Identification of atypical flight patterns

US6937924B1 · kind B1 · utility

Assignee

• The United States of America as represented by the Administrator of the National Aeronautics and Space Administration · US

Inventors

• Irving C. Statler · Mountain View, US
• Thomas A. Ferryman · Richland, US
• Brett G. Amidan · Kennewick, US
• Paul D. Whitney · Richland, US
• Amanda M. White · Kennewick, US
• Alan R. Willse · Richland, US
• Scott K. Cooley · Kennewick, US
• Joseph Griffith Jay · Corvallis, US
• Robert E. Lawrence · Los Altos, US
• Chris J. Mosbrucker · Corvallis, US
• Loren J. Rosenthal · Los Gatos, US
• Robert E. Lynch · Redwood City, US
• Thomas R. Chidester · Mountain View, US
• Gary L. Prothero · Corvallis, US
• Adi Andrei · Corvallis, US
• Timothy P. Romanowski · Corvallis, US
• Daniel E. Robin · Corvallis, US
• Jason W. Prothero · Corvallis, US

Key dates

• Filing date: May 21, 2004
• Grant date: Aug 30, 2005
• Expiry date: May 21, 2024

Classification

• Technology area (CPC G): Physics
• CPC primary: G06Q50/40
• WIPO field: IT methods for management
• WIPO sector: Electrical engineering

Abstract

Method and system for analyzing aircraft data, including multiple selected flight parameters for a selected phase of a selected flight, and for determining when the selected phase of the selected flight is atypical, when compared with corresponding data for the same phase for other similar flights. A flight signature is computed using continuous-valued and discrete-valued flight parameters for the selected flight parameters and is optionally compared with a statistical distribution of other observed flight signatures, yielding atypicality scores for the same phase for other similar flights. A cluster analysis is optionally applied to the flight signatures to define an optimal collection of clusters. A level of atypicality for a selected flight is estimated, based upon an index associated with the cluster analysis.