INCREMENTAL DOWNLINK OF FLIGHT INFORMATION

• US 20090172080A1
• Filed: 12/26/2007
• Published: 07/02/2009
• Est. Priority Date: 12/26/2007
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Honeywell International Inc.
• Original Assignee: Honeywell International Inc.
• Inventors: Pandit, Anil Kumar
• Granted Patent: US 8,868,787 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 709/203
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 15/16 Combinations of two or more digital computers each having at least an arithmetic unit, a program unit and a register, e.g. for a simultaneous processing of several programs coordinating program control therefor G06F9/52; in regulating and control system G05B

Abstract

A method for providing flight information to a ground server is provided. The flight information is received from an aircraft system. The flight information is converted into a graphical representation and a plurality of properties associated with the flight information. The graphical representation and the plurality of properties is stored. The graphical representation and the plurality of properties is processed to generate a compressed graphical representation and plurality of properties having a compressed file size. The compressed plurality of properties is transmitted to the ground server.

Claims

1. A method for providing flight information to a ground server, comprising:

receiving the flight information from an aircraft system;

converting the flight information into a graphical representation and a plurality of properties associated with the flight information;

storing the graphical representation and the plurality of properties;

processing the graphical representation and the plurality of properties to generate a compressed graphical representation and plurality of properties having a compressed file size; and

transmitting the compressed plurality of properties to the ground server.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein transmitting the compressed plurality of properties occurs pursuant to a request from the ground server.

3. The method of claim 1, further including:

querying the ground server to determine whether the graphical representation is found on the ground server, and

transmitting the compressed graphical representation and the compressed plurality of properties to the ground server if the graphical representation is not found on the ground server.

4. The method of claim 3, wherein transmitting the compressed graphical representation and the compressed plurality of properties to the ground server includes retransmitting which of the plurality of properties to the ground server have been modified from a previous transmittal.

5. The method of claim 3, wherein transmitting the compressed graphical representation and the compressed plurality of properties to the ground server includes transmitting the compressed graphical representation, waiting for a first acknowledgment message from the ground server, and transmitting the compressed plurality of properties to the ground server.

6. The method of claim 5, wherein transmitting the compressed graphical representation and the compressed plurality of properties to the ground server further includes, subsequent to transmitting the compressed plurality of properties to the ground server, waiting for a second acknowledgement message from the ground server.

7. A system for providing flight information to a ground server, comprising:

a graphics server coupled to at least one aircraft system, the graphics server configured to;

receive the flight information from the at least one aircraft system;

convert the flight information into a graphical representation and a plurality of properties associated with the flight information;

store the graphical representation and the plurality of properties;

process the graphical representation and the plurality of properties to generate a compressed graphical representation and plurality of properties having a compressed file size; and

transmit the compressed plurality of properties to the ground server.

8. The system of claim 7, wherein the graphics server is further configured to receive a request from the ground server prior to transmitting the compressed plurality of properties.

9. The system of claim 7, wherein the graphics server is further configured to:

query the ground server to determine whether the graphical representation is found on the ground server, and

transmit the compressed graphical representation and the compressed plurality of properties to the ground server if the graphical representation is not found on the ground server.

10. The system of claim 9, wherein the graphics server is further configured to retransmit which of the plurality of properties to the ground server have been modified from a previous transmittal.

11. The system of claim 9, wherein the graphics server is further configured to transmit the graphical representation, wait for a first acknowledgment message from the ground server, and transmit the compressed plurality of properties to the ground server.

12. The system of claim 11, wherein the graphics server is further configured to, subsequent to transmitting the plurality of properties to the ground server, wait for a second acknowledgement message from the ground server.

13. The system of claim 7, wherein the flight information includes aircraft condition monitoring system (ACMS) and central maintenance computer function (CMCF) data.

14. The system of claim 7, wherein the at least one aircraft system includes a line replaceable unit (LRU).

15. The system of claim 7, wherein the graphics server is coupled to a communications management unit (CMU) for managing the transmittal of the compressed plurality of properties to the ground server.

16. The system of claim 15, wherein the CMU is coupled to a transceiver for transmitting the compressed plurality of properties to the ground server.

17. A computer program product for providing flight information to a ground server, the computer program product comprising a computer-readable storage medium having computer-readable program code portions stored therein, the computer-readable program code portions comprising:

a first executable portion configured to receive the flight information from the at least one aircraft system;

a second executable portion configured to convert the flight information into a graphical representation and a plurality of properties associated with the flight information;

a third executable portion configured to store the graphical representation and the plurality of properties;

a fourth executable portion configured to process the graphical representation and the plurality of properties to generate a compressed graphical representation and plurality of properties having a compressed file size; and

a fifth executable portion configured to transmit the compressed plurality of properties to the ground server.

18. The computer program product of claim 17, further including:

a sixth executable portion configured to query the ground server to determine whether the graphical representation is found on the ground server, and

a seventh executable portion configured to transmit the compressed graphical representation and the compressed plurality of properties to the ground server if the graphical representation is not found on the ground server.

19. The computer program product of claim 17, further including a sixth executable portion configured to retransmit which of the plurality of properties to the ground server have been modified from a previous transmittal.

20. The computer program product of claim 18, further including an eighth executable portion configured to transmit the graphical representation, wait for a first acknowledgment message from the ground server, and transmit the compressed plurality of properties to the ground server.