Avionics control and display unit

• US 8,264,376 B1
• Filed: 06/03/2009
• Issued: 09/11/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 06/06/2008
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Garmin International, Inc. (Garmin Limited)
• Original Assignee: Garmin International, Inc. (Garmin Limited)
• Inventors: Rolston, Walter J., Gepner, Joseph E., McLoughlin, Frank A., Willhoite, Steven B.
• Primary Examiner(s): Swarthout, Brent
• Application Number:
  US12/477,280
• Time in Patent Office: 1,196 Days
• Field of Search: 340/945, 340/971, 340973-975, 340/980, 701/3, 701/14
• US Class Current: 340/945
• CPC Class Codes: G01C 23/00 Combined instruments indicating more than one navigational value, e.g. for aircraft; Combined measuring devices for measuring two or more variables of movement, e.g. distance, speed or acceleration
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 5/0021 located in the aircraft

Abstract

A multi-product avionics control and display unit (CDU). In implementations, the CDU may include a display and a processor coupled with the display. The processor is configurable to operate in a first mode to cause the display to present standby primary flight information associated with the aircraft and a second mode to control and display operation of one or more aircraft systems associated with the aircraft.

Claims

1. An avionics control and display unit (CDU) for use in an aircraft, the CDU comprising:

a display;

a memory operable to store a plurality of independent software images, wherein the software image does not depend on an underlying operating system external to the image for execution;

a processor coupled with the display and the memory, the processor being configurable to;

access a first one of the software images to operate in a first mode to cause the display to present standby primary flight information associated with the aircraft, and

access a second one of the software images to operate in a second mode to control and display operation of one or more aircraft systems associated with the aircraft; and

a switch coupled with the processor, the switch configured to cause the processor to reboot;

wherein the first software image is accessed by default after a reboot of the CDU.

2. The CDU of claim 1, wherein loading of the first software image by the CDU communicatively isolates the CDU from other displays in an integrated avionics system.

3. The CDU of claim 1, wherein the display presents a graphical user interface that includes standby primary flight information when the processor is operating in the first mode.

4. The CDU of claim 1, wherein the memory further comprises a boot module configured to be executed by the processor to cause the first software image or the second software image to be booted.

5. The CDU of claim 4, wherein the boot module includes a low level bootblock operable to be executed by the processor to load one of the first software image or a high level bootblock, wherein the high level bootblock is operable to be executed by the processor to load the second software image.

6. The CDU of claim 1, wherein the memory comprises more than two software images and the processor is operable to access each of the software images to operate in any one of a plurality of operating modes.

7. The CDU of claim 1, wherein at least one of the software images is operable to provide more than one operating mode for the processor.

8. The CDU of claim 1, wherein the display includes a touch interface operable to allow selection of one or more indicia displayed by the display to control and display information about the one or more systems of the aircraft when the processor is operating in the second mode.

9. The CDU of claim 1, wherein the display presents a graphical user interface that includes elements that are selectable to control and display the one or more systems of the aircraft when the processor is operating in the second mode.

10. An integrated avionics system for use in an aircraft, the system comprising:

a primary flight display (PFD) operable to display primary flight information;

a multifunction display (MFD) operable to display information describing operation of the aircraft; and

a control and display unit (CDU) including a complementary display, a memory including a plurality of software images, and a processor operable to selectively load one of the software images to cause the display to present information associated with the selected software image,

wherein each of the software images do not depend on an underlying operating system external to the image for execution,

wherein the memory includes a first software image operable to be loaded by the processor to cause the complementary display to display primary flight information independent of the PFD and MFD, and

wherein the memory of the CDU further comprises a boot module configured to be executed by the processor of the CDU to cause the first software image to be booted by the CDU, such that the first software image selected by default after a reboot.

11. The system of claim 10, wherein the processor determines a failure of a PFD or MFD and selects the first software image.

12. The system of claim 11, wherein loading of the first software image by the CDU communicatively isolates the CDU from the PFD and MFD.

13. The system of claim 11, further including first and second flight sensor data sources, wherein the first flight sensor data source provides the primary flight information for use by the PFD and the second flight sensor data source provides the primary flight information for use by the CDU.

14. The system of claim 10, wherein the memory includes a second software image operable to be loaded by the processor to control and display operation of one or more aircraft systems.

15. The system of claim 14, wherein the second software image is configured to cause the complementary display to present a graphical user interface that includes elements that are selectable to control and display the one or more systems of the aircraft.

16. The system of claim 10, wherein the CDU is sufficiently dissimilar to the PFD and MFD to mitigate a common-mode failure of the CDU with the PFD or the MFD.

17. The system of claim 10, wherein the memory comprises at least two software images and the processor is operable to load one of the software images to operate in at least one operating mode associated with the loaded software image.

18. The system of claim 17, further comprising a switch configured to cause the processor to change to another mode in response to selection of the switch state.

19. The system of claim 10,

wherein the boot module includes a low level bootblock and a high level bootblock,

the low level bootblock operable to be executed by the processor to load a first software image or the high level bootblock,

the high level bootblock operable to be executed by the processor to load a second software image,

wherein the first software image is operable to be loaded by the processor to display primary flight information independent of the PFD and MFD.

20. The system of claim 10, wherein at least one of the software images is operable to provide more than one operating mode for the processor.

21. The system of claim 10, further including a plurality of PFDs or MFDs.

22. An avionics control and display unit (CDU) for use in an aircraft, the CDU comprising:

a display;

a memory operable to store a plurality of independent software images and a boot module, wherein the software images do not depend on an underlying operating system external to the images for execution; and

a processor coupled with the display and the memory, the processor being configurable to;

access a first one of the software images to operate in a first mode to cause the display to present standby primary flight information associated with the aircraft, and

access a second one of the software images to operate in a second mode to control and display operation of one or more aircraft systems associated with the aircraft;

wherein the boot module is configured to be executed by the processor to cause the first software image or the second software image to be booted, such that the first software image is accessed by default after a reboot of the CDU.

23. The CDU of claim 22, further comprising a switch configured to cause the processor to operate in one of the modes in response to selection of the switch.

24. The CDU of claim 23, wherein operation of the switch causes the processor to reboot and operate in the first mode by default.

25. The CDU of claim 22, wherein the boot module includes a low level bootblock operable to be executed by the processor to load one of the first software image or a high level bootblock, wherein the high level bootblock is operable to be executed by the processor to load the second software image.