Aircraft Ground Data Exchange via Virtual Machine Intermediary
Find Innovative SolutionsGenerate Solutions
Solution Overview
Problem
Current aircraft computing systems face challenges in data exchange due to the lack of common ground software interfaces, leading to unreliable air-to-ground communication and the need for multiple software communication interfaces, which complicates data transfer and maintenance.
Innovation Solution
The implementation of decoupled interfaces and cloud network resources enables a single interface for ground devices to communicate with various aircraft computing devices, improving data exchange reliability and efficiency by using transient storage locations for data routing.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Adaptability or versatility
If multiple software communication interfaces are implemented to communicate with different aircraft computing devices, then communication compatibility is improved, but system complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent introduces a ground computing device as an intermediary between ground clients and aircraft computing devices. This ground computing device runs virtual machine instances that can emulate different aircraft computing device types, allowing a single ground client interface to communicate with multiple aircraft computing device types through the intermediary, thereby resolving the contradiction between communication compatibility and system complexity
Solution Approach 2:
The ground computing device is designed to perform multiple functions: it can run different virtual machine instances to emulate various aircraft computing device types, manage data file transfers, and provide a unified interface for ground clients. This multi-functionality allows a single system to handle diverse communication requirements without requiring separate interfaces for each aircraft computing device type
2Speed
If direct data transmission is used between ground computing devices and aircraft computing devices, then data transfer speed is improved, but transmission reliability deteriorates due to communication variations across geographic regions
Solution Approach 1:
The system performs preliminary actions by establishing virtual machine instances in advance on the ground computing device that match the specific aircraft computing device type before data transmission begins. This preliminary configuration ensures that the communication interface is pre-adapted to the target aircraft computing device, improving both the speed and reliability of subsequent data transfers by avoiding communication protocol mismatches
Solution Approach 2:
The ground computing device acts as a mediator that buffers and manages data transmissions. It receives data from ground clients, stores it as data files, and then transmits them to aircraft computing devices through appropriately configured virtual machine instances. This intermediary approach allows for error handling, retransmission, and protocol adaptation, thereby improving transmission reliability while maintaining efficient data transfer
3Device complexity
If a single unified interface is implemented for ground clients to communicate with all aircraft computing devices, then system complexity is reduced, but adaptability to different aircraft computing device types deteriorates
Solution Approach 1:
The ground computing device serves as an intermediary that provides a unified interface to ground clients while internally managing multiple virtual machine instances that adapt to different aircraft computing device types. The unified interface simplifies the client-side complexity, while the intermediary translates and adapts communications to the appropriate aircraft computing device protocols, thereby resolving the contradiction between interface simplicity and adaptability
Solution Approach 2:
The system creates virtual copies (virtual machine instances) of different aircraft computing device types on the ground computing device. These virtual copies replicate the interface and communication characteristics of specific aircraft computing devices, allowing the unified ground client interface to interact with them as if they were the actual aircraft computing devices, thus maintaining adaptability while simplifying the client interface
Data Source
AI summary
A computing method for exchanging data between an aircraft computing device and a ground computing device comprises receiving an initial communication from an aircraft service executing on the aircraft computing device located onboard an aircraft; determining an aircraft classifier associated with the aircraft; selecting an aircraft API for communicating with the aircraft service; transmitting one or more first communications to the ground computing device; and transmitting one or more second communications to the aircraft service, wherein the one or more first communications and the one or more second communications cause a data file to be exchanged between the ground computing device and the aircraft computing device.