Method for providing flight management system data to peripheral devices

• US 10,116,749 B2
• Filed: 08/31/2015
• Issued: 10/30/2018
• Est. Priority Date: 08/31/2015
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: The Boeing Co.
• Original Assignee: The Boeing Co.
• Inventors: Gunn, Peter, Murray, Daniel J., Ness, Patricia Suzan, Cornell, Bradley D., Younkin, Katie
• Primary Examiner(s): Nguyen, Tammy
• Application Number:
  US14/841,232
• Publication Number:
  US 20170063995A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,156 Days
• Field of Search: 709201, 709230, 340947, 350961, 711105
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 16/023 for transmission of signals between vehicle parts or subsystems
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/087 Inventory or stock management, e.g. order filling, procurement or balancing against orders
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/10 Office automation; Time management
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0635 Processing of requisition or of purchase orders
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 5/0021 located in the aircraft
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 5/0039 Modification of a flight plan
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/12 specially adapted for proprietary or special-purpose networking environments, e.g. medical networks, sensor networks, networks in vehicles or remote metering networks

Abstract

A flight management system may include a processor, a memory, a network communication interface, and a flexible data interface stored in the memory and executable by the processor. The flexible data interface is typically configured for providing an abstract data interface layer; retrieving, via the abstract data interface layer, data stored in the memory of the flight management system; and transmitting, via the network communication device, the data to a peripheral device in network communication with the flight management system.

Claims

1. A flight management system (102), comprising:

a processor (104);

a memory (106) comprising a volatile memory;

operational software (108);

a network communication device;

a flexible data interface (112) stored in the memory (106), executable by the processor (104) and configured for;

providing an abstract data interface layer (113);

retrieving, via the abstract data interface layer (113), transient data stored in the volatile memory of the flight management system (102), wherein the abstract data interface layer (113) identifies a location of the transient data in the volatile memory, wherein the flexible data interface (112) is configured to retrieve the transient data without interfering with the operational software (108) of the flight management system (102); and

transmitting, via the network communication device, the transient data to a peripheral device (124) in network communication with the flight management system (102).

2. The flight management system (102) according to claim 1, wherein:

the flexible data interface (112) is configured for determining that a trigger event has occurred;

retrieving the transient data stored in the volatile memory comprises retrieving the transient data stored in the volatile memory based on determining that the trigger event has occurred.

3. The flight management system (102) according to claim 2, wherein the trigger event is associated with a status of an aircraft (100).

4. The flight management system (102) according to claim 2, wherein the trigger event comprises receiving a request for the transient data from the peripheral device (124).

5. The flight management system (102) according to claim 1, wherein retrieving the transient data stored in the volatile memory and transmitting the transient data to a peripheral device (124) is based on a configuration file (114) stored in the memory (106), the configuration file (114) identifying the transient data and the peripheral device (124).

6. The flight management system (102) according to claim 1, wherein transmitting the transient data to the peripheral device (124) comprises transmitting the transient data to the peripheral device (124) via an onboard network system of an aircraft (100).

7. The flight management system (102) according to claim 1, wherein the peripheral device (124) is a laptop, electronic flight bag, tablet computer, or mobile device.

18. The flight management system (102) according to claim 5, wherein the configuration file (114) defines a frequency at which the flexible data interface (112) transmits the transient data to the peripheral device (124).

19. The flight management system (102) according to claim 3, wherein retrieving the transient data stored in the volatile memory and transmitting the transient data to a peripheral device (124) is based on a configuration file (114) stored in the memory (106), the configuration file (114) identifying the transient data, the trigger event, and the peripheral device (124).

8. A method of providing data from a flight management system (102) to a peripheral device (124), the method comprising:

providing, via a computer processor (104), an abstract data interface layer (113);

retrieving, via a computer processor (104), transient data stored in a volatile memory of a memory (106) of the flight management system (102), wherein the abstract data interface layer (113) identifies a location of the transient data in the volatile memory, wherein the transient data is retrieved without interfering with operational software (108) of the flight management system (102); and

transmitting, via a network communication device, the transient data to a peripheral device (124) in network communication with the flight management system (102).

9. The method according to claim 8, comprising determining that a trigger event has occurred;

wherein retrieving the transient data stored in the volatile memory comprises retrieving the transient data stored in the volatile memory based on determining that the trigger event has occurred.

10. The method according to claim 9, wherein the trigger event is associated with a status of an aircraft (100).

11. The method according to claim 9, wherein the trigger event comprises receiving a request for the transient data from the peripheral device (124).

12. The method according to claim 8, wherein retrieving the transient data stored in the volatile memory and transmitting the transient data to a peripheral device (124) is based on a configuration file (114) stored in the memory (106), the configuration file (114) identifying the transient data and the peripheral device (124).

13. The method according to claim 8, wherein transmitting the transient data to the peripheral device (124) comprises transmitting the transient data to the peripheral device (124) via an onboard network system of an aircraft (100).

14. A computer program product for providing data from a flight management system (102) to a peripheral device (124), the computer program product comprising a non-transitory computer-readable storage medium having computer-executable instructions for:

providing an abstract data interface layer (113);

retrieving transient data stored in a volatile memory of a memory (106) of the flight management system (102), wherein the abstract data interface layer (113) identifies a location of the transient data in the volatile memory, wherein the computer-executable instructions are configured to retrieve the transient data without interfering with operational software (108) of the flight management system (102); and

transmitting the transient data to a peripheral device (124) in network communication with the flight management system (102).

15. The computer program product according to claim 14, wherein:

the non-transitory computer-readable storage medium has computer-executable instructions for determining that a trigger event has occurred;

retrieving the transient data stored in the volatile memory comprises retrieving the transient data stored in the volatile memory based on determining that the trigger event has occurred.

16. The computer program product according to claim 14, wherein retrieving the transient data stored in the volatile memory and transmitting the transient data to a peripheral device (124) is based on a configuration file (114) stored in the memory (106), the configuration file (114) identifying the transient data and the peripheral device (124).

17. The computer program product according to claim 14, wherein transmitting the transient data to the peripheral device (124) comprises transmitting the transient data to the peripheral device (124) via an onboard network system of an aircraft (100).