Abstract: A monitoring system and method are provided to monitor ground movement of aircraft driven with electric taxi drive systems and movement of ground service vehicles and equipment and personnel within airport ramp areas. Monitor and sensor devices, including those that are intelligent and employ scanning technology to generate image, positional, and other data may be mounted in locations on aircraft, ground service vehicles and equipment, passenger loading bridges, an airport terminal, and other ramp locations to generate a constant stream of data as the aircraft moves into, within, and out of an airport ramp area. The data stream is transmitted to an artificial intelligence-based processing system to identify and communicate possible safety hazards to multiple locations so that the aircraft's ground travel or a ground vehicle's travel may be altered to avoid identified safety hazards and to avoid collisions.

Abstract: An integrated pushback guidance system and method is provided for guiding pushback travel of electric taxi system-driven aircraft. The pushback guidance system may be integrated with existing ramp monitoring systems to monitor reverse pushback travel of pilot-controlled electric taxi system-driven aircraft along an optimum pushback path from a stand to a pushback end location. Visual signals relating to pushback travel safety as the pilot drives the aircraft along the pushback path are generated in real time by the system and transmitted to a range of display devices viewable by the aircraft pilot and airport personnel responsible for guiding aircraft pushback. The pilot may be guided by visual signals on only display devices or with guidance from airport personnel also viewing the visual signals on display devices to drive the aircraft safely in reverse with the electric taxi system along the pushback path to the pushback end location.

Abstract: A system is provided that guides aircraft driven with landing gear wheel-mounted electric taxi drive systems without reliance on airport ground personnel to park the aircraft parallel to an airport terminal with connections to multiple passenger loading bridges, automatically docks the aircraft, and connects the multiple loading bridges to multiple forward and rear doors. Cooperative on-aircraft monitoring systems, airport docking systems, loading bridge and terminal monitoring systems, and processors are integrated to use real time information and guide the aircraft to safely maneuver into and automatically dock in a parallel orientation at a parking location with multiple aircraft forward and rear doors connected to multiple loading bridges. The system may automatically undock the aircraft and retract the loading bridges and guide the electric taxi drive system-driven aircraft out of the parking location without reliance on airport ground personnel.

Abstract: A system and method are provided that direct a real time global view with images of an aircraft's entire exterior environment from an external monitoring system located on an aircraft equipped with landing gear wheel-mounted electric taxi drive systems powering ground travel to an integrated head-up display worn by a pilot driving the aircraft with the electric taxi drive systems within an airport ramp area. The real time global view and images produced by the monitoring system are communicated to the integrated head-up display in the form of an actual picture of the ramp area environment exterior to the aircraft viewable by the pilot with the head-up display in real time as the pilot maneuvers the aircraft within the ramp area with the electric taxi systems. The pilot can change the images viewed in the head-up display by changing head position.

Abstract: A monitoring system and method are provided for real time monitoring of flaps, landing gears, or tail skids to determine safe taxi, takeoff, and flight readiness. Monitoring units, including scanning LiDAR devices combined with cameras or sensors, mounted in aircraft exterior locations produce a stream of meshed data that is securely transmitted to a processing system to generate a real time visual display of the flaps, landing gears, or tail skid for communication to aircraft pilots to ensure safe aircraft taxi, takeoff, and flight readiness. Actual flap position alignment with optimal flap setting, proper retraction and extension positions of landing gears, and tail skid condition is ensured. Safety of aircraft taxi, takeoff and flight and airport operations are improved when the present system and method are used to prevent incidents related to misaligned flaps and improperly positioned landing gears or tail skids.

Abstract: A method for increasing airport airside parking locations without adding infrastructure to the airport is provided. Aircraft equipped with pilot-controllable landing gear wheel-mounted electric taxi drive systems for ground travel are maneuvered forward into remote tarmac stands or non-standard parking locations with the electric taxi drive systems, turned 180 degrees through tight turns, and parked in a nose-out orientation that enables the aircraft to efficiently unload and load passengers. The electric taxi drive systems drive the departing aircraft forward out of the parking locations. Remote tarmac parking locations may be located in areas that do not interfere with arrival and departure of aircraft parking at existing terminal stands. The present method may increase aircraft parking capacity at an airport, provide better utilization of existing tarmac space at the airport, reduce requirements for ground personnel on a per-flight basis, and improve airport ground operations efficiency.

Abstract: A system and method are provided that monitors ground level ambient air in an airport ground environment while aircraft equipped with electric taxi drive systems and ground level visual monitoring assemblies are driven with the electric taxi drive systems during ground travel. Monitoring assemblies with detection elements having configurations similar to pitot tubes modified with a sensor array are provided to generate data about components in the ground level ambient air identified to adversely affect aircraft engine health. The detection elements may be cooperatively mounted with the ground level visual monitoring assemblies. Ambient air flow is directed into the detection elements to contact the sensor array during electric taxi drive system-powered ground travel. Real time data related to the identified components generated by the sensor array is processed and analyzed, engine health is monitored, and a predictive scheduled of engine maintenance may be developed from the analyzed real time data.

Abstract: A method for designing and operating aircraft nose landing gear wheel-mounted electric taxi systems to move aircraft during ground travel. Electric taxi system components are engineered and sized to produce optimal ground travel torque to move aircraft during the majority of aircraft ground travel and are operated in conjunction with the aircraft steering to turn the nose wheels to an effective angle that moves the aircraft during pushback and in breakaway situations. The nose landing gear wheels are turned to an effective angle and the electric taxi systems are operated simultaneously to get the aircraft moving. After breaking away, the aircraft is driven with electric taxi systems at the optimal ground travel torque in a forward or reverse direction with the nose wheels parallel or in a desired ground travel direction with the nose wheels steered in the desired direction of ground travel.

Abstract: An integrated monitoring system and method are provided with the capability for monitoring ground surface movements of electric taxi drive system-driven aircraft, ground vehicles and personnel, and objects within airport ramp areas. Monitoring units may include a scanning LiDAR device with and without cameras or other sensing devices to transmit meshed real time encrypted data from multiple locations to an artificial intelligence-based processing system that generates a visual display of the monitored area for communication to aircraft cockpits and locations responsible for controlling ramp operations. Monitoring units may be mounted in single or multiple exterior locations on aircraft and/or in locations on ground vehicles and equipment, ground personnel, and the airside portion of an airport terminal.

Abstract: A method for designing and operating an aircraft nose landing gear wheel-mounted electric taxi system to move aircraft with optimal torque during a broad range of ground travel conditions. Electric taxi system components may be sized to produce optimal ground travel torque to move aircraft during the majority of aircraft ground travel conditions and operated to produce a maximum or breakaway torque to move the aircraft with the electric taxi system when a higher level of torque is required. Turning the nose landing gear wheels to a selected angle or through a range of angles simultaneously as the electric taxi system is operated produces the breakaway torque required to get the aircraft moving. When lower torque is needed, the aircraft may be driven with the nose landing gear wheels parallel to the longitudinal axis to produce optimal torque for electric taxi system-powered aircraft ground travel.

Abstract: An integrated pushback guidance system and method is provided for guiding pushback travel of electric taxi system-driven aircraft. The pushback guidance system may be integrated with existing ramp monitoring systems to monitor reverse pushback travel of pilot-controlled electric taxi system-driven aircraft along an optimum pushback path from a stand to a pushback end location. Visual signals relating to pushback travel safety as the pilot drives the aircraft along the pushback path are generated in real time by the system and transmitted to a range of display devices viewable by the aircraft pilot and airport personnel responsible for guiding aircraft pushback. The pilot may be guided by visual signals on only display devices or with guidance from airport personnel also viewing the visual signals on display devices to drive the aircraft safely in reverse with the electric taxi system along the pushback path to the pushback end location.

Abstract: Catalogs that describe respective offerings for fulfillment by respective applications, are aggregated to form an aggregate catalog. A request relating to at least one of the offerings is received based on content presented from the aggregate catalog. In response to the request, an orchestrated execution of an end-to-end process is performed to fulfill the request relating to the at least one offering, the executing of the end-to-end process comprising calling at least one of the applications.

Abstract: A system and method are provided that direct a real time global view with images of an aircraft's entire exterior environment from an external monitoring system located on an aircraft equipped with landing gear wheel-mounted electric taxi drive systems powering ground travel to an integrated head-up display worn by a pilot driving the aircraft with the electric taxi drive systems within an airport ramp area. The real time global view and images produced by the monitoring system are communicated to the integrated head-up display in the form of an actual picture of the ramp area environment exterior to the aircraft viewable by the pilot with the head-up display in real time as the pilot maneuvers the aircraft within the ramp area with the electric taxi systems. The pilot can change the images viewed in the head-up display by changing head position.

Abstract: A system is provided that guides aircraft driven with landing gear wheel-mounted electric taxi drive systems without reliance on airport ground personnel to park the aircraft parallel to an airport terminal with connections to multiple passenger loading bridges, automatically docks the aircraft, and connects the multiple loading bridges to multiple forward and rear doors. Cooperative on-aircraft monitoring systems, airport docking systems, loading bridge and terminal monitoring systems, and processors are integrated to use real time information and guide the aircraft to safely maneuver into and automatically dock in a parallel orientation at a parking location with multiple aircraft forward and rear doors connected to multiple loading bridges. The system may automatically undock the aircraft and retract the loading bridges and guide the electric taxi drive system-driven aircraft out of the parking location without reliance on airport ground personnel.

Abstract: An improved ground collision avoidance system and method is provided for aircraft driven during ground operations by electric taxi drive systems. One or more monitoring devices employing scanning LiDAR technology may be mounted in exterior locations on or near aircraft landing gears or aerodynamically in locations on the aircraft fuselage selected to generate panoramic three-dimensional images from any point of view within or without the aircraft as the aircraft is driven independently within an airport ramp area. The point of view images are transmitted in real time to displays in the aircraft cockpit and may be transmitted to displays outside and remote from the aircraft, allowing the pilot and airport personnel to monitor the aircraft moving within the ramp environment and to respond quickly to control the aircraft's electric taxi drive system-powered ground travel to avoid and prevent a potential collision.

Abstract: A cockpit control system and method for efficiently controlling ground travel in an aircraft equipped with engine-free electric taxi drive systems are provided. The cockpit control system is configured with a display that provides a maximum amount of information during aircraft ground movement with a minimal amount of input from and distraction to pilots or cockpit crew to facilitate essentially hands free operation and control of aircraft ground travel. System test and drive procedures ensure safe aircraft ground travel with the engine-free electric taxi system. Constant pilot hand or other input is not required to achieve safe and maximally efficient aircraft ground travel powered by the aircraft's engine-free electric taxi drive systems or, under selected defined conditions, by the aircraft's engines to achieve this maximum efficiency. The system may further be designed to be uninterruptible by unauthorized persons.

Abstract: A training system and method for operating aircraft equipped with non-engine drive means during independent ground travel is provided. The system and method of the present invention is designed specifically to train pilots, ground personnel, and air traffic control to move an aircraft safely and efficiently on the ground during taxi and pushback using the aircraft's non-engine drive means to propel the aircraft independently during ground travel. Simulations and procedures for training pilots and ramp personnel in the conduct of pushback operations and forward taxi with an aircraft equipped with non-engine drive means are also provided.

Abstract: A system is provided for maximizing efficient ground travel in wide-body and other aircraft equipped with onboard non-engine drive means for autonomous ground travel. Selective operation of the non-engine drive means and selective operation of the aircraft's engines are integrated to power aircraft movement when different ground travel speeds are required between landing and takeoff, optimizing savings and maximizing the cost/benefit ratio for equipping the aircraft with a non-engine drive means. The non-engine drive means may be designed to move a wide-body aircraft at low speeds required for ground maneuvers in a ramp area and to move the aircraft at speeds typically used for pushback, initial forward roll, all start-stop situations, and other low speed ground travel. One or more of the aircraft's engines may be operated to move the aircraft at higher airport taxi speeds.

Abstract: A monitoring system and method are provided for real time monitoring of flaps, landing gears, or tail skids to determine safe taxi, takeoff, and flight readiness. Monitoring units, including scanning LiDAR devices combined with cameras or sensors, mounted in aircraft exterior locations produce a stream of meshed data that is securely transmitted to a processing system to generate a real time visual display of the flaps, landing gears, or tail skid for communication to aircraft pilots to ensure safe aircraft taxi, takeoff, and flight readiness. Actual flap position alignment with optimal flap setting, proper retraction and extension positions of landing gears, and tail skid condition is ensured. Safety of aircraft taxi, takeoff and flight and airport operations are improved when the present system and method are used to prevent incidents related to misaligned flaps and improperly positioned landing gears or tail skids.

Abstract: A method is provided that enhances wheel drive assembly acceleration, heat reduction, and energy efficiency performance during ground travel in aircraft equipped with landing gear wheel-mounted drive assemblies to move aircraft on the ground without reliance on the aircraft's engines or external tow vehicles. Inflation pressure levels of tyres on the landing gear wheels are monitored with pressure and/or temperature sensors to determine and maintain an optimum defined high inflation pressure level for the specific kind of aircraft tyre or the aircraft. A clutch-activated drive assembly may be prevented from transferring torque and driving the aircraft when the optimum high inflation pressure levels are not present in the tyres during ground travel. Tyre pressures may be manually or automatically adjusted in response to processed sensor information to maintain the optimum high inflation pressure level in all tyres as the aircraft is driven with the drive assemblies or with engine thrust.