Managing data exchange between an avionic core and an open world device

• US 9,583,008 B2
• Filed: 12/04/2015
• Issued: 02/28/2017
• Est. Priority Date: 12/05/2014
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Airbus Operations (European Aeronautic Defence and Space Company EADS NV)
• Original Assignee: Airbus Operations (European Aeronautic Defence and Space Company EADS NV)
• Inventors: Marion, Gaetan, Mere, Jean-Claude, Neri, Pierre, Bernat, Julien, Vie, Marc
• Primary Examiner(s): BUTLER, RODNEY ALLEN
• Application Number:
  US14/960,046
• Publication Number:
  US 20160163202A1
• Time in Patent Office: 452 Days
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G01C 23/00 Combined instruments indicating more than one navigational value, e.g. for aircraft; Combined measuring devices for measuring two or more variables of movement, e.g. distance, speed or acceleration
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 5/0013 with a ground station
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 5/0021 located in the aircraft
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 5/0047 Navigation or guidance aids for a single aircraft details of equipment G08G5/0017
• 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: H04W 4/046 involving vehicles, e.g. floating traffic data [FTD] or vehicle traffic prediction
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 84/06 Airborne or Satellite Networks space-based or airborne stations H04B7/185

Abstract

A flight management system includes: an avionics core implementing generic aircraft management functionalities and providing services associated with the generic functionalities; at least one remote functionality in an open world part performing a function of interfacing between the avionics core and the open world applications run on the open world part which need to communicate with the avionics core, wherein the remote functionality ensures homogeneity and consistency of data exchanged and guaranteeing integrity and security of data exchanges, and an exchange interface of between the avionics core and the open world functionality supporting data exchanges.

Claims

1. A management system for an aircraft comprising:

an avionics core including a computer system configured to provide generic aircraft management functions and to support functional services associated with the generic aircraft management functions;

an open world device, separate from the avionics core, configured to provide a remote function, wherein the remote function supports data exchange between the avionics core and an open world application being executed by the open world device, and the remote function is configured to ensure homogeneity and consistency of data being exchanged between the avionics core and the open world application; and

an exchange interface configured to enable or disable data transmission between the avionics core and the open world device depending on data to be transmitted between the avionics core and the open world device, wherein the exchange interface interacts with the remote function during the supported data exchange, and by enabling and disabling the data transmission, the exchange interface provides security with respect to the data transmission to the avionics core.

2. The management system according to claim 1, wherein the avionics core includes:

a set of software partitions grouped on at least one computer hardware partition and implementing the generic management functionalities; and

a set of functional services in connection with the set of generic functionalities implemented by the avionics core and open to requests from applications external to the avionics core.

3. The management system according to claim 1 wherein the remote function include at least one of the following:

a functionality configured to;

(i) ensure consistency, merging or consolidation of data from the open world application to the avionics core;

(ii) perform at least one part of securing the data;

(iii) extract the data from models used by the open world application for supplying a simplified model of the avionics core; and

/or (iv) export the data from the avionics core to the open world application;

a functional service allowing the avionics core to access;

(i) specific data hosted on an open world platform; and

/or (ii) services carried by open world applications via the remote function; and

a functional service allowing the open world application to access;

avionics core data, and/or the functional services associated with the set of generic functionalities supported by the avionics core.

4. The management system according to claim 1 wherein the exchange interface between the avionics core and the remote function is a computer based system configured to perform:

bidirectional data requests;

bidirectional function execution requests;

bidirectional event warnings;

bidirectional message transfers; and

/or bidirectional file transfers.

5. The management system according to claim 1, wherein the exchange interface comprises a data securing module configured to automatically monitor data to be transmitted and automatically disable or enable data transmission between the avionics core and the at least one remote function, according to the monitoring.

6. The management system according to claim 5, wherein the data securing module includes at least one of the following security applications:

an incorrect data flow detection application;

a data consistency and format checking application; and

a data decryption application.

7. The management system according to claim 5, wherein the data securing module comprises a switching element, the switching element being a hardware switch or a software implemented switch.

8. The management system according to claim 1 wherein the management system is a flight management system.

9. The management system according to claim 8, wherein the generic functionalities, implemented by the avionics core, include the following functionalities:

flight plan management;

a calculation of a trajectory in a space;

a calculation of deviations between a position of the aircraft and a trajectory; and

a calculation of guidance set points for locking the aircraft onto a trajectory.

10. The management system according to claim 8, wherein the generic functionalities, implemented by the avionics core, include at least two of the following functionalities:

flight plan management;

calculation of a flight trajectory;

calculation of a prediction along a flight trajectory;

an extrapolation of meteorological conditions along a trajectory;

calculation of a position of the aircraft;

calculation of deviations between a position of the aircraft and a trajectory;

calculation of guidance set points for locking the aircraft onto a trajectory; and

one part of a data securing function.

12. The management system according to claim 7, wherein the switching element is configured to be in a first position in which it disables the data transmission between the avionics core and the open world device, or in a second position in which it enables the data transmission between the avionics core and the open world device.

11. A management system for an aircraft comprising:

an avionics core including a computer system with a processor and non-transitory memory storing programs configured to provide certain generic aircraft management functions and to support certain services associated with the generic aircraft management functions;

an open world device including a computer system with a processor and a non-transitory memory storing a remote function program, wherein the remote function program, when executed by the processor, supports data exchange between the avionics core and open world program applications being executed by the open world device, and the remote function ensures homogeneity and consistency of data being exchanged between the avionics core and the open world applications; and

an exchange interface configured to disable or enable data transmission between the avionics core and the open world device depending on data to be transmitted between the avionics core and the open world device, wherein the exchange interface interacts with the remote function program during the supported data exchange, and by enabling and disabling the data transmission, the exchange interface provides security with respect to the data transmission to the avionics core.

13. The management system according to claim 11, wherein the exchange interface comprises a data securing module, the data securing module including a hardware or software implemented switching element.

14. The management system according to claim 13, wherein the switching element is configured to be in a first position in which it disables the data transmission between the avionics core and the open world device, or in a second position in which it enables the data transmission between the avionics core and the open world device.

15. The management system according to claim 13, wherein the data securing module includes:

an incorrect data flow detection application;

a data consistency and format checking application; and

/or

a data decryption application.