Method and apparatus for loadable aircraft software parts distribution

• US 9,807,149 B2
• Filed: 12/28/2015
• Issued: 10/31/2017
• Est. Priority Date: 11/27/2007
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: The Boeing Co.
• Original Assignee: The Boeing Co.
• Inventors: Kimberly, Greg A., Fuchs, Ludwin, Gould, Todd William, McLain, Fred J., Morgan, Christopher J.
• Primary Examiner(s): Dao, Thuy
• Assistant Examiner(s): Rivera, Anibal
• Application Number:
  US14/981,886
• Publication Number:
  US 20160112496A1
• Time in Patent Office: 673 Days
• 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: G06F 11/0739 in a data processing system embedded in automotive or aircraft systems
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 11/0766 Error or fault reporting or storing
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 11/3013 where the computing system is an embedded system, i.e. a combination of hardware and software dedicated to perform a certain function in mobile devices, printers, automotive or aircraft systems testing or monitoring of control systems or parts thereof G05B23/02
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 11/3051 Monitoring arrangements for monitoring the configuration of the computing system or of the computing system component, e.g. monitoring the presence of processing resources, peripherals, I/O links, software programs verification or detection of system hardware configuration G06F11/2247
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 8/61 Installation
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/02 based on web technology, e.g. hypertext transfer protocol [HTTP]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/06 specially adapted for file transfer, e.g. file transfer protocol [FTP]
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 76/10 Connection setup

Abstract

A computer implemented method, apparatus, and computer program product for transferring information with an aircraft. A connection is established between an onboard electronic distribution system executing in an aircraft data processing system in the aircraft and an on ground component. Responsive to a request for a command from the on ground component, the command for execution is identified. The identified command is sent to the onboard electronic distribution system from an on ground component. A transaction identifier is assigned to the command. A transaction associated with the command is maintained on the onboard electronic distribution system and the on ground component using the transaction identifier. An uplink is initiated by the on ground component. An aircraft software part is sent to the onboard electronic distribution system from the on ground component to perform the uplink. A status of a transfer of the aircraft software part on ground component is stored.

Claims

1. An aircraft software part management apparatus, comprising:

a library associated with a data processing system, the library being configured to store, organize, delete, distribute and manage a set of aircraft software parts for a set of aircraft, and wherein management of the aircraft software parts includes security and versioning control processes, and wherein the library is an on-ground component and wherein the library is configured to create a crate of the set of aircraft software parts in response to receiving downlink data and to sign the downlink data with a private key of an aircraft in the set of aircraft to create signed downlink data;

a receiving module configured to receive the set of aircraft software parts and send the set of aircraft software parts to the library;

a proxy server having a hardware processor in communication with the library via either or both physical or wireless communication links, wherein the proxy server is configured to serve a set of aircraft clients;

an onboard electronic distribution system for the aircraft in the set of aircraft, wherein the onboard electronic distribution system is an aircraft client in the set of aircraft clients and is configured to receive an aircraft software part for the aircraft from the library through the proxy server; and

a portable software maintenance tool, wherein the portable software maintenance tool is configured to provide an alternate route to send the aircraft software part to the onboard electronic distribution system of the aircraft, wherein the onboard electronic distribution system is further configured to send the downlink data to a file transfer system in the portable software maintenance tool, wherein the portable software maintenance tool is further configured to send a request by the file transfer system to the onboard electronic distribution system to send the downlink data to the on-ground component; and

wherein;

the portable software maintenance tool is further configured to receive the signed downlink data and the crate, and transmit the signed downlink data and the crate to the onboard electronic distribution system; and

the onboard electronic distribution system is configured to install the crate as a line replaceable unit in the aircraft responsive to verifying the signed downlink data.

2. The aircraft software part management apparatus of claim 1, wherein the proxy server is associated with the data processing system.

3. The aircraft software part management apparatus of claim 1, wherein the portable software maintenance tool is configured to connect to the proxy server to receive the aircraft software part, is configured to be moved onto the aircraft containing the onboard electronic distribution system with the aircraft software part, and is configured to connect to the onboard software distribution system to transfer the aircraft software part to the onboard electronic distribution system.

4. A computer implemented method for managing a plurality of aircraft software parts, the computer implemented method comprising:

storing, organizing, deleting, distributing and managing a set of aircraft software parts for a set of aircraft in a library that is on-ground, wherein managing the set of aircraft software parts includes performing security and versioning control processes which includes, when receiving a request for a specific set of aircraft software parts for a specific aircraft, signing the specific aircraft software parts with a private key corresponding to the specific aircraft, and wherein the library is configured to create a crate of the set of aircraft software parts in response to receiving downlink data and to sign the downlink data with a private key of an aircraft in the set of aircraft to create signed downlink data;

receiving downlink data from an on-board file transfer system by a line replaceable unit on the specific aircraft;

sending the downlink data to the on-board file transfer system in a portable software maintenance tool in communication with the specific aircraft, wherein the portable software maintenance tool is configured to provide an alternate route to send the aircraft part to an onboard electronic distribution system of the aircraft;

sending, by the portable software maintenance tool, the downlink data to the on-ground component;

identifying, by the on-ground component, the specific aircraft for the specific aircraft software parts to form an identified aircraft;

creating, by the on-ground component, a crate that includes the specific aircraft software parts and signing the crate with the private key to form a signed crate;

sending the signed crate from the library to a proxy server via either or both physical or wireless connection links;

sending the signed crate from the proxy server to the onboard electronic distribution system on the identified aircraft;

verifying, by the onboard electronic distribution system, the signed crate; and

installing, by the onboard electronic distribution system, the signed crate as the line replaceable unit in the aircraft.

5. The computer implemented method of claim 4, wherein the step of sending the crate from the proxy server to an onboard electronic distribution system on the identified aircraft comprises:

sending the crate from the proxy server to the onboard electronic distribution system on the identified aircraft using a communications link.

6. The computer implemented method of claim 4, wherein the proxy server is the portable software maintenance tool.

7. The computer implemented method of claim 4, wherein the storing step comprises:

receiving the aircraft software part from a supplier to form a received aircraft software part;

processing the aircraft software part to form a processed aircraft software part;

and storing the processed aircraft software part in the library.

8. The computer implemented method of claim 4 further comprising:

sending a command to the onboard electronic distribution system from the library through the proxy server to download data from the aircraft; and

receiving the data at the library through the proxy server in response to sending the command.

9. The computer implemented method of claim 4 further comprising:

moving the portable computer with the crate to the aircraft; and

establishing a communications link between the software maintenance tool with the onboard electronic distribution system on the aircraft after moving the portable computer to the aircraft to form an established communications link.

10. An aircraft software part management apparatus, comprising:

a library associated with a data processing system, the library being configured to store, organize, delete, distribute and manage a set of aircraft software parts for a set of aircraft, and wherein the management of the aircraft software parts includes security and versioning control processes, and wherein the library is an on-ground component and wherein the library is configured to create a crate of the set of aircraft software parts in response to receiving downlink data and to sign the downlink data with a private key of an aircraft in the set of aircraft to create signed downlink data;

a receiving module configured to receive the set of aircraft software parts and configured to send the set of aircraft software parts to the library;

a proxy server in communication with the library via either or both physical or wireless communication links, wherein the proxy server is configured to serve a set of aircraft clients;

an onboard electronic distribution system for an aircraft in the set of aircraft, wherein the onboard electronic distribution system is an aircraft client in the set of aircraft clients and is configured to receive an aircraft software part for the aircraft from the library through the proxy server;

a portable software maintenance tool, wherein the portable software maintenance tool is configured to provide an alternate route to send the aircraft software part to the onboard electronic distribution system of the aircraft, wherein the onboard electronic distribution system is further configured to send the downlink data to a file transfer system in the portable software maintenance tool, wherein the portable software maintenance tool is further configured to send a request by the file transfer system to the onboard electronic distribution system to send the downlink data to the on-ground component; and

wherein;

the portable software maintenance tool is further configured to receive the signed downlink data and the crate, and transmit the signed downlink data and the crate to the onboard electronic distribution system; and

the onboard electronic distribution system is configured to install the crate as a line replaceable unit in the aircraft responsive to verifying the signed downlink data; and

an onboard hardware processor with a flight recorder that is configured to generate data describing different events occurring during the flight of an aircraft, wherein the onboard electronic distribution system is configured to downlink the data through the proxy server, and through the portable software maintenance tool back to the library.