Method to use empty slots in onboard aircraft servers and communication devices to install non-proprietary servers and communications interfaces

• US 8,559,183 B1
• Filed: 01/02/2013
• Issued: 10/15/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 01/02/2013
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: APIJET, LLC
• Original Assignee: iJet Technologies, Inc.
• Inventors: Davis, Terry L.
• Primary Examiner(s): Chen, Xiaoliang
• Application Number:
  US13/733,107
• Time in Patent Office: 286 Days
• Field of Search: 361/760, 361/679.48, 361/795, 361/729, 361/730, 361/736, 361/896, 361/826, 439/79, 439/378, 439/498, 439/544, 439/638, 439/660, 710/300, 710/302, 713/300, 713/796, 714/25, 299/42, 307/25
• US Class Current: 361/760
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 13/409 Mechanical coupling back panels H05K7/1438
• CPC Class Codes: H05K 7/00 Constructional details common to different types of electric apparatus casings, cabinets, drawers H05K5/00
• CPC Class Codes: H05K 7/1412 hold down mechanisms, e.g. avionic racks
• CPC Class Codes: H05K 7/1459 Circuit configuration, e.g. routing signals
• CPC Class Codes: Y02D 10/00 Energy efficient computing, e.g. low power processors, power management or thermal management

Abstract

The power supply and cooling provided by existing aircraft system line replaceable units (LRUs) or other devices supports new cards that are installed in previously empty slots or which replace existing original cards and which are not limited in functionality and do not require licensing of any proprietary technology included in the LRU. These new cards can include components such as processors, memory, and/or storage that significantly improve the performance of the LRU, and/or add new functionality—all without exceeding the power supply and cooling capability of the LRU. A network and avionics bus interface can be added to a portion of the new card and electrically coupled to the circuitry and electronic components on the new card, so that one or more cables connected to the interface can be connected to externally accessible standard avionics buses and network connectors added to a chassis of the LRU.

Claims

1. A method for energizing and cooling a circuit card coupled to a backplane in an avionics device used in an aircraft, while preventing signals other than electrical power from being conveyed between the circuit card and a slot in the backplane that is electrically coupled to the circuit card, comprising:

(a) eliminating electrical contact between conductors in the slot and a circuit on the circuit card, except specific conductors in the slot that provide electrical power required to energize the circuit card, wherein the conductors are spaced-apart longitudinally within the slot, and the slot extends longitudinally in alignment with a footer area of the circuit card on which electrical traces are disposed;

(b) coupling the electrical traces on the footer area of the circuit card to the specific conductors in the slot;

(c) employing cooling provided in the avionics device to cool the circuit card; and

(d) conveying one or more signals between the circuit card and an external bus, device, system, or network, without using the backplane of the avionics device.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the circuit card provides additional functionality to the avionics device itself, or to other systems on the aircraft, or new functionality to the aircraft that were not provided in the avionics device when it was manufactured, wherein coupling the circuit card to the slot in the backplane comprises coupling the circuit card to an empty slot in the backplane that was not previously in use for any other circuit card.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the circuit card is a replacement for an original circuit card previously installed in the avionics device and provides at least one of greater speed of operation, improved efficiency, or lower power consumption, compared to the original circuit card, and wherein coupling the circuit card to the slot in the backplane comprises coupling the circuit card in the slot of the original circuit card after the original circuit card has been removed from said slot.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein eliminating electrical contact between the conductors in the slot and the circuit on the circuit card, except specific conductors in the slot that provide electrical power required by the circuit card comprises including only conductive traces on the footer area of the circuit card that is inserted into the slot where the specific conductors in the slot that carry electrical power signals are disposed, so that the conductive traces on the footer area contact the specific conductors in the slot, and electrical power is thus supplied to energize the circuit card, but no other signals on other conductors in the slot are electrically coupled to the circuit card, ensuring that the circuit card cannot affect existing aircraft certifications or base FAA or EASA certifications for the avionics device.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein eliminating electrical contact between the conductors in the slot and the circuit on the circuit card, except specific conductors in the slot that provide electrical power required by the circuit card comprises providing an extender between the circuit card and the slot, wherein the circuit card is inserted into the extender, and the extender is inserted into the slot, the extender including only conductive traces needed to contact the specific conductors in the slot, to provide the electrical power required to energize the circuit card.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein eliminating electrical contact between the conductors in the slot and the circuit on the circuit card, except specific conductors in the slot that provide electrical power required by the circuit card comprises creating an electrically open condition in electrical traces on a backplane bus that provide any signal other than electrical power to the slot in which the circuit card is inserted, so that only the specific conductors in the slot are active.

7. The method of claim 1, further comprising adding at least one externally accessible connector to the avionics device, wherein conveying signals between the circuit card and the external bus, device, or network comprises connecting one or more cables between a bus interface provided on the circuit card and the at least one externally accessible connector, so that the one or more signals are conveyed through the one or more cables to the at least one externally accessible connector, enabling the one or more signals to be conveyed between the circuit card and any external bus, device, or network that is connected to the externally accessible connector.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein conveying signals between the circuit card and the external bus, device, or network comprises connecting one or more cables to a bus interface provided on the circuit card and extending the one or more cables from the bus interface outside the avionics device to the external bus, device, or network, so that signals are conveyed over the one or more cables between the circuit card and the external bus, device, or network.

9. The method of claim 1, wherein employing cooling provided in the avionics device comprises using one or more motor-driven fans or other cooling mechanism that is included in the avionics device to provide cooling for the avionics device and for the circuit card.

10. The method of claim 9, adding additional or alternative cooling to the avionics device to provide cooling for the circuit card if a heat load produced by the circuit card exceeds a rated heat load of the avionics device as originally designed.

11. The method of claim 1, further comprising providing a network and avionics bus interface that is electrically coupled to a circuit on the circuit card, so that the network and avionics bus interface is disposed on either a surface of the circuit card, or proximate to a top of the circuit card, or proximate to an end of the circuit card, the avionics bus interface enabling signals to be transferred between the circuit on the circuit card and the external bus, device, system, or network.