Ground-Based Diversion Airport Selection System
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Solution Overview
Problem
Aircraft pilots face challenges in determining the best alternate airport for landing during adverse conditions due to high workload and limitations in accessing and processing real-time weather and flight data, leading to inefficient fuel burn and potential delays.
Innovation Solution
A system comprising a ground-based monitoring server (GBMS) that communicates with an aircraft's communication device to monitor flight and weather parameters, determining the probability of successful landing at the destination airport and selecting a suitable diversion airport when conditions are adverse, thereby reducing computational burden on the aircraft.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Measurement precision
If complex data analytics and modeling are performed on the aircraft to determine diversion airports, then the accuracy of diversion airport selection is improved, but the computational resources and bandwidth required are excessive
Solution Approach 1:
The patent extracts the complex data analytics and modeling functions from the aircraft system and relocates them to ground-based servers. The aircraft only performs simple data collection and transmission, while the computationally intensive diversion airport selection algorithms run on ground infrastructure, thereby reducing onboard computational requirements while maintaining high accuracy.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent introduces ground-based servers as an intermediary between the aircraft and the diversion airport determination process. These servers receive flight data from the aircraft, perform complex analytics and modeling to evaluate multiple diversion airport options, then return the selected diversion airport to the aircraft, effectively mediating the computational burden.
2Adaptability or versatility
If pilots manually evaluate multiple diversion airports during flight, then the selection can be customized to specific needs, but the flight crew workload becomes excessively high
Solution Approach 1:
The system enables self-service by automatically performing diversion airport evaluation and selection without requiring pilot intervention. The ground-based system continuously monitors flight parameters, weather conditions, and airport availability, then autonomously determines and communicates the optimal diversion airport to the flight crew, eliminating manual evaluation workload.
Solution Approach 2:
The system implements continuous feedback loops where the ground-based monitoring server receives real-time flight data, evaluates diversion options, and provides updated recommendations to the aircraft. This automated feedback mechanism maintains adaptability to changing conditions while freeing the flight crew from manual evaluation tasks.
3Reliability
If aircraft circle over the destination airport waiting for severe weather to disperse, then the aircraft can attempt landing when conditions improve, but fuel is consumed unnecessarily
Solution Approach 1:
The system performs preliminary evaluation of diversion airport options before the aircraft reaches the destination and before fuel becomes critically low. By pre-calculating suitable diversion airports based on current weather forecasts and flight parameters, the system enables pilots to make informed decisions earlier, avoiding unnecessary circling and fuel consumption.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent replaces the mechanical decision-making process (pilots manually monitoring weather and calculating diversion options) with an automated ground-based information processing system. This substitution provides real-time, data-driven recommendations that optimize the balance between waiting for weather improvement and diverting to alternative airports, minimizing fuel burn.
Data Source
AI summary
Systems and methods are provided for determining diversion airports for landing an aircraft in adverse conditions. A communication device is configured to facilitate the transmission and display of flight information. A ground based monitoring server (GBMS) communicates with the aircraft over a wireless communication channel. The GBMS has a diversion landing prediction assistance system (DLPAS) that communicates with and queries an aircraft flight parameter database, an airport parameter database, and an airport weather database. The DLPAS monitors parameters from the databases, determines a destination probability of the aircraft to land at the destination airport based on the monitored parameters, and, when the destination probability for a successful landing is less than a predetermined destination threshold, selects a diversion airport to land the aircraft. The GBMS transmits the selected diversion airport to the aircraft.