Aircraft information management system

• US 9,043,053 B2
• Filed: 06/16/2014
• Issued: 05/26/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 05/21/2012
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: The Boeing Co.
• Original Assignee: The Boeing Co.
• Inventors: Phan, Tri Minh, Wiese, Douglas Lee, Bush, David Alexander
• Primary Examiner(s): EL CHANTI, HUSSEIN A
• Application Number:
  US14/306,220
• Publication Number:
  US 20140303816A1
• Time in Patent Office: 344 Days
• Field of Search: 701/3
• US Class Current: 701/3
• CPC Class Codes: B64D 45/00 Aircraft indicators or protectors not otherwise provided for camouflage F41H3/00
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 7/18506 Communications with or from aircraft, i.e. aeronautical mobile service

Abstract

A method and apparatus comprising an existing aircraft node and an information agent located in the existing aircraft node. The existing aircraft node is connected to a number of aircraft systems and a network in an aircraft network data processing system. The information agent is configured to provide access to information received by the existing aircraft node to other aircraft nodes in the aircraft network data processing system.

Claims

1. An apparatus comprising:

a line replaceable unit in a vehicle connected to a number of systems of the vehicle and a network in a network data processing system of the vehicle; and

an information agent located in the line replaceable unit, wherein the information agent provides access to information received by the line replaceable unit to other line replaceable units in the vehicle, wherein the other line replaceable units are connected to another number of systems of the vehicle and the network.

2. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the information agent provides access to the information received by the line replaceable unit to the other line replaceable units by identifying the information received from the number of systems for an application using a subscription for the application in a host in the other line replaceable units and sending the information identified to the application in the host.

3. The apparatus of claim 2, wherein the subscription identifies at least one of a type of information, an event, and the application.

4. An apparatus comprising:

a first line replaceable unit located in a vehicle, wherein the first line replaceable unit communicates with a first number of systems in the vehicle, and wherein a first system in the first number of systems is at least one of a first sensor system or a first control system; and

an information agent located in the first line replaceable unit, wherein the information agent identifies information received from the first number of systems that correspond to a subscription for an application in a second line replaceable unit in the vehicle and sends the information identified to the application in the second line replaceable unit, wherein the second line replaceable unit communicates with a second number of systems in the vehicle different than the first number of systems, and wherein a second system in the second number of systems is at least one of a second sensor system or a second control system.

5. The apparatus of claim 4, wherein the second line replaceable unit receives the information from the first line replaceable unit and sends the information to the application.

6. The apparatus of claim 5 further comprising:

a manager located in the second line replaceable unit, wherein the manager receives a request from the application in the second line replaceable unit, communicates with the information agent to generate the subscription, receives the information from the information agent, and sends the information to the application.

7. The apparatus of claim 6, wherein the manager sends the information to the application by placing the information into a data buffer for the application.

8. The apparatus of claim 4, wherein the information agent encrypts the information.

9. The apparatus of claim 4, wherein the subscription identifies at least one of a type of information, an event, and the application.

10. The apparatus of claim 4, wherein the first system in the number of systems is selected from at least one of the first sensor system, a flight recorder, a navigation system, a flight control system, an environmental control system, and an engine system.

11. The apparatus of claim 4, wherein the application is at least one of an engine vibration monitoring application, a maintenance application, a fuel use application, and a health monitoring application.

12. The apparatus of claim 6, wherein the manager communicates with the information agent to generate the subscription responsive to identifying that the information agent has a connection to a source of the information in the first number of systems.

13. The apparatus of claim 12, wherein the first number of systems and the second number of systems are a portion of a plurality of systems in the vehicle, the first line replaceable unit and the second line replaceable unit are a portion of a plurality of line replaceable units in the vehicle, and the manager identifies that the information agent has the connection to the source of the information in the first number of systems from data about which of the plurality of line replaceable units the plurality of systems are connected to.

14. The apparatus of claim 12, wherein at least two systems in the plurality of systems have the information wherein the manager selects the source of the information based on metadata for the at least two systems.

15. The apparatus of claim 14, wherein the metadata is selected from at least one of resolution of the information, calculation rate for the information, and transmission rate for the information.

16. An information management system comprising:

a first line replaceable unit located in a vehicle, wherein the first line replaceable unit communicates with a first number of systems in the vehicle, and wherein a first system in the first number of systems is at least one of a first sensor system or a first control system;

a second line replaceable unit that communicates with the first line replaceable unit, wherein the second line replaceable unit communicates with a second number of systems in the vehicle different than the first number of systems, and wherein a second system in the second number of systems is at least one of a second sensor system or a second control system;

an information agent in the first line replaceable unit, wherein the information agent identifies information received from the first number of systems that correspond to a request from the second line replaceable unit and sends the information identified to the second line replaceable unit; and

a manager located in the second line replaceable unit, wherein the manager receives the information from the information agent and sends the information to an application in the second line replaceable unit.

17. The information management system of claim 16, wherein the information agent encrypts the information.

18. The information management system of claim 16, wherein the first system in the number of systems is selected from at least one of the first sensor system, a flight recorder, a flight control system, an environmental control system, and an engine system.

19. A method for collecting information in a vehicle, the method comprising:

identifying, by a processor, the information received from a first number of systems at a first line replaceable unit in the vehicle using a number of connections to the first number of systems, wherein the information identified is requested information that is requested by an application in a second line replaceable unit in the vehicle, and wherein a first system in the first number of systems is at least one of a first sensor system or a first control system; and

sending, by the processor, the requested information to the application in the second line replaceable unit, wherein the second line replaceable unit communicates with a second number of systems in the vehicle different than the first number of systems, and wherein a second system in the second number of systems is at least one of a second sensor system or a second control system.

20. The method of claim 19, wherein sending, by the processor, the requested information to the application in the second line replaceable unit comprises:

sending the requested information to the application in the second line replaceable unit using a network in a network data processing system of the vehicle.

21. The method of claim 19, wherein the processor performs the identifying step and the sending step by using an information agent located in the first line replaceable unit.

22. The method of claim 21, wherein the information agent provides access to the information received by the first line replaceable unit to other line replaceable units in a network data processing system of the vehicle.

23. The method of claim 21, wherein the information agent identifies the requested information using a subscription for the application.