Method to use empty slots in onboard aircraft servers and communication devices to install non-proprietary servers and communications interfaces
First Claim
1. A method for energizing and cooling a circuit card coupled to a backplane in an avionics device used in an aircraft, while preventing signals other than electrical power from being conveyed between the circuit card and a slot in the backplane that is electrically coupled to the circuit card, comprising:
- (a) eliminating electrical contact between conductors in the slot and a circuit on the circuit card, except specific conductors in the slot that provide electrical power required to energize the circuit card, wherein the conductors are spaced-apart longitudinally within the slot, and the slot extends longitudinally in alignment with a footer area of the circuit card on which electrical traces are disposed;
(b) coupling the electrical traces on the footer area of the circuit card to the specific conductors in the slot;
(c) employing cooling provided in the avionics device to cool the circuit card; and
(d) conveying one or more signals between the circuit card and an external bus, device, system, or network, without using the backplane of the avionics device.
5 Assignments
0 Petitions
Accused Products
Abstract
The power supply and cooling provided by existing aircraft system line replaceable units (LRUs) or other devices supports new cards that are installed in previously empty slots or which replace existing original cards and which are not limited in functionality and do not require licensing of any proprietary technology included in the LRU. These new cards can include components such as processors, memory, and/or storage that significantly improve the performance of the LRU, and/or add new functionality—all without exceeding the power supply and cooling capability of the LRU. A network and avionics bus interface can be added to a portion of the new card and electrically coupled to the circuitry and electronic components on the new card, so that one or more cables connected to the interface can be connected to externally accessible standard avionics buses and network connectors added to a chassis of the LRU.
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Citations
11 Claims
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1. A method for energizing and cooling a circuit card coupled to a backplane in an avionics device used in an aircraft, while preventing signals other than electrical power from being conveyed between the circuit card and a slot in the backplane that is electrically coupled to the circuit card, comprising:
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(a) eliminating electrical contact between conductors in the slot and a circuit on the circuit card, except specific conductors in the slot that provide electrical power required to energize the circuit card, wherein the conductors are spaced-apart longitudinally within the slot, and the slot extends longitudinally in alignment with a footer area of the circuit card on which electrical traces are disposed; (b) coupling the electrical traces on the footer area of the circuit card to the specific conductors in the slot; (c) employing cooling provided in the avionics device to cool the circuit card; and (d) conveying one or more signals between the circuit card and an external bus, device, system, or network, without using the backplane of the avionics device. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11)
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Specification