Method and Apparatus for Loadable Aircraft Software Parts Distribution

96 Pages·2013·5.83 MB·English

US 20090138873A1
(19) United States
(12) Patent Application Publication (10) Pub. No.: US 2009/0138873 A1
Beck et al. (43) Pub. Date: May 28, 2009
(54) METHOD AND APPARATUS FOR LOADABLE Publication Classi?cation
AIRCRAFT SOFTWARE PARTS (51) Int Cl
DISTRIBUTION G06F 9/44 (2006.01)
(75) Inventorsl Walter R- Beck, salkum, WA (Us); (52) us. Cl. ...................................................... .. 717/173
Travis Stephen Reid, Seattle, WA
(US); Olga C. Walker, Mercer (57) ABSTRACT
Island, WA (U S); Todd William
Gould, Marysville, WA (U S) A computer implemented method and apparatus for manag
ing aircraft software parts. An aircraft software part manage
Correspondence Address: ment apparatus comprises a library, a receiving module, a
DUKE W. YEE proxy server, an onboard electronic distribution system on an
YEE & ASSOCIATES, P.C., PO. BOX 802333 aircraft, and a portable software maintenance tool. The library
DALLAS, TX 75380 (US) on the ground data processing system stores and manages
aircraft software parts for aircraft. The receiving module is
(73) Assignee: THE BOEING COMPANY, capable of receiving the aircraft software parts from suppliers
Chicago, IL (US) and sending the aircraft software parts to the library. The
proxy server is in communication with the library and is
(21) App1.No.: 12/277,174
capable of distributing software to a plurality of aircraft cli
ents. The onboard electronic distribution system is an aircraft
(22) Filed: Nov. 24, 2008
client and is capable of receiving aircraft software parts for
the aircraft from the library through the proxy server. The
Related US. Application Data
portable software maintenance tool provides an alternate
(60) Provisional application No. 60/990,421, ?led on Nov. route to send the aircraft software part to the onboard elec
27, 2007. tronic distribution system for the aircraft.
AVIONICS
GATEWAY
@ [I CSM EFB css 1—
AIRPLANE 118
SYSTEMS \
168 170 172 AIRCRAFT
AIRPLANE SYSTEMS
LIBRARY
128 m \ SERVER
'NTRANET COMPUTER
@bws
PROXY SERVER TEMPORARY
COMPUTER PART STORAGE
/ 110 - 111
101 114 f’ 109 116 104 f
MAINTENANCE
AIRPORT EL,
LAPTOP

Patent Application Publication May 28, 2009 Sheet 2 0f 57 US 2009/0138873 A1
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E ANA D S T R A R T S
504\ DISTRIBUTE COMMANDS
DISTRIBUTE PARTS
506/
508/ RECEIVE DOWNLINK DATA
FIG. 5
302\
RECEIVING MODULE
LIBRARY
PROXY SERVER SOFTWARE
306/ APPLICATION MAINTENANCE TOOL
ONBOARD ELECTRONIC DISTRIBUTION SYSTEM
310/
FIG. 3

Patent Application Publication May 28, 2009 Sheet 4 0f 57 US 2009/0138873 A1
UPLINK COMMAND / 602
600 DOWNLINKCOMMAND / 604
DELETE COMMAND
\ 606
700
\, FIG. 6
</Cmd>
FIG. 7
800 802 804 806
\ \ / /
GROUND
SYSTEM DEEDS FTS LRU
NNE T
= CO C \f-M1
MAKECOMMAND
UPLINK M2
AVAILABLE = COMMAND / ;
RE UEST M3 CHECK
SOQURCE / =S|GNATURE
MAKECRATE
UPLINK M4
AVAILABLE : CRATE / =
‘ VALIDATE
REQUEST M5
AIRCRAFT
TRANSFER / = SOFTWAREPART_ M6
\i/
‘ STATUS
\
M7
FIG. 8
Patent Application Publication May 28, 2009 Sheet 5 0f 57 US 2009/0138873 A1
800 802 804 806
\ \ / /
GROUND
SYSTEM OBEDS FTS LRU
‘ CONNECT
/
MAKE N1
‘MALL? 53mg 52 N3 N4
N5 553E551
‘ REQUEST = DATA / =
\
CRATE N6
: AND s|GN
ADD
CRATE =METADATA
‘ /
N7 FIG. 9
800 802 804 806
\ \ / /
GROUND
SYSTEM OBEDS FTS LRU
‘ CONNECT
/
MAKE 01
isl'l’l'm'l'g DELETE 02
E COMMAND / :
CHECK
=s|GNATuRE O3 O4
DELETE
REQUEST / = COMMAND / L
DELETE
‘ REsOuRCE
‘ REOuEsT T
\
CRATE 05
CRATE : AND SIGN
/
06 FIG. 10
Patent Application Publication May 28, 2009 Sheet 6 0f 57 US 2009/0138873 A1
@)
‘I100\ STORE AN AIRCRAFT
SOFTWARE PART IN A LIBRARY
I
1102 IDENTIFY AN AIRCRAFT FOR THE
\ AIRCRAFT SOFTWARE PART TO
FORM AN IDENTIFIED AIRCRAFT
I
SEND THE AIRCRAFT SOFTWARE PART
1104/ TO A PROXY SERVER APPLICATION
I
SEND THE AIRCRAFT SOFTWARE PART TO
AN ONBOARD ELECTRONIC DISTRIBUTION
1106/ SYSTEM ON THE IDENTIFIED AIRCRAFT
i)
FIG. 1]
@)
“I200\
CRATE TOOL RECEIVES A CRATE
I
1202 \ CRATE TOOL VALIDATES
AND UNPACKS THE CRATE
I
1204 \ CRATE TOOL VALIDATES THE
SIGNATURE FOR THE PART
I
CRATE TOOL INSPECTS CRATE CONTENTS
1206/
I
CRATE TOOL SIGNS AIRCRAFT SOFTWARE
‘I208 / PART WITH AIRLINE SIGNATURE
I
CRATE TOOL PLACES THE AIRcRAFT
1210/ SOFTWARE PART IN A LIBRARY
i>
FIG. 12
Patent Application Publication May 28, 2009 Sheet 7 0f 57 US 2009/0138873 A1
@)
1300 \ PROXY SERVER APPLICATION
RECEIVES AND PROCESSES
QUEUED COMMANDS
I
PROXY SERVER APPLICATION
‘I302 \ CONNECTS TO THE ONBOARD
ELECTRONIC DISTRIBUTION
SYSTEM ON THE AIRCRAFT
V
PROXY SERvER APPLICATION
AUTOMATICALLY
1304\ TRANSFERS COMMANDS
FOR AIRCRAFT TO THE
ONBOARD ELECTRONIC
DISTRIBUTION SYSTEM
II
ONBOARD ELECTRONIC
DISTRIBUTION SYSTEM
1306 / READS COMMANDS AND
EXECUTES COMMANDS
I
ONBOARD ELECTRONIC
DISTRIBUTION SYSTEM
1308 / VERIFIES CRATED
COMMANDS
I
ONBOARD ELECTRONIC
DISTRIBUTION SYSTEM
1310 / RETURNS STATUS OF
THE TRANSFER
i>
FIG. 13
Patent Application Publication May 28, 2009 Sheet 8 0f 57 US 2009/0138873 A1
@)
PROXY SERVER APPLICATION
1400\
CONNECTS TO ONBOARD
ELECTRONIC DISTRIBUTION SYSTEM
I
1402\ PROXY SERVER APPLICATION
RECEIVES DOWNLINK OF DATA
I
PROXY SERVER APPLICATION
1404/ PLACES DOWNLINK DATA IN
A LOCAL INVENTORY
I @)
PROXY SERVER APPLICATION
SENDS DOWNLINK DATA TO
1406/ SOFTWARE MAINTENANCE
THE LIBRARY
TOOL CONNECTS TO /1600
@
ONBOARD ELECTRONIC
DISTRIBUTION SYSTEM
I
FIG. 14
SOFTWARE MAINTENANCE TOOL
RECEIVES DOWNLINK OF DATA r1602
FROM ONBOARD ELECTRONIC
DISTRIBUTION SYSTEM
I
SOFTWARE MAINTENANCE
/1604
TOOL PLACES DATA IN
LOCAL INVENTORY
I
SOFTWARE MAINTENANCE
TOOL DISCONNECTS FROM
\1606
ONBOARD ELECTRONIC
DISTRIBUTION SYSTEM
I
SOFTWARE MAINTENANCE
TOOL CONNECTS TO NETWORK \1608
I
SOFTWARE MAINTENANCE
TOOL SENDS DOWNLINK
DATA TO THE LIBRARY
i>
FIG. 16
Patent Application Publication May 28, 2009 Sheet 9 0f 57 US 2009/0138873 A1
@)
1500 -\ SOFTWARE MAINTENANCE
TOOL CONNECTS TO NETWORK
SOFTWARE MAINTENANCE TOOL RETRIEVES
1502-\
A SET OF UPLINK COMMANDS AND CRATES
WITH AIRCRAFT SOFTWARE PARTS
I
1504-\ SOFTWARE MAINTENANCE TOOL
DISCONNECTS FROM THE NETWORK
I
SOFTWARE MAINTENANCE TOOL
1506\
CONNECTS TO ONBOARD ELECTRONIC
DISTRIBUTION SYSTEM ON AIRCRAFT
‘I508
V
v /
SOFTWARE MAINTENANCE TOOL RECEIVES
SOFTWARE MAINTENANCE
SELECTION OF AIRCRAFT SOFTWARE PART
TOOL AUTOMATICALLY
V TRANSFERS THE SET OF
SOFTWARE MAINTENANCE TOOL ISSUES UPLINK COMMANDS TO
UPLINK COMMAND TO ONBOARD ONBOARD ELECTRONIC
1520/
ELECTRONIC DISTRIBUTION SYSTEM DISTRIBUTION SYSTEM
ONBOARD ELECTRONIC DISTRIBUTION
SYSTEM READS THE SET OF COMMANDS
1510/
AND RECEIVES THE SET OF CRATES
I
ONBOARD ELECTRONIC DISTRIBUTION
1512/ SYSTEM VERIFIES THE SET OF CRATES
I
ONBOARD ELECTRONIC DISTRIBUTION
SYSTEM RETURNS A STATUS OF TRANSFER
1514/
TO SOFTWARE MAINTENANCE TOOL
SOFTWARE MAINTENANCE
1 51 6 f TOOL RETURNS STATUS
i>
FIG. 15