SYSTEM FOR MONITORING AND REPORTING AIRCRAFT DATA STORAGE STATUS

• US 20180129447A1
• Filed: 11/07/2016
• Published: 05/10/2018
• Est. Priority Date: 11/07/2016
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Panasonic Avionics Corporation (Panasonic Holdings Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Panasonic Avionics Corporation (Panasonic Holdings Corporation)
• Inventors: Kao, Chiayu, Do, Christopher
• Granted Patent: US 10,649,683 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• CPC Class Codes: B64F 5/60 Testing or inspecting aircraft components or systems
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0604 Improving or facilitating administration, e.g. storage management
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0653 Monitoring storage devices or systems
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/067 Distributed or networked storage systems, e.g. storage area networks [SAN], network attached storage [NAS]
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0685 Hybrid storage combining heterogeneous device types, e.g. hierarchical storage, hybrid arrays

Abstract

A system for monitoring and reporting data storage status of one or more line replaceable units installed in an aircraft. A data storage monitor onboard the vehicle is in communication with each of the line replaceable units. A storage status is reported, and a storage status log is generated for each line replaceable unit. The storage status logs are communicated to a base station over a communication link established between the base station and the data storage monitor for storage within a repository. The base station has a status log aggregator that generates a report from the storage status logs, an interface for an external management application to access the storage status logs, and an alarm that generates notifications to a predefined destination based upon an evaluation of the storage status logs against one or more alert rules.

Claims

1. A system for monitoring and reporting data storage status of one or more line replaceable units installed in a vehicle, each line replaceable unit including a data storage device and defined by a total capacity and a current occupied space updated in response to data loading, data production, and data removal operations, the system comprising:

a data storage monitor onboard the vehicle and in communication with each of the one or more line replaceable units, with a storage status being reported to the data storage monitor from the line replaceable units and a storage status log being generated by the data storage monitor for each line replaceable unit based upon the storage status reported therefrom; and

a base station to which the storage status logs are transmitted over a communication link established between the base station and the data storage monitor for storage within a repository, the base station including a status log aggregator that generates a report from one or more of the storage status logs, an interface for an external management application to access the storage status logs, and an alarm that communicates notifications to a predefined destination based upon an evaluation of the storage status logs against one or more alert rules.

2. The system of claim 1, wherein the storage status includes the current occupied space on the data storage device of the line replaceable unit pertaining thereto.

3. The system of claim 2, wherein the storage status further includes the total capacity of the data storage device of the line replaceable unit pertaining thereto.

4. The system of claim 3, wherein the current occupied space is further delineated according to data type, the data type being selected from a group consisting of media, content, software, and temporary files.

5. The system of claim 1, wherein the storage status includes a vehicle identifier corresponding to the vehicle and a line replaceable unit identifier corresponding to the line replaceable unit to which the storage status pertains.

6. The system of claim 1, wherein the storage status includes a date and time stamp corresponding to when any of the data loading, data production, or data removal operations occurred on the line replaceable unit to which the storage status pertains.

7. The system of claim 1, wherein the line replaceable units report the storage status to the data storage monitor upon the current occupied space being updated following any one of the data loading, data production, or data removal operations.

8. The system of claim 1, wherein the line replaceable units report the storage status to the data storage monitor in response to a storage status inquiry from the data storage monitor.

9. The system of claim 1, wherein the communication link from the data storage monitor to the base station is wireless.

10. The system of claim 1, wherein the communication link from the data storage monitor to the base station is wired.

11. The system of claim 1, wherein the notification is delivered as an electronic mail message.

12. The system of claim 1, wherein the notification is delivered as an interactive alert on a receiving computer system.

13. An apparatus for monitoring and reporting data storage status of one or more line replaceable units installed in an aircraft and each including a data storage device, the apparatus comprising:

a status retrieval interface connectible to the one or more line replaceable units, each generating a storage status in response to a data operation thereon, the storage status including total capacity, and a current occupied space separately delineated according to constituent data types;

a status database connected to the status retrieval interface, the storage statuses from each of the one or more line replaceable units being recorded therein in conjunction with a timestamp;

a status aggregator connected to the status database, a status report being generated from one or more storage statuses from the line replaceable units and including an aircraft identifier and line replaceable unit identifiers; and

a ground side system interface connectible to a base station, the status report including each of the storage statuses recorded in the status database being downloadable to the base station.

14. The apparatus of claim 13, wherein the ground side system interface establishes a wireless communication link to the base station.

15. The apparatus of claim 13, wherein the data operation includes any one of:

data loading, data production, or data removal on the line replaceable unit.

16. The apparatus of claim 13, wherein the data type is selected from a group consisting of:

media, content, software, and temporary files.

17. An apparatus for monitoring and reporting data storage status of one or more line replaceable units installed in an aircraft and each including a data storage device, the apparatus comprising:

an air side system interface connectible to a data storage monitor installed on the aircraft and collects storage statuses from the one or more line replaceable units, the storage statuses including total capacity and a current occupied space separately delineated according to constituent data types;

a storage status database connected to the air side system interface, the storage statuses retrieved from the data storage monitor being recorded therein;

an application interface connectible to an external management application, the storage status logs from the storage status database being retrievable by the external management application through the application interface; and

an alarm that communicates notifications to a predefined destination based upon an evaluation of the storage status logs according to one or more alert rules.

18. The apparatus of claim 17, further comprising:

a storage status log aggregator connected to the storage status database, a report being generated by the status log aggregator from the storage statuses.

19. The apparatus of claim 17, wherein the notification is an electronic mail message.

20. The apparatus of claim 17, wherein the data type is selected from a group consisting of:

media, content, software, and temporary files.