INTEGRATED COMMUNICATION AND APPLICATION SYSTEM FOR AIRCRAFT

• US 20160122036A1
• Filed: 12/22/2015
• Published: 05/05/2016
• 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 9,650,153 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 1/1
• 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: B64D 47/08 Arrangements of cameras
• 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 wherein the first and second tablets are communicatively connected so that user input received by one of the first and second tablets is displayed in real-time on both of the first and second tablets; and

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

wherein the first, second and third tablets each comprises a memory coupled to a processor to store and execute one or more uncertified applications that process the data received from the data hub to generate and display new information which would be otherwise unavailable for displaying on a cockpit display.

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 the one or more applications includes 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 an embedded digital camera to scan a barcode or QR-code of a ticket, boarding pass or baggage tag.

7. The system as claimed in claim 1 wherein the one or more applications includes 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 the one or more applications includes 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 the one or more applications includes a dent-and-damage application for taking, annotating, storing and sending digital photographs.

10. The system as claimed in claim 1 wherein the one or more applications includes a weather application for receiving weather data and for displaying color graphical weather imagery.

11. The system as claimed in claim 1 wherein the first, second and third tablets each comprises a cellular transceiver and a Wi-Fi transceiver and wherein the processor of each of the first and second tablets selects the cellular transceiver to transmit ACARS data when located at a home airport and selects the Wi-Fi transceiver to transmit the ACARS data when roaming.

12. A method of presenting aircraft data from an aircraft on a portable electronic device, the method comprising:

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

docking a second tablet in a second cockpit holder, the second tablet being connected to power for charging the second tablet and for receiving the aircraft data from the data hub wherein the first and second tablets are communicatively connected so that user input received by one of the first and second tablets is displayed in real-time on both of the first and second tablets;

providing a third tablet that is undocked and interchangeable with the first tablet and the second tablet; and

executing one or more uncertified applications on the first, second and third tablets using the aircraft data to present new information about the aircraft or its operating environment that would be otherwise unavailable for display on a cockpit display.

13. The method as claimed in claim 12 further comprising:

transmitting ACARS data via a cellular transceiver of one of the first, second and third tablets when located at a home airport; and

transmitting the ACARS data using a Wi-Fi transceiver of one of the first, second and third tablets when roaming.

14. The method as claimed in claim 12 wherein executing the one or more applications comprises executing a passenger and cargo loading application.

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

16. The method as claimed in claim 12 wherein executing the one or more applications comprises executing a point of sale (POS) application.

17. The method as claimed in claim 12 further comprising using an embedded digital camera in one of the first, second and third tablets to scan a barcode or QR-code of a ticket, boarding pass or baggage tag.

18. The method as claimed in claim 12 wherein executing the one or more applications comprises 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.

19. The method as claimed in claim 12 wherein executing the one or more applications comprises 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.

20. The method as claimed in claim 12 wherein executing the one or more applications comprises executing a dent-and-damage application for taking, annotating, storing and sending digital photographs.

21. The method as claimed in claim 12 wherein executing the one or more applications comprises executing a weather application for receiving weather data and for displaying color graphical weather imagery.

22. The method as claimed in claim 12 comprising receiving at the first or second tablets the aircraft data from a data connection with an aircraft data source, the data connection comprising an avionics data bus or a flight data recorder data bus.

23. The method as claimed in claim 22 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).