INTEGRATING AN APPLICATION RUNNING ON A PORTABLE ELECTRONIC DEVICE INTO A FLIGHT DECK DISPLAY OF AN AIRCRAFT

• US 20200130860A1
• Filed: 10/31/2018
• Published: 04/30/2020
• Est. Priority Date: 10/31/2018
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: The Boeing Co.
• Original Assignee: The Boeing Co.
• Inventors: Johnson, Keith L., Batsakes, Peter J., Uttech, Brandon S.
• Granted Patent: US 10,960,985 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• CPC Class Codes: B64D 2045/0075 Adaptations for use of electronic flight bags in aircraft; Supports therefor in the cockpit
• CPC Class Codes: B64D 43/00 Arrangements or adaptations of instruments arrangements of cameras B64D47/08; aeronautical measuring instruments per se G01C
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 21/44 Program or device authentication
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 21/6236 between heterogeneous systems
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0488 using a touch-screen or digitiser, e.g. input of commands through traced gestures
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/1454 involving copying of the display data of a local workstation or window to a remote workstation or window so that an actual copy of the data is displayed simultaneously on two or more displays, e.g. teledisplay
• CPC Class Codes: G09G 2358/00 Arrangements for display data security
• CPC Class Codes: G09G 2380/12 Avionics applications
• CPC Class Codes: G09G 5/14 Display of multiple viewports

Abstract

A method for integrating an application into a flight deck includes receiving, by the flight deck, an identification of the application for integrating into the flight deck, wherein the application is running on a portable electronic device (PED) separate from the flight deck. The method also includes transmitting, by the flight deck, the identification of the application to the PED. The method additionally includes locating an application window corresponding to the application on a display of the PED and reading pixel data corresponding to the application window on the display of the PED. The method further includes transmitting the pixel data from the PED to the flight deck and integrating the application into the flight deck using the pixel data.

Claims

1. A method for integrating an application into a flight deck, comprising:

receiving, by the flight deck, an identification of the application for integrating into the flight deck, wherein the application is running on a portable electronic device (PED) separate from the flight deck;

transmitting, by the flight deck, the identification of the application to the PED;

locating an application window corresponding to the application on a display of the PED;

reading pixel data corresponding to the application window on the display of the PED;

transmitting the pixel data from the PED to the flight deck; and

integrating the application into the flight deck using the pixel data.

2. The method of claim 1, further comprising presenting the application window on the display of the PED in response to running the application on the PED.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein receiving the identification of the application comprises receiving touchscreen inputs by a user on a flight deck display.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein locating the application window corresponding to the application on the display of the PED comprises matching the identification of the application to an identification specified in an onscreen application capture utility.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein locating the application window corresponding to the application on the display of the PED comprises matching the identification of the application to an identification of an approved application in a predefined list of approved applications for integrating into the flight deck.

6. The method of claim 5, further comprising presenting a message on a flight deck display that the application is not approved for integrating into the flight deck in response to not being able to match the identification of the application to the identification of one of the approved applications in the predefined list of approved applications.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein reading the pixel data corresponding to the application window on the display of the PED comprises reading red, green and blue pixel values from a screen buffer of the PED.

8. The method of claim 7, wherein reading the pixel data comprises limiting the pixel data to pixel data in an area on the display of the PED occupied by the application window.

9. The method of claim 1, further comprising filtering the pixel data to include only pixel data in the application window for integrating into the flight deck.

10. The method of claim 1, further comprising formatting the pixel data for transmitting to the flight deck.

11. The method of claim 1, further comprising receiving the pixel data from the PED by a crew interface gateway in the flight deck.

12. The method of claim 11, further comprising transforming coordinates of the pixel data to fit presentation of the application on a flight deck display.

13. The method of claim 1, further comprising receiving inputs from a user by an application window running on a flight deck display.

14. The method of claim 13, wherein receiving inputs from the user by the application window comprises receiving touchscreen inputs by the flight deck display.

15. The method of claim 13, further comprising:

transmitting the inputs to the PED by a crew interface gateway of the flight deck;

transforming coordinates of the inputs from the flight deck to match coordinates of the application window on the display of the PED; and

performing functions by the application on the PED using the transformed coordinates of the inputs.

16. A system for integrating an application into a flight deck, comprising:

a flight deck comprising a crew interface gateway, the crew interface gate being configured to receive an identification of the application for integrating into the flight deck, wherein the application is running on a portable electronic device (PED) separate from the flight deck, and the crew interface gateway is further configured to transmit the identification of the application to the PED;

an onscreen application capture utility operable on the PED, the onscreen application capture utility being configured to locate an application window corresponding to the application on a display of the PED, to read pixel data corresponding to the application window on the display of the PED, and to transmit the pixel data from the PED to the flight deck; and

wherein the crew interface gateway is further configured to integrate the application into the flight deck using the pixel data.

17. The system of claim 16, wherein the onscreen application capture utility is further configured to locate the application window corresponding to the application on the display of the PED by matching the identification of the application to an identification specified in the onscreen application capture utility.

18. The system of claim 16, further comprising a predefined list of approved applications, wherein the onscreen application capture utility is further configured to match the identification of the application for integrating into the flight deck to an identification of an approved application in the predefined list of approved applications for integrating into the flight deck.

19. The system of claim 16, wherein the onscreen application capture utility is further configured to read the pixel data limited to an area on the display of the PED occupied by the application window.

20. The system of claim 16, wherein the crew interface gateway is further configured to receive inputs entered by a user into an application window running on a flight deck display and to transmit the inputs to the PED for performance of a function by the application on the PED in response to the inputs.