Data processing: vehicles – navigation – and relative location – Vehicle control – guidance – operation – or indication – Aeronautical vehicle
Reexamination Certificate
2000-08-31
2002-05-21
Chin, Gary (Department: 3661)
Data processing: vehicles, navigation, and relative location
Vehicle control, guidance, operation, or indication
Aeronautical vehicle
C244S075100
Reexamination Certificate
active
06393343
ABSTRACT:
FIELD OF THE INVENTION
The invention relates to a passenger service unit for aircraft cabin systems. The passenger service units are connected through data buses to an aircraft central control for controlling and monitoring cabin lighting systems, a cabin public address system, displays, keyboards, sensors such as temperature sensors and air circulation sensors timers, counters, switches, and the like referred to herein as passenger service units and components of such passenger service units.
BACKGROUND INFORMATION
It is known to organize the open and closed loop controlling and monitoring of aircraft cabin systems electrically and electronically with the aid of an aircraft central control. The aircraft central control comprises one or two computers which control all individual passenger service units and/or components of the above mentioned cabin systems. The individual components such as lights, loudspeakers, temperature sensors, and the like, are connected to the computer or computers through data buses and the individual components do not contain any “intelligence” of their own. The components receive their instructions through the data buses and are capable of returning certain response signals to the central control. Such response signals, for example provide information whether the particular component is in the on or off state or whether it is functioning properly.
The just described conventional control system has certain drawbacks. For example, one such drawback is seen in that a multitude of conductors must be installed in the aircraft to form the data buses. The nature of such conductors makes the cabin layout rather unflexible with regard to increasing the system size, adding to the system functions, or modifying the system for example when changing a cabin layout to another cabin layout.
Another disadvantage of conventional systems is in the fact that the more complex a conventional system gets, the higher are the costs for performing testing operations that are required in order to obtain official licenses for the use of such systems. Moreover, changes made in a single passenger service unit or component conventionally require retesting the entire cabin system for official approval. Similarly, any change or addition to the central aircraft control for varying a capability or for adding capabilities also requires renewed testing of the entire system on the assumption that such changes or additions may have adversely affected the entire system, for example with regard to the system reliability. In other words, all components of a conventional system must be retested even if only one component was modified. Such requirements are officially imposed because it must be proven by the operator of the system that components which have not been modified by the addition of a new capability or several new capabilities, have not been affected by such addition or additions, or modifications. A new license is then issued only after the renewed proof has been provided to the licensing authority.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,369,584 (Kajiwara) discloses a control system for a vehicle with a central controller (
30
) connected through a data bus (
34
) to submain controllers (
35
,
36
). One submain controller (
35
) is a power controller for operating the engine and the transmission directly in response to signals from engine sensors (
13
) and signals from transmission sensors (
14
) independently of the central controller. The other submain controller (
36
) is a drive controller and can respond to signals from a steering sensor (
40
), from a suspension sensor (
15
) and from a brake sensor (
16
), also independently of the central controller. The central controller (
30
) overrides the submain controller in response to certain sensor signals such as distance signals to a preceding vehicle measured by a sensor (
31
) directly connected to the central controller (
30
). The submain controllers do not have any programming capability that is independent of the main control.
The vehicle control system of Kajiwara is not suitable for use in a passenger aircraft cabin system because the system does not have to meet official aircraft safety standards, the known system does not provide personal/computer facilities to the passengers of the vehicle, and the power and drive controller (
35
,
36
) cannot be programmed, much less reprogrammed.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,774,514 (Hildebrandt et al.) describes a method and system for carrying out passenger-related and flight attendant-related functions in a passenger aircraft. The main purpose of the Hildebrandt et al. invention is to use permanently installed wiring in an aircraft cabin for several different cabin layouts by providing a decoder/encoder unit (DEU) between a central data bus that leads to the aircraft central control computer and individual passenger service unit. Due to the decoder/encoder units the Hildebrandt et al. system is very flexible in its ability for changing a cabin layout. However, the economy and weight of the permanent wiring leaves room for improvement. The Hildebrandt et al. system still requires a substantial number of individual conductor wires, a passenger service unit, also referred to as passenger supply and information unit, and the respective decoder/encoder unit. More specifically, up to seventeen conductor wires each with an average length of about 3.8 meters may be required between a decoding/encoding unit and the respective passenger service unit. Assuming that there are on average about 150 passenger service units in a passenger aircraft, substantial reductions in wiring requirements would be very desirable.
OBJECTS OF THE INVENTION
In view of the foregoing it is the aim of the invention to achieve the following objects singly or in combination:
to provide a passenger service unit for an aircraft with a passenger interface and supply adapter which is individually programmable and can function independently of any aircraft central control;
reprogram the same passenger interface and supply adapter for different purposes and different functions;
to relieve or reduce the operations and/or storage capabilities of the central computer of the aircraft central control;
to reduce the number of electrical conductors for transmitting signals between the above-mentioned decoder/encoder unit and the respective individual passenger service unit for achieving a respective weight reduction and a reduced effort and expense for the wiring installation; and
to construct the passenger interface and supply adapter in such a way that it functions as a buffer or interface between the aircraft central control and any other passenger service unit, whereby modifications of any passenger service unit or component such as reprogramming its interface and supply adapter will not affect any other passenger service unit or component, whereby retesting of the entire system is avoided when system changes or system expansions are made and only the changed passenger service units or added passenger service units need to be tested.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
The above objects have been achieved according to the invention by a passenger service unit (PSU) for an aircraft cabin, said passenger service unit comprising at least one passenger service component, a passenger interface and supply adapter (PISA) (
10
) for controlling said at least one passenger service component independently of an aircraft central control (
12
), said passenger interface and supply adapter (
10
) comprising at least one programming input/output (
17
) for programming or reprogramming said passenger service unit independently of said aircraft central control (
12
), a signal conductor bus (
11
) for connecting said passenger interface and supply adapter (
10
) to said aircraft central control (
12
), said passenger interface and supply adapter (
10
) further including a processing unit (
14
) connected to said programming input/output (
17
) for individually programming said processing unit (
14
) and thereby controlling said at least one passenger service component in said pass
Andersen Dirk
Frey Martin
Airbus Deutschland GmbH
Chin Gary
Fasse W. F.
Fasse W. G.
LandOfFree
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