Method and apparatus for simulating aircraft data processing systems

• US 8,615,384 B2
• Filed: 07/02/2008
• Issued: 12/24/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 10/31/2007
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: The Boeing Co.
• Original Assignee: The Boeing Co.
• Inventors: Angus, Ian Gareth, Davis, Terry Lee, Mitchell, Timothy M., Momii, Leigh Wong, Skahan, Vincent D. Jr.
• Primary Examiner(s): PHAN, THAI Q
• Application Number:
  US12/166,789
• Publication Number:
  US 20090112569A1
• Time in Patent Office: 2,001 Days
• Field of Search: 703/2, 703/6, 703/8, 703/26, 700/105
• US Class Current: 703/2
• CPC Class Codes: B64F 5/60 Testing or inspecting aircraft components or systems
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 9/455 Emulation; Interpretation; Software simulation, e.g. virtualisation or emulation of application or operating system execution engines
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/12 specially adapted for proprietary or special-purpose networking environments, e.g. medical networks, sensor networks, networks in vehicles or remote metering networks
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/131 Protocols for games, networked simulations or virtual reality

Abstract

A method, apparatus, and computer program product for simulating mobile platforms. In one advantageous embodiment, a method is used to performing operations with a virtual aircraft network. A data processing system with the virtual aircraft network is connected to a ground network. The operations are performed with the virtual aircraft network connected to the ground network.

Claims

1. A method for simulating a mobile platform, the method comprising:

identifying a plurality of components for a network for the mobile platform to form a plurality of identified components;

designing a set of virtual versions of components for at least a portion of the plurality of identified components;

placing the set of virtual versions of components on a data processing system to form a virtual network for the mobile platform; and

configuring a set of physical network connections on the data processing system.

2. The method of claim 1 further comprising:

connecting the set of physical network connections to another network, wherein the virtual network is connected to the another network; and

performing operations with the virtual network and the another network.

3. The method of claim 2 further comprising:

collecting data from performing the operations to form collected data; and

changing the other network in response to the collected data.

4. The method of claim 2, wherein the performing step comprises:

performing operations with the virtual network and the another network to train a set of users on how to perform the operations.

5. The method of claim 4, wherein the virtual network is a virtual aircraft network and the another network is a ground network.

6. The method of claim 2 further comprising:

utilizing a physical component of one of the plurality of components.

7. The method of claim 6, wherein the physical component is a line replaceable unit.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein the network is selected from one of a network in an aircraft, a network in an automobile, a network in a tank, a network in a ship, a network in spacecraft, a network in a submarine, and a network in missile.

9. The method of claim 1, wherein a selected component in the plurality of components is a software aircraft part in a line replaceable unit.

10. The method of claim 9, wherein the designing step comprises:

designing a virtual machine for the line replaceable unit to execute the software aircraft part.

11. The method of claim 9, wherein the designing step comprises:

designing a virtual machine for the line replaceable unit with a software component capable of simulating inputs and outputs to the software aircraft part.

12. A computer program product for simulating a mobile platform, the computer program product comprising:

a non-transitory computer readable medium; and

program code, stored on the non-transitory computer readable medium, for;

identifying a plurality of components for a network for the mobile platform to form a plurality of identified components;

designing a set of virtual versions of components for at least a portion of the plurality of identified components;

placing the set of virtual versions of components on a data processing system to form a virtual network for the mobile platform; and

configuring a set of physical network connections on the data processing system.

13. The computer program product of claim 12 further comprising:

program code, stored on the non-transitory computer readable medium, for;

connecting the set of physical network connections to another network, wherein the virtual network is connected to the another network; and

performing operations with the virtual network and the another network.

14. The computer program product of claim 13 further comprising:

program code, stored on the non-transitory computer readable medium, for;

collecting data from performing the operations to form collected data; and

changing the other network in response to the collected data.

15. The computer program product of claim 13, wherein the virtual network is a virtual aircraft network and the another network is a ground network.

16. The computer program product of claim 12, wherein a selected component in the plurality of components is a software aircraft part in a line replaceable unit.

17. An apparatus for simulating a mobile platform, the apparatus comprising a data processing system configured to:

identify a plurality of components for a network for the mobile platform to form a plurality of identified components;

design a set of virtual versions of components for at least a portion of the plurality of identified components;

place the set of virtual versions of components on the data processing system to form a virtual network for the mobile platform; and

configure a set of physical network connections on the data processing system.

18. The apparatus of claim 17, wherein the data processing system is configured to:

connect the set of physical network connections to another network, wherein the virtual network is connected to the another network; and

perform operations with the virtual network and the another network.

19. The apparatus of claim 18, wherein the data processing system is configured to:

collect data from performing the operations to form collected data; and

change the other network in response to the collected data.

20. The apparatus of claim 18, wherein the virtual network is a virtual aircraft network and the another network is a ground network.

21. The apparatus of claim 17, wherein a selected component in the plurality of components is a software aircraft part in a line replaceable unit.