Centralized bus interface with single wire secondary distribution

• US 8,245,979 B2
• Filed: 12/12/2008
• Issued: 08/21/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 09/17/2003
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: The Boeing Co.
• Original Assignee: The Boeing Co.
• Inventors: Eng, John E.
• Primary Examiner(s): Eldred, J. Woodrow
• Application Number:
  US12/333,978
• Publication Number:
  US 20090094398A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,348 Days
• Field of Search: 340/855.8, 340/855.2, 340/855.1, 340/854.9, 340/870.19, 340/870.24, 340/538, 244/158.1, 244/75.1, 244/129.1, 244/227
• US Class Current: 244/158.1
• CPC Class Codes: B64G 1/428 Power distribution and management

Abstract

A system for single wire secondary distribution comprising a spacecraft platform; a central bus interface unit coupled to the spacecraft platform; a payload unit coupled to the central bus interface unit; and a centralized power supply for powering the central bus interface unit and the payload unit; wherein the spacecraft platform provides a command to the central bus interface unit; wherein the central bus interface unit interrupts the power to the payload unit in a manner corresponding to the commands received by the central bus interface unit; wherein the payload unit decodes the interruption to the power and executes the command from the spacecraft platform.

Claims

1. A method of transmitting data on an aircraft or spacecraft comprising the steps of:

sending a command from an aircraft or spacecraft platform command processor to an aircraft or spacecraft central bus interface unit comprising a register and a switch;

providing power over a single power line to an aircraft or spacecraft payload unit; and

interrupting the power provided to the aircraft or spacecraft payload unit over the single power line by turning the switch on and off with the register, based on the command, to provide the aircraft or spacecraft payload unit with the command from the aircraft or spacecraft platform command processor with the aircraft or spacecraft payload unit determining the command based on measurements of the power interruption, wherein power interruptions having different measurements correspond to different commands.

2. The method of claim 1 further comprising sending telemetry from the aircraft or spacecraft payload unit to the aircraft or spacecraft platform command processor.

3. The method of claim 2 wherein the telemetry is sent over the single power line.

4. The method of claim 1 further comprising the steps of:

providing the power over another single power line to an aircraft or spacecraft second payload unit; and

interrupting the power provided to the aircraft or spacecraft second payload unit over the another single power line to provide the aircraft or spacecraft second payload unit with a second command from the aircraft or spacecraft platform command processor with the aircraft or spacecraft second payload unit determining the second command based on measurements of the power interruption to the aircraft or spacecraft second payload unit.

5. The method of claim 1 wherein the power provided over the single power line to the aircraft or spacecraft payload unit is provided from an aircraft or spacecraft central power supply.

6. The method of claim 1 wherein the aircraft or spacecraft payload unit determines the command using a decoder which processes the command.

7. The method of claim 1 wherein the aircraft or spacecraft central bus interface unit comprises a plurality of registers and a plurality of switches connected in series, wherein the interrupting the power provided to the aircraft or spacecraft payload unit over the single power line comprises turning at least one of the switches on and off with at least one of the registers based on the command.

8. The method of claim 1 wherein the register is coupled to a command decoder, and further comprising the command decoder receiving the command from the aircraft or spacecraft platform command processor, decoding the command, and the register turning the switch on and off based on the decoded command.

9. The method of claim 1 wherein the interrupting the power provided to the aircraft or spacecraft payload unit over the single power line comprises the aircraft or spacecraft central bus interface unit interrupting the power over the single power line.

10. The method of claim 3 further comprising a modulator sending the telemetry over the single power line from the aircraft or spacecraft payload unit to the aircraft or spacecraft platform command processor.

11. The method of claim 10 further comprising a demodulator at the aircraft or spacecraft central bus interface unit receiving the telemetry.

12. The method of claim 11 further comprising output voltage being sent over the single power line.

13. The method of claim 11 wherein the modulator sending the telemetry over the single power line uses a spread spectrum signal.

14. The method of claim 1 wherein the measurements of the power interruption comprise the number of times the power provided to the aircraft or spacecraft payload unit is interrupted.

15. The method of claim 14 wherein different numbers of times the power provided to the aircraft or spacecraft payload unit is interrupted correspond to different commands.

16. The method of claim 1 wherein the measurements of the power interruption comprise a length of a period of time the power provided to the aircraft or spacecraft payload unit is interrupted.

17. The method of claim 16 wherein different lengths of the period of time the power provided to the aircraft or spacecraft payload unit is interrupted correspond to different commands.

18. The method of claim 1 wherein the measurements of the power interruption comprise at least one of the number of times the power provided to the aircraft or spacecraft payload unit is interrupted, or a length of a period of time the power provided to the aircraft or spacecraft payload unit is interrupted.

19. The method of claim 18 wherein at least one of different numbers of times the power provided to the aircraft or spacecraft payload unit is interrupted or different lengths of the period of time the power to the aircraft or spacecraft payload unit is interrupted correspond to different commands.

20. The method of claim 8 wherein the register interrupts the power over the single power line by outputting a first signal and the register resumes the power over the single power line by outputting a second signal.

21. The method of claim 20 wherein the first signal comprises a high signal and the second signal comprises a low signal.