Systems and methods for delivering data updates to an aircraft

• US 6,438,468 B1
• Filed: 11/28/2000
• Issued: 08/20/2002
• Est. Priority Date: 11/28/2000
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Honeywell International Inc.
• Original Assignee: Honeywell International Inc.
• Inventors: Muxlow, Dan, Mueller, Lisa A., Mead, Stephen Earl
• Primary Examiner(s): Camby, Richard M.
• Application Number:
  US09/724,228
• Time in Patent Office: 630 Days
• Field of Search: 701/1, 701/3, 701/29, 701/31, 701/32, 701/33, 701/35, 701/36, 340/425.5, 340/5.8
• US Class Current: 701/3
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 5/0013 with a ground station
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 5/0021 located in the aircraft
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 5/0026 located on the ground

Abstract

Systems and methods for providing data updates to a vehicle component (such as a navigation database on an aircraft) make use of a system server, a vehicle server, and an administrative program. The system server is configured to receive and store said data updates from a source. The vehicle server obtains data updates from the system server and loads the data updates into the appropriate component. In various embodiments, the aircraft server sends a verification message to the system server to indicate success or failure of the load operation. An administrative program may be configured to direct the system server to provide said data updates to the vehicle server in accordance with pre-determined rules, and a database may be used to maintain information about data upgrades for various vehicles.

Claims

1. A method of providing a data update to a vehicle, the method comprising the steps of:

obtaining and storing said data update at a system server;

forwarding said data update from said system server to a vehicle server via a data connection;

loading said data update from said vehicle server into a component at said vehicle; and

verifying from said vehicle server to said system server via said data connection that said loading step completed successfully.

2. The method of claim 1 wherein said data connection comprises a wireless data connection.

3. The method of claim 2 wherein said wireless data connection comprises a gatelink connection.

4. The method of claim 2 further comprising the step of obtaining rules for distributing said data update from a user prior to said step of obtaining said data update.

5. The method of claim 4 further comprising the step of maintaining a database in communication with said system server, wherein said database comprises data about particular vehicles.

6. The method of claim 5 further comprising the step of querying said database to determine when said data update is sent to said vehicle as a function of said rules.

7. A digital storage medium having computer-executable instructions stored thereon, wherein said computer-executable instructions are operable to execute the method of claim 2.

8. A digital storage medium having computer-executable instructions stored thereon, wherein said computer-executable instructions are operable to execute the method of claim 6.

9. A method of providing a data update to a vehicle, the method comprising the steps of:

receiving said data update at a system server;

transmitting said data update to a vehicle server via a data connection at a pre-determined time; and

receiving a confirmation from said vehicle server via said data connection when said data update is successfully loaded.

10. The method of claim 9 further comprising the step of obtaining user inputs for said pre-determined time.

11. The method of claim 10 further comprising storing said pre-determined time in a database in association with an identifier for said vehicle.

12. The method of claim 9 wherein said data connection comprises a wireless data connection.

13. A digital storage medium having computer-executable instructions stored thereon, wherein said computer-executable instructions are operable to execute the method of claim 9.

14. A digital storage medium having computer-executable instructions stored thereon, wherein said computer-executable instructions are operable to execute the method of claim 11.

15. A digital storage medium having computer-executable instructions stored thereon, wherein said computer-executable instructions are operable to execute the method of claim 12.