Abstract: Systems and methods are provided for water management onboard an aircraft. The water management systems include one or more storage devices onboard the aircraft, an outlet configured for rejecting water from the aircraft to an environment exterior to the aircraft, and a controller configured to, by one or more processors: receive aircraft data indicative of operating parameters of the aircraft and , optionally, environmental parameters exterior to the aircraft, determine, based on the aircraft data and one or more water management parameters, a volume of water to be rejected via the outlet, and reject the volume of water from the outlet.

Abstract: A system and method to detect the positioning of a person relative to a seat includes an image sensor and a processing system. The image sensor is directed toward the seat and is configured to capture images of the person and the seat and to supply image data indicative of the captured images. The processing system is in operable communication with the image sensor and is configured to receive and process the image data to determine when the person is not in a first position by determining that the image sensor is not focused on the person for a first predetermined time period, based on which of a plurality of objects on the seat are visible in the captured images, and/or by variations in the illumination pattern emitted onto the person.

Abstract: In one embodiment, a system to enhance in-flight controlled rest for a flight crew includes a pilot user interface, a co-pilot user interface, and a flight crew monitoring system. The flight crew monitoring system is configured to: (i) determine a physiological state of both a pilot and a co-pilot, (ii) selectively generate one or more alerts for the pilot and/or the co-pilot based on the determined physiological state, (iii) inhibit generating the one or more alerts for the pilot upon receipt of a first inhibit signal from the pilot user interface, (iv) inhibit generating the one or more alerts for the co-pilot upon receipt of a second inhibit signal from the co-pilot user interface, and (v) generate and store data indicating a time of day and a duration that the one or more alerts for the pilot or co-pilot, respectively, were inhibited.

Abstract: A system and method of waking a person includes receiving, in a processing system, stimuli configuration data that is indicative of all available waking stimuli available for use. Sleep state data that is indicative of a current sleep state of the person is received in the processing system. The stimuli configuration data and the sleep state data are processed, in the processing system, to determine (i) a set of the available stimuli to use to awaken the person and (ii) a sequence of activation of the set available stimuli to use. The set of available stimuli are selectively activated, via the processing system, in the determined sequence of activation.

Abstract: An ADS-B traffic filter to remove ADS-B positional messages or tracks with unstable ADS-B data or anomalies. The anomaly in ADS-B data can be caused by own ship ADS-B data processing and by errors in ADS-B OUT messages, such as positional outliers, ADS-B OUT parameters gaps, frozen data, walking track when stopped and other issues within ADS-B OUT messages. The ADS-B traffic filter of this disclosure may remove erroneous ADS-B targets from computation input delivered to a traffic collision warning systems in locations where high horizontal position accuracy is desirable such as ground operations. The filter may validate positions decoded from received ADS-B OUT messages, and data history of targets, to independent signal components from ADS-B broadcast (e.g., position and ground speed data), as well as compare the reported position with a reasonability bound provided by local runway or airport geometry data.

Abstract: An ADS-B traffic filter to remove ADS-B positional messages or tracks with unstable ADS-B data or anomalies. The anomaly in ADS-B data can be caused by own ship ADS-B data processing and by errors in ADS-B OUT messages, such as positional outliers, ADS-B OUT parameters gaps, frozen data, walking track when stopped and other issues encoded within ADS-B OUT messages. The ADS-B traffic filter of this disclosure may remove erroneous ADS-B targets from computation input delivered to a traffic collision warning systems in locations where high horizontal position accuracy is desirable such as ground operations. The filter may validate and compare positions decoded from received ADS-B OUT messages, and short duration data history of targets, to independent signal components from ADS-B broadcast (e.g., position and ground speed data), as well as compare the reported position with a reasonability bound provided by local runway or airport geometry data.

Abstract: In one embodiment, a system to enhance in-flight controlled rest for a flight crew includes a pilot user interface, a co-pilot user interface, and a flight crew monitoring system. The flight crew monitoring system is configured to: (i) determine a physiological state of both a pilot and a co-pilot, (ii) selectively generate one or more alerts for the pilot and/or the co-pilot based on the determined physiological state, (iii) inhibit generating the one or more alerts for the pilot upon receipt of a first inhibit signal from the pilot user interface, (iv) inhibit generating the one or more alerts for the co-pilot upon receipt of a second inhibit signal from the co-pilot user interface, and (v) generate and store data indicating a time of day and a duration that the one or more alerts for the pilot or co-pilot, respectively, were inhibited.

Abstract: A communication system for automatically choosing a communication modality from a plurality of communication modalities for use for communication between distant communication entities is provided. The communication system includes a controller configured to: receive a message in the form of one of a first plurality of modalities from a message originator for transmission to a message recipient and select at least one modality for sending the message to the message recipient. To select the controller is configured to: determine the existence of any predetermined vehicle context requirements, predetermined static requirements, predetermined communication service provider requirements, communication context requirements, message recipient preferences, and message originator preferences; and make the selection based on those requirements and preferences. The controller is further configured to convert the received message to the selected modality and cause the message to be transmitted to the message recipient.

Abstract: A communication system for automatically choosing a communication modality from a plurality of communication modalities for use for communication between distant communication entities is provided. The communication system includes a controller configured to: receive a message in the form of one of a first plurality of modalities from a message originator for transmission to a message recipient and select at least one modality for sending the message to the message recipient. To select the controller is configured to: determine the existence of any predetermined vehicle context requirements, predetermined static requirements, predetermined communication service provider requirements, communication context requirements, message recipient preferences, and message originator preferences; and make the selection based on those requirements and preferences. The controller is further configured to convert the received message to the selected modality and cause the message to be transmitted to the message recipient.

Abstract: A communications system is provided. The communications system comprises: at least one wideband remote radio system each of which is configured to be coupled to at least one antenna; a baseband system coupled to each of the at least one wideband remote radio system; wherein at least one wideband remote radio system and the baseband system are in different locations of a vehicle; wherein the baseband system comprises a datalink communications management system and an audio processing system; and wherein the at least one wideband radio baseband system is coupled to the audio processing system and the datalink communications management system.

Abstract: A communications system is provided. The communications system comprises: at least one wideband remote radio system each of which is configured to be coupled to at least one antenna; a baseband system coupled to each of the at least one wideband remote radio system; wherein at least one wideband remote radio system and the baseband system are in different locations of a vehicle; wherein the baseband system comprises a datalink communications management system and an audio processing system; and wherein the at least one wideband radio baseband system is coupled to the audio processing system and the datalink communications management system.

Abstract: Methods and systems are provided for enhancing the functionality of an airborne separation assurance system (ASAS) by modifying it to cooperate with a required time of arrival (RTA) functionality. The system comprises an autopilot configured to execute a trajectory of an aircraft and a flight management system (FMS) in operable communication with the autopilot. The FMS includes a required time of arrival (RTA) system that is configured to determine an RTA aircraft trajectory of the aircraft based on a required time of arrival of the aircraft at a waypoint along the flight plan. The system also includes an airborne separation assurance system (ASAS) in operable communication with the RTA and is configured to determine a spacing trajectory based on a spacing interval from a first reference aircraft.

Abstract: Methods and systems are provided for executing a single continuous altitude change by an aircraft to cruise altitude using an electronic flight bag via a flight management system. The method comprises the determination of an altitude change in a flight plan during the cruise phase of the flight plan. Based on the altitude change and a mathematical model of the aircraft an optimum vertical trajectory profile or the aircraft is determined from which an angle of attack (AOA) and a thrust is derived to achieve the optimum vertical trajectory. From the AOA and the thrust, the required aircraft control variables are determined that may be applied to the engines and the control surface actuators of the aircraft.

Abstract: Methods and systems are provided for enhancing the functionality of an airborne separation assurance system (ASAS) by modifying it to cooperate with a required time of arrival (RTA) functionality. The system comprises an autopilot configured to execute a trajectory of an aircraft and a flight management system (FMS) in operable communication with the autopilot. The FMS includes a required time of arrival (RTA) system that is configured to determine an RTA aircraft trajectory of the aircraft based on a required time of arrival of the aircraft at a waypoint along the flight plan. The system also includes an airborne separation assurance system (ASAS) in operable communication with the RTA and is configured to determine a spacing trajectory based on a spacing interval from a first reference aircraft.