Method and apparatus for handling data and aircraft employing same

• US 7,888,813 B2
• Filed: 05/07/2010
• Issued: 02/15/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 10/16/2006
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Lightspeed Technologies, LLC (Professional Trading Solutions, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Embedded Control Systems Inc.
• Inventors: Stoner, Paul Douglas
• Primary Examiner(s): DeBeradinis; Robert L.
• Application Number:
  US12/775,985
• Publication Number:
  US 20100215367A1
• Time in Patent Office: 284 Days
• Field of Search: 307/9.1
• US Class Current: 307/9.1
• CPC Class Codes: B64D 2221/00 Electric power distribution systems onboard aircraft
• CPC Class Codes: G02B 6/2808 using a mixing element which evenly distributes an input signal over a number of outputs
• CPC Class Codes: G02B 6/4298 coupling with non-coherent light sources and/or radiation detectors, e.g. lamps, incandescent bulbs, scintillation chambers
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 10/807 Optical power feeding, i.e. transmitting power using an optical signal

Abstract

These teachings present triple data transport redundancy in the form of three data bus interfaces that are each designed and manufactured independently from one another and compatible with a common data handling protocol. This protocol can be one that includes no error correction. These interfaces can each couple to a corresponding first, second, and third data bus that may comprise optical data busses. Information gauges can be realized through use a memory that stores a plurality of images comprising views of an information gauge (or gauges) of interest showing a variety of different readings. Upon receiving information regarding a monitored parameter of interest (via, for example, the aforementioned data busses and data bus interfaces), this information can be used to address the stored information gauge view that corresponds to the present parameter value. That particular view can be recalled and displayed to thereby provide the corresponding information to a viewer.

Claims

1. A method comprising:

in an aircraft;

operably coupling a first optical data bus to each of a plurality of data-based aircraft components;

operably coupling a second optical data bus to each of the plurality of data-based aircraft components, wherein the second optical data bus is discrete with respect to the first optical data bus;

operably coupling a third optical data bus to each of the plurality of data-based aircraft components, wherein the third optical data bus is discrete with respect to the first and the second optical data bus.

2. The method of claim 1 wherein the first, second, and third optical data bus each comprises a full-duplex optical data bus.

3. The method of claim 1 wherein the first, second, and third optical data bus are each compatible with a common data handling protocol.

4. The method of claim 3 wherein the common data handling protocol makes no provision for error correcting.

5. The method of claim 1 wherein the first, second, and third optical data bus each comprises a separate ring-configured optical data bus.

6. The method of claim 1 wherein the first, second, and third optical data bus are each comprised of plastic optical fiber.

7. The method of claim 1 wherein the first, second, and third optical data bus are each comprised of polymer optical film waveguide.

8. The method of claim 1 further comprising:

operably coupling a first data bus interface between the first optical data bus and a given one of the plurality of data-based aircraft components;

operably coupling a second data bus interface between the second optical data bus and the given one of the plurality of data-based aircraft components, wherein the second data bus interface has been designed and manufactured independently from the first data bus interface;

operably coupling a third data bus interface between the third optical data bus and the given one of the plurality of data-based aircraft components, wherein the third data bus interface has been designed and manufactured independently from the first and the second data bus interface.

9. The method of claim 8 wherein the first, second, and third data bus interface are each compatible with a common data handling protocol.

10. The method of claim 9 wherein the common data handling protocol makes no provision for error correcting.

11. The method of claim 8 wherein;

operably coupling a first data bus interface between the first optical data bus and a given one of the plurality of data-based aircraft components further comprises operably coupling a shared data processor between the first data bus interface and the first optical data bus;

operably coupling a second data bus interface between the second optical data bus and the given one of the plurality of data-based aircraft components further comprises operably coupling the shared data processor between the second data bus interface and the second optical data bus; and

operably coupling a third data bus interface between the third optical data bus and the given one of the plurality of data-based aircraft components further comprises operably coupling the shared data processor between the third data bus interface and the third optical data bus.

12. The method of claim 11 wherein the shared data processor is configured and arranged to consolidate incoming data from the first, second, and third data bus interfaces.

13. The method of claim 12 further comprising:

using the shared data processor to substantially average the incoming data from the first, second, and third data bus interfaces to provide resultant averaged data to provide to the given one of the plurality of data-based aircraft components.

14. The method of claim 13 wherein using the shared data processor to substantially average the incoming data further comprises determining whether the incoming data from each of the first, second, and third data bus interfaces is within a predetermined range of one another, and not using incoming data from one of the data bus interfaces when incoming data from one of the first, second, and third data bus interfaces is not within the predetermined range.

15. The method of claim 11 wherein the shared data processor comprises a softwareless shared data processor.

16. An aircraft data bus for use with data-based aircraft components comprising:

a first optical data bus that is operably coupled to each of a plurality of data-based aircraft components;

second optical data bus that is operably coupled to each of the plurality of data-based aircraft components, wherein the second optical data bus is discrete with respect to the first optical data bus;

a third optical data bus that is operably coupled to each of the plurality of data-based aircraft components, wherein the third optical data bus is discrete with respect to the first and the second optical data bus.

17. The aircraft data bus of claim 16 wherein the first, second, and third optical data bus each comprises a full-duplex optical data bus.

18. The aircraft data bus of claim 16 wherein the first, second, and third optical data bus are each compatible with a common data handling protocol.

19. The aircraft data bus of claim 18 wherein the common data handling protocol makes no provision for error correcting.

20. The aircraft data bus of claim 16 wherein the first, second, and third optical data bus each comprises a separate ring-configured optical data bus.

21. The aircraft data bus of claim 16 wherein the first, second, and third optical data bus are each comprised of plastic optical fiber.

22. The method of claim 16 wherein the first, second, and third optical data bus are each comprised of polymer optical film waveguide.

23. The aircraft data bus of claim 16 further comprising:

a first data bus interface that is operably coupled between the first optical data bus and a given one of the plurality of data-based aircraft components;

a second data bus interface that is operably coupled between the second optical data bus and the given one of the plurality of data-based aircraft components, wherein the second data bus interface has been designed and manufactured independently from the first data bus interface;

a third data bus interface that is operably coupled between the third optical data bus and the given one of the plurality of data-based aircraft components, wherein the third data bus interface has been designed and manufactured independently from the first and the second data bus interface.

24. The aircraft data bus of claim 23 wherein the first, second, and third data bus interface are each compatible with a common data handling protocol.

25. The aircraft data bus of claim 24 wherein the common data handling protocol makes no provision for error correcting.

26. The aircraft data bus of claim 23 further comprising:

a shared data processor that is;

operably coupled between the first data bus interface and the first optical data bus;

operably coupled between the second data bus interface and the second optical data bus; and

operably coupled between the third data bus interface and the third optical data bus.

27. The aircraft data bus of claim 26 wherein the shared data processor is configured and arranged to consolidate incoming data from the first, second, and third data bus interfaces.

28. The aircraft data bus of claim 27 wherein the shared data processor is configured and arranged to substantially average the incoming data from the first, second, and third data bus interfaces to provide resultant averaged data to provide to the given one of the plurality of data-based aircraft components.

29. The aircraft data bus of claim 28 wherein the shared data processor is configured and arranged to determine whether the incoming data from each of the first, second, and third data bus interfaces is within a predetermined range of one another, and not using incoming data from one of the data bus interfaces when incoming data from one of the first, second, and third data bus interfaces is not within the predetermined range.

30. The aircraft data bus of claim 26 wherein the shared data processor comprises a softwareless shared data processor.

31. An aircraft comprising:

a plurality of data-based aircraft components;

a first optical bus that operably couples to each of the plurality of data-based aircraft components;

a second optical bus that operably couples to each of the plurality of data-based aircraft components, wherein the second optical bus is discrete from the first optical bus;

a third optical bus that operably couples to each of the plurality of data-based aircraft components, wherein the third optical bus is discrete from the first and second optical bus.

32. The aircraft of claim 31 wherein the first, second, and third optical bus each comprises a ring-configured optical bus.

33. The aircraft of claim 32 wherein the first, second, and third optical bus each comprises a full-duplex optical bus.

34. The aircraft of claim 33 wherein the first, second, and third optical bus each supports a common data handling protocol.

35. The aircraft of claim 34 wherein the common data handling protocol makes no provision for error correcting.