| FIG. 2 shows the SAFELANDER
AVIONICS SYSTEM.
Aircraft 2 is fitted to
receive GPS/GLONASS Satellite 9 signals. The
aircraft 2 has onboard a
Global Positioning System/Global
Navigation Satellite System
(GPS/GLONASS) Receiver 10 to accept
3-dimensional (Latitude,
Longitude and Altitude) position
data as well as 3-dimensional
(North/South, East/West and
Vertical) velocity data. Aircraft
2 also has a
plurality of monitored
performance and control flight
signals going to the aircraft's
flight control unit, instrument
landing system, flight data
recorders, autopilot, etc. These
performance and control sensor
data 11 signals are sent to
a sensor multiplexer transceiver 12 for ciphered
telemetry to the ground-based
aircraft simulator 7. Since there exists
a plurality of aircraft 2, each targeted
aircraft has a unique
identification (ID). The sensor
multiplexer transceiver 12 of each
specific/unique aircraft uses its
unique ID to recognize and
utilize only the information
being specifically transmitted to
the targeted aircraft as its
designated data from the antenna 8 (in FIG. 3) of the CGBS. The
sensor multiplexer transceiver 12 is described in
U.S. Pat. No. 5,974,349 under the Detailed
Description Of The Preferred
Embodiment, FIG. 1. In U.S. Pat.
No. 5,974,349 the sensor
multiplexer transceiver 12 is labeled the
Sensor Multiplexer Receiver and
Transmitter (SMART). When an aircraft
transmits its data to the antenna
8 (in FIG. 3) of the CGBS, the
sensor multiplexer transceiver 12 of the aircraft
adds its unique aircraft
identification (ID) to the data
stream in order to enable the
CGBS to parse the data stream and
to recognize that it is from that
specific/unique aircraft. The
signals are used in the simulator
7 to duplicate
aircraft 2's environment. Also
shown is the Remote Pilot
Electronic Interface 13 that is used to
accept signals from the remote
pilot in the ground-based
simulator 7 in order to allow
for the remote piloting of
aircraft 2. It accomplishes
this by interfacing with the
Flight Control Unit (FCU),
Instrument Landing System (ILS)
and Autopilot of aircraft 2. The Remote Pilot
Electronic Interface 13 aboard aircraft 2 can be thought of
as a telemetered extension of the
Remote Pilot Secure Aircraft
Simulator 7. It takes the
actual conning actions and
commands given by the remote
pilot located in simulator 7 for conning
aircraft 2 and converts them
into the actual control and
conning commands of aircraft 2. The Remote Pilot
Electronic Interface 13 provides the
mechanism for the remote pilot to
alter the trajectory and angular
displacement of aircraft 2 just as if they
were given by the onboard pilot.
The Remote Pilot Electronic
Interface 13 provides the
electronic signals necessary for
secondary control by the remote
pilot located in simulator 7 of aircraft 2's ILS,
Autopilot/Flight Director (FD),
Autothrottle, Autobrake, Steering
Control and Landing-Gear Control.
Thus, the remote pilot simulator,
by way of telemetry, is a replica
of the cockpit of aircraft 2 since it displays
aircraft 2's actual real-time
control data via Sensor
Multiplexer Transceiver 12 and can take
real-time control of the
trajectory, attitude, braking,
throttle/trust and landing gear
of aircraft 2 via the Remote
Pilot Electronic Interface 13. When the remote
pilot takes conning control of
aircraft 2 it disables the
onboard pilot's conning function.
This condition stays in effect
until the remote pilot decides to
relinquish the conning control of
aircraft 2 back to the onboard
pilot. Thus, only a single pilot
conns aircraft 2 at any given time.
For planes
equipped with video data 14 this data is also
transmitted to the ground-based
simulator 7 for situation
awareness. Aircraft acoustic data
15 is also transmitted
from the aircraft 2 to the simulator 7. An advisory system
16 is shown situated
in the cockpit of the aircraft 2 to provide both
display and keyboard entry
communication between the
simulator 7 and the aircraft 2. Also shown in FIG.
2 is the Global Communication
Link 1 for providing
ciphered telemetry between the
aircraft 2 and the simulator 7.
|
