Aircraft avionics maintenance diagnostics data download transmission system

• US 6,915,189 B2
• Filed: 10/17/2002
• Issued: 07/05/2005
• Est. Priority Date: 10/17/2002
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Teledyne Controls, LLC (Teledyne Technologies Incorporated)
• Original Assignee: Teledyne Technologies Incorporated
• Inventors: Igloi, Tamas M., Karimi, Ghobad
• Primary Examiner(s): Beaulieu, Yonel
• Application Number:
  US10/272,753
• Publication Number:
  US 20040078123A1
• Time in Patent Office: 992 Days
• Field of Search: 701/29, 701/30, 701/33, 701/34, 701/35, 701/36, 701/3, 701/14
• US Class Current: 701/14
• CPC Class Codes: B64F 5/60 Testing or inspecting aircraft components or systems
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 76/10 Connection setup
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 84/042 Public Land Mobile systems, e.g. cellular systems

Abstract

The present invention resides in a system, method and an article of manufacture for transmitting maintenance and diagnostic data from an aircraft. The system has an aircraft, a cellular infrastructures and a data reception unit. The aircraft has an avionics system and a communications unit. The avionics system has a plurality of line replaceable units, and the communications unit is connected to each line replaceable, unit. The cellular infrastructure is in communication with said communications unit after the aircraft has landed. The communication is initiated automatically upon the landing of the aircraft. The data reception unit is connected to the cellular infrastructure.

Claims

1. An aircraft maintenance data transmission system, comprising;

an aircraft having an avionics system and a communications unit, wherein the avionics system comprises a plurality of line replaceable units, and wherein the communications unit is connected to each line replaceable unit;

a cellular infrastructure in communication with said communications unit after the aircraft has landed, wherein the communication is initiated automatically upon the landing of the aircraft; and

a data reception unit connected to the cellular infrastructure.

2. The aircraft maintenance data transmission system of claim 1, wherein the line replaceable unit is an avionics line replaceable unit.

3. The aircraft maintenance data transmission system of claim 1, wherein the line replaceable unit is an electronic engine control line replaceable unit.

4. The aircraft maintenance data transmission system of claim 1, wherein said data reception unit is in communication with said cellular infrastructure via a computer network.

5. The aircraft maintenance data transmission system of claim 4, wherein the computer network is the Internet.

6. The aircraft maintenance data transmission system of claim 1, wherein said data reception unit is in communication with said cellular infrastructure via a telephone network.

7. The aircraft maintenance data transmission system of claim 6, wherein the telephone network is a public switch telephone network.

8. The aircraft maintenance data transmission system of claim 6, wherein the telephone network is an integrated services digital telephone network.

9. The aircraft maintenance data transmission system of claim 1, wherein said communications unit includes:

an avionics input/output interface;

a processor that is connected to the avionics input/output interface;

a multi-port serial card in communication with said processor;

a plurality of cell channels in communication with said multi-port serial card; and

one or more antennas in communication with said cell channels.

10. The aircraft maintenance data transmission system of claim 1, wherein said cellular infrastructure includes:

an antenna;

a transceiver subsystem in communication with said antenna; and

a controller in communication with said transceiver subsystem.

11. The aircraft maintenance data transmission system of claim 1, wherein said data reception unit includes:

a router; and

a processor in communication with said router, said processor having a storage unit.

12. An aircraft maintenance data system, comprising:

an avionics system that comprises a plurality of line replaceable units;

an avionics input/output interface that is connected to each of the line replaceable units;

a processor that is connected to the avionics input/output interface;

a multi-port serial card that is connected to the processor; and

a plurality of cell channels connected to the multi port serial card, said cell channels for transmitting data via a cellular infrastructure after the aircraft has landed, wherein the communication between the cell channels and the multi port serial card is automatically initiated upon the landing of the aircraft.

13. The aircraft maintenance data system of claim 12, further comprising one or more antennas in communication with said cell channels.

14. The aircraft maintenance data system of claim 12, wherein the processor is a personal computer.

15. The aircraft maintenance data system of claim 12, wherein the processor is an application specific integrated circuit.

16. The aircraft maintenance data system of claim 12, wherein the processor is a microprocessor.

17. An aircraft, comprising:

an avionics system having a plurality of line replaceable units, and

a communications unit connected to each of the line replaceable units, comprising;

an avionics input/output interface;

a processor connected to the avionics input/output interface;

a multi-port serial card connected to the processor; and

a plurality of cell channels connected to the multi port serial card, said cell channels for transmitting data via a cellular infrastructure after the aircraft has landed, wherein the communication between the cell channels and the multi port serial card is automatically initiated upon the landing of the aircraft.

18. An aircraft data transmission system, the aircraft having an avionics system, comprising:

means for transmitting data from the avionics system via a cellular infrastructure after the aircraft has landed, wherein the transmission of the data is initiated automatically upon landing of the aircraft; and

means for receiving said data from said cellular infrastructure.

19. The aircraft data transmission system of claim 18, wherein said means for transmitting data includes a processor.

20. The aircraft data transmission system of claim 18, wherein said means for receiving data includes a processor.

26. The method of claim 19, wherein processing said data includes:

compressing the data;

encrypting the data;

segmenting the data; and

constructing packets of data from said segmented data.

21. A method of transmitting maintenance and diagnostic data from an aircraft, comprising:

at the aircraft,

receiving the maintenance and diagnostic data from a plurality line replaceable units;

transmitting the maintenance and diagnostic data via a cellular communications infrastructure after the aircraft has landed, wherein the cellular communications infrastructure is accessed automatically upon landing of the aircraft; and

at a data reception unit, receiving the transmitted maintenance and diagnostic data.

22. A method of transmitting maintenance and diagnostic data from an avionics system located on an aircraft, comprising:

receiving the maintenance and diagnostic data from a plurality of line replaceable units;

processing maintenance and diagnostic data; and

transmitting the processed maintenance and diagnostic data via a cellular infrastructure after the aircraft has landed, wherein the cellular infrastructure is accessed automatically upon landing of the aircraft.

23. The method of claim 22, further comprising receiving said transmitted data at a flight operations center.

24. The method of claim 22, further comprising receiving said transmitted data at a flight operations center via a computer network.

25. The method of claim 22, further comprising receiving said transmitted data at a flight operations center via a telephone network.

27. The method of claim 22, wherein receiving said transmitted data includes:

acknowledging receipt of said transmitted data;

reassembling said received data;

decrypting said reassembled data;

uncompressing said decrypted data; and

storing said uncompressed data.

28. A method of transmitting maintenance and diagnostic data from an aircraft, comprising:

receiving maintenance and diagnostic data from a plurality of line replaceable units;

processing the maintenance and diagnostic data; and

transmitting the processed maintenance and diagnostic data via a cellular infrastructure after the aircraft has landed, wherein processing said maintenance and diagnostic data includes;

receiving a signal which indicates that the data transmission process can begin;

initiating a data transfer;

compressing said maintenance and diagnostic data;

encrypting said compressed maintenance and diagnostic data;

creating a packet queue;

starting a primary data thread;

waiting a predetermined period of time;

determining if any threads are active;

repeating, when threads are active, the steps of waiting a predetermined period of time and determining if any threads are active; and

exiting processing said data when no threads are active.

29. The method of claim 28 wherein starting a primary data thread includes:

initiating a PPP connection;

initiating a transfer session;

starting at least one secondary data thread;

determining if data remains in the primary data thread;

sending said data when data remains in the primary data thread;

determining if data threads are active when no data remains in the primary data thread;

repeating, when said threads are active, the step of determining if data remains in the primary data thread;

ending said session when no threads are active;

closing said PPP connection; and

exiting starting a primary data thread.

30. The method of claim 29 wherein starting at least one secondary data thread includes:

(a) setting the secondary data thread to active;

(b) initiating a PPP connection;

(c) determining if data remains in the secondary data thread;

(d) sending a data packet when data remains;

(e) repeating step c when data remains;

(f) closing said PPP connection when no data remains;

(g) setting the secondary data thread to inactive;

(h) exiting starting at least one secondary data thread; and

(i) repeating steps a through h for each secondary data thread.

31. The method of claim 30, wherein repeating steps a through h includes repeating steps a through h in parallel for each said secondary data thread.

32. A computer-implemented method of transmitting maintenance and diagnostic data from an aircraft, comprising:

receiving the maintenance and diagnostic data from a plurality of line replaceable units;

processing the maintenance and diagnostic data; and

transmitting the processed data via a cellular infrastructure after the aircraft has landed; and

receiving the transmitted data at a flight operations center, wherein receiving said transmitted data includes;

creating a socket;

receiving a message;

determining if said message is an initialization message;

initiating a session when said message is an initialization message;

determining if said message is a data message when said message is not an initialization message;

processing said message when said message is a data message;

determining if said message is an end session when said message is not a data message;

processing said message when said message is an end session; and

repeating, when said message is not an end session message, the step of receiving a message.

33. The method of claim 32 wherein initiating a session includes:

allocating buffer space;

sending an initiation session acknowledgment; and

returning to receiving a message.

34. The method of claim 32, wherein processing said message when said message is a data message includes:

copying said message to a buffer;

sending a data message acknowledgment; and

returning to receiving a message.

35. The method of claim 32, wherein processing said message when said message is not an end session includes:

computing a checksum;

determining if said checksum is valid;

saving a buffer to a temporary file;

decrypting said temporary file;

uncompressing said temporary file;

sending an end session acknowledgment; and

returning to receiving a message.

36. An article of manufacture comprising a computer program carrier, readable by a processor and embodying one or more instructions executable by the processor to perform the method of transmitting maintenance and diagnostic data from an avionics system located on an aircraft, the method comprising:

receiving maintenance and diagnostic data from a plurality of line replaceable units;

processing said maintenance and diagnostic data to prepare said data for transmission; and

transmitting said processed data via a cellular infrastructure when said aircraft has landed, wherein the cellular infrastructure is accessed automatically upon landing of the aircraft.