Cloud based management of aircraft avionics

• US 9,008,868 B1
• Filed: 06/05/2014
• Issued: 04/14/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 10/09/2013
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Satcom Direct, Inc.
• Original Assignee: Satcom Direct, Inc.
• Inventors: Bantoft, Ken, Gray, Curt Allen
• Primary Examiner(s): Tarcza, Thomas
• Assistant Examiner(s): Dunn, Alex C
• Application Number:
  US14/297,146
• Time in Patent Office: 313 Days
• Field of Search: 701/3
• US Class Current: 701/3
• CPC Class Codes: B64C 19/00 Aircraft control not otherwise provided for
• CPC Class Codes: B64F 5/40 Maintaining or repairing aircraft
• CPC Class Codes: B64F 5/60 Testing or inspecting aircraft components or systems
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/0803 Configuration setting
• 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 67/34 involving the movement of software or configuration parameters network booting or remote initial program loading [RIPL] G06F9/4416

Abstract

Methods, systems and devices for a cloud based management of aircraft avionics allows a service provider, or equipment owner to place a list of tasks to be performed into a centrally managed “Cloud based’ system where the tasks are queued to be performed when appropriate. These tasks can be from a predefined list such as but not limited to, uploading configuration data, uploading log and or support data, downloading new configuration data, and the like.

Claims

1. A cloud based aircraft avionic management system comprising:

an aircraft remote management computer;

an avionic central system cloud for storing plural queued avionic management and maintenance tasks corresponding to one or more subscribing aircrafts; and

an aviation management module onboard each aircraft in communication with onboard avionic equipment boxes and with the aircraft remote management computer forming an aircraft managed network, queued avionic management and maintenance tasks are queued into the aviation management system and the queued tasks are performed when the aircraft in service and not in flight.

2. The system of claim 1 wherein each aviation management module is assigned a different network address within the aircraft managed network as a node.

3. The system of claim 2 wherein each onboard avionic equipment box associated with the aviation management module node is assigned a different equipment address within the node.

4. The system of claim 1 further comprising:

a wireless communication interface between the aviation management module onboard the aircraft and the corresponding onboard avionic equipment boxes.

5. The system of claim 1 wherein the wireless communication interface comprises:

a Wi-Fi communication interface between the aviation management module onboard the aircraft and the corresponding onboard avionic equipment boxes.

6. The system of claim 1 wherein the queued tasks include uploading configuration data, downloading configuration data, uploading log data, downloading log data, uploading maintenance data, downloading maintenance data, running a scheduled status check, and uploading a software revision.

7. The system of claim 1 wherein the plural queued tasks include scheduled maintenance task and an equipment upgrade task.

8. A method for cloud based management of aircraft avionic devices comprising the steps of:

installing an avionic cloud based management module on plural aircraft, each avionic cloud based management module assigned a different network address as a node within a managed network of aircraft;

interfacing the avionic cloud based management module with one or more avionic devices onboard the same aircraft forming a node;

queuing tasks related to the onboard avionic devices within the node into a central avionic system cloud;

transmitting an aircraft-in-service notice from the aircraft avionic cloud based management module to an aircraft remote management computer;

requesting queued tasks corresponding to the aircraft avionic node from the aircraft remote management computer when the aircraft is in-service; and

executing the queued tasks when the aircraft is not in-flight and returning a task status to the avionic management system.

9. The method of claim 8 further comprising the step of:

assigning a different avionic device address to each avionic device within the mode.

10. The method of claim 8 further comprising the step of:

sending an in-flight notice from the avionic cloud based management module to the aircraft remote management computer when the aircraft is landing, taxiing and being towed.

11. The method of claim 8 further comprising the step of:

queuing one or more tasks when the corresponding aircraft is out-of-service.

12. The method of claim 8 further comprising the step of:

sending a second in-service notice from the aircraft to the avionic management system after the aircraft lands and is not in-flight; and

performing the queued tasks and returning a task status to the avionic management system.

13. The method of claim 8 further comprising the step of:

applying an access control to ensure that only an authorized users can queue a task corresponding to one of the onboard avionic devices within the node.

14. The method of claim 8 further comprising the step of:

scheduling a periodic queued task based on a periodic time interval.

15. The method of claim 8 further comprising the step of:

queuing a scheduled software upgrade for one of the aircraft avionic devices.

16. The method of claim 8 further comprising the step of:

during onboard avionic system power-up, while the aircraft is on the ground and not in-flight, the onboard avionic cloud based management module establishing communication with the aircraft remote management computer to send the aircraft-in-service notice and to request the queued tasks corresponding to the aircraft avionic node.