Method and system for reducing air-to-ground data traffic communicated from an aircraft

A system comprising:

• a memory that stores instruction code;
• and
• a processor in communication with the memory, wherein the instruction code is executable by the processor to perform operations comprising:
• receiving first training data from a plurality of sensors of an aircraft over a first operating interval of the aircraft during a first flight, and second training data from the plurality of sensors of the aircraft over a second operating interval of the aircraft during a second flight;
• appending first buffer data between the first training data and the second training data to provide extended training data;
• determining whether the extended training data reaches a threshold extent of data;
• appending second buffer data to the extended training data when the extended training data is less than the threshold extent of data and repeat training data collection from the plurality of sensors of the aircraft over a third operating interval;
• based on determining that the extended training data reaches the threshold extent of data, clustering via execution of a multivariate window-based clustering algorithm to train the multivariate window-based clustering algorithm for the aircraft with training data that spans multiple flights for the aircraft, the extended training data into a plurality of data clusters associated with a plurality of operational states of the aircraft, such that values of sensor data from the plurality of sensors in the first training data and the second training data received during each operating interval are clustered according to being associated with a same operational state of the aircraft, wherein the plurality of operational states include valid operational states and invalid operational states and specifying values of the first buffer data so that the first buffer data clusters into an invalid operational state;
• subsequent to clustering, receiving operational data output from the plurality of sensors of the aircraft over a fourth operating interval;
• determining via execution of the trained multivariate window-based clustering algorithm, a particular data cluster of the plurality of data clusters to which the operational data output from the plurality of sensors belongs;
• and
• communicating via a wireless channel, data indicative of valid operational states of the aircraft associated with the particular data cluster to a control system.

A non-transitory computer-readable medium having stored thereon instruction code, wherein the instruction code is executable by a processor of a computer to perform operations comprising:

• receiving first training data from a plurality of sensors of an aircraft over a first operating interval of the aircraft during a first flight, and second training data from the plurality of sensors of the aircraft over a second operating interval of the aircraft during a second flight;
• appending first buffer data between the first training data and the second training data to provide extended training data;
• determining whether the extended training data reaches a threshold extent of data;
• appending second buffer data to the extended training data when the extended training data is less than the threshold extent of data and repeat training data collection from the plurality of sensors of the aircraft over a third operating interval;
• based on determining that the extended training data reaches the threshold extent of data, clustering via execution of a multivariate window-based clustering algorithm to train the multivariate window-based clustering algorithm for the aircraft with training data that spans multiple flights for the aircraft, the extended training data into a plurality of data clusters associated with a plurality of operational states of the aircraft, such that values of sensor data from the plurality of sensors in the first training data and the second training data received during each operating interval are clustered according to being associated with a same operational state of the aircraft, wherein the plurality of operational states include valid operational states and invalid operational states and specifying values of the first buffer data so that the first buffer data clusters into an invalid operational state;
• subsequent to clustering, receiving operational data output from the plurality of sensors of the aircraft over a fourth operating interval;
• determining via execution of the trained multivariate window-based clustering algorithm, a particular data cluster of the plurality of data clusters to which the operational data output from the plurality of sensors belongs;
• and
• communicating via a wireless channel, data indicative of valid operational states of the aircraft associated with the particular data cluster to a control system.