Efficient event-triggered reporting system

1. A method of communicating event-triggered information, the method comprising:

monitoring for events with one or more sensors on a vehicle;

generating an event-triggered report when a predefined event condition is monitored;

storing the event-triggered report in a buffer of the vehicle;

generating a summary indicator signal comprising a summary of event-triggered reports currently stored in the buffer, the summary indicator signal indicating at least the number and types of event-triggered reports that are then currently stored in the buffer;

transmitting the summary indicator signal from the vehicle to a base station;

receiving a request signal from the base station requesting only select needed event-triggered reports stored in the buffer of the vehicle based on the summary indicator signal; and

in response to the request signal, transmitting only the requested select event-triggered reports stored in the buffer of the vehicle to the base station.

2. The method of claim 1 , further comprising:

generating the summary indicator signal upon detecting a predetermined summary signal condition, the predetermined summary signal condition being at least one of a detected threshold relating to the number of event-triggered reports stored in the buffer, a detected threshold relating to the number of specific type of event-triggered reports stored in the buffer and a detected specific type of event-triggered report stored in the buffer.

3. The method of claim 1 , wherein the summary indicator signal further includes an indication of the size of each event-triggered report stored in the buffer.

4. The method of claim 1 , wherein the event-triggered report relates to one of monitored turbulence, monitored weather and monitored health and performance vehicle system data.

5. The method of claim 1 , further comprising:

time stamping the event-triggered report.

6. The method of claim 5 , wherein the summary indicator signal includes the time stamping information.

7. The method of claim 1 , further comprising:

from the summary indicator signal, determining if at least some of the event-trigger reports stored in the buffer are useful to the base station.

8. The method of claim 7 , further comprising:

when it is determined that at least some of the event-trigger reports are useful, determining if all of the event-trigger reports are useful;

if all the event-triggered reports are useful, requesting that the vehicle send all of the event-triggered reports to the base station.

9. The method of claim 8 , further comprising:

if all of the event-triggered reports are not useful, requesting only those event-triggered reports that are useful be sent from the vehicle buffer to the base station.

10. A method of reporting events, the method comprising:

setting at least one defined threshold that warrants an event-triggered report associated with sensor data from at least one sensor;

monitoring the sensor data from the at least one sensor;

upon detection of sensor data from the at least one sensor reaching the at least one defined threshold, generating an associated event-triggered report;

storing the event-triggered report in a buffer;

generating a summary indicator signal upon detection of a predetermined summary signal condition, the summary indicator signal summarizing stored event-triggered reports in the buffer and including information indicating at least the number and types of event-triggered reports that are then currently stored in the buffer;

transmitting the summary indicator signal to a remote location; and

upon receiving a remote request from the remote location requesting only select needed event-triggered reports based on the summary indicator signal, transmitting only the requested select event-triggered reports stored in the buffer to the remote location.

11. The method of claim 10 , wherein the predetermined summary signal condition relates at least in part to the detection of a select number of same type of event-triggered reports stored in the buffer.

12. The method of claim 10 , wherein the predetermined summary signal condition relates at least in part to the detection of a select amount of event-triggered reports stored in the buffer.

13. The method of claim 10 , wherein the predetermined summary signal condition relates at least in part to the detection of a select type of event-triggered report stored in the buffer.

14. The method claim 10 , wherein each event-triggered report further includes at least one of a date stamp and an indication of the size of the event-triggered report.

15. The method of claim 10 , wherein the event-triggered report relates to one of monitored turbulence, monitored weather and monitored health and performance vehicle system data.

16. An event-triggered vehicle reporting system comprising:

a memory for storing at least operating instructions, the memory including a buffer;

at least one sensor;

a communication system; and

a controller in communication with the at least one sensor, buffer and communication system, the controller configured to execute the operating instructions to:

generate event-triggered reports based on sensed data from the at least one sensors;

store each generated event-triggered report in the buffer of the memory;

generate a summary indicator signal that includes a summary of event-triggered reports currently stored in the buffer, the summary indicator signal including at least the number and types of event-triggered reports that are then currently stored in the buffer based at least in part on a predefined summary signal condition; and

cause the communication system to transmit the summary indicator signal to a remote location;

receive a request signal from the remote location requesting only select needed event-triggered reports stored in the buffer of the vehicle based on the summary indicator signal; and

in response to the request signal, transmit only the requested select event-triggered reports stored in the buffer of the vehicle to the base station.

17. The vehicle reporting system of claim 16 , wherein the controller is further configured to time stamp each event-triggered report and include said time stamp information in the summary indicator signal.

18. The vehicle reporting system of claim 16 , wherein the controller is further configured to include an indication of the size of each event-triggered report stored in the buffer in the summary indicator signal.

19. The vehicle reporting system of claim 16 , wherein the predefined summary signal condition is at least one of a detected threshold relating to the number of event-triggered reports stored in the buffer, a detected threshold relating to the number of specific type of event-trigger reports stored in the buffer and a detected specific type of event-triggered report stored in the buffer.

20. The vehicle reporting system of claim 16 , wherein the event-triggered report relates to one of monitored turbulence, monitored weather and monitored health and performance vehicle system data.