Programmable cockpit upgrade system

• US 20060164261A1
• Filed: 01/07/2005
• Published: 07/27/2006
• Est. Priority Date: 01/07/2005
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Vertex Aerospace, LLC
• Original Assignee: Raytheon Company (Rtx Corporation)
• Inventors: Stiffler, William T.
• Granted Patent: US 7,420,476 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 340/945
• CPC Class Codes: G01C 23/00 Combined instruments indicating more than one navigational value, e.g. for aircraft; Combined measuring devices for measuring two or more variables of movement, e.g. distance, speed or acceleration
• 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

Disclosed is a programmable computing and display device for upgrading a cockpit instrument panel of an aircraft. The programmable computing and display device includes a plurality of processing units; a network backbone that establishes a network among the processing units for the exchange of network data traffic; at least one display to display video graphics to a cockpit crew member; and a modular assembly that retains the processing units, the network backbone and the display.

Claims

1. A programmable computing and display device for upgrading a cockpit instrument panel of an aircraft, comprising:

a plurality of processing units;

a network backbone that establishes a network among the processing units for the exchange of network data traffic;

at least one display to display video graphics to a cockpit crew member; and

a modular assembly that retains the processing units, the network backbone and the display.

2. The programmable computing and display device according to claim 1, wherein the modular assembly is physically configured to replace at least one legacy device mounted in the cockpit instrument panel of the aircraft.

3. The programmable computing and display device according to claim 1, wherein the network backbone is Ethernet.

4. The programmable computing and display device according to claim 1, wherein the network backbone is selected from 100baseT Ethernet or IEEE 1394 Firewire.

5. The programmable computing and display device according to claim 1, wherein the network is extended outside the programmable computing and display device to add an assembly located on-board the aircraft to the network.

6. The programmable computing and display device according to claim 1, wherein the processing units include a processor for executing logic instructions and a memory.

7. The programmable computing and display device according to claim 1, wherein the programmable computing and display device is a form-fit-function replacement for at least one legacy cockpit instrument panel device such that the programmable computing and display device connects to aircraft wiring dedicated to at least one legacy device of the cockpit instrument panel.

8. The programmable computing and display device according to claim 7, wherein the programmable computing and display device executes logic to carry out functions performed by the legacy device.

9. The programmable computing and display device according to claim 7, wherein the legacy device includes an analog sensor display.

10. The programmable computing and display device according to claim 1, further comprising an interface to a radio subsystem.

11. The programmable computing and display device according to claim 10, wherein the radio subsystem establishes communications with a command and control facility.

12. The programmable computing and display device according to claim 10, wherein the programmable computing and display device executes logic to display a map that is updated relative to movement of the aircraft and to display an overlay with tactical information received from the radio subsystem, the overlay displayed in conjunction with the map.

13. The programmable computing and display device according to claim 12, wherein the overlay is updated with the map relative to movement of the aircraft.

14. The programmable computing and display device according to claim 12, wherein the overlay is generated without cockpit crew interaction with the aircraft computing and display device.

15. The programmable computing and display device according to claim 1, further comprising a legacy interface for operatively connecting to aircraft wiring dedicated to a legacy cockpit instrument panel device and an interface for establishing a connection to at least one of a series of radio subsystems.

16. The programmable computing and display device according to claim 1, further comprising a video capture interface.

17. The programmable computing and display device according to claim 1, wherein among the processing units, the programmable computing and display device executes logic to carry out at least one of an upfront controller, a digital stores management system, or a flight and engine instrumentation human-machine interface.

18. The programmable computing and display device according to claim 1, wherein the programmable computing and display device is field installable without requiring changes to the aircraft outside the cockpit instrument panel.

19. The programmable computing and display device according to claim 1, the programmable computing and display device provides legacy functionality for a legacy device replaced by the programmable computing and display device and provides new functionality in a non-intrusive manner to the aircraft by reading data from a legacy bus.

20. The programmable computing and display device according to claim 19, wherein the programmable computing and display device is installable in the aircraft and operation without making changes to an existing Operational Flight Program (OFP) software of the aircraft.

21. The programmable computing and display device according to claim 1, wherein the programmable computing and display device is installable in the aircraft and operation without making changes to an existing Operational Flight Program (OFP) software of the aircraft.

22. The programmable computing and display device according to claim 1, wherein the programmable computing and display device is arranged in a client-server architecture with another system.

23. In combination, an aircraft having a cockpit instrument panel with an opening corresponding to a removed legacy cockpit instrument panel device and a programmable computing and display device according to claim 1, wherein the programmable computing and display device is secured in the opening as a form-fit-function replacement to the legacy cockpit instrument panel device.

24. A programmable computing and display device, comprising:

a general purpose processor for executing logical instructions in the form of computer software;

a touch screen display that forms an interactive human-machine interface by displaying video graphics and accepting user input with a pressure sensitive surface; and

a housing that retains the processor and the touch screen, the housing physically configured to replace at least a legacy analog sensor display of a cockpit instrument panel of an aircraft.

25. The programmable computing and display device according to claim 24, wherein the device is assembled as a full or partial field-installable replacement to the cockpit instrument panel.

26. An aircraft, comprising a plurality of computing devices networked together with one of a 100baseT Ethernet network backbone or an IEEE 1394 Firewire network backbone.

27. The programmable computing and display device according to claim 26, wherein the device is assembled as a full or partial field-installable replacement to a cockpit instrument panel.