Aircraft avionics tablet interface module

• US 9,334,063 B2
• Filed: 09/10/2012
• Issued: 05/10/2016
• Est. Priority Date: 09/10/2012
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Rosemount Aerospace, Inc. (Raytheon Technologies Corporation d/b/a RTX)
• Original Assignee: Rosemount Aerospace, Inc. (Raytheon Technologies Corporation d/b/a RTX)
• Inventors: Baumgarten, William J., Haukom, Michael J., Horsager, Thomas J., McDowell, Daniel L.
• Primary Examiner(s): Amin, Bhavesh V
• Application Number:
  US13/608,100
• Publication Number:
  US 20140074322A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,338 Days
• Field of Search: 701/1, 701 3- 18
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: B64D 45/00 Aircraft indicators or protectors not otherwise provided for camouflage F41H3/00
• CPC Class Codes: G05B 2219/23406 Programmer device, portable, handheld detachable programmer
• CPC Class Codes: G05B 23/0216 Human interface functionality, e.g. monitoring system providing help to the user in the selection of tests or in its configuration
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 13/4282 on a serial bus, e.g. I2C bus, SPI bus on daisy chain buses G06F13/4247
• CPC Class Codes: G07C 5/006 Indicating maintenance

Abstract

An aircraft avionics system including an aircraft interface device configured to communicate with an aircraft avionics system and a tablet interface module configured to communicate with the aircraft interface device and with one or more tablets. The aircraft avionics system includes a plurality of sensors for an aircraft and the tablet interface module provides the one or more tablets with information received from the aircraft interface device.

Claims

1. A aircraft avionics system, the system comprising:

a aircraft interface device configured to communicate with an aircraft avionics system, wherein the aircraft avionics system comprises a plurality of sensors for an aircraft; and

a tablet interface module configured to communicate with the aircraft interface device and with one or more tablets,

wherein the tablet interface module includes a user interface that is configured to establish, via a wireless transceiver, a communications channel between the tablet interface module and the one or more tablets and an indicator configured to indicate if the tablet interface module is connected to the one or more tablets, and

wherein the communications channel can only be established by initiation from the tablet interface module and not the one or more tablets, and the communications channel is encrypted by the wireless transceiver; and

wherein the tablet interface module provides the one or more tablets with information received from the aircraft interface device and wherein the tablet interface module comprises a power supply configured to connect to a power system of the aircraft and to provide power to the one or more tablet devices.

2. The aircraft avionics system of claim 1, wherein the aircraft interface device is configured to store data received from the aircraft avionics system.

3. The aircraft avionics system of claim 1, wherein the aircraft interface device is configured to partition the aircraft avionics system from the tablet interface module.

4. The aircraft avionics system of claim 1, wherein the aircraft interface device is configured to condition power received from a power system of the aircraft and isolates the tablet interface module from the aircraft power system.

5. The aircraft avionics system of claim 1, wherein the tablet interface module comprises:

a transceiver configured to communicate with the aircraft interface device.

6. The aircraft avionics system of claim 1, wherein the wireless transceiver is a low power low visibility radio frequency transceiver.

7. The aircraft avionics system of claim 5, wherein the power supply is configured to condition power received from the power system of the aircraft and isolates the one or more tablets from the aircraft power system.

8. A tablet interface module, the device comprising:

a first transceiver configured to communicate with one or more tablets;

a second transceiver configured to communicate with a aircraft interface device; and

a user interface module configured to establish a communications channel between the tablet interface module and the one or more tablets,

wherein the user interface module includes an indicator configured to indicate if the tablet interface module is connected to the one or more tablets,

wherein the communications channel can only be established by initiation from the tablet interface module and not the one or more tablets, and the communications channel is encrypted by the wireless transceiver; and

wherein the tablet interface is configured to receive information regarding a plurality of sensors for an aircraft from the aircraft interface device and to transmit aircraft interface device information to the one or more tablets and wherein the tablet interface module further comprises a power supply configured to connect to a power system of the aircraft and to provide power to the one or more tablet devices.

9. The tablet interface module of claim 8, wherein the first transceiver is a low power low visibility radio frequency transceiver.

10. The tablet interface module of claim 8, wherein the power supply is configured to condition power received from the power system of the aircraft and isolate the one or more tablets from the aircraft power system.

11. The aircraft avionics system of claim 8, wherein the tablet interface module comprises:

a first wired transceiver configured to communicate with the one or more tablets;

a second wired transceiver configured to communicate with the aircraft interface device.