Avionics audio network system

• US 20030021241A1
• Filed: 07/05/2002
• Published: 01/30/2003
• Est. Priority Date: 07/06/2001
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Chelton Avionics Incorporated (Cobham PLC)
• Original Assignee: Chelton Avionics Incorporated (Cobham PLC)
• Inventors: Jordan, Robert, Dame, Stephen G.
• Application Number:
  US10/190,445
• Publication Number:
  US 20030021241A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 370/321
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 7/18506 Communications with or from aircraft, i.e. aeronautical mobile service

Abstract

A communications system within a vehicle, typically an airplane, is provided. In one embodiment, the communications system comprises a plurality of nodes and wherein each node has a network interface component connected to a communication network. The communication network is configured to communicate data in a serial, time-division multiplexed (TDM) format using an embedded clock signal. Further, a primary master clock within one of the plurality of nodes provides a clock signal for the embedded clock signal for use with the TDM protocol. At least one input device is connected to one of the nodes and converts analog input to a digital format at a sample rate determined by the primary master clock. Additionally, at least one output device is also connected to one of the nodes and output device also converts digital data to an analog format at the same sample rate determined by the primary master clock.

Claims

1. A communications system within a vehicle comprising:

(a) a plurality of nodes, each node having a network interface component connected to a communication network, the communication network configured to communicate data in a serial, time-division multiplexed (TDM) format using an embedded clock signal;

(b) a primary master clock within one of the plurality of nodes that provides a clock signal for the embedded clock signal for the TDM format;

(c) at least one input device connected to at least one of the plurality of the nodes, the input device converting analog input to a digital format at a sample rate determined by the primary master clock; and

(d) at least one output device connected to at least one of the plurality of nodes, the output device converting digital data to an analog format at a sample rate determined by the primary master clock.

2. The communications system of claim 1, wherein the communication network has a first communication link connecting network interface components in each of two nodes and further comprises a second communication link connected network interface components in the two nodes.

3. The communications system of claim 1, further comprising a secondary master clock within one of the plurality of nodes that is not the node containing the master clock.

4. The communications system of claim 3, wherein the secondary master clock provides a clock signal for the embedded clock signal for the TDM format if the primary master clock is disabled.

5. The communications system of claim 1, wherein the TDM format comprises a mix of multi-bit samples divided into a plurality of channels, the sample rate determined by the embedded clock signal.

6. The communications system of claim 1, wherein at least one of the input devices is a Controller-Pilot Data Link Communication device.

7. The communications system of claim 1, wherein at least one of the at least one output device is a Controller-Pilot Data Link Communication device.

8. The communications system of claim 1, wherein at least one of the input devices is an ARINC-429 standard device.

9. The communications system of claim 1, wherein at least one of the output devices is an ARINC-429 standard device.

10. The communications system of claim 1 further comprising a means for excluding one of the nodes from communicating to another one of the nodes.

11. The communications system of claim 1, wherein the communication network uses Low Voltage Differential Signaling.

12. A communications system within a vehicle comprising:

(a) a plurality of nodes, each node having a network interface component connected to a communication network, the communication network configured to communicate data in a serial, time-division multiplexed (TDM) format;

(b) at least one primary communication path between each pair of nodes of the plurality of nodes,

(c) at least one secondary communication path between at least one pair of nodes of the plurality of nodes, the secondary communication path being a different communication path than the respective primary communication path between the nodes.

13. The communications system of claim 12 wherein each primary communication path is the shortest communication path between two nodes.

14. The communications system of claim 12 wherein the nodes comprise leaf nodes and hub nodes and the hub nodes each include a repeater circuit for repeating the signal to another node.

15. The communications system of claim 12 wherein the TDM format used on the communications network uses an embedded clock provided by a clock signal from a primary master clock is one of the plurality of nodes.

16. The communications system of claim 15 wherein the TDM format comprises a mix of multi-bit samples divided into a plurality of channels, the sample rate determined by the embedded clock signal.

17. The communications system of claim 12 wherein each primary communication path and each secondary communication path is determined by a programmable table of communication paths for the communication network.

18. The communications system of claim 12 wherein access to the programmable table of communication paths is password protected.

19. A communications system within a vehicle comprising:

(a) a plurality of nodes, each node having a network interface component connected to a communication network, the communication network configured to communicate data in a serial, time-division multiplexed (TDM) format on Low Voltage Differential Signaling circuits;

(b) at least one input device connected to at least one of the plurality of the nodes, the input device converting analog input to a digital format at a predetermined sample rate; and

(d) at least one output device connected to at least one of the plurality of nodes, the output device converting digital data to an analog format at the predetermined sample rate.

20. The communications system of claim 19 wherein the TDM format used on the communications network uses an embedded clock provided by a clock signal from a primary master clock in one of the nodes.

21. The communications system of claim 20, wherein the TDM format comprises a mix of multi-bit samples divided into a plurality of channels, the sample rate determined by the embedded clock signal.

22. The communications system of claim 19 wherein the nodes comprise leaf nodes and hub nodes and the hub nodes each include a repeater circuit for repeating the signal on a Low Voltage Differential Signaling circuit to another node.

23. A communications system within a vehicle comprising:

(a) a plurality of nodes, each node having a network interface component connected to a communication network, the communication network configured to communicate data in a serial, time-division multiplexed (TDM) format, the format comprising a plurality of channels containing packets of multiplexed data;

(b) at least one input device connected to at least one of the plurality of nodes, the input device converting analog input to a digital format at a predetermined sample rate for one of the channels; and

(c) at least one output device connected to at least one of the plurality of nodes, the output device converting digital data from the channel to an analog format at the predetermined sample rate.

24. The communications system of claim 23 wherein the TDM format used on the communications network uses an embedded clock provided by a clock signal from a primary master clock in one of the nodes.

25. The communications system of claim 24, wherein the TDM format comprises a mix of multi-bit samples divided into a plurality of the channels.

26. The communications system of claim 23 wherein each channel comprises a minimum sample rate of 8 kHz.

27. The communications system of claim 23 wherein the communication network has at least 100 channels.

28. The communications system of claim 23 wherein the data communicated on the communication network is audio data.

29. The communications system of claim 23 wherein the data communicated on the communication network is video data.

30. The communications system of claim 23 wherein the data communicated on the communication network is aggregated into multiple channel transmissions for higher bandwidth data.