System enabling communication between an aircraft-based computer network and a ground-based computer network

• US 8,856,277 B2
• Filed: 04/04/2008
• Issued: 10/07/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 04/06/2007
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Airbus
• Original Assignee: Airbus
• Inventors: Saugnac, Frederic
• Primary Examiner(s): Eskandarnia, Arvin
• Application Number:
  US12/594,515
• Publication Number:
  US 20100121938A1
• Time in Patent Office: 2,377 Days
• Field of Search: 709/218
• US Class Current: 709/218
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 8/70 Software maintenance or management
• CPC Class Codes: G07C 5/008 communicating information to a remotely located station transmission systems for measured values G08C
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 7/18506 Communications with or from aircraft, i.e. aeronautical mobile service
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 12/66 Arrangements for connecting between networks having differing types of switching systems, e.g. gateways
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 51/23 Reliability checks, e.g. acknowledgments or fault reporting
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/0272 Virtual private networks
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/04 specially adapted for terminals or networks with limited capabilities; specially adapted for terminal portability
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/1095 Replication or mirroring of data, e.g. scheduling or transport for data synchronisation between network nodes
• 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: H04M 3/22 Arrangements for supervision, monitoring or testing
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 3/247 Knowledge-based maintenance systems
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 7/0081 Network operation, administration, maintenance, or provisioning

Abstract

A system enabling communication between an aircraft-based computer network and a ground-based computer network. The system establishes a network communication between a ground-based computer network and an aircraft-based computer network via at least one communication medium using a synchronous communication mode. The system can be used to simplify procedures involved in maintaining a fleet of aircraft connected to a maintenance control center (MCC) and, in particular, to facilitate and secure the updating of aircraft logbooks (e.g., a cabin logbook and technical logbook).

Claims

1. An aircraft communication system installed in an aircraft, the system comprising:

a network installed in the aircraft;

a processor installed in the aircraft and configured to perform interactive browsing of maintenance data stored in a network on the ground and to execute a shared aircraft maintenance tool shared with the network on the ground; and

a controller establishing a network connection between the network on the ground and the network in the aircraft via at least one communication medium according to a synchronous communication mode,

wherein the processor is configured to execute the shared aircraft maintenance tool to perform, under the control of an operator on the ground, tests on an avionics system of the aircraft to diagnose and isolate a fault associated with a fault indication to a potentially defective replaceable entity on the aircraft,

wherein the shared aircraft maintenance tool performs a maintenance action on the aircraft under the control of the operator on the ground based on a received wirelessly transmitted command from the operator on the ground via the network connection,

wherein the maintenance action, performed by the shared aircraft maintenance tool executing on the processor installed in the aircraft, under the control of the operator on the ground, includes determining whether the fault indication is spurious without the operator being on board the aircraft, and

wherein the maintenance action, when the fault indication is determined not to be spurious, identifies procedures to repair the fault and performs the repair of the fault on the aircraft based on wirelessly transmitted commands from the operator on the ground without the operator being on board the aircraft.

2. The system according to claim 1, further comprising means for synchronizing maintenance data stored in the network of the aircraft and the maintenance data stored in the network on the ground in a single sequence of operations coordinated in real time.

3. The system according to claim 1, wherein the at least one communication medium includes a mobile telephony network.

4. The system according to claim 1, wherein the at least one communication medium includes a wireless communication network.

5. The system according to claim 1, wherein the at least one communication medium includes at least two communication media, one of the at least two communication media including a hard-wired link.

6. The system according to claim 1, wherein the network in the aircraft and the network on the ground are connected by a virtual private network.

7. The system according to claim 1, wherein the controller establishes the network connection via the at least one communication medium according to a real-time synchronous communication mode.

8. The system according to claim 1, wherein the maintenance action on the aircraft is performed while the aircraft is in flight, under the control of the operator on the ground at a fixed location.

9. The system according to claim 1, wherein the controller is further configured to establish the network connection via the synchronous communication mode including a continuous and dedicated real time link for communication between the network on the ground and the network in the aircraft.

10. The system according to claim 1, wherein the processor is further configured to receive the shared aircraft maintenance tool from the network on the ground via the network connection.

11. The system according to claim 1, wherein maintenance data stored in the network installed in the aircraft is updated simultaneously with the maintenance data stored in the network on the ground to indicate the status of the potentially defective replaceable entity as operational.

12. The system according to claim 1, wherein the maintenance action is performed based on a most recent version of a maintenance procedure manual electronically stored in the network on the ground.

13. The system according to claim 1, wherein, when the fault indication is determined to be spurious, a status of the potentially defective replaceable entity is indicated to be operational based on a received signal from the operator on the ground via the network connection.

14. An aircraft communication system comprising, in an aircraft:

a network installed in the aircraft;

a processor installed in the aircraft and configured to perform interactive browsing of maintenance data stored in a network on the ground and to execute a shared aircraft maintenance tool shared with the network on the ground; and

a controller establishing a network connection between the network on the ground and the network in the aircraft via at least one communication medium according to a synchronous communication mode,

wherein the processor is configured to execute the shared aircraft maintenance tool to perform, under the control of an operator on the ground, tests on an avionics system of the aircraft to diagnose and isolate a fault associated with a fault indication to a potentially defective replaceable entity on the aircraft,

wherein the shared aircraft maintenance tool performs a maintenance action on the aircraft under the control of the operator on the ground based on a received command from the operator via the network connection, and

wherein the maintenance action, performed by the shared aircraft maintenance tool executing on the processor installed in the aircraft under the control of the operator on the ground, includes;

determining whether the fault indication is spurious, where, when the fault indication is determined not to be spurious, the system identifies procedures to repair the fault and repairs the fault on the aircraft based on commands from the operator on the ground, and

updating, using the processor installed on the aircraft, a maintenance logbook on the aircraft under the control of the operator on the ground regarding the performed maintenance action.

15. The system according to claim 14, wherein maintenance data stored in the network installed in the aircraft is updated simultaneously with the maintenance data stored in the network on the ground to indicate the status of the potentially defective replaceable entity as operational.

16. The system according to claim 14, wherein the maintenance action is performed based on a most recent version of a maintenance procedure manual electronically stored in the network on the ground.

17. The system according to claim 14, wherein, when the fault indication is determined to be spurious, a status of the potentially defective replaceable entity is indicated to be operational based on a received signal from the operator on the ground via the network connection.

18. An aircraft communication system installed in an aircraft, the system comprising:

a network installed in the aircraft;

a processor installed in the aircraft and configured to perform interactive navigation of data stored in a network on the ground and to execute a shared aircraft maintenance tool; and

a controller establishing a network connection between the network on the ground and the network in the aircraft via at least one communication medium according to a synchronous communication mode,

wherein the processor is configured to execute the shared aircraft maintenance tool to perform, under the control of an operator on the ground, tests on an avionics system of the aircraft to diagnose and isolate a fault associated with a fault indication to a potentially defective replaceable entity on the aircraft,

wherein the shared aircraft maintenance tool performs a maintenance action on the aircraft under the control of the operator on the ground based on a received command from the operator via the network connection,

wherein the network installed in the aircraft is configured to communicate with the network on the ground to create a continuity between the network in the aircraft and the network on the ground, the synchronous communication mode allowing for the interactive navigation in data stored in the network on the ground, and an operator in the aircraft being able to consult the data stored in the network on the ground,

wherein the system further comprises means for updating data stored in the network installed in the aircraft from said data stored in the network on the ground, and

wherein said system is configured to determine whether the fault indication is spurious, where, when the fault indication is determined not to be spurious, the system identifies procedures to repair the fault and repairs the fault on the aircraft based on commands from the operator on the ground.

19. The system according to claim 18, wherein data stored in the network installed in the aircraft is updated simultaneously with the data stored in the network on the ground to indicate the status of the potentially defective replaceable entity as operational.

20. The system according to claim 18, wherein, when the fault indication is determined to be spurious, a status of the potentially defective replaceable entity is indicated to be operational based on a received signal from the operator on the ground via the network connection.