Information handling for aircraft flight decks

• US 9,031,716 B2
• Filed: 03/28/2012
• Issued: 05/12/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 03/28/2012
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: The Boeing Co.
• Original Assignee: The Boeing Co.
• Inventors: Myers, Robert James, Anstey, Timothy William, Batsakes, Peter James
• Primary Examiner(s): Nguyen, John Q
• Assistant Examiner(s): WHALEN, MICHAEL F
• Application Number:
  US13/432,190
• Publication Number:
  US 20130261847A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,140 Days
• Field of Search: 701/3
• US Class Current: 701/3
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 5/0004 Transmission of traffic-related information to or from an aircraft airborne radio transmission systems in general H04B7/185; airborne wireless networks H04W84/06
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 5/0021 located in the aircraft
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 51/226 Delivery according to priorities
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/14 for detecting or protecting against malicious traffic
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/20 for managing network security; network security policies in general filtering policies H04L63/0227
• 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

Abstract

A system and method for handling information for use on a flight deck network on an aircraft. Information is received from a number of information sources. The number of information sources is not part of the flight deck network. The flight deck network is a certified network. It is determined whether the information is approved to be used on the flight deck network. A manner in which the information is allowed to be used on the flight deck network is also determined. Responsive to a determination that the information is approved to be used on the flight deck network, the information is sent to the flight deck network during operation of the aircraft.

Claims

1. A method for handling information for use on a certified flight deck network, the certified flight deck network forming a closed system requiring:

separation of essential information from data processing systems other than the certified flight deck network, and a certification from a regulatory authority, the essential information comprising information required for a safe operation of a flight of an aircraft, the method comprising;

receiving non-essential information from a number of information sources other than the certified flight deck network, non-essential information being information coming from a data processing system other than the certified flight deck network and usable on the certified flight deck without interfering with the safe operation of the aircraft;

wherein the non-essential information is not certified information

determining whether the non-essential information passes an integrity check, and then allowing a use of the non-essential information on the certified flight deck network;

determining an allowed use of the non-essential information on the certified flight deck network; and

responsive to determining the allowed use on the certified flight deck network, tagging the non-essential information with a tag indicating the allowed use, and sending the non-essential information to the certified flight deck network during operation of the aircraft denying transmission of non-essential information to the certified flight deck network until the integrity check is passed;

the number of information sources other than the certified flight deck network comprising information sources selected from;

information sources on the aircraft, and information sources not o the aircraft; and

the allowed use being a use that is free from interference with a use of the essential information on the certified flight deck network; and

using the non-essential information in a manner that is free from interference with the use of the essential information on the certified flight deck network.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the non-essential information comprises:

information selected from information that is operationally approved information; and

useful information that is useful for the operation of the aircraft but is non-essential for safe operation of the aircraft.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein determining the allowed use comprises determining whether the non-essential information matches criteria provided in an approved information list, wherein the criteria are selected from a group of criteria consisting of:

approved types of information, approved sources of information, approved information formats, and approved standards classifications.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the allowed use comprises at least one of:

locations on the certified flight deck network allowing display of the non-essential information;

displaying a number of replications of the information simultaneously on the certified flight deck network;

a condition of operation of the aircraft during which the non-essential information displays on the certified flight deck network; and

allowing integration of the non-essential information with information that is certified to be a part of the certified flight deck network.

5. The method of claim 1, further comprising selecting the allowed use from:

displaying a stand-alone display of the non-essential information separate from a display of essential information;

graphyically integrating the non-essntial information with the display of the essential information; and

forming integrated information, via data integration of the non-essential information with the essential information before generating a display of the integrated information.

6. The method of claim 1 further comprising:

during the operation of the aircraft, an information controller receiving a request for the non-essential information from the certified flight deck network, and sending the non-essential information to the certified flight deck network in response to receiving the request.

7. The method of claim 6, wherein receiving the non-essential information comprises receiving the non-essential information in the information controller-before receiving the request for the non-essential information.

8. The method of claim 6, wherein receiving the non-essential information comprises obtaining the information from the number of information sources other than the certified flight deck network in response to receiving the request for the non-essential information from the certified flight deck network.

9. The method of claim 1, wherein sending the non-essential information comprises sending the non-essential information from the number of information sources other than the certified flight deck network to the certified flight deck network to be used on the certified flight deck network during the operation of the aircraft simultaneously with using other information that is a part of the certified flight deck network on the certified flight deck network.

10. The method of claim 9, wherein the other information that is a part of the certified flight deck network comprises information selected from:

information certified to be a part of the certified flight deck network, and essential information.

11. A method for handling information on a flight deck network on an aircraft comprising:

during operation of the aircraft, sending a request from the flight deck network for non-essential information to be used on the flight deck network, the flight deck network forming a closed system requiring;

separation of essential information from data processing systems other than the flight deck network, and a certification from a regulatory authority;

in response to the request, receiving non-essential information to be used on the flight deck network, the non-essential information comprising information coming from a source of information other than the flight deck network and usable on the flight deck without interfering with a safe operation of the aircraft; and

determining whether the non-essential information passes an integrity check, and then allowing a use of the non-essential information on the certified flight deck network;

determining an allowed use of the non-essential information on the certified flight deck network;

responsive to determining the allowed use on the certified flight deck network, tagging the non-essential information with a tag indicating the allowed use, and sending the non-essential information to the certified flight deck network during operation of the aircraft;

using the non-essential information on the flight deck network during the operation of the aircraft while simultaneously using other information that is a part of the flight deck network on the flight deck network denying transmission of non-essential information to the certified flight deck network until the integrity check is passed;

the number of information sources other than the certified flight deck network comprising information sources selected from;

information sources on the aircraft, and information sources not o the aircraft; and

the allowed use being a use that is free from interference with a use of the essential information on the certified flight deck network; and

using the non-essential information in a manner that is free from interference with the use of the essential information on the certified flight deck network.

12. The method of claim 11, wherein using the non-essential information on the flight deck network comprises using the information on the flight deck network in a manner in which the information is allowed to be used on the flight deck network.

13. The method of claim 12, wherein the manner in which the information is allowed to be used on the flight deck network comprises at least one of:

locations on the flight deck network at which the information is allowed to be displayed;

a number of replications of the information that is allowed to be displayed simultaneously on the flight deck network;

a condition of operation of the aircraft during which the information is allowed to be displayed on the flight deck network; and

allowed integration of the information with information that is certified to be a part of the flight deck network.

14. The method of claim 12, wherein the manner in which the non-essential information is allowed to be used on the flight deck network is selected from:

displaying a stand-alone display of the non-essential information separate from a display of essential information;

graphically integrating the non-essential information with the display of the essential information; and

forming integrated information, via data integration of the non-essential information with the essential information that is certified to be a part of the certified flight deck network, before generating a display of the integrated information.

15. The method of claim 11, wherein:

the non-essential information comprises information selected from information that is operationally approved information and useful information that is useful for the operation of the aircraft but is non-essential for safe operation of the aircraft; and

the essential information comprises information selected from information certified by the regulatory authority to be a part of the flight deck network and information that is required to be displayed on the flight deck network for the safe operation of the aircraft.

16. An apparatus comprising an information controller on an aircraft comprising:

an information receiver that receives information from a number of information sources other than a certified flight deck network on the aircraft, the certified flight deck network forming a closed system requiring;

separation of essential information from data processing systems other than the flight deck network, and a certification from a regulatory authority, the essential information comprising information required for a safe operation of a flight of the aircraft;

an approved information checker that determines whether the information from the number of information sources other than the certified flight deck network received by the information receiver is approved to be used on the certified flight deck network;

an allowed uses tagger that indicates a manner in which the information from the number of information sources other than the certified flight deck network is allowed to be used on the certified flight deck network via a tag added to the information from the number of information sources other than the certified flight deck network received by the information receiver; and

an information request handler that receives a request from the certified flight deck network during operation of the aircraft to send the information from the number of information sources other than the certified flight deck network to the certified flight deck network, and, in response to the request, and sends the information from the number of information sources other than the certified flight deck network that is determined to be approved to be used on the certified flight deck network with the tag to the certified flight deck network.

17. The apparatus of claim 16, wherein the tag indicates at least one of:

locations on the certified flight deck network at which the information from the number of information sources not part of the certified flight deck network is allowed to be displayed;

a number of replications of the information from the number of information sources not part of the certified flight deck network that is allowed to be displayed simultaneously on the certified flight deck network;

a condition of operation of the aircraft during which the information from the number of information sources not part of the certified flight deck network is allowed to be displayed on the certified flight deck network; and

allowed integration of the information from the number of information sources not part of the certified flight deck network with information that is certified to be a part of the certified flight deck network.

18. The apparatus of claim 16, wherein the tag indicates at least one of:

the information from the number of information sources not part of the certified flight deck network is allowed to be displayed on the certified flight deck network as a stand-alone display of the information from the number of information sources not part of the certified flight deck network separate from a display of information that is certified to be a part of the certified flight deck network;

a display of the information from the number of information sources other than the certified flight deck network is allowed to be graphically integrated with the display of information that is certified to be a part of the certified flight deck network; and

the information from the number of information sources not part of the certified flight deck network is allowed to be integrated with information that is certified to be a part of the certified flight deck network, forming integrated information, before generating the display of the integrated information.

19. The apparatus of claim 16, wherein the information request handler sends the information from the number of information sources other than the certified flight deck network that is determined to be approved to be used on the certified flight deck network to the certified flight deck network during the operation of the aircraft, and simultaneously displays on the flight deck network:

the information from the number of information sources other than the certified flight deck network that is determined to be approved to be used on the certified flight deck network to the certified flight deck network during the operation of the aircraft; and

other information required for a safe conduct of the flight.