U.S. patent number RE41,271 [Application Number 11/896,497] was granted by the patent office on 2010-04-27 for aircraft flight risk measuring system and method of operation.
Invention is credited to Theodore F. Vaida.
United States Patent |
RE41,271 |
Vaida |
April 27, 2010 |
**Please see images for:
( Certificate of Correction ) ** |
Aircraft flight risk measuring system and method of operation
Abstract
An aircraft flight risk measuring system for analyzing risks
related to a flight of an aircraft. A user of the risk measuring
system can be a flight dispatcher, an owner/operator, a pilot and
other interested parties. The risk measuring system includes a risk
management server system computer. The system computer has a
two-way communication with a user computer operated by the user. An
accident history database is connected to the system computer for
providing accident reports related to the aircraft and other
accident data. Also, a navigation database is connected to said
system computer for providing airspace data, radio navigation aids,
preferred routes, elevation data, geographic data and information
related to a destination airport. Further, a non-static database is
connected to the system computer for providing live information
related to weather forecasts and data related to the aircraft's
flight. As an option, a two-way communication between said system
computer and an aircraft computer on board the aircraft can be
included. The two-way communication used for receiving and
transmitting encoded data from the aircraft when the flight is in
progress.
Inventors: |
Vaida; Theodore F. (Colorado
Springs, CO) |
Family
ID: |
34886412 |
Appl.
No.: |
11/896,497 |
Filed: |
August 31, 2007 |
Related U.S. Patent Documents
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Application
Number |
Filing Date |
Patent Number |
Issue Date |
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Reissue of: |
10655031 |
Sep 5, 2003 |
06940426 |
Sep 6, 2005 |
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Current U.S.
Class: |
340/963; 701/25;
701/14; 340/945 |
Current CPC
Class: |
B64D
45/0059 (20190801); G08G 5/0013 (20130101); B64D
45/0015 (20130101); G08G 5/0039 (20130101) |
Current International
Class: |
G08B
23/00 (20060101) |
Field of
Search: |
;340/945,961,963
;701/3,7,9,14,25,33,35,301,302 ;702/144 |
References Cited
[Referenced By]
U.S. Patent Documents
Primary Examiner: Pham; Toan N
Attorney, Agent or Firm: Sterne, Kessler, Goldstein &
Fox P.L.L.C.
Claims
What is claimed is:
1. An aircraft flight risk measuring system for analyzing risks
related to a flight of an aircraft, a user of the system can be a
flight dispatcher, an owner/operator, a pilot and an interested
party, the risk measuring system comprising: a risk management
server system computer, said system computer having a two-way
communication with a user computer; an accident history database
connected to said system computer for providing accident reports
related to the aircraft and other accident data; a navigation
database connected to said system computer for providing airspace
data, radio navigation aids, preferred routes, elevation data,
geographic data and information related to a destination airport;
and a non-static database connected to said system computer for
providing live information related to weather forecasts and data
related to the aircraft's flight.
2. The risk measuring system as described in claim 1 further
including a two-way communication between said system computer and
an aircraft computer on board the aircraft, the two-way
communication for receiving and transmitting encoded current data
from the aircraft when the flight is in progress wherein said user
computer is an aircraft computer on board an aircraft.
3. The risk measuring system as described in claim 2 further
including a flight data plan inputted to said system computer from
said user computer prior to the flight of the aircraft.
4. The risk measuring system as described in claim 2 further
including a flight alert signal sent to said aircraft computer from
said system computer when a risk threshold is reached, the risk
threshold reached by said system computer when processing certain
data received from said accident history database, said navigation
database, said non-static database and in-flight data from the
aircraft.
5. The risk measuring system as described in claim 1 further
including a flight data plan inputted to said system computer from
said user computer by the user of the system and prior to the
flight of the aircraft.
6. The risk measuring system as described in claim 1 further
including a risk management report for review by the user of the
system, said report generated by said system computer based on data
received from said accident history data, said navigation database
and said non-static database.
7. The risk measuring system as described in claim 1 further
including a flight alert signal sent to said user computer from
said system computer when a risk threshold is reached, the risk
threshold reached by said system computer when processing certain
data received from said accident history data, said navigation
database and said non-static database.
8. An aircraft flight risk measuring system for analyzing risks
related to a flight of an aircraft, a user of the system can be a
flight dispatcher, an owner/operator, a pilot and an interested
party, the risk measuring system comprising: a risk management
server system computer, said system computer having a two-way
communication with a user computer; an accident history database
connected to said system computer for providing accident reports
related to the aircraft and other aircraft; a navigation database
connected to said system computer for providing airspace data,
radio navigation aids, elevation data, geographic data and
information related to a destination airport; a non-static database
connected to said system computer for providing live information
related to weather forecasts and data related to the aircraft's
flight; and a risk management report for output to said user
computer for review by the user of the system, said report
generated by said system computer based on data received from said
accident history database, said navigation database and said
non-static database.
9. The risk measuring system as described in claim 8 further
including a two-way communication between said system computer and
an aircraft computer on board the aircraft, the two-way
communication for receiving and transmitting encoded current data
from the aircraft when the flight is in progress.
10. The risk measuring system as described in claim 9.Iadd.,
.Iaddend.further including a flight alert signal sent to said
aircraft computer from said system computer when a risk threshold
is reached, the risk threshold reached by said system computer when
processing certain data received from said accident history
data.Iadd.base.Iaddend., said navigation database, said non-static
database and in-flight data from the aircraft.
11. The risk measuring system as described in claim 9, further
including a flight data plan inputted to said system computer from
said user computer by the user of the system and prior to the
flight of the aircraft.
12. The risk measuring system as described in claim 8 further
including a flight data inputted to said system computer from said
user computer by the user of the system and prior to the flight of
the aircraft.
13. The risk measuring system as described in claim 8 further
including a flight alert signal sent to said user computer from
said system computer when a risk threshold is reached, the risk
threshold reached by said system computer when processing certain
data received from said accident history database, said navigation
database and said non-static database.
14. The method of measuring aircraft flight risk, a user of the
method can be a flight dispatcher, an owner/operator, a pilot and
an interested party, the steps comprising: programming a risk
management server system computer for receiving a two-way
communication data from a user computer; inputting accident history
data from an accident history database connected to the system
computer and providing accident reports related to the aircraft and
other aircraft; inputting navigation data from a navigation
database connected to the system computer and providing airspace
data, radio navigation aids, elevation data, geographic data and
information related to a destination airport; and inputting
non-static data from a non-static database connected to the system
computer for providing live information related to weather
forecasts and data related to the aircraft's flight.
15. The method as described in claim 14 further including the step
of providing two-way communication between the system computer and
an aircraft computer on board the aircraft and receiving and
transmitting encoded current data from the aircraft when the flight
is in progress.
16. The method as described in claim 14 including the step of
inputting a flight data plan to the system computer from the
aircraft computer and prior to the flight of the aircraft.
17. The method as described in claim 15 further including the step
of inputting a flight alert signal to the aircraft computer from
the system computer when a risk threshold is reached, the risk
threshold reached by the system computer when processing certain
data received from the accident history database, the navigation
database, the non-static database and current in-flight data from
the aircraft.
18. The method as described in claim 14 further including inputting
a flight data plan to the system computer from the user computer by
the user and prior to the flight of the aircraft.
19. The method as described in claim 14 further including
outputting a risk management report for review by the user of the
system from the system computer based on data received from the
accident history database, the navigation database and the
non-static database.
20. The method as described in claim 14 further including
outputting a flight alert signal to the user computer from the
system computer when a risk threshold is reached, the risk
threshold reached by the system computer when processing certain
data received from the accident history database, the navigation
database and the non-static database.
.Iadd.21. An aircraft flight risk measuring system comprising: a
risk management server system computer, said system computer
configured for two-way communication with a user computer; an
accident history database connected to said system computer for
providing accident data; a navigation database connected to said
system computer for providing navigation data; and a non-static
database connected to said system computer for providing live
information related to an aircraft flight..Iaddend.
.Iadd.22. The risk measuring system as described in claim 21,
wherein said user computer is an aircraft computer on board an
aircraft..Iaddend.
.Iadd.23. The risk measuring system as described in claim 22,
wherein said system computer is arranged to receive a flight data
plan prior to a flight of an aircraft..Iaddend.
.Iadd.24. The risk measuring system as described in claim 22,
wherein said system computer is configured to send a flight alert
signal to said user computer when a risk threshold is reached, the
risk threshold based at least in part on data received from said
accident history database, said navigation database, said
non-static database, or said aircraft..Iaddend.
.Iadd.25. The risk measuring system as described in claim 21,
wherein said system computer is configured to receive a flight data
plan prior to a flight of an aircraft..Iaddend.
.Iadd.26. The risk measuring system as described in claim 21,
wherein said system computer is configured to send a flight alert
signal to said user computer when a risk threshold is reached, the
risk threshold based at least in part on data received from at
least one of said accident history database, said navigation
database, said non-static database, and said aircraft..Iaddend.
.Iadd.27. The risk measuring system as described in claim 21,
wherein navigation data includes at least one of: airspace data,
radio navigation aids, preferred routes, elevation data, geographic
data and information related to a destination airport..Iaddend.
.Iadd.28. The risk measuring system as described in claim 21,
wherein said system computer is configured to generate a risk
management report based at least in part on data received from at
least one of said accident history data, said navigation database
and said non-static database..Iaddend.
.Iadd.29. The risk measuring system as described in claim 28,
wherein said user computer is an aircraft computer on board an
aircraft..Iaddend.
.Iadd.30. The risk measuring system as described in claim 29,
wherein said system computer is configured to send a flight alert
signal said user computer when a risk threshold is reached, the
risk threshold based at least in part on data received from said
accident history database, said navigation database, said
non-static database, or said aircraft..Iaddend.
.Iadd.31. The risk measuring system as described in claim 29,
wherein said system computer is configured to receive a flight data
plan prior to flight of an aircraft..Iaddend.
.Iadd.32. The risk measuring system as described in claim 28,
wherein said system computer is configured to receive a flight data
plan prior to flight of an aircraft..Iaddend.
.Iadd.33. The risk measuring system as described in claim 28,
wherein said system computer is configured to send a data alert
signal to said user computer when a risk threshold is reached, the
risk threshold based at least in part on data received from at
least one of said accident history database, said navigation
database, said non-static database, and said aircraft..Iaddend.
.Iadd.34. A method for use on a user computer of measuring aircraft
flight risk for an aircraft flight, the user computer including a
memory and a processor, comprising: receiving accident history data
related to said aircraft flight, receiving navigation data related
to said aircraft flight; receiving live information related to said
aircraft flight, the receiving being performed by the memory; and
determining aircraft flight risk for said aircraft flight based at
least in part on at least one of the accident history data, the
navigation data, and the live information, the determining being
performed by the processor..Iaddend.
.Iadd.35. The method as described in claim 34, including the step
of receiving a flight data plan prior to the flight of the
aircraft..Iaddend.
.Iadd.36. The method as described in claim 34, further including
outputting a risk management report based at least in part on data
received from at least one of the accident history data, the
navigation data and the live information..Iaddend.
.Iadd.37. The method of claim 34, wherein navigation data includes
at least one of: airspace data, radio navigation aids, preferred
routes, elevation data, geographic data and information related to
a destination airport..Iaddend.
.Iadd.38. The method as described in claim 34, further including
the step of transmitting aircraft flight risk data to the aircraft
when the flight is in progress..Iaddend.
.Iadd.39. The method as described in claim 35, further including
the step of generating a flight alert signal when a risk threshold
is reached, wherein the risk threshold is based at least in part on
at least one of the accident history data, the navigation data, and
the live information..Iaddend.
.Iadd.40. A computer readable storage medium having computer
program code recorded thereon, that when executed by a processor
controlled system, causes the processor controlled system to
measure aircraft flight risk for an aircraft flight according to a
method, comprising: receiving accident history data related to said
aircraft flight; receiving navigation data related to said aircraft
flight; receiving live information related to said aircraft flight,
the receiving being performed by the memory; and determining
aircraft flight risk for said aircraft flight based at least in
part on at least one of the accident history data, the navigation
data, and the live information, the determining being performed by
the processor..Iaddend.
.Iadd.41. An apparatus for measuring aircraft flight risk for an
aircraft flight, comprising: means for receiving accident history
data related to said aircraft flight; means for receiving
navigation data related to said aircraft flight; means for
receiving live information related to said aircraft flight, the
means for receiving including a computer having a memory and a
processor; and means for determining aircraft flight risk for said
aircraft flight based at least in part on at least one of the
accident history data, the navigation data, and the live
information, the determining being performed by the
processor..Iaddend.
Description
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
(a) Field of the Invention
This invention relates a system for measuring aviation risks for
improved aircraft safety and more particularly, but not by way of
limitation, to an aircraft flight measuring system for providing a
flight planning aid to a pilot, flight dispatcher and an
owner/operator. The new aircraft flight measuring system calculates
various risk factors and provides a summary report. The report can
be used prior to flight time or during flight to aid in a decision
to fly or not or to change a flight destination.
(b) Discussion of Prior Art
Prior to any aircraft flight under Federal Aviation Administration
(FAA) regulations, a pilot must create a flight-plan, which
identifies the specifics of the intended flight. The process can be
performed on paper or using a number of different electronic
methods including a microcomputer or the internet, serviced by web
browser. This process is intended to ensure that the flight will
arrive safely. In some cases, the pilot may elect to provide his or
her flight plan to a Flight Service Station (FSS) for entry into
the Air Traffic Control (ATC) system. However, for flights in
Visual Meteorological Conditions (VMC), this is not mandatory.
In flight planning, an implied risk management function is a weak
link due to human factors, which may affect the pilot. For these
reasons, the FAA has established a set of regulations in the Code
of Federal Regulations (CFR) for commercial flight, which require
additional restrictions to be met before a flight can proceed. One
of the restrictions includes a use of an independent dispatcher.
The dispatcher must be someone not part of the required aircraft
crew. The addition of the dispatcher is intended to provide an
impartial review of the flight to aid in decision-making and
enhance safety. Several non-governmental organizations exist for
the purpose of educating the pilot population such as the Airplane
Owners and Pilots Association (AOPA) and their sister agency the
AOPA Air Safety Foundation. These groups provide free and low-cost
seminars, videos and self-education materials to the general
public. Several educational materials vendors including King
Aviation Schools provide self-education materials, books, video and
distance learning. In either case the pilot must already be aware
of the risks inherent in flight, or be encouraged to take the
courses and attend seminars, participation at these events is
entirely voluntary although encouraged by the FAA.
Commercial flight training companies such as Flight Safety
International provide continuing education services for fleet
operators and air-taxi services. These companies provide type
certifications re-currency and Crew-Resource-Management (CRM). A
type-certification is an authorization to act as pilot-in-command
of an aircraft, which has been determined by the FAA to require
certain aircraft specific knowledge. Pilots are required to
maintain "currency", which is a minimum of recent experience in
specified operations such as instrument landings, night time
takeoffs and landings. CRM are procedures and methods for
multi-pilot cockpit operations, which attempt to reduce potential
confusion or inter-personal effects in flight. These services are
prohibitively expensive for single pilot-single aircraft operations
and are specifically targeted at covering regulatory requirement.
Risk management is not typically an explicit goal of these
services.
During a flight, the pilot is completely in charge of the safety of
the flight up to and including diverging from the CFRs when the
pilot feels its necessary. In cases of a multi-person crew, the
pilot may request and receive advice. However, only one person can
be considered the Pilot-In-Command (PIC). Just as in the case of
flight planning, human factors can affect a pilot's decision
making. Also, this extends to the crew as well. There is
significant anecdotal evidence of multi-pilot operations where all
the crew members were unable to make correct decisions. In some
cases a telecommunication system is available which allows the
pilot to speak with ground personnel, however without in flight
information the ground crew can rarely be of substantial timely
help in resolving in-flight issues.
Finally, although the CFR's require extensive record keeping for
maintenance and pilot proficiency, there is no codified method or
procedure for evaluating a pilot's skill for the management of
risk. Safety training, recurrent training and other methods of
educational instruction for pilots have shown some success in
helping good pilots sharpen their skills. But, no training can
predetermine all possible situations a pilot may encounter.
In U.S. Pat. No. 6,538,581 to Cowie and U.S. Pat. No. 6,043,758 to
Snyder, multiple methods for monitoring a flight in progress for
collision risk are disclosed. In general, these disclosures are
primarily focused on alerting a pilot, a ground controller or
owner/operator of a flight in-progress and an impending collision
with traffic or terrain. This information is not used to assess
pre-flight risk factors or risk factors during flight. In U.S. Pat.
No. 5,710,559 to Krogmann, a systemic monitoring device and method
is described. This system is focused on alerting a crew of the
aircraft to an impending in-flight issue and no pre-flight
functions are provided. In U.S. Pat. No. 6,223,143 to Weinstock,
general risk management methodologies with software are described.
The patent discloses the calculation of failure modes and
associated risks using various computational algorithms. These
algorithms are based on engineering analysis of possible point
failures in the system and mission analyzed. The underlying vehicle
specific failure information is static and can be reused. But, for
each mission the user of the system must manually create a detailed
analysis of the route and other relevant mission specific data. By
contrast, the subject invention is intended to gather failure
probabilities from historical accident data and uses existing
flight-planning information to computationally create a mission
data report used for risk factor analysis.
None of the above-mentioned prior art patents specifically disclose
the unique features, combination of components and function of the
subject aircraft flight risk measuring system and method of
operation as described herein.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
In view of the foregoing, it is a primary objective of the subject
invention to provide a pre-flight data report or an in-flight data
report for an assessment of risk level associated with a particular
flight segment. The report is used to assess data prior to flight
or between take-off and landing. The information from the report
can be used by a pilot, a flight dispatcher, an owner/operator or
other interested party in making a better decision for overall
flight planning.
Another object of the invention is to provide an impartial second
opinion when flight safety can be improved. The report can also
function as a monitor for the in-flight aircraft to allow a ground
based dispatcher or other interested party to take preventative
action when needed.
Yet another object of the new aviation risk measuring system is to
gather failure probabilities from historical accident data with
existing flight-planning information for creating a flight mission
data summary report. The summary report provides a risk factor
analysis to a user.
The subject invention provides a system and method of operation
using an analysis of risk related to the flight of an aircraft. The
system includes a source of flight planning data, a source of
real-time aircraft data, historical flight information data,
navigation and geographic data and a risk management server system
computer to analyze the collected data. The method of operation
uses the available data to generate a summary report of the level
of risk associated with a planned flight or a current flight
activity if real-time data is available.
These and other objects of the present invention will become
apparent to those familiar with various systems and methods of
measuring aircraft flight risks when reviewing the following
detailed description, showing novel construction, combination, and
elements as herein described, and more particularly defined by the
claims, it being understood that changes in the various embodiments
of invention are meant to be included as coming within the scope of
the claims, except insofar as they may be precluded by the prior
art.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
The accompanying drawings illustrate complete preferred embodiments
in the present invention according to the best modes presently
devised for the practical application of the principles thereof,
and in which:
FIG. 1 is a diagram illustrating broadly the subject aircraft
flight risk measuring system.
FIG. 2 is a logic diagram illustrating the process by which a user
interacts with the system.
FIG. 3 is a logic diagram illustrating the process by which the
aircraft flight measuring system watches an in-progress flight to
determine changes in risk factors.
FIG. 4 is a logic diagram illustrating the process by which the
system calculates the risk profile and generates a report.
FIG. 5 illustrates a logic diagram used to verify one or more
algorithms used for a categorization of accident data and flight
plans.
FIG. 6 shows two logic diagrams illustrating processes used to
create and select a categorization algorithm.
FIG. 7 illustrates a logic diagram by which an accident database is
converted into the quantized database.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS
In FIG. 1, the aircraft flight measuring system is shown having
general reference numeral 10. The system 10 broadly includes a Risk
Management Computer Server System (RMSS) computer 200 with access
to an accident history database 210, access to flight navigation
database 220 and access to a non-static database 230. The RMSS
computer 200 has a two-way communication 120 with a user's computer
100, which provides an interface for a user 110 to access the
system's computer 200. Also, the RMSS computer 200 provides for
two-way communication 240 with an aircraft 230 prior to flight time
and during flight. During flight, the aircraft 230 can communicate
flight progress and various situation data to the RMSS computer
200.
The RMSS computer 200 can be any computer, which can run software
and algorithms specific to the system 10 as described herein. The
RMSS computer 200 can include one or more general purpose
microcomputers with an operating system configured to run software
which handles queries from the user 110 and has access to the
databases 210, 220 and 230. Also, the computer 200 has access to
various articles, training material and other information sources
for risk management education when reports are presented. The
system is also programmed to identify and input material that is
relevant to a proposed flight.
The accident history database 210 or also called a quantized risk
factor database is constructed from accident reports from NTSB
records, indexed and stored in a manner which allows for arbitrary
searches of the records. Also, additional databases can be included
from summaries of accident data such as that provided by the AOPA
Air Safety Foundation Nall Report, or data from non-government and
international accident investigation agencies.
The navigation database 220 consists of geographical information,
particularly terrain elevation data, ground cover and other
landform data which may have risk implications, airspace data,
radio navigation aids, waypoints and preferred routes. Also, the
database 220 includes information about airports including types
and quality of instrument approaches as well as field services
available and other relevant data points which have risk
implications.
The non-static database 230 provides live information of primary
importance such as weather data with high reliability forecasts
covering a time period during the flight of the aircraft 230.
Additional data may include current traffic flow information in and
around the flight of the aircraft 230 from the National Airspace
System (NAS) and any other data, which may change rapidly and may
effect the flight of data 230.
The user 110 can access the RMSS computer 200 through his or her
computer 100 or another data communication terminal, which can
include a cell phone, a Personal Digital Assistant (PDA) or the
Internet. The RMSS computer 200 also runs software which provides a
text or graphical user interface and allows the user 110 to input
flight planning data and to receive human readable summary reports.
The computer 200 can also be more than one device, with a fixed
ground based terminal used for primary pre-flight operations and a
secondary terminal provided by a portable device and/or devices
mounted in the aircraft 230 for use before or during flight.
Where possible the RMSS computer 200 receives encoded data from the
flight in progress of aircraft 230 via the two-way data
communication 240. This feature enables the RMSS computer 230 to
track the real operation of the aircraft 230 for comparison against
the estimated flight plan, which was presented prior to flight.
While this feature is important, it is optional and is not required
for all implementations of the present invention. But, it is useful
for extending the capabilities and quality of aircraft flight risk
management. When the aircraft 230 is equipped with the necessary
hardware and software, it can generate and deliver a stream of data
or a series of discrete reports to the RMSS computer 200, with the
status and progress of the flight in real-time.
In FIG. 2, a logic diagram shows a user interaction process for
requesting and utilizing the risk management reports from the RMSS
computer 200. When a pilot of the aircraft 230 or the user 110 is
preparing for a flight, the computer 200, with accompanying
software, is started at start 300 and a flight plan 310 is
submitted. An enter flight plan 320 is encoded into the system and
a send to RMSS 330 is sent to the RMSS computer 200. Obviously, the
user will use the two-way data communication 120 and the pilot will
use the two-way data communication 240. When the flight plan is
received by the RMSS computer 200, it can be optionally stored or
save profile 390 in a persistent database called a watch profiles
400. The data in the watch profiles can be used later during the
actual flight of the aircraft 230.
The user 110 or pilot of the aircraft 230 can then query the RMSS
computer 200 for a report generated from the data provided. A
retrieve risk report 350 is now generated. The user or the pilot
can then make a determination based on available data, including
but not limited to the retrieve risk report 350 on whether the
flight is acceptable 360 or not. If the risk report 350 is
unacceptable because the calculated risk is too high, the user or
pilot may elect to modify the flight plan 380 and submit a new plan
for analysis. The process described above is then repeated. If the
user or pilot is satisfied with the proposed flight, the process is
completed and done 370.
In FIG. 3, a logic diagram illustrates a process by which the RMSS
computer 200 can be used to monitor flights in progress for changes
in risk factors. This is an optional feature and is not necessary
for basic operation of the system 10. When the aircraft 230 is
equipped as described above with the two-way communication 240 and
the flight begins 410, the RMSS computer 200 is activated and the
flight plan previously entered into the system is accessed. A
signal from the aircraft causes the RMSS computer to start a new
program 510, load software and/or any other actions required to
perform the necessary calculations.
The first action or find profile 520 is taken to find the stored
flight plan in the watch profiles 400. The records in this database
contain the details of the flight plan as entered, calculated risk
factors from the original flight plan, and references to any non
static data used for the calculation such as weather reports.
With the watch profiles 400 located, the server computer 200 begins
a monitoring function. When a report or a continuous stream of data
is received from the monitored aircraft 230, the computer 200
compares a compare profile 530 of the real-time flight data against
the watch profiles 400 for any discrepancies, changes in the risk
factors and changes in the non-static data. If there is sufficient
a differential between the compare profile 530 and the flight data
420 received the computer 200 recalculates risk change 540. If the
risk change 540 calculation is sufficiently different from an
exceed threshold 550, the computer 200 sends an issue alert 560
signal to the user's computer 100 or the aircraft 230.
Once the issue alert 560 signal exists, the RMSS computer updates
the watch profiles 400 records with a set new threshold 570 for
future comparisons. The watch profiles 400 now retains the original
risk calculation. Also user preferences may be set to request
alerts at any time where the current risk calculation exceeds a
threshold over the last risk calculation or the original
calculation. In certain cases as requested by the user 110, the
original threshold may be retained and the system will
differentiate between risk calculates that exceed the new threshold
570 and the original threshold. Once the risk calculations are
complete, the computer 200 checks for an end of flight condition or
flight ended 580. If the flight is completed, the process is now
stopped 590 and is recorded. If the flight is still in progress,
the process repeats itself and the compare profile 530 is started
again.
In FIG. 4, a logic diagram is shown describing a process by which
the RMSS computer 200 creates a risk report from a flight plan when
a request is received from the user's computer 100. When flight
plan data 910 is received, the RMSS computer 200 creates an
execution thread, loads software and performs other actions to
begin a process start 900. The first action is to provide a hash
flight plan data 920. Hashing operations are a well known computer
science strategy wherein a piece of data is converted into a
smaller, quickly searchable value for retrieving a record marked
with a hash key. The program software can then hash the request
data and find a matching entry in the database. In this case, the
hashing function is an operation which converts the raw flight plan
data into a single alphanumeric `hash key` which is also used to
index the records in the accident database 440. The accident
database 440 processes which records are matched by the hash-key
and share common risk factors. The actual algorithm used for this
process is generated by processes described below in this
disclosure. One flight plan may generate one or more hash keys
depending on the algorithm used and the optimal function of the
RMSS computer 200 system. This hash is then used to search for a
sampling of matching accident reports, which are selected into a
randomized list. From this list, a number of reports are selected
based on user preference for later display.
Once the hash key has been generated, the program creates a list of
quantized risk match categories 930, which match the flight plan.
Each match category 930 describes a closed set of historical
accidents based on a common searchable and identifiable factor,
with quantized risk data 970. The risk data 970 is based on
historical accident information. The algorithm, which generates the
match category 930, is generated by a process described below.
With the list of categories compiled by the RMSS computer 200 a
tally risk category data 940 is generated. This step provides a
list of the risk factors. For each risk factor identified, a
corresponding risk score stored in the quantized risk data 970 is
read and used to rank each risk factor. An array is generated to
hold and sort the risk factors. An education database 980 is then
searched from get document references 950. The references may be
various documents, hyperlinks, or other educational materials which
are specific to an identified risk factor. The number of materials
selected is based on user preference and may reflect a history of
materials viewed by the user 110.
With the accident reports, risk categories, risk score and
educational material, an encode report 960 is rendered as a
computerized summary report. The report may be a human readable
text document, a HTML document or XML encoded data which can
rendered by a data-terminal. The report contains the summarized
total risk score, and detailed categories presented by rank,
accident reports and educational materials. The report is then
downloaded to save profile 390 and watch profiles 400. The program
is then completed or done 990.
In FIG. 5, a "boot-strap" process is generated to verify one or
more algorithms used for a categorization of accident data and
flight plans. The process is built progressively using human input
to automated categorization of records. The first step requires
human input and verification of the operation of the algorithm. The
process begins with start 1100 and a selection of a statistically
select subset A 1110 from the accident history database 440. This
data is then presented to the operator to create categorize records
1120. Each record is categorized to provide a basis for training
and/or selecting algorithms. Once this is complete the categorized
records are used to generate candidate algorithm 1130. This phase
involves method steps described in logic diagram FIG. 6. Once a
candidate algorithm 1130 has been selected, a second statistically
valid subset of the accident data or select subset B1140 is
created. This subset is selected and executed to create an output
set which is reviewed by the operator to check for validity. If the
candidate algorithm is not an acceptable result 1150 then a new
candidate is generated using the step of generate candidate 1130.
If the algorithm is acceptable, the process is complete and done
1160.
In FIG. 6, two preferred methods are logic diagrammed for
generating candidate algorithms. It should be mentioned that those
skilled in the art of creating algorithms of this type will
understand that there are other methodologies for creating or
selecting an algorithm to perform the categorization of accident
data as described herein.
The first method for generating a categorization algorithm is shown
as Process A. This process uses a neural-network filtering
function. For a neural network to operate it must be `trained` by
the presentation of inputs and expected outputs. While this system
refers to the neural net in a manner consistent with a software
calculated implementation, it should be understand that a neural
net may be embodied through fixed hardware, programmable logic,
software algorithms or other methods as required for speed,
flexibility and other implementation considerations. The neural
network is designed to accept the flight plan data, and output a
list of applicable categories that match the flight plan.
When accident data is available for use in the training process,
the RMSS computer 200 is engaged and the program starts with start
600. The program selects a record from the set of data presented
and processes the record into an input/output pair 610, which is
suitable for the structure of the neural set. The set of
input/output 610 is presented to a set input/output on neural net
620 and then a training function is engaged to capture neural net
changes 630, which are then stored for servicing user requests. If
more accident data is available for training then the process is
repeated for more reports 640. When all of the data has been
applied, the process is completed and stops 650.
A second method is illustrated as Process B. This method is for
preparing the system 10 utilizing a genetic algorithm process to
create a non-linear filtering algorithm. The process uses selection
and recombination operations to progressively improve an
arbitrarily coded algorithm until it meets some threshold of
acceptability, with a single algorithm being selected from a pool
of algorithms. Each of the algorithms is encoded as a `vector`, and
each vector is executed to produce a result.
The selection processes begins when a set of data is selected to be
applied and the software loaded at start 700. A set of
pseudo-random vectors is generated to populate the initial vector
space 710. Each vector is executed with the step of calculate
vector results 720 from the data set and produce a result set. The
result set is examined to select best vectors 730. If any vector
meets the acceptable result 750, then the process is complete or
done 760. If no vector is suitable, the best vectors are sent to
recombine and mutate vectors 740. This step produces a new pool of
vectors and the process begins executing again at calculate vector
results 720.
In FIG. 7, a logic diagram is shown illustrating the process steps
to create the quantized risk data 970 used for generating flight
plan reports. The process begins at start 1000. A set of historical
accident data from accident database 440 is run initially and each
time new accident data is added to the database as it becomes
available. For each record, the system 10 uses one or more
categorization record 1010 algorithms, as described above. The
quantized risk data 970 is generated from build quantized entries
1020. The records that contain the total number of accidents are
selected by this category and the relationship between incidents,
injuries and fatalities are compared. Also, records are compared
that contain the total number of hours, operations, flights and
operational data. From this data, a summary report with a
percentage of chance risk of an accident per hour of flight
operation is generated. The report is then completed and done
1030.
While the invention has been particularly shown, described and
illustrated in detail with reference to the preferred embodiments
and modifications thereof, it should be understood by those skilled
in the art that equivalent changes in form and detail may be made
therein without departing from the true spirit and scope of the
invention as claimed except as precluded by the prior art.
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