The Boeing Company

Theboeing Company

Tri Minh Phan

C L Fagan

Michael A D'Annunzio

Ben C Forbes

Timothy McNally Mitchell

David Alexander Bush

Douglas Lee Wiese

Stephen C Holstein

Anil Kumar

Tuan Nguyen

David S Mier

Luis Rogelio Gonzalez

John R Weed

Aaron N Voigt

David Erdos

David A Bush

Rolf P Dietiker

Steven A Johnson

Rickie Lee

Homero S Cerna

Shu Hsin Robin Hsu

Vinh Q Doan

Christopher R Payne

Robert M Kelly

Douglas L Wiese

CL Fagan

Systems, apparatuses and methods may provide for a verification system for an aircraft. The verification system includes a verification function subsystem to automatically verify an operational condition of one or more components of an aircraft based on airflow related signals, hydraulic related signals, and electrical signals and associated impedances and present the operational condition via a display. The airflow related signals may be obtained from a plurality of airflow fittings, the hydraulic related signals may be obtained from a plurality of hydraulic fittings, and the electrical signals and associated impedances may be obtained from a plurality of electrical connectors. At least two of the airflow fittings, at least two of the hydraulic fittings, and at least two of the electrical connectors may be positioned in different aircraft sections before additional aircraft sections are assembled.

Continuous airplane verification to improve production build efficiency

Provided are methods and systems for on-ground communication using an electrical power distribution system of an aircraft. Specifically, two broadband over power line (BPL) communication modules are communicatively coupled to an electrical power distribution system of an aircraft at different locations. A communication-initiation request is transmitted between these modules and, in some examples, is used to establish communication between the modules. In more specific examples, the receiving module determines received parameters of the communication-initiation request, which depend, at least in part, on characteristics of the electrical power distribution system. The received parameters are compared with expected parameters, and an operating indication of the electrical power distribution system is generated based on this comparison. In some examples, the operating indication is used to verify configuration of the electrical power distribution system (e.g., during aircraft assembly), service requirements (e.g., during aircraft operation), and the like.

Broadband over power line network systems for off-board communication in aircraft and methods of operating thereof

In an onboard aircraft computing and network system, an Aeronautical Radio, Incorporated (ARINC) 629 Ethernet converter receives ARINC 629 data, transcodes the data, and inserts the data into Ethernet frames for transmission to other onboard devices. A secure communications session may be established for transmission of the transcoded data. ARINC 629 data may be received by an ARINC 629 Ethernet converter on several buses used by onboard devices.

Arinc 629 ethernet converter

A method and apparatus comprising an existing aircraft node and an information agent located in the existing aircraft node. The existing aircraft node is connected to a number of aircraft systems and a network in an aircraft network data processing system. The information agent is configured to provide access to information received by the existing aircraft node to other aircraft nodes in the aircraft network data processing system.

Aircraft information management system

A method for air-to-ground data streaming includes receiving data, by a processor aboard an aircraft, from an LRU aboard the aircraft, encoding the data according to a data map received from a ground station, and transmitting the encoded data in real time to the ground station via a transmission link selected by a dynamic link manager, configured to identify and select a most efficient data path.

System and method for air-to-ground data streaming

A free space optical communications link is established, for example, between a commercial aircraft and an airport ground terminal unit, the link being asymmetric in the sense that a downlink to the aircraft has a much higher bandwidth than the reverse link from the aircraft so that the system is adapted for quickly loading large amounts of data (e.g., in-flight entertainment) onto the aircraft while still providing enough bandwidth for the lesser amounts of data (e.g., maintenance data) required to be transmitted from the aircraft to ground. Such adaptation provides significant benefits over standard, commercially available, free space optical communications systems. For example, equipment on the aircraft can be much smaller and lighter than ground unit equipment; and the communications link can allow for greater uncertainty in the alignment of the optical transceivers than do current free space optical communication systems and can allow for operation in harsher environmental conditions.

Method and apparatus for enhanced free space optical communication in an aviation environment

Configuration of hardware and software onboard a mobile platform may be dynamically managed without significantly impacting a data stream from the mobile platform. Configuration data for equipment and resident software aboard a mobile platform is electronically reported in the form of a part number and a serial number. The configuration data is transferred to a terrestrial database via a mobile communications network. The configuration data is displayed to stakeholders, such as the network-provider enterprise and its customers. Invalid configurations may cause alerts.

Dynamic configuration management

A status reporting system for components used in a mobile platform includes a fault manager within the mobile platform for assigning a state indicator to each component. Each state indicator indicates the operational current state of the component. A management system external to the mobile platform, in one example being a ground based management system, is in communication with the mobile platform via a wireless communication link. A component summary including the state indicators of all the components is periodically transmitted from the mobile platform as an information packet, via the wireless link, to the management system for review. The management system can thus remotely monitor the operational status of various important components on a periodic basis, for example every five minutes. This saves significant bandwidth over that which would be required if a continuous wireless link was to be employed to remotely monitor various components on the mobile platform.

Status reporting system and method

Propagation of a mobile platform's public IP address though Internet service providers is monitored as the mobile platform is handed-off from a first ground station to a second ground station. The mobile platform's public IP address is removed from the first ground station. The first ground station is checked to determine whether the mobile platform's public IP address is no longer present there. After a predetermined period, the second ground station is checked to determine whether the mobile platform's public IP address is no longer present at the first ground station. The mobile platform's public IP address is added to the second ground station. The second ground station is checked to determine whether the mobile platform's public IP address is now present there. After a predetermined period, the first ground station is checked to determine whether the mobile platform's public IP address is now present at the second ground station.

Route server monitor

Exemplary methods and systems manage a mobile network. A mobile network node is managed when the node is connected to the network. However, an alarm is not necessarily generated when the node is not connected to the network. A status message is periodically generated and transmitted from the mobile network node to a network control facility. The status message may include any status information regarding the mobile network node as desired. When the status message is indicative of a predetermined condition, an alarm is automatically generated. When no status message is received from the mobile network node, a determination is made whether connectivity exists between the mobile network node and the network. If connectivity does not exist between the mobile network node and the network, then no alarm is generated. If connectivity does exist between the mobile network node and the network, then an alarm is generated.

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Renton, WA, United States of America

Tri Minh Phan