Aircraft data processing and transmission system

• US 9,260,199 B2
• Filed: 08/05/2014
• Issued: 02/16/2016
• Est. Priority Date: 02/25/2014
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Honeywell International Inc.
• Original Assignee: Honeywell International Inc.
• Inventors: Iyer, Vijayshankaran Ramamoorthy, Sundararajan, Bharath, Nilagiri, Sathya Prakash
• Primary Examiner(s): Trammell, James
• Assistant Examiner(s): Malhotra, Sanjeev
• Application Number:
  US14/451,980
• Publication Number:
  US 20150239575A1
• Time in Patent Office: 560 Days
• Field of Search: 701/31.4, 707/104.1, 370/238, 370/389, 340/963, 340/970, 382/203
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: B64D 45/00 Aircraft indicators or protectors not otherwise provided for camouflage F41H3/00
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/93 Document management systems
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 21/51 at application loading time, e.g. accepting, rejecting, starting or inhibiting executable software based on integrity or source reliability
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 8/61 Installation
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 5/0013 with a ground station
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 5/0021 located in the aircraft
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 5/0052 for cruising combined instruments indicating more than one navigational value G01C23/00
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 5/0086 for monitoring terrain radar or analogous systems specially adapted for terrain avoidance G01S13/935
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 5/0091 for monitoring atmospheric conditions radar or analogous systems specially adapted for meteorological use G01S13/95; meteorology G01W

Abstract

An aircraft data processing system includes a main transceiver, a data distributor, a plurality of data processors, and a display page maker. The main transceiver selectively receives aircraft data transmitted from a plurality of client aircraft and selectively transmits cockpit data to one or more client aircraft. The data distributor selectively receives the aircraft data received by the main transceiver and parses and distributes the aircraft data. The data processors receive a portion of the parsed aircraft data, process the aircraft data, and supply processed aircraft data. The display page maker receives the processed aircraft data from the plurality of processors and generates the cockpit data for selective transmission by the main transceiver to the one or more client aircraft. The cockpit data, when processed in a client aircraft, will render one or more images representative of at least portions of the processed aircraft data.

Claims

1. An aircraft data processing system, comprising:

a main transceiver adapted to receive aircraft data transmitted from a plurality of client aircraft and to transmit cockpit data to one or more client aircraft;

a data distributor coupled to receive the aircraft data received by the main transceiver and configured, upon receipt thereof, to parse the aircraft data into environmental and aircraft-related data, engine parameter data, data representative of various aircraft dynamics, flight-related data, and flight plan data, and to distribute the parsed aircraft data;

a plurality of data processors in operable communication with the data distributor, each data processor coupled to receive, from the data distributor, a portion of the parsed aircraft data and configured, upon receipt thereof, to process the portion of the parsed aircraft data it receives and supply processed aircraft data; and

a display page maker coupled to receive the processed aircraft data from the plurality of processors and configured, upon receipt thereof, to generate the cockpit data for transmission by the main transceiver to the one or more client aircraft,

wherein the cockpit data, when processed in a client aircraft, will render one or more images representative of at least portions of the processed aircraft data, and

wherein the plurality of data processors comprises;

an air data processor coupled to receive the environmental and aircraft-related data and configured, upon receipt thereof to calculate various air data parameters,

an engine parameter processor coupled to receive the engine parameter data and configured, upon receipt thereof, to generate engine performance and health data,

a ground proximity warning system processor coupled to receive the data representative of various aircraft dynamics and configured, upon receipt thereof, to generate updated ground proximity warning system data,

a flight management system processor coupled to receive the flight-related data and configured, upon receipt thereof, to generate updated flight management system data, and

a navigation data processor coupled to receive the flight plan data and configured, upon receipt thereof, to generate and supply updated navigation data.

2. The system of claim 1, further comprising:

a web hosting server in operable communication with the display page maker, the web hosting server coupled to receive the cockpit data and configured, upon receipt thereof, to at least temporarily store the cockpit data.

3. The system of claim 2, further comprising:

a main client connection manager in operable communication with the web hosting server, the main client connection manager coupled to retrieve at least selected portions of the cockpit data from the web hosting server and configured, upon receipt thereof, to supply the retrieved cockpit data for transmission to one or more client aircraft.

4. The system of claim 3, further comprising:

a main connection manager in operable communication with the main client connection manager and the main transceiver, the main connection manager configured to;

determine an optimum transmission link,

command the main transceiver to establish communication with one or more client aircraft via the optimum transmission link, and

command the main transceiver to receive aircraft data from, and transmit the cockpit data to, one or more client aircraft.

5. The system of claim 1, wherein the main transceiver is configured to transmit and receive via one or more wireless communication links.

6. The system of claim 1, wherein each client aircraft comprises:

an aircraft transceiver configured to transmit aircraft data to, and receive cockpit data from, the main transceiver.

7. The system of claim 6, wherein each client aircraft further comprises:

an aircraft connection manager in operable communication with the aircraft transceiver and configured to;

determine an optimum transmission link,

command the aircraft transceiver to establish communication with the main transceiver via the optimum transmission link, and

command the aircraft transceiver to transmit aircraft data to, and receive cockpit data from, the main transceiver.

8. The system of claim 7, wherein each client aircraft further comprises:

a page request manager configured to supply requests for cockpit data in response to user input;

a page display manager coupled to receive requested cockpit data and configured, upon receipt thereof, to supply commands that cause a display device to render one or more images representative of the cockpit data;

an aircraft client connection manager in operable communication with the aircraft connection manager, the page request manager, and the page display manager, the aircraft client connection manger configured to (i) receive the requests for cockpit data, (ii) retrieve the requested cockpit data from the aircraft connection manager, and (iii) supply the requested cockpit data to the page display manager.