the deadlines for updating the databases.

[0154] The comparison module 76 compares these operational impact dates with the date of each upcoming mission of the aircraft.

[0155] As indicated above, if the calculated operational impact date is prior to the mission date, the comparison module 76 is capable of defining an operational impact measurement having a first value corresponding to an impact on the mission.

[0156] On the contrary, if the operational impact date is later than the mission date, the comparison module 76 is able to define an operational impact measurement having a second value corresponding to an absence of impact on the mission.

[0157] Similarly, the calculation module 76A of a number of takeoffs and landings carried out by each pilot after each flight of a future mission determines the number of landings and / or takeoffs over a given period carried out by a given pilot as a function of the flight log data and the planning of the identity of the pilot in charge of the takeoff and landing of each flight of the future mission.

[0158] The comparison module 76B compares this calculated number of takeoffs and / or of landings made by each given pilot with a minimum number of takeoffs and / or landings to be made by each pilot over a given period of time resulting from regulatory requirements and to define an operational impact measure for example in the form of a Boolean indicator as described above.

[0159] Furthermore, as illustrated by FIG. 5, the module 78 for determining an estimated level of consumable present in the aircraft determines, from the flight log data, the quantity of fuel FQ(N) present in the aircraft, at the end of the previous flight and divides it by the density of the fuel determined at the time of the reading to obtain a quantity of fuel independent of the density FQ'(N).

[0160] The comparison module 80 with a measured or recorded consumable level calculates the difference between the quantity of fuel FQ'(N) present in the aircraft independent of the density, at the end of the previous flight and the quantity of fuel FQ(N+1) present in the aircraft at the start of the following flight divided by the density at the start of the flight, representing a quantity of fuel FQ'(N+1) present in the aircraft at the start of the following flight independent of the density.

[0161] If the difference between the density-independent fuel quantities FQ'(N), FQ'(N+1) is greater than a predefined threshold value, the comparison module 80 defines a measure of operational impact of consumable leakage having a first value corresponding to an impact on the mission.

[0162] On the contrary, if the difference between the density-independent fuel quantities FQ'(N), FQ'(N+1) is less than a predefined threshold value, the comparison module 80 defines a measure of operational impact of consumable leakage having a second value corresponding to an absence of impact on the mission.

[0163] In the case of an addition of fuel, the module 78 for determining an estimated consumable level present in the aircraft determines a first value of fuel level present in the aircraft after the addition of fuel FQ'(N) + AJ'(N+1) independent of the density, on the basis of flight log data comprising the quantity of fuel FQ(N) present in the aircraft, at the end of the previous flight, divided by the density at the end of the previous flight, designated by FQ'(N+1) and the quantity of fuel added at the start of the following flight AJ(N+1), divided by the density at the start of the following flight, designated by AJ'(N+1).

[0164] The module 80 for comparison with a measured or recorded consumable level calculates the difference between the first fuel level value present in the aircraft after the addition of fuel FQ'(N) + AJ'(N+1) independent of the density and the quantity of fuel FQ(N+AJ) present in the aircraft at the start of the following flight, divided by the density at the start of the following flight, designated by FQ'(N+AJ).

[0165] If the difference between the density-independent fuel quantities FQ'(N) + AJ'(N+1), FQ'(N+AJ) is greater than a predefined threshold value, the module comparison 80 defines a consumable level gauge operational impact measure having a first value corresponding to an impact on the mission.

[0166] On the contrary, if the difference between the fuel quantities FQ'(N) + AJ'(N+1), FQ'(N+J) independent of the density is less than a predefined threshold value, the comparison module 80 defines a measure of operational impact of the consumable level gauge having a second value corresponding to an absence of impact on the mission.

[0167] Similarly, on the basis of the mission context data, the module 82 for determining a level of consumable likely to be consumed during a future mission of the aircraft determines an oil level and / or a water level likely to be consumed during the mission and a waste level likely to be produced during the mission.

[0168] The comparison module 84 determines the difference between the oil level, the water level, and the estimated waste level at the end of the mission, obtained from the flight log data and the oil level, the water level and the waste level present at the start of the mission, advantageously obtained from the aircraft systems. If the difference between the water level or the oil level present at the start of the mission, as obtained from the flight log data and the water level or the oil level likely to be consumed during the upcoming mission of the aircraft is less than a threshold value, or if the sum of the waste level likely to be produced during the mission and the waste level present in the aircraft at the start of the mission is greater than a threshold value, the comparison module 80 defines an operational impact measurement of the consumable level having a first value corresponding to an impact on the mission.

[0169] On the contrary, if the difference between the water level or the oil level present at the start of the mission, as obtained from the flight log data and the water level or the oil level likely to be consumed during the upcoming mission of the aircraft is less than a threshold value, or if the sum of the level of waste likely to be produced during the mission and the level of waste present in the aircraft at the start of the mission is less than a threshold value, the comparison module 80 defines a measure of operational impact of consumable level having a second value corresponding to an absence of impact on the mission.

[0170] Advantageously, the module 78 for determining an estimated level of consumable present in the aircraft calculates the difference between the pressures of two tires of the aircraft, measured at the end of each mission.

[0171] The comparison module 80 with a measured or recorded consumable level calculates the variation in the difference in tire pressures, between the difference calculated at the end of the previous flight and the difference calculated at the start of the following flight.

[0172] If the variation between the tire pressure differences is greater than a predefined threshold value, the comparison module 80 defines an operational impact measurement of inflation gas leakage having a first value corresponding to an impact on the mission.

[0173] On the contrary, if the variation between the differences in tire pressures is less than a predefined threshold value, the comparison module 80 defines an operational impact measurement of inflation gas leakage having a second value corresponding to an absence of impact on the mission.

[0174] Then, the values ​​of the operational impact measurements of the various equipment and / or consumables of the aircraft are transmitted to the display manager 26.

[0175] If at least one operational impact review presents a first operational impact value, on one of the upcoming missions, the mission manager generates an operational impact tracking window in which the icon 92 corresponding to the mission in which the operational impact indicator having the first value is obtained, with an operational impact indicator 94 signaling an operational impact on this mission.

[0176] When the user selects this mission, the display manager 26 displays the operational impact window 95 associated with at least one piece of equipment and / or consumable of the aircraft, illustrated in FIG. 4.

[0177] He can then easily visualize that the equipment represented on line 96B, here the fire extinguisher, will have an operational impact on the mission in question.

[0178] The aircraft operator is then able to take the necessary steps to change this equipment before the equipment's expiry date.

[0179] Similarly, the operator is able to display the consumables management window 110 generated by the display manager 26.

[0180] On this window, the operational impact indicators 116 are displayed with an appearance which depends on the value of the operational impact measurement of the consumable on the aircraft, determined by the computer 22.

[0181] The tracking system 10 which has just been described thus facilitates, in mission preparation, the tasks of the aircraft crew when it recovers the aircraft, so that the crew can easily realize whether equipment and / or consumables of the aircraft are likely to have an operational impact on future missions.

[0182] Thus, the operational data obtained from the flight log and technical logbook data are monitored and alerts are put in place when operational impact dates are likely to interfere with the smooth running of the mission.

[0183] In addition, the level of consumables is estimated, which makes it possible to monitor the absence of fuel leaks or tire pressure or the consolidation of values ​​of fuel gauging, and automatically track how system consumables such as oil, water, and waste are likely to impact the progress of an upcoming mission.

[0184] The tracking system 10 operates very easily on the basis of a simple recording of data from flight logs and technical logs of the aircraft, and by providing information on the contexts of upcoming missions.

[0185] In a variant, the tracking system 10 is provided with an interface for entering a new mission context to allow, directly using the human-machine interface 28, the loading and entry of a mission context for future missions.

Claims

Claims

1. System (10) for monitoring the operational status of an aircraft between successive missions of the aircraft, comprising: - an interface (16) for entering and / or loading data sets from the flight log and technical book of the aircraft, each data set corresponding to a successive flight of the aircraft during at least one mission; - an interface (18) for entering and / or loading a mission context containing mission context data of at least one future mission of the aircraft; characterized by: - ​​a calculator (22) capable of determining at least one operational impact measurement on at least one future mission of the aircraft associated with the aircraft and / or with equipment and / or with a consumable of the aircraft and / or with the crew of the aircraft, the operational impact measurement being determined according to the flight log and / or technical booklet data of at least one mission already carried out by the aircraft and / or of a context of the future mission;- a display (24) and a display manager (26) on the display (24), capable of displaying on the display (24) at least one operational impact indicator associated with the aircraft and / or the equipment and / or the consumable and / or the crew of the aircraft, as a function of the operational impact measurement determined by the computer (22).;

2. System (10) according to claim 1, in which the operational impact measure is chosen between a first value of operational impact on the mission to be carried out and a second value of absence of operational impact on the mission to be carried out.

3. System (10) according to one of claims 1 or 2, in which the interface (16) for entering and / or loading data sets from the aircraft's flight log and technical booklet is capable of acquiring a consumable level at the end of each mission of the aircraft and / or at the start of each mission of the aircraft.

4. The system (10) of claim 3, wherein the consumable levels are selected from a fuel level, a water level, an oil level, a waste level, and / or an air pressure level in a tire of the aircraft.

5. System (10) according to any one of the preceding claims, in which the calculator (22) is capable of calculating an operational impact date affecting the aircraft and / or equipment and / or a database on the basis of flight log and / or technical booklet data or using database update deadline data, then comparing the operational impact date with the date of the upcoming mission obtained from the interface (18) for entering and / or loading a mission context to determine the operational impact measurement.

6. System (10) according to claim 5, according to which the calculator (22) is capable of calculating the operational impact date from technical logbook data obtained from the interface (16) for entering and / or loading flight logbook and technical logbook data sets of the aircraft, the technical logbook data including at least one scheduled maintenance visit date or data of at least one breakdown and / or fault discovered on a previous mission.

7. System (10) according to any one of claims 5 or 6, in which the calculator (22) is capable of calculating an operational impact date relating to the validity of physical equipment, on the basis of a date of installation of the equipment recovered from the technical booklet data and a predefined lifespan of the equipment.

8. System (10) according to any one of the preceding claims, in which the computer (22) is capable of determining an operational impact measurement at which a pilot no longer meets the regulatory requirements as a function of a number of takeoffs and landings carried out by the pilot on the aircraft in question on the basis of the flight log data obtained from the interface (16) for entering and / or loading flight log and technical log data sets of the aircraft.

9. System (10) according to any one of the preceding claims, in which the computer (22) is capable of determining an estimated consumable level present in the aircraft on the basis of the flight log data obtained from the interface (16) for entering and / or loading flight log and technical log data sets of the aircraft, and of comparing with a measured or recorded consumable level, to obtain the operational impact measurement.

10. System (10) according to any one of the preceding claims, in which the computer (22) is capable of determining a level of consumable present at the end of a future mission based on an es- estimation of a level of consumable consumed during the mission obtained from the flight log data via the interface (16) for entering and / or loading flight log and technical booklet data sets of the aircraft and mission context data via the interface (18) for entering and / or loading a mission context.

11. System (10) according to any one of the preceding claims, comprising a module for entering a new mission context for a new mission capable of allowing the loading and / or entry of data from at least one future mission.

12. System (10) according to any one of the preceding claims, in which the interface (18) for entering and / or loading a mission context is capable of allowing the entry and / or loading of mission context data for a plurality of successive future missions of the aircraft, the computer (22) being capable of determining, for each future mission of the aircraft, an operational impact measurement associated with the aircraft and / or with equipment and / or with a consumable and / or with the crew of the aircraft for each future mission of the aircraft.

13. Method for monitoring the operational status of an aircraft comprising the following steps: - providing a system (10) according to one of the preceding claims; - retrieving flight log and technical log data by the interface (16) for entering and / or loading flight log and technical log data sets of the aircraft; - retrieving mission context data by the interface (18) for entering and / or loading a mission context for at least one subsequent mission to be carried out by the aircraft; - determining by the computer (22) at least one operational impact measurement associated with the aircraft and / or equipment and / or a consumable of the aircraft and / or the crew of the aircraft on at least the upcoming mission of the aircraft based on the flight log and / or technical log data of missions already carried out by the aircraft and / or a context of the upcoming mission;- display on the display (24) by the display manager (26) of at least one operational impact indicator corresponding to the operational impact measurement determined by the calculator (22).;

14. The method of claim 13, wherein determining operational impact measurement is carried out after the end of an aircraft mission, and before a new aircraft mission.

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