Server design and method

• US 8,315,762 B2
• Filed: 04/30/2008
• Issued: 11/20/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 04/30/2007
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Thales Avionics Incorporated (Thales SA)
• Original Assignee: Thales Avionics Incorporated (Thales SA)
• Inventors: Correa, Paulo, Nguyen, Anh
• Primary Examiner(s): Tran, Khoi
• Assistant Examiner(s): Nguyen, Bao Long T
• Application Number:
  US12/112,154
• Publication Number:
  US 20080312778A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,665 Days
• Field of Search: None
• US Class Current: 701/36
• CPC Class Codes: H04H 20/62 for transportation systems, e.g. in vehicles
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 2012/4028 the transportation system being an aircraft
• 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
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 69/18 Multiprotocol handlers, e.g. single devices capable of handling multiple protocols
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 7/106 for domestic distribution

Abstract

A communication system for a vehicle includes a server that includes a real time operating system, at least one cabin function application that runs on the real time operating system, and at least one in-flight entertainment application that runs on another operating system on top of the real time operating system. Thus, an in-operation entertainment system is capable of providing audio and/or visual content to a large number of locations in a cabin of the vehicle, and a cabin function system is capable of providing various cabin applications, e.g., lighting level control, attendant calling, air conditioning control, etc. at different locations in the vehicle cabin in a manner that is isolated and prioritized over the entertainment system.

Claims

1. A communication system adapted for use on an aircraft, comprising:

a server including a real time operating system;

at least one cabin function application executing directly on the real time operating system included in the server, the at least one cabin function application related to operating a hardware component of a cabin of the aircraft;

a virtual machine included in the server and executing on the real time operating system included in the server, the virtual machine including a second operating system, different from the real time operating system; and

at least one entertainment application executing on the second operating system in the virtual machine in the server, the at least one entertainment application configured to provide content for an entertainment system; and

wherein the at least one cabin function application executing directly on the real time operating system and the at least one entertainment application executing on the second operating system are isolated as each runs on a different operating system layer and within separate server confines.

2. The communication system according to claim 1, wherein the second operating system executes separately with respect to the real time operating system.

3. The communication system according to claim 1, wherein the server comprises a multiple-core microprocessor.

4. The communication system according to claim 3, wherein the server further comprises a plurality of storage devices communicatively coupled to the multiple-core microprocessor.

5. The communication system according to claim 4, wherein the plurality of storage devices comprise at least one of a hard drive, a solid state storage device, and a memory.

6. The communication system according to claim 5, wherein the entertainment application is stored on the hard drive, and the cabin function application is stored on the solid state storage device.

7. The communication system according to claim 1, wherein the cabin function is selected from the group consisting of cabin lighting, public address system, overhead, information signs, galley operation, interphone operation, lavatory operation, smoke detectors, and environmental functions.

8. The communication system according to claim 1, wherein the second operating system is implemented as a software-based virtual server.

9. The communication system according to claim 1 the second operating system is Linux.

10. The communication system according to claim 1, further comprising a redundant hot-stand-by server that can replace the server in an event of a server failure.

11. The communication system according to claim 1, wherein the cabin function applications and the entertainment applications are implemented as Service Oriented Architecture applications.

12. The communication system according to claim 1, wherein the cabin function applications access aircraft cabin components over a first cabin function network, and the entertainment applications access entertainment system components over a second entertainment network.

13. The communication system according to claim 12, further comprising a memory partition that separates the first cabin function network and the second entertainment network.

14. The communication system according to claim 12, wherein the entertainment network comprises a 1 gigabit/sec Ethernet network.

15. The communication system according to claim 12, wherein at least one of the first cabin function network and the second entertainment network comprises a wireless access point.

16. The communication system according to claim 15, wherein the wireless access point is ARINC 763 compliant, and is based on IEEE 802.11.

17. The communication system according to claim 15, wherein the wireless access point utilizes Direct Sequence Spread Spectrum.

18. The communication system according to claim 15, wherein at least one of the cabin function system components and entertainment system components is a wireless component that utilizes the wireless access point.

19. The communication system according to claim 12, further comprising a seat video display unit that interfaces with the second entertainment network via which it receives audiovisual data.

20. The communication system according to claim 19, wherein the audiovisual data has a format selected from the group consisting of MPEG-2, MPEG-4, H-264, and VC1 format.

21. The communication system according to claim 19, wherein the seat video display unit comprises a wireless interface selected from the group consisting of WiMAX, WiFi, and DVB-H.

22. The communication system according to claim 1, wherein the at least one entertainment application includes an application selected from the group consisting of office productivity applications, 3D games with Open GL, and voice-over-Internet applications.

23. The communication system according to claim 1, wherein the at least one cabin function application executes directly on the real time operating system without intervening layers between the cabin function application and the real time operating system.

24. The communication system according to claim 1, wherein the second operating system executes directly on the real time operating system.