Method and system for collection state information of parts in a passenger cabin of a vehicle

• US 8,457,837 B2
• Filed: 10/21/2011
• Issued: 06/04/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 04/24/2009
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Airbus Operations GmbH (Airbus SE)
• Original Assignee: Airbus Operations GmbH (Airbus SE)
• Inventors: Holzer, Werner, Flister, Michael, Burow, Dirk, Lohrke, Steffen, Ghadieh, Ziad, Grimlitza, Benjamin
• Primary Examiner(s): Beaulieu, Yonel
• Application Number:
  US13/279,104
• Publication Number:
  US 20120101682A1
• Time in Patent Office: 592 Days
• Field of Search: 701/29.1, 701/29.7, 701/31.1, 701/33.2, 701/33.4, 701/36, 702/183, 702/185
• US Class Current: 701/33.2
• CPC Class Codes: G07C 5/008 communicating information to a remotely located station transmission systems for measured values G08C
• CPC Class Codes: G07C 5/085 using electronic data carriers

Abstract

A method for collecting defect data of parts in a passenger cabin of a vehicle includes, but is not limited to connecting an electronics device allocated to a user to a central communication device, retrieving a user interface provided by the communication device by the electronics device, dialog-based inquiring of defect data of parts by the communication device by way of the user interface on the electronics device, and storing the requested defect data by the communication device in a central data storage unit. The electronics device can be mobile or permanently installed. Mobile electronics devices can be implemented by personal electronics devices of the passengers, which devices were brought into the passenger cabin.

Claims

1. A method for collecting defect data of parts in a passenger cabin of a vehicle, comprising:

connecting one or more of a plurality of electronics devices allocated to a plurality of passengers located within the passenger cabin to a central communication device;

retrieving a user interface provided by the central communication device by one or more of the plurality of the electronics devices;

dialog-based inquiring of defect data of parts by the central communication device by way of the user interface on the one or more of the plurality of electronics devices; and

receiving user input from one or more of the plurality of passengers that identifies the defect data of parts in the passenger cabin;

storing the defect data by the central communication device in a central data storage unit,

wherein the dialog-based inquiring of the defect data comprises generating hierarchical inquiry dialogs by retrieving from a database data of parts in the at least one passenger cabin that are notifiable as being defective and transmitting hierarchical inquiry dialogs by the central communication device to one or more of the plurality of the electronics devices.

2. The method of claim 1,

wherein the electronics device is a mobile electronics device that is configured to:

connect wirelessly to the central communication device;

present a user interface on a display of the mobile electronics device; and

wirelessly communicate with the central communication device for requesting the defect data.

3. The method of claim 1,

wherein the electronics device is permanently installed in the passenger cabin with a display, the electronics device configured to:

connect to the central communication device;

present a user interface on the display associated with the electronics device; and

communicate with the central communication device for requesting the defect data.

4. The method of claim 1,

wherein for selecting defective parts to be registered, dialog-based inquiry of the defect data comprises presenting hierarchically structured graphics of parts.

5. The method of claim 1,

wherein for selecting defective parts to be registered dialog-based inquiry of the defect data comprises text-based presenting hierarchically structured presentation.

6. The method of claim 1,

further comprising transmitting the defect data to a vehicle maintenance system.

7. A system for collecting defect data of parts in a passenger cabin of a vehicle, comprising:

at least one storage unit; and

at least one communication device that is configured to;

connect to one or more of a plurality of electronics devices allocated to a plurality of passengers located within the passenger cabin;

provide a user interface for transferring to the plurality of electronics devices;

generate hierarchical inquiry dialogs for acquiring the defect data by retrieving from a database data of parts in the at least one passenger cabin that are notifiable as being defective and transmit the hierarchical inquiry dialogs to each of the plurality of electronics devices for display to each of the plurality of passengers;

receive user input from one or more of the plurality of passengers that identifies the defect data of parts in the at least one passenger cabin by way of the hierarchical inquiry dialogs presentable through one or more of the plurality of electronics devices; and

store the defect data in the at least one storage unit.

8. The system of claim 7, further comprising at least one permanently installed electronics device.

9. The system of claim 7, further comprising a wireless communication device configured to wirelessly communicate with a mobile electronics device.

10. The system of claim 7, wherein the at least one communication device is configured to transmit the defect data to a maintenance system of the vehicle.

11. A vehicle, comprising:

at least one passenger cabin; and

at least one system configured to collect defect data of parts in the at least one passenger cabin, the at least one system comprising;

at least one storage unit; and

at least one communication device configured to;

connect to one or more of a plurality of electronics devices allocated to a plurality of passengers located within the at least one passenger cabin;

provide a user interface for transferring to the plurality of electronics devices;

generate hierarchical inquiry dialogs for acquiring the defect data by retrieving from a database data of parts in the at least one passenger cabin that are notifiable as being defective and transmit the hierarchical inquiry dialogs to each of the plurality of electronics devices for display to each of the plurality of passengers;

receive user input from one or more of the plurality of passengers that identifies the defect data of parts in the at least one passenger cabin by way of the hierarchical inquiry dialogs presentable through each of the plurality of electronics devices; and

store the defect data in the at least one storage unit.

12. The vehicle of claim 11, further comprising at least one permanently installed electronics device.

13. The vehicle of claim 11, further comprising a wireless communication device configured to wirelessly communicate with a mobile electronics device.

14. The vehicle of claim 11, wherein the at least one communication device is configured to transmit the defect data to a maintenance system of the vehicle.

15. The vehicle of claim 11, wherein the vehicle is an aircraft.