Method and device for automating procedures for verifying equipment in an aircraft

• US 8,761,993 B2
• Filed: 08/18/2009
• Issued: 06/24/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 09/15/2008
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Airbus, Airbus Operations (European Aeronautic Defence and Space Company EADS NV)
• Original Assignee: Airbus, Airbus Operations SAS (Airbus SE)
• Inventors: Ric, Georges, Bonzom, Jean-Marc, Gillet, Jean-Pierre
• Primary Examiner(s): Tarcza, Thomas
• Assistant Examiner(s): MUSTAFA, IMRAN K
• Application Number:
  US12/543,181
• Publication Number:
  US 20100152954A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,771 Days
• Field of Search: 455/431, 701/29.1, 701/31.4, 701/31.5, 701/34.4
• US Class Current: 701/29.1
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 11/2294 by remote test

Abstract

A method for testing or evaluating the configuration of at least one equipment item in an aircraft includes receiving at least one command to test or evaluate the configuration of the at least one equipment item via a network interface of a less secure part of an on-board information system of the aircraft. The network interface is capable of exchanging data with an information system external to the aircraft. The method also includes encoding the at least one received command and transmitting the encoded command to the secured part of the information system of the aircraft. In response to reception of the encoded command, the at least one encoded test command is filtered. In response to the filtering, the encoded command is translated and executed in relation to at least one first maintenance function of the secured part.

Claims

1. A method for testing or evaluating a configuration of at least one equipment item in an aircraft, the aircraft including an on-board information system, the on-board information system including a secured part and a less secured part, the less secured part including a network interface configured to exchange data with an information system external to the aircraft, the secured part including a filtering module to filter the data received by the less secured part and including at least one first maintenance function, the method comprising:

receiving within the information system of the aircraft at least one command to test or evaluate the configuration of the at least one equipment item via the network interface;

encoding, in the less secured part, the at least one received command according to predetermined criteria to make the at least one received command compatible with the filtering module of the secured part when the at least one received command is intended for the secured part, and to make the at least one received command compatible with protocols of the less secured part when the at least one received command is intended for the less secured part;

transmitting the encoded command intended for the secured part to the filtering module of the secured part of the information system of the aircraft;

in response to reception of the transmitted encoded command, filtering within the filtering module of the secured part the at least one encoded test command to verify that the at least one encoded test command conforms to the predetermined criteria; and

in response to the filtering, translating and executing the filtered encoded command in relation to the at least one first maintenance function.

2. The method according to claim 1, further comprising:

determining a result in response to the executing the at least one command; and

transmitting the result to the information system external to the aircraft via the network interface.

3. The method according to claim 2, wherein the transmitting the result comprises transmitting the result from the secured part of the information system of the aircraft to the less secured part of the information system of the aircraft, and transmitting the result from the less secured part of the information system of the aircraft to the information system external to the aircraft.

4. The method according to claim 1, wherein the less secured part comprises at least one second maintenance function, distinct from the at least one first maintenance function,

wherein the method further comprises evaluating the at least one command to determine when the at least one command is intended for the secured part or for the less secured part of the information system of the aircraft.

5. The method according to claim 4, further comprising, when the at least one command is intended for the less secured part of the information system of the aircraft, executing the at least one received command in relation to the at least one second maintenance function.

6. The method according to claim 5, wherein the at least one received command is encoded prior to execution thereof.

7. The method according to claim 1, further comprising establishing a secured communication channel between the information system of the aircraft and the information system external to the aircraft.

8. The method according to claim 1, further comprising, prior to the encoding, testing the at least one received command to determine when an intended recipient of the at least one received command is in the less secured part or the secured part.

9. The method according to claim 1, wherein the filtering includes requiring that the at least one encoded command be received as Ethernet frames, indicate sources authorized to transmit the at least one encoded command, allocate a maximum lifetime to the Ethernet frames beyond which the Ethernet frames are not taken into account, and indicate characters that are validly used in the encoding the at least one command.

10. The method according to claim 1, wherein the at least one encoded command is an Ethernet frame and the filtering further comprises:

verifying a source physical address, a destination physical address, a protocol type, and a signature of the Ethernet frame,

analyzing a data header of the Ethernet frame, and

analyzing characters of useful data of the Ethernet frame.

11. The method according to claim 10, wherein when the source physical address, the destination physical address, the protocol type, and the signature of the Ethernet frame do not conform to parameters of the predetermined criteria of the filtering module, the Ethernet frame is rejected.

12. The method according to claim 10, wherein when the data header of the Ethernet frame does not conform to parameters of the predetermined criteria of the filtering module, the Ethernet frame is rejected.

13. The method according to claim 10, wherein when the characters of useful data of the Ethernet frame are not chosen from an ASCII table within values between 032 and 090, the Ethernet frame is rejected.

14. A non-transitory computer readable medium storing a program that, when executed by a computer, causes the computer to execute:

receiving within an information system of an aircraft at least one command to test or evaluate a configuration of at least one equipment item via a network interface;

encoding, in a less secured part of the information system, the at least one received command according to predetermined criteria to make the at least one received command compatible with a filtering module of a secured part of the information system when the at least one received command is intended for the secured part, and to make the at least one received command compatible with protocols of the less secured part when the at least one received command is intended for the less secured part;

transmitting the encoded command intended for the secured part to the filtering module of the secured part of the information system of the aircraft;

in response to reception of the transmitted encoded command, filtering within the filtering module of the secured part the at least one encoded test command to verify that the at least one encoded test command conforms to the predetermined criteria; and

in response to the filtering, translating and executing the filtered encoded command in relation to at least one first maintenance function.

15. The non-transitory computer readable medium according to claim 14, wherein the filtering includes requiring that the at least one encoded command be received as Ethernet frames, indicate sources authorized to transmit the at least one encoded command, allocate a maximum lifetime to the Ethernet frames beyond which the Ethernet frames are not taken into account, and indicate characters that are validly used in the encoding the at least one command.

16. The non-transitory computer readable medium according to claim 14, wherein the at least one encoded command is an Ethernet frame and the filtering further comprises:

verifying a source physical address, a destination physical address, a protocol type, and a signature of the Ethernet frame,

analyzing a data header of the Ethernet frame, and

analyzing characters of useful data of the Ethernet frame.

17. The non-transitory computer readable medium according to claim 16, wherein when the source physical address, the destination physical address, the protocol type, and the signature of the Ethernet frame do not conform to parameters of the predetermined criteria of the filtering module, the Ethernet frame is rejected.

18. The non-transitory computer readable medium according to claim 16, wherein when the data header of the Ethernet frame does not conform to parameters of the predetermined criteria of the filtering module, the Ethernet frame is rejected.

19. The non-transitory computer readable medium according to claim 16, wherein when the characters of useful data of the Ethernet frame are not chosen from an ASCII table within values between 032 and 090, the Ethernet frame is rejected.

20. A device, comprising:

a receiver to receive within an information system of an aircraft at least one command to test or evaluate a configuration of at least one equipment item via a network interface;

an encoder in a less secured part of the information system to encode the at least one received command according to predetermined criteria to make the at least one received command compatible with a filter of a secured part of the information system when the at least one received command is intended for the secured part, and to make the at least one received command compatible with protocols of the less secured part when the at least one received command is intended for the less secured part;

a transmitter to transmit the encoded command intended for the secured part to the filter of the secured part of the information system of the aircraft;

the filter to filter, in response to reception of the transmitted encoded command, the at least one encoded test command to verify that the at least one encoded test command conforms to the predetermined criteria; and

a unit to translate and execute, in response to the filtering, the filtered encoded command in relation to at least one first maintenance function.

21. The device according to claim 20, wherein the filter requires that the at least one encoded command be received as Ethernet frames, indicate sources authorized to transmit the at least one encoded command, allocate a maximum lifetime to the Ethernet frames beyond which the Ethernet frames are not taken into account, and indicate characters that are validly used in the encoding the at least one command.

22. The device according to claim 20, wherein the at least one encoded command is an Ethernet frame and the filter further comprises:

a unit to verify a source physical address, a destination physical address, a protocol type, and a signature of the Ethernet frame,

a unit to analyze a data header of the Ethernet frame, and

a unit to analyze characters of useful data of the Ethernet frame.

23. An aircraft, comprising:

a device including

a receiver to receive within an information system of the aircraft at least one command to test or evaluate a configuration of at least one equipment item via a network interface;

an encoder in a less secured part of the information system to encode the at least one received command according to predetermined criteria to make the at least one received command compatible with a filter of a secured part of the information system when the at least one received command is intended for the secured part, and to make the at least one received command compatible with protocols of the less secured part when the at least one received command is intended for the less secured part;

a transmitter to transmit the encoded command intended for the secured part to the filter of the secured part of the information system of the aircraft;

the filter to filter within the information system of the aircraft, in response to reception of the transmitted encoded command, the at least one encoded test command to verify that the at least one encoded test command conforms to the predetermined criteria; and

a unit to translate and execute, in response to the filtering, the filtered encoded command in relation to at least one first maintenance function.

24. The aircraft according to claim 23, wherein the filter requires that the at least one encoded command be received as Ethernet frames, indicate sources authorized to transmit the at least one encoded command, allocate a maximum lifetime to the Ethernet frames beyond which the Ethernet frames are not taken into account, and indicate characters that are validly used in the encoding the at least one command.

25. The aircraft according to claim 23, wherein the at least one encoded command is an Ethernet frame and the filter further comprises:

a unit to verify a source physical address, a destination physical address, a protocol type, and a signature of the Ethernet frame,

a unit to analyze a data header of the Ethernet frame, and

a unit to analyze characters of useful data of the Ethernet frame.