Information Handling for Aircraft Flight Decks

• US 20130261847A1
• Filed: 03/28/2012
• Published: 10/03/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 03/28/2012
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: The Boeing Co.
• Original Assignee: The Boeing Co.
• Inventors: Myers, Robert James, Anstey, Timothy William, Batsakes, Peter James
• Granted Patent: US 9,031,716 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 701/3
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 5/0004 Transmission of traffic-related information to or from an aircraft airborne radio transmission systems in general H04B7/185; airborne wireless networks H04W84/06
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 5/0021 located in the aircraft
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 51/226 Delivery according to priorities
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/14 for detecting or protecting against malicious traffic
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/20 for managing network security; network security policies in general filtering policies H04L63/0227
• 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

A system and method for handling information for use on a flight deck network on an aircraft. Information is received from a number of information sources. The number of information sources is not part of the flight deck network. The flight deck network is a certified network. It is determined whether the information is approved to be used on the flight deck network. A manner in which the information is allowed to be used on the flight deck network is also determined. Responsive to a determination that the information is approved to be used on the flight deck network, the information is sent to the flight deck network during operation of the aircraft.

Claims

1. A method for handling information for use on a flight deck network on an aircraft comprising:

receiving the information from a number of information sources, wherein the number of information sources is not a part of the flight deck network, wherein the flight deck network is a certified network;

determining whether the information is approved to be used on the flight deck network;

determining a manner in which the information is allowed to be used on the flight deck network; and

responsive to a determination that the information is approved to be used on the flight deck network, sending the information to the flight deck network during operation of the aircraft.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the number of information sources includes information sources selected from information sources on the aircraft and information sources not on the aircraft.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the information includes information selected from information that is operationally approved information and useful information that is useful for the operation of the aircraft but is non-essential for safe operation of the aircraft.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein determining whether the information is approved to be used on the flight deck network comprises determining whether the information matches criteria provided in an approved information list, wherein the criteria are selected from a group of criteria consisting of approved types of information, approved sources of information, approved information formats, and approved standards classifications.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein the manner in which the information is allowed to be used on the flight deck network comprises at least one of locations on the flight deck network at which the information is allowed to be displayed, a number of replications of the information that is allowed to be displayed simultaneously on the flight deck network, a condition of operation of the aircraft during which the information is allowed to be displayed on the flight deck network, and allowed integration of the information with information that is certified to be a part of the flight deck network.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein the manner in which the information is allowed to be used on the flight deck network is selected from stand-alone display of the information separate from a display of information that is certified to be a part of the flight deck network, graphical integration of the display of the information with the display of the information that is certified to be a part of the flight deck network, and data integration of the information with the information that is certified to be a part of the flight deck network before generating a display of the information.

7. The method of claim 1 further comprising:

during the operation of the aircraft, receiving a request for the information from the flight deck network and sending the information to the flight deck network in response to receiving the request.

8. The method of claim 7, wherein receiving the information from the number of information sources comprises receiving the information from the number of information sources before receiving the request for the information from the flight deck network.

9. The method of claim 7, wherein receiving the information from the number of information sources comprises obtaining the information from the number of information sources in response to receiving the request for the information from the flight deck network.

10. The method of claim 1, wherein sending the information to the flight deck network comprises sending the information to the flight deck network to be used on the flight deck network during the operation of the aircraft simultaneously with using other information that is a part of the flight deck network on the flight deck network.

11. The method of claim 10, wherein the other information that is a part of the flight deck network comprises information selected from information certified to be a part of the flight deck network and essential information that is required to be displayed on the flight deck network for safe operation of the aircraft.

12. A method for handling information on a flight deck network on an aircraft comprising:

during operation of the aircraft, sending a request from the flight deck network for the information to be used on the flight deck network, wherein the flight deck network is a certified network;

in response to the request, receiving the information to be used on the flight deck network from a source of information that is not a part of the flight deck network; and

using the information on the flight deck network during the operation of the aircraft while simultaneously using other information that is a part of the flight deck network on the flight deck network.

13. The method of claim 12, wherein using the information on the flight deck network comprises using the information on the flight deck network in a manner in which the information is allowed to be used on the flight deck network.

14. The method of claim 13, wherein the manner in which the information is allowed to be used on the flight deck network comprises at least one of locations on the flight deck network at which the information is allowed to be displayed, a number of replications of the information that is allowed to be displayed simultaneously on the flight deck network, a condition of operation of the aircraft during which the information is allowed to be displayed on the flight deck network, and allowed integration of the information with information that is certified to be a part of the flight deck network.

15. The method of claim 13, wherein the manner in which the information is allowed to be used on the flight deck network is selected from stand-alone display of the information separate from a display of information that is certified to be a part of the flight deck network, graphical integration of a display of the information with the display of the information that is certified to be a part of the flight deck network, and data integration of the information with the information that is certified to be a part of the flight deck network before generating the display of the information.

16. The method of claim 12, wherein:

the information includes information selected from information that is operationally approved information and useful information that is useful for the operation of the aircraft but is non-essential for safe operation of the aircraft; and

the other information that is a part of the flight deck network comprises information selected from information certified to be a part of the flight deck network and essential information that is required to be displayed on the flight deck network for the safe operation of the aircraft.

17. An apparatus comprising an information controller on an aircraft comprising:

an information receiver configured to receive information from a number of information sources, wherein the number of information sources is not a part of a flight deck network on the aircraft, wherein the flight deck network is a certified network;

an approved information checker configured to determine whether information received by the information receiver is approved to be used on the flight deck network;

an allowed uses tagger configured to associate data with the information received by the information receiver, wherein the data indicates a manner in which the information is allowed to be used on the flight deck network; and

an information request handler configured to receive a request from the flight deck network during operation of the aircraft to send the information to the flight deck network, and, in response to receiving the request, to send the information that is determined to be approved to be used on the flight deck network with the data to the flight deck network.

18. The apparatus of claim 17, wherein the data indicates at least one of locations on the flight deck network at which the information is allowed to be displayed, a number of replications of the information that is allowed to be displayed simultaneously on the flight deck network, a condition of operation of the aircraft during which the information is allowed to be displayed on the flight deck network, and allowed integration of the information with information that is certified to be a part of the flight deck network.

19. The apparatus of claim 17, wherein the data indicates at least one of:

the information is allowed to be displayed on the flight deck network as a stand-alone display of the information separate from a display of information that is certified to be a part of the flight deck network, a display of the information is allowed to be graphically integrated with the display of information that is certified to be a part of the flight deck network, or the information is allowed to be integrated with information that is certified to be a part of the flight deck network before generating the display of the information.

20. The apparatus of claim 17, wherein the information request handler is configured to send the information that is determined to be approved to be used on the flight deck network to the flight deck network during the operation of the aircraft to be displayed on the flight deck network during the operation of the aircraft while other information that is a part of the flight deck network is displayed on the flight deck network.