Aircraft system providing passenger entertainment and surveillance features, and associated methods

• US 8,803,971 B2
• Filed: 05/02/2003
• Issued: 08/12/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 04/07/2000
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: LiveTV LLC (Thales SA)
• Original Assignee: LiveTV LLC (Thales SA)
• Inventors: Keen, Robert M., Easterling, Scott D., Frisco, Jeffrey A., Logan, Joseph W.
• Primary Examiner(s): DIEP, NHON THANH
• Application Number:
  US10/428,650
• Publication Number:
  US 20030200546A1
• Time in Patent Office: 4,120 Days
• Field of Search: None
• US Class Current: 348/144
• CPC Class Codes: G01C 11/025 by scanning the object
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/02 Marketing; Price estimation or determination; Fundraising
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 7/18508 with satellite system used as relay, i.e. aeronautical mobile satellite service
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/2146 located in mass transportation means, e.g. aircraft, train or bus flight-deck installations for entertainment or communications B64D11/0015; arrangements specially adapted for transportation systems in broadcast systems H04H20/62; moving wireless networks H04W84/005
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/2187 Live feed
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/25435 involving characteristics of content or additional data, e.g. video resolution or the amount of advertising
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/25866 Management of end-user data customer care in data networks H04L41/5077
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4185 for payment
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/441 Acquiring end-user identification , e.g. using personal code sent by the remote control or by inserting a card
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4532 involving end-user characteristics, e.g. viewer profile, preferences monitoring of user activities for profile generation for accessing a video database G06F16/739; user profiles in network data switching protocols H04L67/306; processing of user preferences or user profiles in wireless networks H04W8/18
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/472 End-user interface for requesting content, additional data or services; End-user interface for interacting with content, e.g. for content reservation or setting reminders, for requesting event notification, for manipulating displayed content end-user interfaces for retrieving video data from a database G06F16/739; network services for supporting unicast streaming H04L65/612
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4786 e-mailing message switching systems, e.g. electronic mail systems H04L51/00
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4788 communicating with other users, e.g. chatting arrangements for providing for computer conferences, e.g. chat rooms, to substation in data switching networks H04L12/1813; distributed application using peer-to-peer [P2P] networks H04L67/104
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/812 involving advertisement data advertising per se G06Q30/02
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/8126 involving additional data, e.g. news, sports, stocks, weather forecasts
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 7/106 for domestic distribution
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 7/17318 Direct or substantially direct transmission and handling of requests
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 7/181 for receiving images from a plurality of remote sources

Abstract

An aircraft system includes an entertainment source, and passenger displays for displaying images from the entertainment source. A signal distribution network connects the entertainment source to the passenger displays. The aircraft system further includes cameras spaced throughout the aircraft for aircraft surveillance, and a pilot display for displaying images from the cameras. The signal distribution network also connects the cameras to the pilot display. The cameras may provide images of internal the aircraft, such as in the cabin area, or external the aircraft. The aircraft system further includes a pilot control unit connected to the pilot display for control thereof.

Claims

1. An aircraft system comprising:

at least one entertainment source;

at least one passenger display for displaying images from said at least one entertainment source;

a signal distribution network connecting said at least one entertainment source to said at least one passenger display;

a plurality of cameras for providing aircraft surveillance including at least one passenger camera in a cabin area of the aircraft and at least one pilot camera in a cockpit area of the aircraft;

at least one pilot display for displaying images from said at least one passenger camera;

said at least one passenger display also for displaying images from said at least one pilot camera;

said signal distribution network also connecting said at least one passenger camera to said at least one pilot display and connecting said at least one pilot camera to said at least one passenger display.

2. An aircraft system according to claim 1 wherein said plurality of cameras comprises at least one external camera for providing images of outside the aircraft.

3. An aircraft system according to claim 1 further comprising at least one pilot control unit connected to said at least one pilot display.

4. An aircraft system according to claim 3 wherein said at least one pilot control unit has a camera select mode for selecting the images from a desired camera for viewing.

5. An aircraft system according to claim 4 wherein said at least one pilot control unit further has a scan mode for scanning the images from each camera.

6. An aircraft system according to claim 1 further comprising a recording device for recording the images from at least one of said plurality of cameras.

7. An aircraft system according to claim 1 further comprising a transmitter for transmitting the images to a location external the aircraft for remote viewing.

8. An aircraft system according to claim 1 wherein said at least one entertainment source comprises a satellite television (TV) receiver.

9. An aircraft system according to claim 8 wherein said satellite TV receiver comprises a direct broadcast satellite (DBS) receiver.

10. An aircraft system according to claim 1 wherein said at least one passenger display comprises a plurality of seatback displays.

11. An aircraft system according to claim 1 wherein said signal distribution network comprises a cable network and signal distribution devices.

12. An aircraft comprising:

a fuselage comprising a cockpit area and a cabin area; and

an aircraft system carried by said fuselage and comprising

at least one entertainment source,

at least one passenger display for displaying images from said at least one entertainment source,

a signal distribution network connecting said at least one entertainment source to said at least one passenger display,

at least one passenger camera in the cabin area for providing surveillance,

at least one pilot display in the cockpit area for displaying images from said at least one passenger camera,

at least one pilot camera in the cockpit area for providing pilot images to said at least one passenger display, and

said signal distribution network also connecting said at least one passenger camera to said at least one pilot display and said at least one pilot camera to said at least one passenger display.

13. An aircraft according to claim 12 further comprising at least one external camera connected to said at least one pilot display for providing images of outside the aircraft.

14. An aircraft according to claim 12 wherein said at least one passenger camera comprises a plurality of passenger cameras spaced throughout the cabin area of the aircraft.

15. An aircraft according to claim 12 wherein said aircraft system further comprises at least one pilot control unit connected to said at least one pilot display.

16. An aircraft according to claim 15 wherein said at least one passenger camera comprises a plurality of passenger cameras;

and wherein said at least one pilot control unit has a camera select mode for selecting the images from a desired passenger camera for viewing.

17. An aircraft according to claim 16 wherein said at least one, pilot control unit further has a scan mode for scanning the images from each passenger camera.

18. An aircraft according to claim 12 wherein said aircraft system further comprises a recording device for recording the images from said at least one passenger camera and from said at least one pilot camera.

19. An aircraft according to claim 12 wherein said aircraft system further comprises a transmitter for transmitting the images to a location external the aircraft for remote viewing.

20. An aircraft according to claim 12 wherein said at least one entertainment source comprises a satellite television (TV) receiver.

21. An aircraft according to claim 20 wherein said satellite TV receiver comprises a direct broadcast satellite (DES) receiver.

22. An aircraft according to claim 12 wherein said at least one passenger display comprises a plurality of seatback displays.

23. An aircraft system according to claim 12 wherein said signal distribution network comprises a cable network and signal distribution devices.

24. An aircraft system comprising:

at least one entertainment source;

at least one passenger control unit;

a signal distribution network connecting said at least one entertainment source to said at least one passenger control unit;

at least one pilot camera in a cockpit area for providing aircraft surveillance; and

at least one passenger display in a cabin area and connected to said at least one passenger control unit for displaying images from said at least one pilot camera and for displaying images from said at least one entertainment source;

said signal distribution network also connecting said at least one pilot camera to said at least one passenger control unit.

25. An aircraft system according to claim 24 wherein said signal distribution network comprises at least one of a cable network, a wireless network, and a combined cable and wireless network.

26. An aircraft system according to claim 24 wherein said at least one passenger control unit comprises a headphone connection for interfacing with a passenger headphone.

27. An aircraft system according to claim 24 wherein said at least one passenger control unit comprises a selector for selecting a desired audio channel.

28. An aircraft system according to claim 24 further comprising at least one passenger camera in a passenger area for providing aircraft surveillance, and at least one pilot in the cockpit area for displaying images from said at least one passenger camera.

29. An aircraft system according to claim 24 further comprising at least one external camera provides images of outside the aircraft.

30. An aircraft system according to claim 24 further comprising at least one pilot control unit connected to said at least one pilot display.

31. An aircraft system according to claim 30 wherein said at least one camera comprises a plurality of cameras;

and wherein said at least one pilot control unit has a camera select mode for selecting the images from a desired camera for viewing.

32. A method for operating an aircraft system comprising at least one entertainment source, at least one passenger display, a signal distribution network connecting the least one entertainment source to the at least one passenger display, at least one passenger camera in a cabin area for providing aircraft surveillance, at least one pilot display, at least one pilot camera in a cockpit area for providing aircraft surveillance, and the signal distribution network also connecting the at least one passenger camera to the at least one pilot display and connecting the at least one pilot camera to the at least one passenger display, the method comprising:

displaying images from the at least one entertainment source on the at least one passenger display; and

displaying images from the at least one passenger camera on the at least one pilot display; and

displaying images from. the at least one pilot camera on the at least one passenger display.

33. A method according to claim 32 wherein the at least one passenger camera comprises a plurality of passenger cameras spaced throughout the cabin area of the aircraft.

34. A method according to claim 32 further comprising at least one external camera provides images of outside the aircraft.

35. A method according to claim 32 wherein the aircraft system further comprises at least one pilot control unit connected to the at least one pilot display.

36. A method according to claim 35 wherein the at least one passenger camera comprises a plurality of passenger cameras;

and wherein the at least one pilot control unit has a camera select mode for selecting the images from a desired passenger camera for viewing.

37. A method according to claim 36 wherein the at least one pilot control unit further has a scan mode for scanning the images from each camera.

38. A method according to claim 32 further comprising recording the images from the at least one camera.

39. A method according to claim 32 further comprising transmitting the images to a location external the aircraft for remote viewing.

40. A method according to claim 32 wherein the at least one entertainment source comprises a satellite television (TV) receiver.

41. A method according to claim 40 wherein the satellite TV receiver comprises a direct broadcast satellite (DBS) receiver.

42. A method according to claim 32 wherein the at least one passenger display comprises a plurality of seatback displays.