Passenger service and entertainment system

• US 6,058,288 A
• Filed: 08/07/1995
• Issued: 05/02/2000
• Est. Priority Date: 08/07/1995
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Thales Avionics Incorporated (Thales SA)
• Original Assignee: Sextant In-Flight Systems LLC
• Inventors: Lanza, Marco Charles, Reed, Danny Paul, Sawicz, Conrad Jan, Moreau, Jim
• Primary Examiner(s): GRANT, CHRISTOPHER C
• Application Number:
  US08/512,146
• Time in Patent Office: 1,730 Days
• Field of Search: 348/8, 348/6, 348/10, 348/12, 348/13, 348/7, 455/3.1, 455/4.1, 455/5.1, 455/5.2, 455/6.1, 455/6.2, 455/6.3
• US Class Current: 455/3.06
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 2300/516 connected to a local network, e.g. in a plane, hotel
• CPC Class Codes: B64D 11/0015 Arrangements for entertainment or communications, e.g. radio, television
• CPC Class Codes: B64D 11/00151 Permanently mounted seat back monitors
• CPC Class Codes: B64D 11/00153 Monitors mounted on or in the seat other than the seat back
• CPC Class Codes: B64D 11/00155 Individual entertainment or communication system remote controls therefor, located in or connected to seat components, e.g. to seat back or arm rest
• CPC Class Codes: G09G 2380/12 Avionics applications
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 7/106 for domestic distribution
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 7/181 for receiving images from a plurality of remote sources
• CPC Class Codes: Y02T 50/40 Weight reduction

Abstract

The present invention provides an entertainment and passenger service system for use in aircrafts and other passenger vehicles. Video monitors are provided at the passenger seats which are connected to entertainment sources located at an head end location via a direct, individual, point to point signal over a star network. A electronic switching unit is provided to connect the entertainment sources to the video monitors. A communications control unit provides communication connections between the passenger seat and the entertainment sources.

Claims

1. A system for supplying information signals to a plurality of remote display monitors, comprising:

an head end including at least one source means for providing a plurality of information output signals, one of the information output signals being a video output signal;

the head end further including switching means connected to the source means for receiving information output signals from the source means and outputting an information signal from a source means;

distribution means for receiving information signals from the switching means and outputting information signals, wherein the distribution means having one end connected to the head end and being a slave to the head end;

display means each having a remote display monitor for receiving and displaying information signals from the distribution means, wherein the display means being connected to another end of the distribution means and being a slave to the distribution means;

remote control means contained at the remote display monitor outputting a control signal wherein the control signal selects a given information signal from the at least one source means;

switch control means contained at the head end for receiving the control signal and controlling the switching means based on the control signal; and

wherein the switching means includes a routing means for finding a path for the given information signal wherein the path is between the source means and the distribution means and then to the display means and the remote control means that selected the selected source means and wherein the routing means includes a reallocation means for reallocating paths through the switching means so that paths are not blocked through the switching means for the display means and the remote control means to connect to available source means.

2. The system of claim 1 wherein the video output signal comprises a single baseband video signal and a plurality of corresponding audio signals.

3. The system of claim 2 wherein the distribution means further includes means for separating the baseband video signal from the audio signals.

4. The system of claim 1 wherein the at least one source means, the switching means, the distribution means, and the display means are connected by a star configuration.

5. The system of claim 1 wherein at least one of the sources includes a video data base, controller means for allowing a plurality of video signals to be provided simultaneously from the video data base, and decoder means for converting the video data base to the video output signal.

6. The system of claim 1 wherein the display means are contained in vehicle passenger seats.

7. The system of claim 5 further wherein the vehicle passenger seats are aircraft passenger seats.

8. A system for supplying information signals to a plurality of remote passenger seats, comprising:

at least one source means for making available at least one information output signal, the source means contained at a head end;

information display means contained at each of the remote passenger seats for receiving and displaying the information signal;

a distribution means comprising a plurality of individual connections wherein each individual connection is between one of the plurality of information display means and the head end;

a switching means at the head end and connected between the source means and the plurality of individual connections of the distribution means and wherein the switching means creates a path at the head end from the at least one source means to the distribution means so that a display means receives a selected information signal; and

wherein the distribution means forms a star configuration between the display means and the switching means to create the path between the display means and the selected information signal.

9. The system of claim 8 wherein the source means are a plurality of servers.

10. The system of claim 8 wherein the source means includes a video data base, controller means for allowing a plurality of information signals to be provided simultaneously from the video data base, and decoder means for converting the information data base to an information output signal.

11. The system of claim 8 wherein the information signal comprises a single baseband video signal and a plurality of corresponding audio signals.

12. The system of claim 11 wherein the distribution means further includes means for separating the video signal from the audio signals.

13. The system of claim 8 further wherein the distribution means is a slave to the head end and the information display means is a slave to the distribution means.

14. The system of claim 8 wherein the remote passenger seats are aircraft seats.

15. The system of claim 8 further including passenger control means contained at the remote passenger seats for outputting a passenger control signal, and control means contained at the head end for receiving the passenger control signal and controlling the source means based on the passenger control signal.

16. The system of claim 8 wherein the distribution means includes coaxial cable between the display means and the head end.

17. A system for supplying information signals to a plurality of remote passenger seats, comprising:

source means for making available at least one information output signal, the source means contained at an head end;

the source means including a video data base, controller means for allowing a plurality of information signals to be provided simultaneously from the video data base, and decoder means for converting the video data base to an information output signal;

display means contained at each of the remote passenger seats for receiving the information signal from the distribution means and for displaying the information signal;

distribution means comprising a plurality of individual connections wherein each individual connection is between the display means and the head end;

switching means having a routing means for finding a path for a selected information output signal available at the source means wherein the path being between the source means and the individual connection of the distribution means that connects to the display means that selected the information signal and wherein the routing means includes a reallocation means for reallocating paths through the switching so that paths are not blocked through the switching means for a remote control means to connect to available source means, and

wherein the distribution means and the paths form a star configuration between the display means, the switching means and the selected information signal.

18. The system of claim 17 wherein the information signal comprises a single baseband video signal and a plurality of corresponding audio signals.

19. The system of claim 18 wherein the distribution means further includes means for separating the baseband video signal from the audio signals.

20. The system of claim 17 wherein the distribution means is a slave to the head end and the display means is a slave to the distribution means.

21. The system of claim 17 wherein the remote passenger seats are aircraft seats.

22. The system of claim 17 further including passenger control means contained at the remote passenger seats for outputting a passenger control signal, and source control means contained at the head end for receiving the passenger control signal and controlling the source means based on the passenger control signal.

23. The system of claim 17 wherein the data base is digital.

24. The system of claim 17 wherein the data base is stored on hard disk drives.

25. The system of claim 17 wherein the data base is compressed and the decoder means includes means for expanding compressed data.

26. A system for supplying information signals to a plurality of remote passenger seats, comprising:

source means for making available at least one information output signal, the source means contained at an head end;

distribution means for receiving an information signal from the source means and outputting an information signal, the distribution means being a slave to the head end;

display means contained at the remote passenger seats for receiving and displaying the information signal from the video distribution means, the display means being a slave to the distribution means; and

switching means having a routing means for finding a path for at least one information signal available at the source means and selected at the display means wherein the path being between the source means to the distribution means and then to the display means that selected the information signal and wherein the routing means includes a reallocation means for reallocating paths through the switching means so that paths are not blocked through the switching means for a remote control means to connect to available source means.

27. The system of claim 26 wherein the source means includes a video data base, controller means for allowing a plurality of information signals to be provided simultaneously from the video data base, and decoder means for converting the video data base to an information output signal.

28. The system of claim 26 wherein the information signal comprises a single baseband video signal and a plurality of corresponding audio signals.

29. The system of claim 28 wherein the distribution means further includes means for separating the baseband video signal from the audio signals.

30. The system of claim 26 wherein the source means, the distribution means, and the display means are connected by a star configuration.

31. The system of claim 26 wherein the remote passenger seats are aircraft seats.

32. The system of claim 26 further including passenger control means contained at the remote passenger seats for outputting a passenger control signal, and control means contained at the head end for receiving the passenger control signal and controlling the source means based on the passenger control signals.

33. A system for supplying information signals to a plurality of remote passenger seats, comprising:

source means for making available at least one information output signal, the source means contained at an head end;

information display means contained at the remote passenger seats for receiving the information signal from a distribution means and displaying the information signal;

passenger control means contained at the remote passenger seats for outputting a passenger control signal;

source control means contained at the head end for receiving the passenger control signal and controlling the source means based on the passenger control signal and;

the distribution means having a plurality of individual wired paths to connect the head end to the information display means wherein the distribution means forms a star configuration between the source means and the information display means.

34. The system of claim 33 wherein the source means is a plurality of servers.

35. The system of claim 34 further including switching means connected to the plurality of servers for receiving an information output signal from the servers and outputting an information signal from a selected server.

36. The system of claim 33 wherein the source means comprises a video data base, controller means for allowing a plurality of information signals to be provided simultaneously from the video data base, and decoder means for converting the information data base to an information output signal.

37. The system of claim 33 wherein the distribution means is a slave to the head end and the display means is a slave to the distribution means.

38. The system of claim 33 wherein the remote passenger seats are aircraft seats.