INTEGRATED COMMUNICATION AND APPLICATION SYSTEM FOR AIRCRAFT

• US 20150120097A1
• Filed: 10/30/2013
• Published: 04/30/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 10/30/2013
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Westjet Airlines Limited
• Original Assignee: Westjet Airlines Limited
• Inventors: Hathaway, David
• Granted Patent: US 9,260,182 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 701/14
• CPC Class Codes: B64C 19/00 Aircraft control not otherwise provided for
• CPC Class Codes: B64D 2045/0075 Adaptations for use of electronic flight bags in aircraft; Supports therefor in the cockpit
• CPC Class Codes: B64D 45/00 Aircraft indicators or protectors not otherwise provided for camouflage F41H3/00
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 17/00 Digital computing or data processing equipment or methods, specially adapted for specific functions information retrieval, database structures or file system structures therefor G06F16/00
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 8/60 Software deployment
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 7/18506 Communications with or from aircraft, i.e. aeronautical mobile service
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/0428 wherein the data content is protected, e.g. by encrypting or encapsulating the payload
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/04 specially adapted for terminals or networks with limited capabilities; specially adapted for terminal portability
• 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
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/34 involving the movement of software or configuration parameters network booting or remote initial program loading [RIPL] G06F9/4416

Abstract

A method of transferring aircraft data from an aircraft to a portable electronic device entails receiving at the portable electronic device the aircraft data from a data connection with an aircraft data source without writing data back to the aircraft or from a user interface while being capable of receiving aircraft data via the data connection and executing an application on the portable electronic device using the aircraft data to present new information about the aircraft or its operating environment that is not available for display on a cockpit display but which is displayable on the portable electronic device based on the aircraft data received by the portable electronic device.

Claims

1. An integrated communication and application system for an aircraft, the system comprising:

a first tablet docked in a first cockpit holder, the first tablet being connected to power for charging the first tablet and for receiving data from a data hub;

a second tablet docked in a second cockpit holder, the second tablet being connected to power for charging the second tablet and for receiving data from the data hub; and

a third tablet undocked and interchangeable with the first tablet and the second tablet.

2. The system as claimed in claim 1 wherein the data hub is an aircraft data integration device connected to an avionics data bus and to a flight data recorder data bus.

3. The system as claimed in claim 1 wherein each of the first, second and third tablets comprises a memory and processor for storing and executing a passenger and cargo loading application.

4. The system as claimed in claim 3 wherein the passenger and cargo loading application includes a digital load sheet with a graphical interface for confirming a seating arrangement.

5. The system as claimed in claim 1 wherein each of the first, second and third tablets comprises a card reader and executes a point of sale (POS) application.

6. The system as claimed in claim 1 wherein each of the first, second and third tablets comprises a barcode or QR-code scanner and executes a scanning application for scanning a ticket, boarding pass or baggage tag.

7. The system as claimed in claim 1 wherein each of the first, second and third tablets comprises a memory and processor for storing and executing a turbulence indexing application that receives one or more accelerometer readings from an avionics data bus and an aircraft weight from the avionics data bus and then executes a turbulence computation to compute a turbulence index based on the one or more accelerometer readings and the weight and for communicating the turbulence index to a ground-based station.

8. The system as claimed in claim 1 wherein each of the first, second and third tablets comprises a memory and processor for storing and executing a runway braking condition application that receives one or more accelerometer readings from an avionics data bus indicative of a deceleration on a runway after a weight on wheels sensor senses contact with the ground on landing and an aircraft weight from the avionics data bus and then executes a runway braking condition computation to compute a runway braking condition index based on the one or more accelerometer readings and the weight and for communicating the runway braking condition index to a ground-based station.

9. The system as claimed in claim 1 wherein each of the first, second and third tablets comprises a digital camera and a memory and processor for storing and executing a dent-and-damage application for taking, annotating, storing and sending digital photographs.

10. The system as claimed in claim 1 wherein each of the first, second and third tablets comprises a memory and processor for storing and executing a weather application for receiving weather data and for displaying graphical weather imagery.

11. A portable electronic device for an integrated communication and application system for an aircraft, the device comprising:

a memory and processor configured to store and execute an electronic flight bag (EFB) application that provides EFB functions on the portable electronic device; and

a connector for connecting to a power data block of a cockpit-mounted docking station;

wherein the device is configured to receive and display data from an aircraft data integration device.

12. The portable electronic device as claimed in claim 11 wherein the aircraft data integration device is connected to an avionics data bus and to a flight data recorder data bus.

13. The portable electronic device as claimed in claim 11 wherein the processor executes a passenger and cargo loading application.

14. The portable electronic device as claimed in claim 13 wherein the passenger and cargo loading application includes a digital load sheet with a graphical interface for confirming a seating arrangement.

15. The portable electronic device as claimed in claim 11 comprising a card reader and wherein the processor executes a point of sale (POS) application.

16. The portable electronic device as claimed in claim 11 comprising a barcode or QR-code scanner and wherein the processor executes a scanning application for scanning a ticket, boarding pass or baggage tag.

17. The portable electronic device as claimed in claim 11 wherein the processor executes a turbulence indexing application that receives one or more accelerometer readings from an avionics data bus and an aircraft weight from the avionics data bus and then executes a turbulence computation to compute a turbulence index based on the one or more accelerometer readings and the weight, and wherein the device comprises a radiofrequency transceiver for communicating the turbulence index to a ground-based station.

18. The portable electronic device as claimed in claim 11 wherein the processor executes a runway braking condition application that receives one or more accelerometer readings from an avionics data bus indicative of a deceleration on a runway after a weight on wheels sensor senses contact with the ground on landing and an aircraft weight from the avionics data bus and then executes a runway braking condition computation to compute a runway braking condition index based on the one or more accelerometer readings and the weight, and wherein the device comprises a radiofrequency transceiver for communicating the runway braking condition index to a ground-based station.

19. The portable electronic device as claimed in claim 11 comprising a digital camera and wherein the processor executes a dent-and-damage application for taking, annotating, storing and sending digital photographs.

20. The portable electronic device as claimed in claim 11 wherein the processor executes a weather application for receiving weather data and for displaying graphical weather imagery.

21. The portable electronic device as claimed in claim 11 further comprising a radiofrequency transceiver for transmitting data from the aircraft data integration device to a ground-based station.

22. The portable electronic device as claimed in claim 21 wherein the radiofrequency transceiver comprises a Wi-Fi transceiver and a cellular transceiver, and wherein the processor is configured to select a mode of communication based on criticality of the data.

23. The portable electronic device as claimed in claim 21 wherein the processor is configured to selectively enable and disable the transceiver based on one or more of altitude, speed and a weight-on-wheels sensor.

24. An integrated communication and application system for an aircraft, the system comprising:

a portable electronic device detachably mounted to an aircraft cockpit holder communicatively connected to an aircraft computer system via an aircraft integration device, the device being configured to read all aircraft data from the aircraft computer system while being unable to write any data back to the aircraft computer system; and

one or more applications executing on the portable electronic device, wherein the one or more applications process the data received from the aircraft computer system and display information based on data received from the aircraft computer system.

25. The system as claimed in claim 24 comprising:

a data-concentrating device for concentrating aircraft data from multiple data buses on the aircraft;

wherein the portable electronic device is detachably mounted to the aircraft cockpit holder and is configured to passively access aircraft data from the data-concentrating device and wherein the portable electronic device displays information based on the aircraft data.

26. The system as claimed in claim 25 wherein a processor executes an application that manipulates the data received from the data-concentrating device.

27. The system as claimed in claim 26 comprising:

a first portable electronic device docked in a first cockpit holder, the first portable electronic device being connected to power for charging the first portable electronic device and for receiving data from the data-concentrating device;

a second portable electronic device docked in a second cockpit holder, the second portable electronic device being connected to power for charging the second portable electronic device and for receiving data from the data-concentrating device; and

a third portable electronic device undocked and interchangeable with the first portable electronic device and the second portable electronic device.

28. The system as claimed in claim 24 wherein the portable electronic device is configured to:

execute a runway braking condition application;

receive one or more accelerometer readings from an avionics data bus indicative of a deceleration on a runway after a weight on wheels sensor senses contact with the ground on landing;

receive an aircraft weight from the avionics data bus;

compute a runway braking condition index based on the one or more accelerometer readings and the weight; and

cause the device to communicate the runway braking condition index to a ground-based station.

29. The system as claimed in claim 24 wherein the portable electronic device is configured to:

execute a turbulence indexing application;

receive one or more accelerometer readings from an avionics data bus;

receive an aircraft weight from the avionics data bus;

compute a turbulence index based on the one or more accelerometer readings and the weight; and

cause the device to communicate the turbulence index to a ground-based station.

30. The system as claimed in claim 24 wherein the portable electronic device is configured to:

execute a passenger distribution and cargo application;

receive user input via a user interface of the portable electronic device indicating a passenger distribution in the aircraft; and

cause the portable electronic device to transmit passenger distribution data to a remote server.

31. A method of transferring aircraft data from an aircraft to a portable electronic device, the method comprising:

receiving at the portable electronic device the aircraft data from a data connection with an aircraft data source without writing data back to the aircraft or from a user interface while being capable of receiving aircraft data via the data connection; and

executing an application on the portable electronic device using the aircraft data to present new information about the aircraft or its operating environment that is not available for display on a cockpit display but which is displayable on the portable electronic device based on the aircraft data received by the portable electronic device.

32. The method as claimed in claim 31 further comprising receiving additional operating environment data at the portable electronic device from a satellite or ground-based transmitter and using the additional data in the application.

33. The method as claimed in claim 31 wherein the data connection comprises an avionics data bus or a flight data recorder data bus.

34. The method as claimed in claim 33 wherein the data source comprises one or more of Flight Management System (FMS), Global Navigation Satellite System (GNSS), Inertial Reference System (IRS), Digital Flight Data Acquisition Card (DFDAC) and Flight Data Interface Management Unit (FDIMU).