Cabin services system for a mobile platform

• US 20060095162A1
• Filed: 12/08/2005
• Published: 05/04/2006
• Est. Priority Date: 09/25/2003
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: The Boeing Co.
• Original Assignee: The Boeing Co.
• Inventors: Schafer, Roland L. Jr., Lui-Kwan, Gerald Dean, Mattson, Phillip S.
• Granted Patent: US 7,962,259 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 700/275
• CPC Class Codes: B64D 11/0015 Arrangements for entertainment or communications, e.g. radio, television
• CPC Class Codes: B64D 11/00155 Individual entertainment or communication system remote controls therefor, located in or connected to seat components, e.g. to seat back or arm rest
• CPC Class Codes: B64D 11/04 Galleys
• CPC Class Codes: B64D 2011/0038 Illumination systems for cabins as a whole
• CPC Class Codes: B64D 47/02 Arrangements or adaptations of signal or lighting devices

Abstract

An integrated cabin services system (CSS) includes a controller adapted to receive a plurality of mobile platform state inputs and a plurality of cabin service modules communicatively connected to the controller. Each of the modules has a plurality of attributes that are utilized to affect at least one CSS function. The CSS additionally includes a comprehensive database that includes a plurality of database portions. One database portion is related to the controller and stored thereon, and each of the other database portions are related to specific ones of the modules and stored in the related modules. The controller utilizes the comprehensive database to employ combinational logic to combine the received state inputs and output a state command to the related database portion of at least one of the modules. The related database portion then generates an output utilized to affect the states of the related module attributes, thereby controlling the execution of at least one CSS function.

Claims

1. An integrated cabin services system (CSS) for a mobile platform, said system comprising:

a controller;

a plurality of cabin service modules communicatively connected to the controller, each of the module having a plurality of attributes for affecting a plurality of CSS functions; and

a comprehensive database utilized by the CSS to employ combinational logic to control states of the module attributes and thereby control the execution of CSS functions.

2. The system of claim 1, wherein cabin services modules comprise at least two of a plurality of speaker drive modules, a plurality of overhead electronic units, a plurality of crew interface panels and a plurality of audio system handsets.

3. The system of claim 1, wherein the comprehensive database comprises a plurality of database portions, one database portion related to the controller and stored in the controller, and the each of the other database portions related to specific ones of the modules and stored in the related modules.

4. The system of claim 1, wherein the comprehensive database is dynamically programmable such that the combinational logic used to control the states of the module attributes can be dynamically changed to alter the execution of the CSS functions without modifying the CSS.

5. The system of claim 1, wherein execution of multiple CSS functions are substantially simultaneously controlled using the comprehensive database.

6. The system of claim 1, wherein the comprehensive database includes numerical data, logic statements, state programs, algorithms and equations.

7. The system of claim 1, wherein the controller is adapted to receive a plurality of mobile platform state inputs and utilize the comprehensive database to employ the combinational logic to combine the inputs and output a state command to one or more of the modules based on the combined inputs.

8. The system of claim 7, wherein the modules are adapted to utilize the state command as an input to at least one module related portion of the comprehensive database to generate an output of the module related portion of the comprehensive database utilized to affect the states of the module attributes.

9. A method for controlling execution of a mobile platform integrated cabin services system (CSS) functionality, said method comprising:

receiving as inputs to a CSS comprehensive database, a plurality of mobile platform state inputs;

utilizing the comprehensive database to employ combination logic to generate a CSS module state command based on the received inputs;

utilizing the module state command to control states of a plurality of attributes of a plurality of cabin service modules and thereby control execution of a plurality of CSS functions.

10. The method of claim 9 further comprising:

storing a portion of the comprehensive database related to a controller of the CSS in the controller; and

storing a plurality of portions of the comprehensive database, each portion related to a particular one of the cabin service modules, in the related cabin services modules.

11. The method of claim 10, wherein cabin services modules comprise at least two of a plurality of speaker drive modules, a plurality of overhead electronic units, a plurality of crew interface panels and a plurality of audio system handsets.

12. The method of claim 9, wherein the comprehensive database is dynamically programmable such that the combinational logic used to control the states of the module attributes can be dynamically changed to alter the execution of the CSS functions without modifying the CSS.

13. The method of claim 9, wherein utilizing the comprehensive database to employ combination logic to generate a CSS module state command comprised substantially simultaneously controlling the execution of multiple CSS functions using the comprehensive database CSS module state command.

14. The method of claim 9, wherein the comprehensive database includes numerical data, logic statements, state programs, algorithms equations.

15. The method of claim 9, wherein utilizing the module state command to control states of a plurality of attributes of a plurality of cabin service modules comprises utilizing the state command as input to at least one module related portion of the comprehensive database stored on at least one of the cabin services modules to generate an output of the module related portion of the database utilized to affect the states of the module attributes.

16. A mobile platform comprising:

an integrated cabin services system (CSS) including;

a controller adapted to receive a plurality of mobile platform state inputs;

a plurality of cabin service modules communicatively connected to the controller, each of the modules having a plurality of attributes for affecting at least one CSS function; and

a comprehensive database comprising a plurality of database portions, one database portion related to the controller and stored thereon, and each of the other database portions related to specific ones of the modules and stored in the related modules, wherein

the controller is further adapted to utilize the comprehensive database to employ combinational logic to combine the received state inputs and output a state command to the related database portion of at least one of the modules to generate an output of the related database portion utilized to affect the states of the related module attributes, thereby controlling the execution of at least one CSS function.

17. The mobile platform of claim 16, wherein cabin services modules comprise at least two of a plurality of speaker drive modules, a plurality of overhead electronic units, a plurality of crew interface panels and a plurality of audio system handsets.

18. The mobile platform of claim 16, wherein the controller is further adapted to utilize the comprehensive database to employ combinational logic to combine the received state inputs and output a one or more state commands to the related database portions of a plurality of the modules to generate outputs of the related database portions utilized to affect the states of the attributes of the related modules to substantially simultaneously control the execution of multiple CSS functions.

19. The mobile platform of claim 16, wherein the comprehensive database is dynamically programmable such that the combinational logic used to control the states of the module attributes can be dynamically changed to alter the execution of the CSS functions without modifying the CSS.

20. The mobile platform of claim 16, wherein the comprehensive database includes numerical data, logic statements, state programs, algorithms and equations.