Ground-Based Flight Planning Using Derived Airspeed Data
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing flight planning systems face challenges in optimizing fuel consumption and flight paths due to limited and costly communications with aircraft, reliance on ground-based information, and the need for accurate aircraft-specific performance models, particularly for older aircraft lacking passenger connectivity services.
Innovation Solution
A ground-based system derives approximate flight characteristics using GPS data and winds aloft information, adjusting aircraft performance models, and optimizing flight plans with minimal instrumented data from the aircraft, reducing the need for costly and complicated uplinks.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Loss of energy
If ground-based systems use little or no instrumented data for flight planning, then communication efficiency is improved and aircraft instrumentation requirements are reduced, but accuracy of flight plan optimization may be worsened
Solution Approach 1:
The patent introduces an intermediary ground-based system that receives transponder telemetry data from aircraft and processes flight plan optimizations without requiring direct instrumented data from the aircraft. The ground system acts as a mediator between the aircraft's simple transponder and the complex flight planning requirements, enabling accurate optimization while keeping aircraft instrumentation minimal.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent replaces the traditional mechanical/instrumented data collection system on aircraft with an electronic transponder telemetry system. Instead of requiring complex onboard sensors and processors, the system uses electronic data transmission from the transponder to the ground-based system, which then performs the computationally intensive flight plan optimization.
2Measurement precision
If aircraft performance models are updated based on monitoring aircraft over time, then model accuracy is improved, but data processing requirements and system complexity are worsened
Solution Approach 1:
The patent extracts the complex data processing and model updating functions from the aircraft itself and relocates them to the ground-based system. The aircraft only needs to transmit basic transponder telemetry data, while the ground system performs the sophisticated analysis and performance model updates, reducing onboard system complexity.
Solution Approach 2:
The system performs preliminary data processing and performance model updates on the ground before flight operations. By pre-processing the telemetry data and updating performance models in advance, the system reduces the computational burden during actual flight operations and minimizes the complexity of onboard systems.
3Loss of energy
If data is selectively identified and uplinked to aircraft based on geographic areas and altitudes, then communication efficiency is improved, but complexity of data management is worsened
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies local quality by selectively transmitting data based on the aircraft's specific geographic location and altitude. Instead of sending all available data to all aircraft, the system identifies and transmits only the relevant data subsets for each aircraft's current operational context, improving communication efficiency while managing complexity through location-based filtering.
Data Source
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AI summary
Flight planning and/or optimizing flight plans can be performed using ground-based systems with little or no instrumented data, providing efficient communications between aircraft and ground-based systems. Estimates of airspeeds (i.e., derived airspeed) can be derived from transponder telemetry, which is optionally collected independently of flight planning. Alternative (adjusted or revised or modified) flight plans can be generated based on derived airspeed, weather, traffic, etc., and/or performance data specific to an individual aircraft. Aircraft performance models can be updated (e.g., fuel consumption) based on monitoring an aircraft over time. Winds aloft data can be updated based on monitoring of one or more aircraft. Data can be selectively identified and uplinked to aircraft based on certain criteria (e.g., data relevant to geographic areas and altitudes proximate flight path as indicated by flight plan).