INTERFACING A LEGACY DATA BUS WITH A WIDEBAND WIRELESS DATA RESOURCE UTILIZING AN EMBEDDED BUS CONTROLLER

• US 20070255884A1
• Filed: 10/04/2006
• Published: 11/01/2007
• Est. Priority Date: 04/11/2003
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: The Boeing Co.
• Original Assignee: The Boeing Co.
• Inventors: Kinstler, Gary
• Granted Patent: US 7,558,903 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 710/315
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 13/4027 using bus bridges G06F13/4022 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2213/0012 High speed serial bus, e.g. IEEE P1394

Abstract

Various methods and systems provide interfaces between legacy data buses such as MIL-STD 1553 buses and wideband wireless data links such as links compatible with IEEE 802.11 or IEEE 802.16e. One technique for interfacing a legacy bus to a wideband wireless data communication link involves providing a hybrid bus controller/remote interface unit as an interface between the two data communication architectures. In operation, the legacy interface suitably receives data intended for a legacy node from a wireless radio module that is compatible with a designated broadband wireless data communication protocol. The legacy data is converted in the legacy interface/remote interface unit to at least one legacy word having a legacy format for transmission on the legacy data bus. The legacy interface may be further configured to receive a reply message from the legacy component on the legacy data bus, and to forward a reply to the wireless radio module in a format that is compatible with the designated wireless data communication protocol.

Claims

1. A method of interfacing a legacy data bus to a wideband wireless data resource with a legacy interface having a bus controller module, the method comprising:

wirelessly receiving data at the legacy interface, via the wideband wireless data resource, from a wideband capable node, the data being intended for a legacy node;

converting the received data to a legacy format comprising at least one data word;

transmitting the at least one data word on the legacy data bus;

receiving a reply to the at least one data word on the legacy data bus; and

forwarding the reply via a wireless data communication link to a wideband capable node using the bus controller module in the legacy interface.

2. A method according to claim 1, wherein:

the legacy data bus is a MIL-STD 1553 bus;

the legacy node is a MIL-STD 1553 node; and

the legacy format is compliant with MIL-STD 1553.

3. A method according to claim 2, wherein:

the wideband wireless data resource is compliant with IEEE 802.11;

the wideband capable node is compliant with IEEE 802.11; and

the reply is forwarded via an IEEE 802.11 link.

4. A method according to claim 2, wherein:

the wideband wireless data resource is compliant with IEEE 802.15.3;

the wideband capable node is compliant with IEEE 802.15.3; and

the reply is forwarded via an IEEE 802.15.3 link.

5. A method according to claim 2, wherein:

the wideband wireless data resource is compliant with IEEE 802.15.4;

the wideband capable node is compliant with IEEE 802.15.4; and

the reply is forwarded via an IEEE 802.15.4 link.

6. A method according to claim 2, wherein:

the wideband wireless data resource is compliant with IEEE 802.16(e);

the wideband capable node is compliant with IEEE 802.16(e); and

the reply is forwarded via an IEEE 802.16(e) link.

7. A method according to claim 1, wherein the converting step comprises encapsulating individual information bits or individual words of MIL-STD-1553 data into individual wideband wireless data packets, consistent with a tolerance for introduced latency.

8. A method according to claim 1 wherein the converting step comprises encapsulating multiple words of MIL-STD-1553 data into individual wideband wireless data packets, consistent with a tolerance for introduced latency.

9. A method according to claim 1, wherein:

the converting step comprises encoding an individual bit stream of MIL-STD-1553 data onto a wideband wireless data link; and

the method further comprises demodulating the wideband wireless data link and converting back into a facsimile of the individual bit stream of MIL-STD-1553 data.

10. A digital storage medium having computer-executable instructions stored thereon, wherein the instructions are configured to execute the method of claim 1.

11. A system for interfacing a legacy device with a wideband wireless data resource, the system comprising:

a wireless remote interface module configured to receive data intended for a legacy node via the wideband wireless data resource, and to convert the received data to a legacy format having at least one data word; and

a bus controller module configured to control traffic on a legacy bus to thereby transfer the at least one data word from the wireless remote interface module to a legacy component on the legacy bus.

12. A system according to claim 11, wherein:

the bus controller module is further configured to receive a reply message in the legacy format from the wireless remote interface module; and

the wireless remote interface module is further configured to receive the reply message, to convert the reply message into a reformatted reply message that is compliant with the wideband wireless data resource, and to forward the reformatted reply message using the wideband wireless data resource.

13. A system according to claim 11, wherein the legacy device is a MIL-STD 1553 device.

14. A system according to claim 11, wherein the wideband wireless data resource is an IEEE 802.11 link.

15. A system according to claim 11, wherein the wideband wireless data resource is an IEEE 802.15.3 link.

16. A system according to claim 11, wherein the wideband wireless data resource is an IEEE 802.15.4 link.

17. A system according to claim 11, wherein the wideband wireless data resource is an IEEE 802.16(e) link.

18. A system according to claim 11, wherein the wireless remote interface module is configured to:

receive the data via a modulated RF carrier signal that has been modulated with a legacy bit pattern, and

demodulate the modulated RF carrier signal to obtain the legacy bit pattern.

23. A digital storage medium having computer-executable instructions stored thereon, wherein the instructions are configured to execute the method of claim 16.

19. A system for interfacing a legacy bus with a wideband wireless data transport mechanism, the system comprising:

a legacy bus interface in communication with the legacy bus;

a wireless transceiver module in communication with the wideband wireless data transport mechanism, the wireless transceiver module being compliant with a wideband wireless data communication protocol used by the wideband wireless data transport mechanism; and

a processing module configured to provide a bridge between the legacy bus interface and the wireless transceiver module via an input/output subsystem;

wherein

the processing module is operable to receive legacy data from the legacy bus via the legacy bus interface, to request a wireless resource maintained by the wideband wireless data transport mechanism for at least a portion of the legacy data, and to control transmission of the legacy data using the wireless resource; and

the processing module comprises a bus controller module configured to control traffic on the legacy bus via the legacy bus interface.

20. A method of interfacing a MIL-STD 1553 data bus to an IEEE 802.16(e) wireless data resource with a legacy interface comprising a bus controller module and a wireless remote interface unit, the method comprising:

receiving a message intended for a MIL-STD 1553 device on the MIL-STD 1553 data bus via the IEEE 802.16(e) wireless data resource;

converting, at the wireless remote interface unit, data conveyed in the message into at least one data word in a legacy format;

controlling traffic on the MIL-STD 1553 data bus with the bus controller module to transfer the at least one data word between the wireless remote interface unit and a MIL-STD 1553 device on the MIL-STD 1553 data bus; and

repeating the controlling step until all of the data conveyed in the message is transmitted on the MIL-STD 1553 data bus.

21. A method according to claim 20, further comprising adjusting a maximum timeout budget for transmission of MIL-STD 1553 data.

22. A method according to claim 20, further comprising setting a maximum message grouping length for the IEEE 802.16(e) wireless data resource consistent with a tolerance to introduced data latency.

24. A system for interfacing a legacy data bus and a wideband wireless data transport mechanism, the system comprising:

means for controlling data traffic on the legacy bus;

means for receiving legacy data at a legacy interface from a legacy component on the legacy bus, wherein the means for receiving is configured to communicate with the means for controlling;

means for converting between a legacy format and a wideband wireless format supported by the wideband wireless data transport mechanism, the means for converting being in communication with the means for receiving; and

means for communicating with the wideband wireless data transport mechanism, the means for communicating being in communication with the means for converting.

25. A data processing system providing an interface between a legacy bus and a wideband wireless data resource, the system comprising:

a legacy input/output module in communication with the legacy bus, the legacy input/output module comprising a bus controller module configured to control data traffic on the legacy bus;

a wireless transceiver module in communication with the wideband wireless data resource, the wireless transceiver module being compliant with a wideband wireless data communication protocol used by the wideband wireless data resource; and

a processing module configured to communicate with the legacy input/output module and the wireless transceiver module via an input/output subsystem, wherein the processing module is operable to receive legacy data, to convert the legacy data between a legacy format and a wideband wireless format that is compliant with the wideband wireless data communication protocol, and to transmit data in the legacy format and the wideband wireless format on the legacy bus and the wideband wireless data resource, respectively, to thereby provide a bridge between the legacy bus and the wideband wireless data resource.

26. A system according to claim 25, wherein:

the processing module is configured to obtain a legacy bit pattern from the legacy input/output module; and

the wireless transceiver module is configured to transmit a wireless data communication signal that is modulated in response to the legacy bit pattern.