Aircraft Tracking System Using Real-Time Laser Data Transfer
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Solution Overview
Problem
Current methods for locating black boxes in aircraft crashes are inefficient, often taking months or years and costing hundreds of millions of dollars, with some cases remaining unsolved despite extensive searches.
Innovation Solution
The RATEAD system, comprising network-enabled devices at various locations, communicates with aircraft in real-time using high-speed laser data transfer and GPS tracking, with floating buoys and balloon units equipped with solar-powered motors for self-piloting and weather resistance.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Loss of time
If traditional manual search methods are used to locate black boxes, then search operations can be conducted without advanced technology, but the search takes months or years and costs hundreds of millions of dollars
Solution Approach 1:
The system performs preliminary actions by continuously transmitting aircraft position data and maintaining real-time tracking before any incident occurs. The black box data is continuously recorded and the aircraft location is constantly monitored, so that when a crash occurs, the location is already known immediately, eliminating the need for lengthy search operations
Solution Approach 2:
The system creates continuous copies of aircraft position data and flight information through the network-enabled devices and satellite communication. This data copying and storage allows immediate retrieval of aircraft location and flight data without needing to physically locate the black box, dramatically reducing search time
2Speed
If real-time data transmission systems are implemented, then aircraft tracking speed is improved, but the system complexity and infrastructure requirements increase
Solution Approach 1:
The system uses universal communication protocols and network-enabled devices that can communicate through multiple channels (satellite, ground networks). The same infrastructure serves multiple purposes including position tracking, data transmission, and emergency alerting, reducing overall system complexity while maintaining high-speed communication capabilities
Solution Approach 2:
The patent introduces network-enabled devices as intermediaries between the aircraft and the tracking system. These devices simplify the communication architecture by providing a standardized interface that handles data transmission, protocol conversion, and error handling, thereby reducing the complexity of direct satellite-to-ground-station communication
Applied Scientific Principles
This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.
Function Achieved in This Case
Enables real-time tracking and data replication of aircraft, significantly reducing the time and cost associated with locating crashed planes and retrieving critical flight data.
Implementation Method 1
a receiver unit enabled to receive data transmitted from the aircraft over a high speed laser data transfer system
Implementation Method 2
a GPS tracking system configured to track position of said floating buoys and said balloon shaped units
Implementation Method 3
the floating buoys comprises solar-powered motors to return back to the correct location
Data Source
AI summary
The present invention discloses a receiver and transmitter of enroute aircraft data (RATEAD) system and method of tracking missing aircraft by the system. The system comprising: a plurality of network enabled devices at a plurality of locations; and said plurality of network enabled devices are communicatively coupled to an aircraft passing within a pre-defined range, wherein a data of said in range aircraft is communicatively transmitted in real-time to a network device of said plurality of network enabled devices with which said aircraft is connected.