Method to provide connectivity and power for different aircraft sub-systems varying in levels of criticality and intended purposes while using a single partitioned Airborne Local Area Network (ALAN)

• US 20100195634A1
• Filed: 09/02/2009
• Published: 08/05/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 09/04/2008
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Thompson Aerospace
• Original Assignee: Thompson Aerospace
• Inventors: Thompson, Mark Stephen
• Granted Patent: US 8,369,295 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 370/338
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 36/385 of the core network

Abstract

System for providing non-flight critical aircraft sub-system communication, over an ALAN, meeting DO-254/DO-178 certification. This system deterministically makes data available to each aircraft sub-system without regard to specific bandwidth requirements. This system network supports functions that are certified on a non-interference basis. The system network deterministically places all non-required functionality into a low priority to assure that all required data functions sets are not dropped. One aspect of this system is how the clients are able to join sessions. In this system, network clients are preprogrammed based on their hardware coding to be able to join a specific LVAN, or LVANs, in accordance with their predetermined functions. The present system is an ALAN based on a ring Ethernet topology, for redundancy, which provides two paths to each connection point without requiring all the wiring associated with a star wiring topology.

Claims

1. A system to use a single Airborne Local Area Network (ALAN) on an Aircraft to provide connectivity between non-related subsystems of varying criticality in accordance with DO-254/DO-178.

3. The system of claim 1, and/or claim 2 wherein the physical network consists of a Connectivity Server (CSU), Ethernet Switch Power Units (ESPU), and Clients.

4. The CSU of claim 3, is attached to the network, as shown in FIGS. 2 through 6, wherein providing the interface to the on-aircraft systems, off-aircraft systems, and the ALAN of claim 1 and claim 2.

5. The ESPU of claim 3, wherein provides the network switching functions meeting the requirements of claim 1 and claim 2 thru use of an Field Programmable Gate Array (FPGA) or similar type of device preloaded with routing information.

6. The ESPU of claim 3 wherein is the Power Sourcing Equipment (PSE) as defined in 802.3af or thru usage of another DC voltage to meet existing airline requirements and referred to as Powered Ethernet. Existing aircraft requirements define low voltage as being lower than 42 volts DC.

7. The system of claim 1 and/or claim 2, wherein each type of client has a FPGA or similar type of device that is preloaded with a net-list or similar type of code that can be certified as a complex device in accordance with DO-254.

8. The clients of claim 3, wherein each client has certain classes of service that are allowed or disallow based on the type of data required to meet it'"'"'s operation requirements based on a unique Ethernet packet identifier, such as VLAN, Multicast Address, Port Number, or any other unique package identifier.

9. The clients of claim 3, wherein each client'"'"'s FPGA or similar type of device has an 802.1x type network access control that has been preloaded with a net-list or similar type of code that can be certified as a complex device in accordance with DO-254.

10. The clients of claim 3, wherein each client'"'"'s FPGA will filter out requests from the client'"'"'s local processor to send message and or messages that are not formatted correctly for the client'"'"'s operation requirements.

11. The client of claim 3, wherein each of the clients FPGA shall restrict bandwidth based on the clients operation requirements.

12. The client of claim 3, wherein each of the clients may have a local processor within the client or the client may be a simple FPGA or similar type of device interfacing with an external device that contains the processing device.

13. The client of claim 3, where the payload of each packet can be encrypted on network entrance and removal to remove the threat of network data snooping.

14. The client of claim 3 wherein all the subsystem functions of claim 1 and claim 2 are in a proprietary client (Type 1) with the FPGA or similar type of device embedded in the client

15. The client of claim 3, wherein all the sub-system functions of claim 1 and claim 2 are in a standard external unit that interfaces with an Aircraft Network Adapter (ANA) and the client is an external unit (Type 2).

16. The clients of claim 3, wherein the Type 1 Clients use the power supplied over the Powered Ethernet connection to the ESPU as shown in claim 6.

17. The client of claim 3 and claim 14, wherein the device could be Embedded Seat Player (ESP) with all required functions embedded within the unit to meet all the functional requirements for a passenger to interface with the system including, but not limited to a, screen, a keypad, a phone jack, USB connector, a credit card reader and control pad.

18. The client of claim 3 and claim 14, wherein the device could be Cabin Attendant Terminal with all required functions embedded within the unit to meet all the functional requirements for a flight attendant or maintenance personnel to interface with the system including, but not limited to, a screen, a keypad, a phone jack, USB connector, a credit card reader and control pad.

19. The client of claim 3 and claim 14, wherein the device could be Cockpit Crew Terminal with all required functions embedded within the unit to meet all the functional requirements for a pilot to interface with the system including, but not limited to, a screen, a keypad, a phone jack, USB connector, solid state bulk memory, infrared bezel for touch screen functionality and control pad.

20. The client of claim 3 and claim 14 wherein the device could be an Ethernet Camera with all the required functions embedded within the unit to multicast video/audio data, to store video/audio data, to filter video/audio data based on predetermine parameters including, but not limited to, motion and temperature.

21. The client of claim 3 and claim 14, wherein the device could be a Wireless Access Point (WAP) that provides wireless connections to the network that could use 802.11a, b, g, n or 802.16 to provide connection to Passenger Electronic Devices (PED).

22. The client of claim 3 and claim 14, wherein the device could be a Pico cell providing cell phone connection to passenger cell phones and providing an external VoIP link to a service provider thru the network of claim 1 and claim 2 thru the usage of either the CSU of claim 4 and/or the ANA of claim 15.

23. The client of claim 3 and claim 14, wherein the device could be a Radio Frequency Identification Device (RFID) providing a means to track cargo, duty free, galley carts stowed items, flight crew, cabin crew, ground crew, airline property, passenger property, or any other device that may be utilized to perform unique tracking.

24. The client of claim 3 and claim 14, wherein the device could be a GPS module to provide, UTC time, present position, ground speed, flight path, altitude and other data as required.

25. The client of claim 3 and claim 15, wherein the device is any aircraft unit that is required to move data from one point in the aircraft such as Overhead Electronics Units (OEU) used to control reading lights, cabin lighting, attendant call, fire detection, passenger address, waste/water indication, door open/close indications, cabin fault reporting information, temperature indication, air quality as pertaining to hazards conditions, metal detectors, explosive detectors, and any other type of equipment that is not used to fly that aircraft certified in accordance with DO-178/D0-254 up to and including level “

C”

.

2. A system to use a single Airborne Local Area Network (ALAN) on an Aircraft to provide connectivity between non-related subsystems of varying security requirements