CN101082968A - Electronic Tech Journal - Google Patents

Abstract

The invention relates to a system, a method and a computer program for recording aircraft technical events. The server unit is adapted to store and output data relating to aircraft technical matters. The client unit sends 32 an access request to the server which receives and processes 72 the request, allows access to the data 74 and limits the addition and modification processes to the data to one client unit at a time. For use on board the aircraft during flight testing, a snapshot of the data may be transferred 78 to the mobile computer, while the data on the server unit is limited to read-only 80. After flight testing, the modified data is passed back to the server unit 24 and the read-only restrictions are removed 84.

Description

Electronic Tech Journal

technical field

The invention relates to a system, method and computer program for recording aircraft technical matters.

Background technique

The technical log is required during testing of the aircraft starting from the final assembly line work and ending with delivery to the customer. During this "flight line phase" all technical matters and their resolutions must be recorded in a technical logbook, checked by the quality department when they have been properly executed and accepted by the crew members. The technical log is always near the aircraft and on board when the aircraft is flying. Usually the technical log is a paper book type document and must be unique for each aircraft.

The main disadvantage of using a paper log is the effort required for flight test or development engineers to access the log, the engineers need to consult the log, and the log needs to be near the aircraft. No one other than the crew has access to the log during and shortly after the flight. Also, since various people write logs under normal circumstances, it can be difficult to read all these entries. There is thus a need for a new technical log to overcome the problems discussed above.

Contents of the invention

It is therefore an object of the present invention to provide a system, a method and a computer program for recording aircraft technical matters, which always enable easy access to the recorded data, while still not allowing more than one person at the same time to modify.

Another object of the present invention is to provide a system, method and computer program for recording aircraft technical matters, limiting access to said data to different groups of people. Since often many engineers or test crew members need access only to specific data concerning technical matters, for example only aircraft engine data, it is advantageous to adapt each user's access to the user's needs.

The present invention advantageously fulfills the above needs as well as others by providing a system for recording technical matters, while improving accessibility, usability and readability. This object is achieved by a system for recording technical matters of an aircraft, wherein said system comprises:

at least one server unit;

at least one client unit;

wherein said at least one server unit is adapted to store and output data relating to technical matters of at least one aircraft;

wherein said at least one client unit is adapted to send an access request to said at least one server unit to access and process said data;

wherein said at least one server unit is adapted to receive and process said access request from said at least one client unit;

wherein said at least one server unit is adapted to grant access to said data; and

Wherein said at least one server unit is adapted to limit the processing of adding and modifying data for each specific aircraft to one client unit at a time.

The server unit stores all technical matters input through the client unit, and can output data upon request. This makes journaling easy when compared to paper journals. The user can use a simple interface on the client unit like a workstation, which can provide assistance for the necessary items. Every other user can access this information, for example through their personal workstations. In the event that a user is modifying data concerning technical matters of the aircraft, other users are prohibited from modifying the same data at the same time. This then leads to a system that has the same modification restrictions as a paper log, but allows access to older data and can lead to justification of the system as a replacement for the usual paper log.

Preferably, the server is adapted to transfer a snapshot of data relating to the aircraft to the client unit for modification during flight testing. This enables flight test crew members to use logs during testing, which are presented by an application on an on-board client unit, which can access and modify raw data snapshots.

It is also preferred that the server unit is adapted to receive from the client unit a snapshot of modifications of the data relating to the aircraft after flight test use. After said snapshot has been modified during testing, in order to implement changes to the original data on the server unit, this modified snapshot must be passed to the server unit, replacing the original data, or replacing parts of the original data.

More preferably, the system according to the invention is adapted to restrict access to the data after a snapshot of the data has been transferred to the client unit and before the snapshot has been transferred back to the server unit after the flight test. is read-only. In this way, parallel modifications are avoided.

Also, the client unit is preferably a mobile computer, which allows flight test crews to easily carry the client unit on and off the aircraft.

In a preferred embodiment, said client unit is a workstation dedicated to a workplace or an office workplace for a flight test line for a particular aircraft. A dedicated workstation can be used solely for (delivery) flight line purposes, while a standard workstation located at an office workplace enables eg a research and development engineer to access logs from his office without having to find and copy paper based logs.

Preferably, said server unit is adapted to restrict access to said data according to user permissions. User permissions may be set according to user needs, employee qualifications and responsibilities, and/or company internal disclosure policies.

The object of the invention is also achieved by a method for recording technical matters for an aircraft, said method comprising the following steps:

sending an access request from a client unit to said server unit to access and process data related to technical matters of at least one aircraft;

receiving and processing, by said server unit, an access request from said client unit;

The process of adding and modifying data for each specific aircraft is limited by the server unit to one client unit at a time.

Preferably, a data set for storing information on technical matters of the aircraft is created in said at least one server unit at the beginning of a flight test procedure and said data set is closed after completion of said flight test procedure.

Preferably, said requested data is a snapshot of data relating to said technical matter, said server unit setting said data set as read-only after sending it to the client unit, which was acquired during the flight test The client unit modifies the data and sends the modified data back to the server unit, which removes the read-only status from the data set.

The purpose of the present invention is also achieved by a computer program for recording the technical matters of the aircraft, when the computer program is run on the computer, it is used to implement the steps of the above method, including:

first program code means for sending access requests from at least one client unit to said server unit to access and process data relating to technical matters of at least one aircraft;

second program code means for receiving and processing, by said server unit, an access request from said client unit;

third program code means for granting access to said data;

Fourth program code means for restricting, by said at least one server unit, the processing of adding and modifying data for each particular aircraft to one client unit at a time.

Preferably, said computer program is adapted to implement one or several of the above-mentioned preferred method steps and embodiments in order to facilitate the planning and control of the transport of objects according to the invention.

Description of drawings

The present invention is illustrated by way of example, without limitation, in the accompanying drawings, wherein like reference numerals indicate similar elements, wherein:

Fig. 1 schematically shows the overall technical framework according to the system of the present invention;

FIG. 2 schematically shows a method according to the invention for recording technical matters of an aircraft (with a view to flight tests).

Fig. 3 schematically shows a method for accessing a log through a workstation.

Figure 4 shows the overall project process (item process); and

FIG. 5 shows a method for recording aircraft technical matters in a block diagram.

Detailed ways

According to the invention, the illustrated embodiment provides means for efficiently recording technical matters of the aircraft during the flight line phase, while improving the accessibility and readability of the data, thus maximizing usability. Below, systems, methods and computer programs are also referred to as "digital technical logs" or "electronic logs".

It would be advantageous to have a digital technical logbook for use during the flight line phase prior to delivery of the aircraft to the customer with maximum availability to the personnel involved. In order to achieve a system for providing digital technical logs while complying with aviation agency requirements that still involve paper logs, it is necessary to develop a system that maintains ease of use compared to paper-based logs for each logbook. Each aircraft provides a unique log.

Figure 1 shows a schematic diagram of a system according to the invention. Shown is Server 2, on which the database application is installed and running. The server 2 is attached to a network 4 through which the server is accessible. The network can be implemented using the TCP/IP network protocol commonly used in a wide variety of applications.

The dedicated workstation 6 is set directly in the vicinity of the aircraft under test. Each of these workstations is dedicated to applications that access the electronic logbook of only one aircraft. They are mainly used to create and answer items that occur. These dedicated workstations are used, for example, by personnel responsible for the aircraft and the flight-line phase of the aircraft (eg, manufacturing, design, quality assurance, flight test engineers).

Within the scope of this disclosure, a workstation may generally be considered a client computer or client unit. They run software providing a user interface in a customized or customizable form allowing the user to enter data concerning technical matters in the aircraft, thereby communicating with the server 2 via the network 4 .

In the event that flight test engineers who are not in direct proximity to the aircraft need to consult the aircraft's electronic logbook, they must be able to access the logbook from their usual workspace. Furthermore, it is also necessary for other personnel to have access to the logs also if they want to view the various electronic logs for items that are considered permanently occurring, for example during the development process of a new aircraft. Therefore, they must be able to connect to the server 2 via the network 4 via their standard workstations 8 . These standard workstations are located in the user's office and are primarily used for reviewing technical logs. Modifications to the log will be authorized based only on the user profile. It seems useful to restrict access to log read only/review mode for all personnel not in charge of the vehicle and its flight line phase so that they cannot create and/or answer entries.

For the connection of dedicated workstations 6 and standard workstations 8 to the server 2, it may be useful to differentiate the moment of user authentication. Due to the possible number of flight test engineers and crews in the vicinity of the aircraft, dedicated workstations 6 can authenticate each user "after the fact". This means that on dedicated workstations, users are always identified when modifying and saving data. At standard workstations, it is useful to authenticate users in advance, since each standard workstation usually belongs to only one user, who can be authenticated before entering the electronic log and not after each data processing.

It is necessary and required by aviation agencies for flight test engineers to use technical logs onboard during flight testing. This can be accomplished using a notebook computer 10 on which a snapshot of the electronic journal data is downloaded. This means that the entire database content for the particular aircraft to be flight tested will be stored on the notebook computer 10 running the software that accesses the snapshot. During the flight, the aircraft test engineer can enter into the notebook 10 all technical matters that occur during the flight, just like a paper-based notebook. After the flight test is terminated, the notebook 10 will be hooked up to the network 4 to upload a snapshot of the revised technical log onto the server 2 .

As explained further below, it is mandatory to prevent modification of the technical logbook when it is used on the notebook 10 during flight testing. The standard paper-based logbook onboard during flight testing also cannot be modified by anyone on the ground. With the present invention, it is still possible for both dedicated workstations 6 and standard workstations 8 to access all the data on the server 2, like browsing a paper copy of a paper based journal. That way, all test and development engineers on the ground can always look at a particular log without much effort.

FIG. 2 shows the functional architecture of the system according to the invention and focuses mainly on the integration of the notebook computer 10 for carrying out the documentation of technical matters during flight tests.

At the beginning of the flight test operation period within the final assembly line, a technical log is created in the server 2, as indicated by reference 12 . This means using a database application to create a dataset with several tables to store and classify data. Each logo is specific to only one aircraft, represented by a manufacturing serial number (MSN) or the like. For each aircraft, there must be a single and unique log. The technical log is instantly "open" in order to enable users to record technical matters in it14.

The technical logbook in the server 2 can be used by a dedicated workstation 6, a standard workstation 8 and a notebook computer 10 for use in flight. Here, Figure 2 looks at aspect usage during flight.

For flight testing, logs must be obtained onboard. This is accomplished by downloading the data set for the aircraft under test 16 from the server 2 onto the notebook computer 10 while it is in an “unlocked” state 18 . In parallel, the logs for the aircraft must be locked in the server 2 while the aircraft is in flight in order to prevent parallel entry on the ground. During flight, if the log is "locked", only read/review access will be allowed. To this end, a "locked" file flag, database flag, etc. is set within the server 2, which is checked by the server 2 upon request for data pertaining to each aircraft. The notebook computer 10 now has a snapshot 22 representing the data set of the log for use on-board. During the flight, the flight crew can access the logbook locally on the notebook computer 10, just like a paper-based logbook.

After the flight test is completed, the data from the notebook computer 10 will be transmitted back to the server 2 through the network (see FIG. 1 ). Snapshots saved and modified locally on the laptop will be deleted after the transfer is complete24. Since the server 2 now has all relevant and recent data for the aircraft under test, and since the modification has now been completed, the relevant log can be set "unlocked" (open) 26 again. The logs are ready for full access 28 again.

Logs for a particular aircraft will be closed 30 after all flight testing, technical acceptance is complete, and shortly before or after delivery of the aircraft to the customer.

Logs are read-accessible every time. Log viewing does not depend on the state of the aircraft. Modification access is only possible when the server 2 determines the "open/unlocked" status 18 .

How a workstation 6 , 8 gains access to a particular log on the server 2 is shown in FIG. 3 . The workstations 6, 8 send 32 to the server 2 a request to access the log. The server 2 receives the request and determines 18 whether this particular log is in a "locked" or "closed" state. If the logbook is locked or closed eg because "in flight" (see Fig. 2), it can only be consulted, not modified 34 . With logging turned on 26, the server 2 further determines what permissions 36 the user submitting the request has.

An administrator can give different user profiles, each with certain permissions. All personnel not in charge of the aircraft should only have read-only/view access 38 , while full access 40 should be enabled to the constituent personnel in charge of the flight line. In addition, it is possible to enable third parties, such as engine manufacturers, etc. to view the logs, but to filter the information 42 according to the corresponding ATA section or other criteria. Additional user rights 44 may be adjusted by the administrator by adding or modifying profiles, different groups and reference tables.

Recording technical matters into the electronic journal includes creating an entry for each technical matter in the electronic journal. Figure 4 illustrates the interaction of test crew members and items.

First, if a technical matter occurs, a so-called item is created, which represents this technical matter. Each item can have a different status depending on the process of resolving the related matter. The status of an item can be "created", "in progress", "completed", "flagged", "on hold" or "closed", and all items must be closed and checked by quality assurance personnel at the end of aircraft flight testing. The crew member then has all answers verified for all items.

When a project has been created 46, a job description for the project is necessary. Optionally, corrective action to be taken may be specified, but not mandatory. To assist the user in providing the correct data, job cards or pre-formatted text according to the Air Transport Association (ATA) chapters are available. The item may go from the "Created" state to the "In Progress" 48 state by a crew member acknowledgment or a first answer 50 to the item. Alternatively, the status of the item may be set to "on hold" 52, which means that the crew temporarily closes the item for flight clearance.

Items in progress 48 reach a status of "Complete" 54 once the work related to the job description is completed. It is also possible to reach the "marked" state 56 by performing final marking 58 directly. Alternatively, if items such as in-progress 48 are temporarily closed and not critical to the flight, but are time-consuming, they reach a "hold" status.

By marking 60 items 54 as “done”, they also reach the status “marked” 56 . If marking is not yet possible, the "done" item 54 can still be set to "keep" 38 .

A "flagged" item 56 can reach a final state "closed" 62 only through the crew member's acceptance 64 of the item's answer. For resolved projects, it is mandatory to provide means of signature for the documentation of the Technical Acceptance, which leads to the final Technical Acceptance Completion (TAC). Furthermore, it is possible to set the “marked” item 56 to “hold” 52 or to return to the state “created” 46 by rejecting 66 a crew member. Items that are still in the "on hold" state 52 prevent reaching the state "closed" 62 . By executing an automatic report 68 , the “Hold” item 52 may return to the state “Created” 46 .

By this means, a large variety of technical matters that occur when projects are created, resolved and closed can be accounted for and help improve the electronic journal provided by the system, method and computer program according to the present invention availability. Second, various tools can be provided to further improve the usability of the electronic technical logbook. For example, these may include tools for aircraft inspection reports, customer acceptance, stage preparation tools, transfer of data for technical logs between different facilities at the aircraft manufacturing company, and tools for technical log reviews.

Finally, FIG. 5 shows the steps of the method for recording aircraft technical matters. First the database 70 is created. The client unit sends 32 an access request to the server unit 2, which receives and processes 72 the request. The server unit 2 allows access 74 to the data and restricts add and modify access 76 according to user permissions. In case the flight test requires a log, the server 2 sends 78 a snapshot of the data to the requesting client unit and further sets the data as read-only 80 on the server unit 2 . On the client unit, preferably the mobile computer 10, changes to the data are committed. After the flight test, the modified data is passed back 24 to the server unit 2 and the read-only status is removed 84 . After the flight line phase is over, the data set and thus the electronic log will be closed 86 .

Although the system, method and computer program according to the present invention have been described using an embodiment of an electronic logbook for flight testing, the present invention is not limited thereto. It is possible to use the log for a large variety of applications requiring documentation of technical matters, such as medical devices, power equipment and motor vehicles, among others.

Claims (11)

1. system that is used for the technology item of record-setting flight device, described system comprises:

At least one server unit (2);

At least one client unit (6,8,10);

Wherein said at least one server unit (2) is suitable for storing and exporting the data of the technology item that relates at least one aircraft;

Wherein said at least one client unit (6,8,10) be suitable for sending a request of access to described at least one server unit (2) with the visit and processing said data;

Wherein said at least one server unit (2) is suitable for receiving and handle the described request of access from described at least one client unit (6,8,10);

Wherein said at least one server unit (2) is suitable for allowing the visit to described data; And

To or revise to handle to the increase of the data that are used for each given aircraft and be limited at one time on the client unit (6,8,10).

2. the system of claim 1, the snapshot that wherein said server (2) is suitable for will be referred to the data of aircraft is passed to the modification during client unit (6,8,10) is used for test flight.

3. the system of claim 2, wherein said server unit (2) is suitable for being received in from client unit (6,8,10) snapshot of the modification of the data that relate to aircraft of test flight after using.

4. claim 2 or 3 system, wherein said server unit (2) is suitable for being passed to client unit (6 at the snapshot of described data, 8,10) described snapshot has been transmitted back described server unit (2) before afterwards and behind test flight, will be read-only to the restrict access of described data.

5. any one system in the aforementioned claim, wherein said client unit are mobile computer (10).

6. any one system in the aforementioned claim, wherein said client unit (6,8,10) is workstation (6,8), it is exclusively used in the workplace or the office work place of the test flight line that is used for given aircraft.

7. any one system in the aforementioned claim, wherein said server (2) is suitable for according to the visit of user's license restrictions to described data.

8. method that is used for the technology item of record-setting flight device, described method comprises the steps:

Send a request of access (32) relates to the technology item of at least one aircraft with visit and processing data from client unit (6,8,10) to described server unit;

Receive and handle request of access (72) by described server unit (2) from described client unit (6,8,10);

Permission is to the visit (74) of described data; And

To or revise to handle to the increase of the data that are used for each given aircraft by described server unit (2) and be limited in a client unit (76) at one time.

9. the method for claim 8,

Wherein in described at least one server unit (2), create the data set (70) that is used to store about the information of the technology item of aircraft in the beginning of test flight program; And

Wherein described data set is closed (86) after finishing described test flight program.

10. the method for one of claim 8-9,

The data of wherein said request relate to the snapshot (78) of the data of described technology item;

Wherein the described data set of described at least one server unit (2) is set to read-only (80) after sending to described at least one client unit (6,8,10);

Wherein said at least one client unit (6,8,10) is revised described data (82) during test flight;

Wherein said at least one client unit (6,8,10) is beamed back described server unit (2) (24) with the data of described modification;

Wherein said at least one server unit (2) removes a read states (84) from described data set.

11. a computer program that is used for the technology item of record-setting flight device is used for implementing step as claimed in claim 8 when described computer program moves on computers, comprising:

First program code devices is used for sending a request of access relates to the technology item of at least one aircraft with visit and processing data from client unit to described server unit (2);

Second program code devices is used for receiving and handle request of access from described client unit (6,8,10) by described server unit (2);

The 3rd program code devices is used to permit the visit to described data;

Quadruple pass preface code device is used for will and being revised to handle to the increase of the data that are used for each given aircraft by described server unit (2) being limited at one time on the client unit (6,8,10).

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