Avionics gateway interface, systems and methods

• US 9,141,830 B2
• Filed: 07/23/2012
• Issued: 09/22/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 07/22/2011
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Aspen Avionics, Inc. (The AIRO Group, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Aspen Avionics, Inc. (The AIRO Group, Inc.)
• Inventors: Uczekaj, John, Hayden, Brad, Lyons, Peter, Kyriakos, Constantinos, Lyle, Joseph
• Primary Examiner(s): Zee, Edward
• Application Number:
  US14/119,966
• Publication Number:
  US 20150019862A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,156 Days
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 21/602 Providing cryptographic facilities or services
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 21/71 to assure secure computing or processing of information
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 7/18506 Communications with or from aircraft, i.e. aeronautical mobile service
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/02 for separating internal from external traffic, e.g. firewalls
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/0884 by delegation of authentication, e.g. a proxy authenticates an entity to be authenticated on behalf of this entity vis-à-vis an authentication entity
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/10 for controlling access to devices or network resources
• 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

Systems and methods are provided for FAA-certified avionics devices to safely interface with non-certified mobile telecommunications devices before, during, and after flight. Data transmitted to the certified devices do not affect functionality of the certified device unless and until a user acknowledges and/or confirms the data on the certified device. Thus, the integrity of the certified device is maintained.

Claims

1. A method of processing information on-board an aircraft comprising the steps of:

providing an avionics device installed in said aircraft, wherein said avionics device is an FAA-certified device;

operably connecting a non-certified device within said aircraft to said FAA-certified device;

generating non-certified information on said non-certified device;

generating FAA-certified information on said FAA-certified device;

transmitting and receiving electronic packets of non-certified information from said non-certified device to said FAA-certified device;

generating a request for a user acknowledgement or confirmation on said FAA-certified device after said FAA-certified device receives said non-certified information; and

allowing changes to information or functionality of said FAA-certified device only after said user acknowledgement or confirmation is completed;

wherein said step of operably connecting said non-certified device to said FAA-certified device comprises;

generating an encrypted license key for a mobile server in operable data connection with said FAA-certified device;

hosting said license key on a license server;

providing authorization credentials of the non-certified device to said license server;

downloading said license key from said license server to said non-certified device;

storing said license key within cache on said non-certified device;

establishing a data connection between said mobile server and said non-certified device;

providing said license key to said mobile server for validation;

requesting access by said non-certified device to one or more data resources available via said mobile server in operable data connection with said FAA-certified device; and

decrypting and validating said license key by said mobile server before authorizing non-certified device access to said one or more data resources available via said mobile server in operable data connection with said FAA-certified device.

2. The method as claimed in claim 1 wherein said step of generating a request for user acknowledgement or confirmation is accomplished by a gateway service.

3. The method as claimed in claim 1 wherein said step of generating a request for user acknowledgement or confirmation is accomplished by said FAA-certified device.

4. The method as claimed in claim 3 wherein said step of transmitting and receiving electronic packets of non-certified information from said non-certified device to said FAA-certified device is accomplished through a gateway.

5. A method of displaying information on-board an aircraft comprising the steps of:

providing an avionics device installed in said aircraft, wherein said avionics device is an FAA-certified device;

operably connecting a non-certified device within said aircraft to said FAA-certified device;

transmitting information from said non-certified device to said FAA-certified device; and

transmitting information from said FAA-certified device to said non-certified device;

wherein said step of operably connecting said non-certified device to said FAA-certified device comprises;

generating an encrypted license key for a mobile server in operable data connection with said FAA-certified device;

hosting said license key on a license server;

providing authorization credentials of the non-certified device to said license server;

downloading said license key from said license server to said non-certified device;

storing said license key within cache on said non-certified device;

establishing a data connection between said mobile server and said non-certified device;

providing said license key to said mobile server for validation;

requesting access by said non-certified device to one or more data resources available via said mobile server in operable data connection with said FAA-certified device; and

decrypting and validating said license key by said mobile server before authorizing non-certified device access to said one or more data resources available via said mobile server in operable data connection with said FAA-certified device.

6. The method as claimed in claim 5, wherein said transmitting steps are performed through a gateway device.

7. The method as claimed in claim 5, further comprising the steps of:

generating a request for a user acknowledgement or confirmation on said FAA-certified device after said FAA-certified device receives said non-certified information; and

allowing changes to information or functionality of said FAA-certified device only after said user acknowledgement or confirmation is completed.

8. The method as claimed in claim 5, further comprising the steps of:

generating a request for a user acknowledgement or confirmation on said FAA-certified device after said FAA-certified device receives said non-certified information; and

allowing changes to information or functionality of a second FAA-certified device connected to said FAA-certified device only after said user acknowledgement or confirmation is completed.

9. The method as claimed in claim 5, further comprising the steps of:

connecting said avionics device to an avionics display installed in said aircraft, wherein said avionics display is non-certified; and

displaying said information transmitted from said non-certified device on said avionics display.

10. A system for transmitting and receiving aircraft data communications, the system comprising:

an FAA-certified device installed in an aircraft that provides one or more of Attitude and Heading Reference System (AHRS), Air Data Computer (ADC), or flight plan data and is configured to restrict receiving data from non-certified devices;

a non-certified mobile computing device configured to send and receive data within said aircraft;

a display configured to display data targeted to be received by said FAA-certified device from said non-certified mobile computing device; and

configured to receive user inputs as a confirmation of targeted data, said confirmation requiring user input to accept or reject said targeted data;

wherein if said targeted data is accepted, then said targeted data is allowed to change information or functionality of said FAA-certified device; and

wherein if said targeted data is not accepted, then said targeted data is not allowed to change information or functionality of said FAA-certified device;

an FAA-certified gateway hardware device in said aircraft configured to provide a secure data communication connection with said non-certified mobile computing device;

said FAA-certified gateway hardware device configured to provide a secure data communication connection with said FAA-certified device;

said FAA-certified gateway hardware device configured to provide a data filter or a firewall; and

said FAA-certified gateway hardware device including a gateway services module comprising;

a software operating system;

software to provide said secure data communication connection with said FAA-certified device and said secure data communication connection with said non-certified mobile computing device; and

software to provide targeted data confirmation protocols for determining if said targeted data is allowed to change information or functionality of said FAA-certified device.