CG: n
CT: Aviation is set to become even safer thanks to real-time data transmission from black box flight recorders.
In the 1960s, the black box—an Australian invention—became mandated on all commercial aircraft. It consists of two parts—the flight data recorder and a cockpit voice recorder—but one of the problems with black boxes is that they are physically on the aircraft—if the plane is lost so too is the data.
Aerospace conglomerates Honeywell International and Curtiss-Wright are collaborating to create a new kind of black box for aeroplanes that will increase data storage and, for the first time ever, use satellite connectivity that would allow for immediate, remote retrieval of plane crash data, the two companies announced recently.
‘The new recorders would serve as a “Black Box in the Sky”,’ the companies said in joint press releases. The owners, operators and manufacturers would have the option to access the data at all times, resulting in the potential for better maintenance predictability and operational insight through data analytics. In addition, in the event of an emergency, the data on board would be quickly accessible to investigators.
S: FS – https://www.flightsafetyaustralia.com/2019/02/reinventing-the-black-box/ (last access: 11 December 2020)
N: 1. – black box (n): 1947, RAF slang for “navigational instruments;” later extended to any sort of apparatus that operates in a sealed container. Especially of flight recorders from c. 1964.
2. Flight Instruments and Equipment (Aeroindustry) / Air Safety: Any type of recorder installed in the aircraft for the purpose of complementing accident/incident investigation. [Definition officially approved by ICA]. Synonym for “black box” in these fields: flight recorder or flight-recorder.
– black box: term reproduced from the CAPITAL Business Dictionary with the permission of LID Editorial Empresarial.
– flight recorder: term standardized by the Glossary for Pilots and Air Traffic Services Personnel Committee and officially approved by the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO).
3. Sciences – General / Engineering: A device, process or system whose inputs and outputs are known, but whose internal reasoning or working is not well understood …
Sometimes, the internal reasoning or working of a device, process or system is protected as a proprietary trade secret. Synonym for “black box” in these fields: opaque box.
4. Recording and Control Instrumentation / Safety Equipment (Motor Vehicles and Bicycles) / Driving (Road Vehicles): Other modules in your vehicle, event data recorders (EDR), are capable of collecting and storing data during a crash or near crash event. The recorded information may assist in the investigation of such an event. The modules may record information about both the vehicle and the occupants, potentially including information such as: how various systems in your vehicle were operating; whether or not the driver and passenger seatbelts were buckled; how far (if at all) the driver was depressing the accelerator and/or the brake pedal; how fast the vehicle was traveling; and where the driver was positioning the steering wheel. Synonyms for “black box” in these fields: event data recorder, EDR, crash data recorder.
5. Telecommunications / Television (Radioelectricity) / Electronic Hoisting and Lifting: Integrated receiver decoder (IRD) that has been modified to receive satellite DTH signals without proper authorization. Synonym for “black box” in these fields: black cipher.
Sometimes used to identify a “chipped decoder”.
6. Life Cycle (Informatics): In information systems, specialised equipment enabling code conversion. Mainly used in the past to convert communication protocols.
– Contrast with glass box.
– black box: term and definition reproduced from the CAPITAL Business Dictionary with the permission of LID Editorial Empresarial.
S: 1. OED – https://www.etymonline.com/search?q=black+box (last access: 11 December 2020). 2 to 6. TERMIUM PLUS – https://www.btb.termiumplus.gc.ca/tpv2alpha/alpha-eng.html?lang=eng&i=1&srchtxt=black+box&codom2nd_wet=1#resultrecs (last access: 11 December 2020).
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CR: artificial intelligence, computational intelligence, intelligent system.
