Multi core vehicle management system and methods

• US 9,731,815 B2
• Filed: 01/22/2015
• Issued: 08/15/2017
• Est. Priority Date: 11/15/2011
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Lockheed Martin Corporation (Martin Marietta Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Lockheed Martin Corporation (Martin Marietta Corporation)
• Inventors: Pangilinan, Lester J., Olsen, John
• Primary Examiner(s): HOLLOWAY, JASON R
• Application Number:
  US14/602,801
• Publication Number:
  US 20160176512A1
• Time in Patent Office: 936 Days
• CPC Class Codes: B64C 19/00 Aircraft control not otherwise provided for
• 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: G05D 1/0088 characterized by the autonomous decision making process, e.g. artificial intelligence, predefined behaviours using knowledge based models G06N5/00
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 17/00 Digital computing or data processing equipment or methods, specially adapted for specific functions information retrieval, database structures or file system structures therefor G06F16/00
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 21/84 output devices, e.g. displays or monitors
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0227 Cooperation and interconnection of the input arrangement with other functional units of a computer G06F3/023 - G06F3/037 take precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 5/0021 located in the aircraft
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 5/003 Flight plan management
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 1/3877 Arrangements for enabling portable transceivers to be used in a fixed position, e.g. cradles or boosters

Abstract

A flight management system (FMS) including a plurality of FMS components that can include a civil FMS component and a tactical FMS component. Each FMS component can have a processor programmed to execute an FMS software product. The FMS can also include a multi core FMS manager configured to control a plurality of flight management systems and coupled to the plurality of FMS components. The multi core FMS manager can include a plurality of FMS managers, each coupled to one of the FMS components, and a platform interface manager coupled to an avionics system. Each FMS manager can be adapted to transmit flight management data to, and to receive flight management data from, the FMS component to which it is coupled. The platform interface manager can be adapted to provide each FMS component access to the avionics system, such that an aircraft operator can control each FMS component via the FMS.

Claims

1. A computerized method for controlling a plurality of flight management systems encapsulated within a multi core flight management system, the method comprising:

providing a civil flight management system component running a civilian flight management software product;

providing a tactical flight management system component running a tactical flight management software product,

wherein the civil flight management system component and the tactical flight management system component are each encapsulated within a multi core flight management system adapted to manage an aircraft, said multi core flight management system including a multi core flight management system manager, and

wherein said civil flight management system component is updateable through a civil flight management system manager in the multi core flight management system manager, and

wherein said tactile flight management system component is updateable through a tactical flight management system manager in the multi core flight management system manager;

receiving, at a flight management platform interface, a first flight management system data message and transmitting said first flight management system data message to the multi core flight management system manager;

generating, at the multi core flight management system manager, a transformed flight management system data message from the first flight management system data message, and transmitting said transformed flight management system data message to one of the civil and tactical flight management system components indicated by said first flight management system data message via a respective one of the civil and tactical flight management system managers; and

receiving, at said multi core flight management system manager, a second flight management system data message from one of said civil and tactical flight management system components and transmitting said second flight system data message to a corresponding avionics system component,

wherein said civil and tactical flight management system components and said multi core flight management system manager run on a single computer, and

said civil and tactical of flight management system components are temporally and spatially isolated from each other.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the computer is a single board computer.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the civil flight management system component is unclassified and the tactical flight management component is classified.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein said avionics system includes an unclassified transponder.

9. The method of claim 1, wherein

the multi core flight management system is partitioned into a plurality of temporally and spatially isolated partitions,

the civil vehicle management system component is provided in a first temporally and spatially isolated partition, and

the tactile vehicle management system component is provided in a second temporally and spatially isolated partition.

11. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

receiving, at said multi core flight management system manager, one or more data messages from an avionic system; and

transmitting said one or more data messages to the civil vehicle management system component and the tactical vehicle management system component.

13. The method of claim 1, wherein the generating of the transformed flight management system data message includes at least one selected reducing global positioning system (GPS) precision, redacting classified data, replacing geographic position data with decoy geographic position data, and replacing vehicle information data with decoy vehicle information data.

5. A computerized method for encapsulating a plurality of flight management systems within a multi core flight management system, the method comprising:

partitioning a computer system into a plurality of temporally and spatially isolated partitions;

running each of a plurality of flight management system component software products in a different one of the plurality of temporally and spatially isolated partitions, said plurality of flight management system component software products including a civil flight management system component and a tactical flight management system component, and said civil flight management system component and said tactical flight management system component each being independently updateable through a multi core flight management system manager;

running a multi core flight management system manager software component in one of the plurality of temporally and spatially isolated partitions;

receiving, at said multi core flight management system manager software component, one or more data messages from an avionics system component;

generating, at said multi core flight management system manager software component, one or more transformed data messages from the one or more data messages, and transmitting said one or more transformed data messages to one or more of the plurality of flight management system component software products; and

receiving, at said multi core flight management system manager software component, one or more other data messages from one of the plurality of flight management system component software products and transmitting said one or more other data messages to one or more corresponding avionics system components of the avionics system.

6. The method of claim 5, wherein said civil flight management system component is unclassified and said tactical flight management component is classified.

7. The method of claim 5, wherein said avionics system includes an unclassified transponder.

8. The method of claim 5, wherein said computer system is a single board computer.

10. The method of claim 5, wherein the civil flight management system component and the tactical flight management system component are not contained within a same one of the plurality of temporally and spatially isolated partitions.

12. The method of claim 5, wherein said transmitting said one or more data messages to one or more of the plurality of flight management system component software products includes transmitting said one or more data messages to the civil vehicle management system component and the tactical vehicle management system component.

14. The method of claim 5, wherein the generating of the one or more transformed data messages includes at least one selected reducing global positioning system (GPS) precision, redacting classified data, replacing geographic position data with decoy geographic position data, and replacing vehicle information data with decoy vehicle information data.