Avionics Data Server for Portable Electronic Device Integrity
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Solution Overview
Problem
Portable electronic devices (PEDs) used in aircraft cockpits for avionics data are not subject to rigorous testing and may present misleading or inaccurate information due to proprietary features, posing a risk to safe aircraft operations.
Innovation Solution
A certified avionics server processes avionics data and limits PED operations to basic display functions, using data integrity protocols and signatures to ensure accurate information transmission, with the PED generating a confirming signature to verify data integrity and display a fail-image if corruption is detected.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of operation
If portable electronic devices are used to display avionics data, then ease of operation and accessibility are improved, but reliability and data accuracy deteriorate due to lack of rigorous testing and proprietary features
Solution Approach 1:
A certified avionics server acts as an intermediary between the avionics bus and the portable electronic device. The server generates image frames from avionics data, computes signatures, and transmits them to the PED. This intermediary approach allows the use of consumer devices while maintaining avionics-grade reliability through centralized, certified processing.
Solution Approach 2:
The system segments functions between the avionics server and the portable device. The server handles all critical processing including data generation, signature computation, and integrity verification. The PED is limited to basic display functions only. This segmentation isolates reliability-critical operations to certified hardware while allowing flexible display devices to be used.
2Adaptability or versatility
If portable electronic devices perform full image processing, then display versatility is improved, but risk of data corruption and misleading information increases
Solution Approach 1:
The system extracts the image processing function from the portable electronic device and places it in the certified avionics server. The PED receives pre-processed image frames and only performs basic display operations. This extraction eliminates the harmful effect of uncertified processing while preserving the benefit of using familiar consumer devices for display.
Solution Approach 2:
The avionics server performs all necessary image processing and data validation before transmitting to the PED. Image frames are generated, signed, and validated in advance. This preliminary action ensures that no uncertified processing occurs on the PED, eliminating data corruption risk while maintaining display versatility.
3Reliability
If data integrity protocols are implemented, then reliability is improved, but device complexity increases due to signature generation and verification
Solution Approach 1:
The avionics server acts as an intermediary that handles all complex signature generation and verification operations. The PED simply receives signed image frames and displays them. This intermediary approach concentrates complexity in the certified server while keeping the PED simple, resolving the contradiction between reliability and device complexity.
Data Source
AI summary
A method and apparatus for using portable electronic devices such as commercial off-the-shelf cell phones and tablets for the communication of critical aviation data provides a protocol which minimizes processing by the portable electronic device other than the confirmation of a receipt of uncorrupted data. Failure of timely, accurate communication is detected at a certified avionics data server and communicated to the portable electronic device in the form of a fail-image. The communicated images may be composited with animated frames to provide a human recognizable indication of data integrity.