VEHICLE MANAGEMENT AND MISSION MANAGEMENT COMPUTER ARCHITECTURE AND PACKAGING

• US 20080077616A1
• Filed: 09/22/2006
• Published: 03/27/2008
• Est. Priority Date: 09/22/2006
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: The Boeing Co.
• Original Assignee: The Boeing Co.
• Inventors: Wise, Kevin A., Davidson, Ronald W.
• Granted Patent: US 7,689,594 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 707/104.1
• CPC Class Codes: G05D 1/0077 using redundant signals or controls

Abstract

A vehicle management and mission management computer architecture and packaging may include a first line replaceable unit and a second line replaceable unit. The first line replaceable unit may include a vehicle management system computer channel coupleable to a group including at least one mission related system and at least one vehicle system. The first line replaceable unit may also include a mission management system computer channel coupleable to the group including the at least one mission related system and the at least one vehicle system. The second line replaceable unit may include another vehicle management system computer channel coupleable to the group including the at least one mission related system and the at least one vehicle system. The second line replaceable unit may also include another mission management system computer channel coupleable to the group including the at least one mission related system and the at least one vehicle system.

Claims

1. A vehicle management and mission management computer architecture and packaging, comprising:

a first line replaceable unit including;

a vehicle management system computer channel coupleable to a group including at least one mission related system and at least one vehicle system;

a mission management system computer channel coupleable to the group including the at least one mission related system and the at least one vehicle system;

a second line replaceable unit including;

another vehicle management system computer channel coupleable to the group including the at least one mission related system and the at least one vehicle system; and

another mission management system computer channel coupleable to the group including the at least one mission related system and the at least one vehicle system.

2. The vehicle management and mission management computer architecture and packaging of claim 1, further comprising a common bus coupling together at least the vehicle management system computer channel and the other vehicle management system computer channel, and adapted to couple at least the vehicle management system computer channels to the at least one mission related system.

3. The vehicle management and mission management computer architecture and packaging of claim 1, further comprising a separate bus to couple each vehicle management system computer channel and the at least one vehicle system.

4. The vehicle management and mission management computer architecture and packaging of claim 1, further comprising a common bus coupling together at least the mission management system computer channel and the other mission management system computer channel, and adapted to couple at least the mission management system computer channels to the at least one vehicle system.

5. The vehicle management and mission management computer architecture and packaging of claim 1, further comprising a separate bus to couple each mission management system computer channel and the at least one mission related system.

6. The vehicle management and mission management computer architecture and packaging of claim 1, further comprising a channel restart feature.

7. The vehicle management and mission management computer architecture and packaging of claim 1, further comprising a cross channel data link architecture to exchange data between channels and to support redundancy management voting and channel restart capability.

8. The vehicle management and mission management computer architecture and packaging of claim 7, wherein the cross channel data link architecture comprises a cross channel data link to couple the vehicle management system computer channel in the first line replaceable unit to the other vehicle management system computer channel in the second line replaceable unit.

9. The vehicle management and mission management computer architecture and packaging of claim 7, wherein the cross channel data link architecture comprises a cross channel data link to couple the mission management system computer channel in the first line replaceable unit to the other mission management system computer channel in the second line replaceable unit.

10. The vehicle management and mission management computer architecture and packaging of claim 1, further comprising an Ethernet to couple the channels, the at least one mission related system and the at least one vehicle system.

11. The vehicle management and mission management computer architecture and packaging of claim 1, wherein the vehicle management system computer channels are couplable to a plurality of actuators.

12. The vehicle management and mission management computer architecture and packaging of claim 1, wherein the channels are electrically independent.

13. The vehicle management and mission management computer architecture and packaging of claim 12, wherein channels within the same line replaceable unit share a common ground.

14. The vehicle management and mission management computer architecture and packaging of claim 1, further comprising a fault protection feature to prevent all channels in a line replaceable unit from going down.

15. The vehicle management and mission management computer architecture and packaging of claim 14, wherein the fault protection feature comprises a quad redundant vehicle management system computing architecture and a mission management system computing architecture separated into two channels each per line replaceable unit.

16. The vehicle management and mission management computer architecture and packaging of claim 1, wherein the vehicle management system computer channel comprises:

a processor to control operation of the vehicle management system computer channel;

a memory accessible by the processor;

a global positioning system receiver to provide global positioning information relative to a vehicle;

an inertial measurement unit to provide measurements of vehicle movement; and

a radar altimeter to determine an altitude of the vehicle; and

a bus controller to control coupling of the vehicle management system computer channel to a bus.

17. The vehicle management and mission management computer architecture and packaging of claim 1, wherein the mission management system computer channel comprises:

a processor to control operation of the mission management system computer channel;

a memory accessible by the processor; and

a bus controller to control coupling of the mission management system computer channel to a bus.

19. The vehicle management and mission management computer architecture and packaging of claim 1, further comprising:

a common bus coupling together each vehicle management system computer channel and each mission management system computer channel, and wherein the common bus is adapted to couple each of the channels to at least one mission related system; and

a separate bus to couple each of the vehicle management system computer channels to at least one vehicle system.

18. A vehicle management and mission management computer architecture and packaging, comprising:

a first line replaceable unit;

a second line replaceable unit;

a pair of vehicle management system computer channels in each line replaceable unit; and

a pair of mission management system computer channels in each line replaceable unit.

20. The vehicle management and mission management computer architecture and packaging of claim 18, further comprising:

a common bus coupling together each vehicle management system computer channel and each mission management system computer channel, and wherein the common bus is adapted to couple each of the channels to at least one vehicle system; and

a separate bus to couple each of the mission management system computer channels to at least one mission related system.

21. The vehicle management and mission management computer architecture and packaging of claim 18, further comprising a channel restart feature.

22. The vehicle management and mission management computer architecture and packaging of claim 18, further comprising a cross channel data link architecture to exchange data between channels and to support redundancy management voting and channel restart capability.

23. The vehicle management and mission management computer architecture and packaging of claim 22, wherein the cross channel data link architecture comprises:

a plurality of cross channel data links to couple each of the vehicle management system computing channels in the first and second line replaceable units; and

another plurality of cross channel data links to couple each of the mission management system computing channels in the first and line replaceable units.

24. The vehicle management and mission management computer architecture and packaging of claim 18, further comprising fault protection to prevent all channels in a line replaceable unit from going down.

25. A vehicle, comprising:

at least one vehicle system;

at least one mission related system;

a vehicle management and mission management computer architecture and packaging, wherein the vehicle management and mission management computer architecture and packaging include;

a first line replaceable unit including;

a vehicle management system computer channel coupled to the at least one mission related system and the at least one vehicle system;

a mission management system computer channel coupled to the at least one mission related system and the at least one vehicle system;

a second line replaceable unit including;

another vehicle management system computer channel coupled to the at least one mission related system and the at least one vehicle system; and

another mission management system computer channel coupled to the at least one mission related system and the at least one vehicle system.

26. The vehicle of claim 25, wherein the vehicle management and mission management computer architecture and packaging further comprise a common bus coupling together at least the vehicle management system computer channel and the other vehicle management system computer channel and to couple at least the vehicle management system computer channels to the at least one mission related system.

27. The vehicle of claim 25, wherein the vehicle management and mission management computer architecture and packaging further comprise a separate bus to couple each vehicle management system computer channel and the at least one vehicle system.

28. The vehicle of claim 25, wherein the vehicle management and mission management computer architecture and packaging further comprise a common bus coupling together at least the mission management system computer channel and the other mission management system computer channel, and to couple at least the mission management system computer channels to the at least one vehicle system.

29. The vehicle of claim 25, wherein the vehicle management and mission management computer architecture and packaging further comprise a separate bus to couple each mission management system computer channel and the at least one mission related system.

30. The vehicle of claim 25, wherein the vehicle management and mission management computer architecture further comprise a channel restart feature.

31. The vehicle of claim 25, wherein the vehicle management and mission management computer architecture further comprise a fault protection feature to prevent all channels in a line replaceable unit from going down.

32. The vehicle of claim 25, wherein the vehicle comprises one of an aerospace vehicle, a water craft, and a terrestrial vehicle.

33. A method to provide vehicle management and mission management in a low weight and reliable architecture, comprising:

providing a first line replaceable unit;

providing a second line replaceable unit;

providing at least one vehicle management system computer channel in each line replaceable unit; and

providing at least one mission management system computer channel in each line replaceable unit.

34. The method of claim 33, further comprising:

coupling together each vehicle management system computer channel and each mission management system computer channel with a common bus;

adapting the common bus to couple each of the channels to at least one mission related system; and

coupling each of the vehicle management system computer channel to at least one vehicle system by a separate bus.

35. The method of claim 33, further comprising:

coupling together each mission management system computer channel and each vehicle management system computer channel with a common bus;

adapting the common bus to couple each of the channels to at least one vehicle system; and

coupling each of the mission management system computer channels to at least one mission related system by a separate bus.

36. The method of claim 33, further comprising providing a channel restart feature.

37. The method of claim 33, further comprising:

coupling a plurality of cross channel data links between each of the vehicle management system computer channels in the first and second line replaceable units; and

coupling another plurality of cross channel data links between each of the mission management system computer channels in the first and second line replaceable units.

38. The method of claim 33, wherein each channel is electrically independent.

39. The method of claim 38, further comprising separating a quad redundant vehicle management system computing architecture and a mission management system computing architecture into two channels each per line replaceable unit.