Merging human machine interfaces of segregated domains

• US 9,854,043 B2
• Filed: 12/16/2014
• Issued: 12/26/2017
• Est. Priority Date: 12/20/2013
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Airbus Operations GmbH (Airbus SE)
• Original Assignee: Airbus Operations GmbH (Airbus SE)
• Inventors: Riedel, Christian
• Primary Examiner(s): Titcomb, William
• Application Number:
  US14/572,034
• Publication Number:
  US 20150180977A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,106 Days
• Field of Search: 715719, 715822
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 9/451 Execution arrangements for user interfaces
• 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

A data processing device comprises a graphics processing component configured to obtain first graphic data being related to a first graphical human machine interface for control of a first network domain; one or more second graphic data, the one or more second graphic data being related to one or more second graphical human machine interfaces for control of one or more second network domains; and a display unit configured to display a human machine interface, wherein the main human machine interface comprises the first graphical human machine interface and at least one of the one or more second graphical human machine interfaces.

Claims

1. A data processing device for providing a human machine interface for control of multiple network domains provided on board a vehicle, the data processing device comprising:

a graphics processing component configured to obtain first graphic data being related to a first graphical human machine interface for control of a first network domain and one or more second graphic data, the one or more second graphic data being related to one or more second graphical human machine interfaces for control of one or more second network domains;

a communication filter configured to filter the one or more second graphic data obtained by the graphics processing component; and

a display unit configured to display a human machine interface, wherein the human machine interface comprises the first graphical human machine interface and at least one of the one or more second graphical human machine interfaces,

wherein the communication filter prevents graphic data that is unauthorized to enter the first network domain from entering the data processing device.

2. The data processing device of claim 1, further comprising a merging component configured to merge the first graphic data being related to the first graphical human machine interface and at least one of the one or more second graphic data being related to the one or more second graphical human machine interfaces;

wherein the first graphic data and the at least one of the one or more second graphic data are merged by alternately reading out the first graphic data and the at least one of the one or more second graphic data to the display unit.

3. The data processing device of claim 1, wherein the graphics processing component is configured to receive at least one of the one or more second graphic data via the bidirectional data connection.

4. The data processing device of claim 1, wherein the graphics processing component is configured to obtain first operating data being related to the first network domain and the display unit is configured to display the first operating data on the human machine interface,

wherein the data processing device comprises an input unit configured to receive an input of first control data via the human machine interface and the input unit is configured to forward the first control data to the graphics processing component.

5. The data processing device of claim 1, wherein the graphics processing component is configured to receive the one or more second graphic data and the one or more second operating data being related to the one or more second network domains via the common bidirectional data connection,

wherein the graphics processing component is configured to transmit the one or more second graphic data and one or more second control data being related to the one or more second network domains over a common bidirectional data connection.

6. The data processing device of claim 5, wherein the communication filter filters both the one or more second graphic data and the one or more second operating data.

7. The data processing device of claim 1, wherein the data processing device comprises a graphic control unit, wherein the graphic control unit, comprises the graphics processing component.

8. The data processing device of claim 7, wherein the graphic control unit is configured to write the first graphic data into a video buffer area assigned to the first human machine interface and to write at least one of the one or more second graphic data into a mask area of the video buffer area, the mask area being at least a subarea of the video buffer area.

9. The data processing device of claim 7, wherein the graphic control unit is configured to write at least one of the one or more second graphic data into a mask area, the mask area being separate from the video buffer area.

10. The data processing device of claim 7, wherein the graphic control unit is configured to receive a control input, the control input specifying the mask area.

11. The data processing device of claim 7, wherein the display unit is configured to retrieve the first graphic data and at least one of the one or more second graphic data from the video buffer area and the mask area to form the human machine inter-face on the display unit.

12. The data processing device of claim 7, wherein the data processing device is configured to receive at least one of one or more second operating data being related to the one or more second network domains via a bidirectional data connection, and/or to transmit at least one of one or more second control data being related to the one or more second network domains via a bidirectional data connection.

13. The data processing device of claim 7, wherein the data processing device further comprises a switching component configured to receive the one or more second graphic data and to selectively forward one of the one or more second graphic data.

14. The data processing device of claim 7, wherein the data processing device is configured to transmit at least one of one or more second control data being related to the one or more second network domains via a bidirectional data connection.

15. The data processing device of claim 1, wherein the communication filter filters graphic data based on whether the graphic data is in a predetermined set of command types of data types.

16. The data processing device of claim 1, further comprising a bidirectional data connection between the graphics processing component and the one or more second graphical human machine interfaces;

wherein the communication filter is configured to filter data transmitted through the bidirectional data connection; and

wherein the communication filter prevents graphic data that is unauthorized to enter the one or more second network domains from entering the one or more second graphical human machine interfaces.

17. The data processing device of claim 16, further comprising a switch connected between the graphics processing component and the one or more second graphical human machine interfaces, in parallel with the bidirectional data connection;

wherein the switch is configured to selectively forward graphical data from the one or more second graphical human machine interfaces to the graphics processing component; and

wherein control and operating data is transmitted over the bidirectional data connection.

18. A data processing device for providing a human machine interface for control of multiple network domains provided on board a vehicle, the data processing device comprising:

a display unit is configured to display the human machine interface by alternately displaying the first graphic data and at least one of the one or more second graphic data at a frame repetition frequency which is higher than a predetermined frame repetition frequency,

wherein the graphic control unit is configured to write at least one of the one or more second graphic data into a mask area, the mask area being separate from the video buffer area,

wherein the data processing device comprises a graphic control unit, wherein the graphic control unit, comprises the graphics processing component,

a graphics processing component configured to obtain first graphic data being related to a first graphical human machine interface for control of a first network domain and one or more second graphic data, the one or more second graphic data being related to one or more second graphical human machine interfaces for control of one or more second network domains;

a communication filter configured to filter the one or more second graphic data obtained by the graphics processing component; and

a display unit configured to display a human machine interface, wherein the human machine interface comprises the first graphical human machine interface and at least one of the one or more second graphical human machine interfaces,

wherein the communication filter filters out graphic data that is unauthorized to enter the first network domain.

19. A method for providing a human machine interface for control of multiple network domains provided on board a vehicle, the method comprising:

obtaining first graphic data being related to a first graphical human machine interface for control of a first network domain and one or more second graphic data being related to one or more second graphical human machine interfaces for control of one or more second network domains;

preventing one or more second graphic data that is unauthorized to enter the first network domain from entering the data processing device; and

displaying a human machine interface, the human machine interface comprising the first graphical human machine interface and at least one of the one or more second graphical human machine interfaces.

20. A data processing device for providing a human machine interface for control of multiple network domains provided on board a vehicle, the data processing device comprising:

a graphics control unit configured to obtain first graphic data being related to a first graphical human machine interface for control of a first network domain and one or more second graphic data, the one or more second graphic data being related to one or more second graphical human machine interfaces for control of one or more second network domains; and

a display unit configured to display a human machine interface, wherein the human machine interface comprises the first graphical human machine interface and at least one of the one or more second graphical human machine interfaces;

wherein the graphic control unit is configured to write at least one of the one or more second graphic data into a mask area, the mask area being separate from the video buffer area; and

wherein the display unit is configured to display the human machine interface by alternately displaying the first graphic data and at least one of the one or more second graphic data at a frame repetition frequency which is higher than a predetermined frame repetition frequency.