SYSTEM AND METHOD FOR AUTOMATIC RELOADING OF SOFTWARE INTO EMBARKED EQUIPMENT

• US 20160092192A1
• Filed: 09/24/2015
• Published: 03/31/2016
• Est. Priority Date: 09/26/2014
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Airbus Operations (European Aeronautic Defence and Space Company EADS NV)
• Original Assignee: Airbus Operations (European Aeronautic Defence and Space Company EADS NV)
• Inventors: Frayssignes, Anne, Cramoisan, Marc
• Granted Patent: US 9,612,819 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 8/61 Installation
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 8/65 Updates security arrangements therefor G06F21/57
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 9/4411 Configuring for operating with peripheral devices; Loading of device drivers
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 9/445 Program loading or initiating bootstrapping G06F9/4401; security arrangements for program loading or initiating G06F21/57

Abstract

A system and method for automating detection of a change of configuration of an embedded unit and the reloading of the appropriate software configuration into the unit. An automatic reloading system comprises a transmitter associated with the unit to transmit a configuration frame comprising a set of identifiers of the current hardware and/or software configuration of the unit, a detector to capture the configuration frame and to detect a change of hardware and/or software configuration of the unit, and a software loader to automatically reload a set of appropriate software elements into the unit according to the detected change of configuration.

Claims

1. A system for automatically reloading software in an embedded and replaceable unit of an aircraft, the unit being reinstalled on the aircraft after having been removed and repaired or being a new unit installed on the aircraft to replace a previously removed defective unit, the system comprising:

a transmitter associated with the unit and adapted to transmit a configuration frame comprising a set of identifiers of the current hardware and/or software configuration of the unit;

a detector adapted to capture the configuration frame and to detect a change of hardware and/or software configuration of the unit; and

a software loader adapted to automatically reload a set of appropriate software elements in the unit according to the detected change of configuration.

2. The system according to claim 1, in which the detector comprises:

a receiver adapted to capture the configuration frame;

a comparator adapted to compare the identifiers of the current configuration of the unit with those of a preceding configuration in order to detect any change of hardware and/or software configuration of the unit;

a trigger adapted to transmit to the software loader a trigger signal in order to trigger the downloading of the set of appropriate software elements into the unit according to the detected change of configuration; and

a recorder adapted to record the identifiers of the current configuration.

3. The system according to claim 1, in which the transmitter is incorporated in the embedded unit and is adapted to transmit, on successive dates, a series of configuration frames, each frame comprising, on the date of transmission, the current hardware and/or software configuration identifiers of the unit.

4. The system according to claim 1, in which the transmitter comprises:

a connection detector adapted to detect a reconnection of the unit in a corresponding receptacle of the aircraft;

a first RFID tag tagging the unit and comprising first configuration identifiers;

a second RFID tag tagging the receptacle of the unit and comprising second configuration identifiers; and

an RFID controller adapted to recover the first and second configuration identifiers from the first and second RFID tags after the detection of reconnection of the unit, and to transmit the configuration frame comprising the current configuration identifiers of the unit on the date of its reconnection in its receptacle.

5. The system according to claim 4, in which the connection detector comprises a switch which is tripped when the unit is installed in its receptacle.

6. The system according to claim 1, comprising an embedded software storage device, the software loader being adapted to recover the set of software elements from the embedded software storage device.

7. The system according to claim 1, in which the software loader is adapted to recover, via communication devices, the set of software elements from a software storage device arranged on the ground.

8. The system according to claim 1, in which the detector is adapted to check that the unit comprises the appropriate configuration and to perform a validation and a logging of the new configuration.

9. An aircraft comprising a reloading system according to claim 1.

10. A method for automatically reloading software in an embedded and replaceable unit of an aircraft, the unit being reinstalled on the aircraft after having been removed and repaired or being a new unit installed on the aircraft to replace a previously removed defective unit, the method comprising:

transmitting a configuration frame comprising a set of identifiers of the current hardware and/or software configuration of the unit;

capturing the configuration frame and detection of a change of hardware and/or software configuration of the unit; and

automatically reloading a set of appropriate software elements in the unit according to the detected change of configuration.