Control device for a cabin system in an airplane

• US 7,047,112 B2
• Filed: 11/11/2002
• Issued: 05/16/2006
• Est. Priority Date: 11/13/2001
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: KID Systeme GmbH (Airbus SE)
• Original Assignee: KID Systeme GmbH (Airbus SE)
• Inventors: Riedel, Christian, Endress, Manfred, Reinhold, Thorsten
• Primary Examiner(s): Camby, Richard M.
• Application Number:
  US10/495,316
• Publication Number:
  US 20050004725A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,282 Days
• Field of Search: 701/1, 701/3, 701/24, 701/36, 244/1.R, 244/75.R, 244/22, 345 11- 10, 345/205
• US Class Current: 701/3
• CPC Class Codes: G05B 15/02 electric

Abstract

An operating apparatus for a cabin system in an aircraft monitors and controls the functions of cabin systems such as information, audio, lighting, door, water and/or wastewater systems. The apparatus includes a main computer processor with an application software adapted to the cabin system, a display screen, an operator interface with a surface-sensitive input device, a controller for the operator interface, a graphics controller, an audio controller, and at least one magnetic coupler for associated interfaces, arranged in a housing. To carry out additional autonomous functions, an additional second computer with a second central processing unit and further electronic assemblies, is integrated into the housing of the operating apparatus with the common display screen and the common surface-sensitive input device so that an operation of the second computer can be carried out via the surface-sensitive input device. The central processing unit of the second computer is autonomously connected to the main computer processor.

Claims

1. Operating apparatus for a cabin system in an aircraft, which serves for the monitoring and control of the functions of at least one aircraft cabin system selected from the group consisting of information, audio, lighting, door, water and/or wastewater systems, whereby the operating apparatus comprises, a main computer processor with a prescribed operating system and with an application software adapted to the cabin system, an operator interface with a surface-sensitive input device, a controller for the operator interface, a graphics controller, an audio controller, and at least one magnetic coupler for allocated interfaces, characterized in that an additional personal computer (2), as a second main computer processor with its central processing unit (12) and further electronic assemblies (13, 14, 15), is physically integrated into the operating apparatus (1) with common display screen and common surface-sensitive input device in a common housing, in such a manner so that an operation of the additional personal computer (2) results by means of the surface-sensitive input device (5) of the operator interface (4), that the central processing unit (12) of the personal computer (2) is autonomously connected to the main computer processor (3) of the operating apparatus (1), and that additional autonomous functions can be carried out with the aid of the integrated personal computer (2) by an operator without influencing the functions of the operating apparatus (1).

2. Operating apparatus according to claim 1, characterized in that the central processing unit (12) comprises an operating system independent of the main computer processor (3) of the operating apparatus (1).

3. Operating apparatus according to claim 1, characterized in that the central processing unit (12) comprises a software for airline-specific application functions.

4. Operating apparatus according to claim 1, characterized in that the audio controller (13) of the personal computer (2) is connected to the audio controller (8) of the operating apparatus (1).

5. Operating apparatus according to claim 1, characterized in that the graphics controller (14) of the personal computer (2) is connected to the graphics controller (7) of the operating apparatus (1).

6. Operating apparatus according to claim 1, characterized by a universal switchable serial data transmission bus (USB) for the structural elements of the operating apparatus (1) and/or of the personal computer (2).

7. An aircraft cabin system operating apparatus comprising:

a common housing;

a first computer arrangement that is installed in said common housing and that comprises a first computer processor adapted to execute first functions according to application software which controls and/or monitors one or more cabin systems of an aircraft including at least one cabin system selected from the group consisting of a cabin information system, a cabin audio system, a cabin lighting system, a cabin door status system, a cabin water supply system, and a cabin wastewater system;

a second computer arrangement that is installed in said common housing and that comprises a second computer processor adapted to execute second functions distinct and independent from said first functions;

at least one internal interface that interconnects said first computer arrangement and said second computer arrangement for signal exchange therebetween internally in said common housing;

a common display screen coupled to at least one of said computer arrangements so as to display respective display data selectively from each of said computer arrangements; and

a common input device coupled to at least one of said computer arrangements so as to provide user input signals selectively to each of said computer arrangements.

8. The aircraft cabin system operating apparatus according to claim 7, further comprising a common loudspeaker coupled to at least one of said computer arrangements so as to provide respective audio signals selectively from each of said computer arrangements to said common loudspeaker.

9. The aircraft cabin system operating apparatus according to claim 7, wherein said second computer arrangement does not have a further display screen allocated and connected thereto.

10. The aircraft cabin system operating apparatus according to claim 7, wherein said common display screen and said common input device are connected directly to said first computer arrangement and not to said second computer arrangement, said display data from said second computer arrangement are provided to said common display screen via said at least one interface and said first computer arrangement, and said user input signals from said common input device for said second computer arrangement are provided to said second computer arrangement via said first computer arrangement and said at least one interface.

11. The aircraft cabin system operating apparatus according to claim 7, wherein said at least one internal interface comprises plural independent internal interface connections between said first computer arrangement and said second computer arrangement entirely internally within said common housing, and said internal interface connections include an input interface connection for said user input signals and an output interface connection for said display data.

12. The aircraft cabin system operating apparatus according to claim 7, wherein said first computer arrangement further comprises a first audio controller and a first graphics controller, said second computer arrangement further comprises a second audio controller and a second graphics controller, said at least one internal interface comprises an audio interface connection between said first and second audio controllers and a graphics interface connection between said first and second graphics controllers, and said audio interface connection and said graphics interface connection are independent and distinct from one another.

13. The aircraft cabin system operating apparatus according to claim 7, wherein said common input device comprises a touch-sensitive input panel superimposed over said common display screen, which is mounted on a major surface plane of said common housing.

14. The aircraft cabin system operating apparatus according to claim 7, wherein said first computer arrangement further comprises a first circuit board on which said first computer processor is mounted, said second computer arrangement further comprises a second circuit board on which said second computer processor is mounted, and said first and second circuit boards are independent and distinct from one another and both mounted internally in said common housing.