Integrating portable electronic devices with electronic flight bag systems installed in aircraft

• US 8,732,233 B2
• Filed: 07/13/2005
• Issued: 05/20/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 07/13/2005
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: The Boeing Co.
• Original Assignee: The Boeing Co.
• Inventors: Allen, David L.
• Primary Examiner(s): WON, MICHAEL YOUNG
• Application Number:
  US11/180,202
• Publication Number:
  US 20070055416A1
• Time in Patent Office: 3,233 Days
• Field of Search: 709/203, 709/205, 709/212, 709/223, 709/248, 701/4, 701/14, 701/15, 701/16, 701/29, 701/33, 701/3, 701/10, 701/29.1, 701/30.1, 340/945, 340/963, 340/973
• US Class Current: 709/203
• CPC Class Codes: G01D 2207/10 Displays which are primarily used in aircraft or display aircraft-specific information
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 5/0013 with a ground station
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 5/0021 located in the aircraft

Abstract

An electronic flight bag apparatus includes an electronic flight bag (EFB) system installed in an aircraft and which interfaces with a ground network, and a portable EFB device connectible with the EFB system via a trusted secure connection. This apparatus makes it possible for a flight crew member to remove the portable device from the aircraft, enter flight information into the device in a convenient manner, and transfer the information to the installed EFB system. Auxiliary crew members may use the portable device during flight to assist the flight crew.

Claims

1. An electronic flight bag apparatus comprising:

an electronic flight bag (EFB) system installed in an aircraft and configured to interface with a ground network via one or more communication systems of the aircraft, the EFB system including at least one installed EFB having an electronic unit and a display unit connected with the electronic unit, the electronic unit further including one or more computers configured to execute a first software client of a flight-related application, wherein the flight-related application also includes a second software client corresponding to the first software client, and to provide to the display unit with information to generate one or more displays associated with the flight-related application;

a portable EFB device configured to perform at least part of the flight-related application that makes use of the second software client when not connected with the EFB system and, when on the aircraft, connectible with the EFB system via a trusted link and secure connection to perform the flight-related application in coordination with the at least one installed EFB; and

the first and second software clients of the flight-related application further being able to communicate with one another and perform application-to-application communications using both of the installed EFB and the portable EFB device, and further such that either of said first and second software clients is able to generate messages for downloading to the ground network and each is able to assist a crew member with flight related operations.

2. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the display unit is mounted in a flight deck of the aircraft, and the electronic unit is installed in an equipment bay of the aircraft.

3. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the portable EFB device comprises one of the following:

a laptop computer, and a pen tablet computer.

4. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the at least one installed EFB comprises a plurality of installed EFBs configured to communicate with one another.

5. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the application-to-application communication is performed via a software interface layer.

6. The apparatus of claim 5, wherein the first and second software clients communicate via a messaging client installed in the portable EFB device in communication with a messaging client installed in one of the at least one installed EFB.

7. The apparatus of claim 5, wherein the application-to-application communication is the only type of communication enabled between the at least one installed EFB and the portable EFB device.

8. The apparatus of claim 1, the portable EFB device configured to support the EFB system in providing one or more of the following:

an electronic logbook, a terminal chart, and an electronic document.

9. The apparatus of claim 5, wherein the software client of the portable EFB device sends a message to the ground network via the EFB system.

10. An apparatus for transferring information between a portable electronic flight bag (EFB) device and an EFB system installed in an aircraft, the portable EFB device configured to perform at least part of a flight-related application when not connected with the EFB system, the apparatus comprising:

at least one installed EFB having an electronic unit installed as equipment of the aircraft, the electronic unit having a first software client and one or more computers configured to provide a trusted link and secure connection between the portable EFB device and the EFB system when the portable EFB device is on board the aircraft;

the portable EFB having a second software client that corresponds to the first software client;

a messaging client of at the least one installed EFB; and

a messaging client of the portable EFB device;

the messaging clients configured to provide messaging via the secure connection between the first software client for the flight-related application of the portable EFB device and the second software client of the at least one installed EFB for the same flight-related application, such that application-to-application communications is enabled between the portable EFB device and the installed EFB;

the information transferred when at least part of the flight-related application is performed by the portable EFB device in coordination with performance of at least part of the same flight-related application by the at least one installed EFB.

11. The apparatus of claim 10, further comprising a router/switch, the portable EFB device connectible with the electronic unit of the at least one installed EFB via the router/switch.

12. The apparatus of claim 10, wherein the messaging clients are further configured to provide messaging only among modules for the same application, and application-to-application communication is the only type of communication enabled between the at least one installed EFB and the portable EFB device.

13. The apparatus of claim 10, the portable EFB device configured to support the at least one installed EFB in providing one or more of the following:

an electronic documents (EDOCS) application, a terminal charts application, and an electronic logbook application.

14. The apparatus of claim 10, the messaging clients of a logbook application of the portable EFB device and the at least one installed EFB configured to provide a transfer of updated logbook records from the portable EFB device to the EFB system.

15. A method of providing information to an electronic flight bag (EFB) system installed in an aircraft, the method comprising:

entering information into a portable EFB device having a first software client associated with a flight-related application, the flight-related application being at least partly performed by a processor of the portable EFB device when the portable device is not connected with the EFB system installed in the aircraft; and

when the EFB portable device is on the aircraft, connecting the EFB portable device with at least one installed EFB of the EFB system, the installed EFB having a second software client corresponding to the first software client, and the connecting being accomplished via a trusted link and secure connection;

transferring the information to the EFB system using the EFB portable device in communication with the at least one installed EFB;

the information transferred when the EFB system and the processor of the EFB portable device cooperatively perform application-to-application communication via the corresponding first and second software clients of the flight-related application, and such that each of the installed EFB and the EFB portable device is able to assist a crew member with flight related operations; and

the application-to-application communication being the only type of communication enabled between the at least one installed EFB and the portable EFB device.

16. The method of claim 15, wherein the EFB system is in communication with a ground network, the method further comprising transferring the information to the ground network using the EFB system.

17. The method of claim 15, wherein entering the information into the portable device comprises using a module of the device for the flight-related application, the application module configured to communicate with a module of the at least one installed EFB for the same application.

18. The method of claim 17, wherein transferring the information comprises using a messaging client of the EFB portable device to communicate with a messaging client of the at least one installed EFB to provide the communication between the application modules.

19. The method of claim 15, wherein the at least one installed EFB includes an electronic unit and a display unit connected with the electronic unit and mounted in a flight deck of the aircraft, the electronic unit further including one or more computers configured to perform the flight-related application and to provide to the display unit one or more displays associated with the application, the method further including observing on the display unit the information transferred to the EFB system from the portable EFB device.