ARINC 661 display system and methods incorporating non-ARINC 661 protocols

• US 10,135,927 B1
• Filed: 09/28/2014
• Issued: 11/20/2018
• Est. Priority Date: 09/28/2014
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Rockwell Collins, Inc. (Raytheon Technologies Corporation d/b/a RTX)
• Original Assignee: Rockwell Collins, Inc. (Raytheon Technologies Corporation d/b/a RTX)
• Inventors: Barber, Sarah, McCusker, Patrick D., Siniff, Alan E., Rathinam, Sethu R., Cosgrove, Patrick J.
• Primary Examiner(s): Al Kawsar, Abdullah
• Assistant Examiner(s): Ramsey, Patrick R
• Application Number:
  US14/499,193
• Time in Patent Office: 1,514 Days
• 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

System and methods for incorporating virtual network computing (“VNC”) into a cockpit display system (“CDS”) are disclosed. A system and method for incorporating VNC into the CDS is comprised of a non-aircraft remote system and a CDS, where the non-aircraft remote system is comprised of a VNC client and a remote display unit, and the CDS comprised of, in part, a VNC server and a PM configured with a method employing an aviation-industry standard protocol (e.g., ARINC 661) and a VNC protocol. A Second method for incorporating VNC into the CDS is comprised of a non-aircraft remote system and a CDS, where the non-aircraft remote system is comprised of a VNC server and a remote display unit, and the CDS comprised of, in part, a VNC client and a processing module (“PM”) configured with a method employing an aviation-industry standard protocol and a VNC protocol.

Claims

1. A system for incorporating Virtual Network Computing (“

VNC”

) into an aircraft cockpit display system (“

CDS”

), comprising;

a non-aircraft system comprising a remote VNC client and a remote display unit located outside of the aircraft and accessed by at least one person having a role in or responsible for the safe operation of the aircraft; and

an aircraft CDS, comprising;

a cockpit display unit;

an ARINC 661 user application;

a VNC server; and

a processing module including at least one processor coupled to a non-transitory processor-readable medium storing processor-executable code and configured to perform a plurality of operations, including;

establishing a pixel data set representative of an image being viewed on the cockpit display unit by cockpit flight personnel, wherein

the pixel data set is established based on at least one ARINC 661 widget, and

the at least one ARINC 661 widget is based upon corresponding ARINC 661 widget data of the ARINC 661 user application;

receiving, from the remote VNC client of the non-aircraft system, input data representative of a request to display the image on the remote display unit of the non-aircraft system;

sending, in response to receiving the input data, a request for remote frame buffer (“

RFB”

) data representative of the image from the processing module to the VNC server;

receiving, from the VNC server, a response comprising the requested RFB data; and

sending, via an aircraft datalink communications system controlled by the cockpit flight personnel through a cockpit unit configured to control aircraft datalink communications, the RFB data to the remote VNC client of the non-aircraft system, whereby

the image is presented on the remote display unit, thereby

visually conveying to the at least one person the same image viewed on the cockpit display unit by the cockpit flight personnel.

2. The system of claim 1, wherein

the plurality of operations includes:

activating a layer to which at least one ARINC 661 widget representative of a notification of the request to display the image on a remote display unit of a non-aircraft system is assigned;

sending a notice of layer activation to a user application owning the layer;

receiving ARINC 661 widget parameters and a request to activate the visibility of the layer in response to the notice of layer activation; and

receiving input data via a pilot input device representative of a favorable or unfavorable selection of one of the at least one ARINC 661 widget.

3. The system of claim 2, wherein

the plurality of operations includes:

inhibiting the performance of at least one of the sending of the request for RFB data to the VNC server, the receiving of the requested RFB data from the VNC server, and the sending the RFB data to the remote VNC client unless the selection of one ARINC 661 widget is favorable.

4. A method for incorporating Virtual Network Computing (“

VNC”

) into an aircraft cockpit display system (“

CDS”

), comprising;

performing, by a processing module of the CDS including at least one processor coupled to a non-transitory processor-readable medium storing processor-executable code, a plurality of operations including;

establishing a pixel data set representative of an image being viewed on a cockpit display unit of the CDS by cockpit flight personnel, wherein

the pixel data set is established based on at least one ARINC 661 widget, and

the at least one ARINC 661 widget is based upon corresponding ARINC 661 widget data of an ARINC 661 user application;

receiving, from a remote VNC client of a non-aircraft system comprising the remote VNC client and a remote display unit located outside of the aircraft and accessed by at least one person having a role in or responsible for the safe operation of the aircraft, input data representative of a request to display the image on the remote display unit;

sending, in response to receiving the input data, a request for remote frame buffer (“

RFB”

) data representative of the image from the processing module to a VNC server of the CDS;

receiving, from the VNC server, a response comprising the requested RFB data; and

sending, via an aircraft datalink communications system controlled by the cockpit flight personnel through a cockpit unit configured to control aircraft datalink communications, the RFB data to the remote VNC client of the non-aircraft system, whereby

the image is presented on the remote display unit, thereby

visually conveying to the at least one person the same image viewed on the cockpit display unit by the cockpit flight personnel.

5. The method of claim 4, wherein

the plurality of operations includes:

activating a layer to which at least one ARINC 661 widget representative of a notification of the request to display the image on a remote display unit of a non-aircraft system is assigned;

sending a notice of layer activation to a user application owning the layer;

receiving ARINC 661 widget parameters and a request to activate the visibility of the layer in response to the notice of layer activation; and

receiving input data via a pilot input device representative of a favorable or unfavorable selection of one of the at least one ARINC 661 widget.

6. The method of claim 5, wherein

the plurality of operations includes:

inhibiting the performance of at least one of the sending of the request for RFB data to the VNC server, the receiving of the requested RFB data from the VNC server, and the sending the RFB data to the remote VNC client unless the selection of one ARINC 661 widget is favorable.

7. A method for incorporating Virtual Network Computing (“

VNC”

) into an aircraft cockpit display system (“

CDS”

), comprising;

performing, by a processing module of the CDS including at least one processor coupled to a non-transitory processor-readable medium storing processor-executable code, a plurality of operations including;

establishing a pixel data set representative of a first image;

receiving input data representative of a request to present at least a portion of a second image being presented on a remote display unit of a non-aircraft system located outside of the aircraft and accessed by at least one person having a role in or responsible for the safe operation of the aircraft;

generating first ARINC 661 protocol data representative of the request to display the second image;

sending the first ARINC 661 protocol data to a window manager user application comprising a VNC client and configured with both ARINC 661 data exchange protocols and VNC data exchange protocols, such that

the VNC client of the window manager user application;

generates first VNC protocol data representative of a request for remote frame buffer (“

RFB”

) data of the second image,

sends the first VNC protocol data to a VNC server of the non-aircraft system, and

receives second VNC protocol data from the VNC server, where

 

the second VNC protocol data is responsive to the request for RFB data of the second image and is comprised of RFB data;

receiving second ARINC 661 protocol data from the window manager user application, where

the second ARINC 661 protocol data is generated by the window manager user application in response receiving to the second VNC protocol data; and

incorporating the second ARINC 661 data into the pixel data set, such that

an image comprised of at least a VNC image widget corresponding to the second image is presented on a cockpit display unit of the CDS.

8. The method of claim 7, wherein

the plurality of operations includes:

activating a layer to which at least one ARINC 661 widget representative of a notification of the request to present at least a portion of a second image is assigned;

sending a notice of layer activation to a user application owning the layer;

receiving ARINC 661 widget parameters and a request to activate the visibility of the layer in response to the notice of layer activation; and

receiving input data via a pilot input device representative of a favorable or unfavorable selection of one of the at least one ARINC 661 widget.

9. The method of claim 8, wherein

the plurality of operations includes:

inhibiting the performance of at least one of the generating first ARINC 661 protocol data representative of the request to display the second image, the sending the first ARINC 661 protocol data to a window manager user application, the receiving second ARINC 661 protocol data from the window manager user application, and incorporating the second ARINC 661 data into the pixel data set unless the selection of the one ARINC 661 widget is favorable.